# Getting a $5K Feature into TIFF & Going Viral With An 80 Second Short Film With Nick Toti

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/show-don-t-tell-micro-budget-filmmaking-809490/getting-a-5k-feature-into-tiff-going-viral-with-an-80-second-short-film-with-nick-toti
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/show-don-t-tell-micro-budget-filmmaking-809490/getting-a-5k-feature-into-tiff-going-viral-with-an-80-second-short-film-with-nick-toti.md
Podcast: [Show Don't Tell: Micro-Budget Filmmaking](https://stenobird.com/podcast/show-don-t-tell-micro-budget-filmmaking-809490)
Published: 2026-05-14T21:05:22+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/getting-a-5k-feature-into-tiff-going-viral-with-an-80-second-short-film-with-nick-toti--72026312
Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72026312/show_dont_tell_ep273.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/show-don-t-tell-micro-budget-filmmaking-809490/episodes/getting-a-5k-feature-into-tiff-going-viral-with-an-80-second-short-film-with-nick-toti
Duration seconds: 4502

## Resource

In this episode I'm joined by filmmaker Nick Toti - one half of the DIY filmmaking duo behind the viral 80-second short Dead Grandma , the TIFF Midnight Madness sensation It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This , and the upcoming feature Homebody. Throughout the episode Nick breaks down the decade-long origin story of Dead Grandma , from an improvised game he invented while working as a nursery school teacher in Austin to a 35mm short film that blew up in Variety and landed him on this podcast. We also discuss how his $5,000 found footage feature It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This unexpectedly landed in TIFF's Midnight Madness, the unconventional theatrical-only release strategy he's used to screen it across multiple continents without a distributor, and why Nick is now trying to convince A24 or Blumhouse to fund a studio remake of Homebody. Topics covered include: The real-life origin of Dead Grandma and how it developed over a deade Co-directing with his wife and creative partner Rachel Kempf Shooting on 35mm film - and everything that went wrong before they even rolled How It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This got into TIFF Midnight Madness The aesthetic of Homebody : making a movie that feels like a lo-fi demo tape Actively pursuing failure as a creative strategy - and why it eventually worked Nick's 25-hour real-time experimental documentary project Die Die Books - the horror film criticism press Nick and Rachel run Much more! Links from the show: Dead Grandma Short Film Homebody Trailer Die Die Books Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive filmmaking insight each Sunday

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