Failed Films Podcast

Our latest Failed Films podcast features Dr. Allie Melendez, sex educator extraordinaire turned intimacy coordinator. After meeting Allie through Sunday Faire earlier this year when they hosted our film screening, we knew we had to get her on the show. Sunday Faire, founded in February 2023 by women and sex workers, creates vital space for the adult industry community with monthly events. Their ma...

In our Season 2 podcast premiere, we welcome Janesta—filmmaker, dancer, poet, and Failed Films royalty since our very first season in 2016. From making DIY installations with found materials to creating mesmerizing films like "True Colors" and "Black Light," Janesta's artistic journey embodies the spirit of Failed Films. Join me, Christopher Holloway and Lauren West as we s...

This week, we spoke with our friend and collaborator, Kasper Smits . Kasper is a musician, composer, video artist, and all-around talented individual. He began his creative journey making films with his dad’s camcorder, which eventually led him to explore the highs and lows of the music industry. Kasper has always followed his curiosity. Despite trying to avoid failure at all costs, he found that...

This week we sat down with Gia Isabella . Gia is a chatroom actress, a clip artist and casual pretender. She creates a variety of content, for o^*yfans, p%&nhub and YouTube. I admire Gia’s creative drive and ability to produce a high volume of content for her business. She is at the forefront of being an independent adult creator. I wanted to talk to her about her creative process, her relatio...

This week, we sat down with the writer, podcaster, and horror filmmaker, DeVaughn Taylor . DeVaughn was apart of this year's curatorial committee. I was excited to talk to DeVaughn about his love of Horror films, the similarities between smut and horror, and the masochistic nature of podcasting. It is an honest conversation that left me inspired. Let’s get to it. 

In this episode, Christopher Holloway and Lauren West spoke with, a ceramic artist and claymation creator, Saint Yocom .  They discuss the inferno that is art and the diluted smoke of that fire that is commercial production of art. Saint shares with us the process of making his claymation film about loss of his father and how ceramics has influenced his relationship with failure. It was a real tre...

This week we were joined by Rea Threat. “Rae Threat is a visionary queer Thai-American artist, photographer, filmmaker, and activist celebrated for her groundbreaking work that reshapes cultural stereotypes and challenges conventional views. Known for her alternative approach to photography, Rae brings a fresh, bold perspective to her art.” In this conversation, Rea reflects on the evolution of qu...

This week, we start with an update from the curatorial team. I was eager to hear their first impressions of the films submitted to season 7.  Afterward, we dive into a truly magical and heart-wrenching conversation with Failed Films contributing artist Manolo Lira. We discuss life, art, love, and death.  Manolo reflects on the profound influence of their father’s photography and passion for captur...

This week we had the opportunity to speak with Tiana Marie. In addition to being a contributing artist to failed films multiple times over, Tiana Marie is a chaotic forest creature who uses their words and flesh to create. Their work encompasses gender, trauma, grief, and the scars we collect along the way.  In the conversation, Tiana shares what it is like to need to feel sensations on their skin...

This week, we put Lauren West, Failed Films co-parent and cohost of this show, in the hot seat. Antone and I wanted to talk to her about her about her amazing collages, fashion design, films, and failures. We talked about subverting the male gaze, art as a therapeutic outlet, and navigating identity and sexuality. What can I say to Lauren besides - thank you. Antone and Lauren breathed life into f...

This week we were joined by Shane Yay. Shane has had many films in Failed Films over the years, each one a testament to their curiosity. Shane’s work incorporates a plethora of movie-making craft and techniques that always leaves me wondering how they did that. Their films are soaking with stories that such you in the alien Orpheus.  I was excited to talk to Shane about making their film ABCs of F...

This week, Lauren West and Christopher Holloway sat down with our longtime friend, collaborator, co-producer, and curator of Failed Films, Antone Martinez. When I asked him for a bio, he pointed me to his Failed Films bio, which reads simply: "Antone is under construction." And honestly, that’s the perfect way to describe him—a powerful, ever-evolving force in the world, constantly build...

In this deeply personal and reflective episode of the Failed Films Podcast, I, Christopher Holloway and co-host Lauren West sit down with the incredibly talented Sloane Down to explore the complex relationship between creativity and failure. Sloane shares their journey from a childhood surrounded by art to a tumultuous path of self-discovery, leaving behind the pressures of conformity to embrace a...