Category: directing a film

Interview with Filmmaker Frank Schlichting (Undermine Beneath Canada’s Ghost Towns)

Undermine Beneath Canada’s Ghost Towns was the winner of BEST DOC CHARACTER at the March 2020 Documentary Film Festival in Toronto. Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film? Frank Schlichting: It was made to promote what I was doing to get on TV 2. From the idea to the finished product, how long… Continue reading Interview with Filmmaker Frank Schlichting (Undermine Beneath Canada’s Ghost Towns)

Interview with Filmmaker Kev L. Smith (Taobh Le Taobh)

Taobh Le Taobh played to rave reviews at the February 2020 DOCUMENTARY Short Film Festival in Toronto. Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film? Kev L. Smith: My next door neighbor, is the artist you see in this film & I really wanted to show what inspired him to create his artworks. 2.… Continue reading Interview with Filmmaker Kev L. Smith (Taobh Le Taobh)

Interview with Filmmaker Steve Buckwalter (OMA & OPA)

OMA & OPA was the winner of BEST DOC CHARACTERS at the February 2020 DOCUMENTARY Festival in Toronto. Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film? Steve Buckwalter: Oma and Opa are the grandparents of one of my coworkers, and we had used their house as a location for a different film that we… Continue reading Interview with Filmmaker Steve Buckwalter (OMA & OPA)

Interview with Filmmakers Karla Caraballo-Torres & Lorin Eleni Gill (SCHOOL CROSSING)

SCHOOL CROSSING was the winner of BEST FILM at the February 2020 Documentary Film Festival in Toronto. Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film? Karla Caraballo-Torres & Lorin Eleni Gill: We were inspired to make this film because my family (Karla) is originally from Venezuela and I had been hearing many stories from… Continue reading Interview with Filmmakers Karla Caraballo-Torres & Lorin Eleni Gill (SCHOOL CROSSING)

Interview with Filmmaker Jan Johnson (SHOOTER)

SHOOTER was the winner of BEST MUSIC at the January 2020 LA Feedback Film Festival. Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film? Jan Johnson: I was concerned about the rise in gang violence in Chicago (my hometown) and specifically the rise in girl gang violence. According to the DOJ “one in 4 new… Continue reading Interview with Filmmaker Jan Johnson (SHOOTER)

Interview with Filmmaker Lucas Longacre (FOOD CART)

FOOD CART played to rave reviews at the Thriller Festival in March 2020. Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film? Lucas Longacre: After working in verite documentary for over a decade, I was hungry to play in the scripted narrative genre. I missed working with actors, storyboarding, and collaborating with a Director of… Continue reading Interview with Filmmaker Lucas Longacre (FOOD CART)

Interview with Filmmaker Marc SAEZ (FOLLOW THE ARROW)

FOLLOW THE ARROW played to rave reviews at the February 2020 ROMANCE Film Festival in Toronto. Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film? Marc SAEZ: I wanted to talk about desire, sensuality, love but also talk about appearances that can be deceiving and dive people into the cinematographic universe that I love by… Continue reading Interview with Filmmaker Marc SAEZ (FOLLOW THE ARROW)

Interview with Filmmaker Alex Sangha (MY NAME WAS JANUARY)

MY NAME WAS JANUARY played to rave reviews at the February 2020 FEMALE Feedback Film Festival in Toronto. Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film? Alex Sangha: The social coordinator of the non-profit that I founded for LGBTQ South Asians and their friends was brutally stabbed 18 times in her own home. She… Continue reading Interview with Filmmaker Alex Sangha (MY NAME WAS JANUARY)

Interview with Filmmaker Brian Ernst (WELL DONE)

WELL DONE was the winner of BEST PERFORMANCES at the Chicago FEEDBACK Film Festival in February 2020. Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film? Brian Ernst: We initially set out to make this film for a short film contest and the idea sprang from a conversation I had with producer and star of… Continue reading Interview with Filmmaker Brian Ernst (WELL DONE)