Primal Screen

This week, Flick Ford is joined by Will Cox and Kate Fitzpatrick to reflect on the enormously influential Up series. Beginning with 1964's Seven Up, the documentary series has returned to the same group of participants with a new instalment every seven years. Flick revisits her interview with Asif Kapadia (Senna, Amy), who has directed what will be the series' final installment 70 Up, taking over...

On this week's episode, Flick Ford chats with Hugo Weaving – a true icon of the Australian screen – about his new series The Airport Chaplain which is now streaming on SBS. Later on, Flick's joined by Emma Westwood and the pair discuss Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo which just screened on the closing day of this year's Melbourne International Film Festival on a 70mm print.

Host Flick Ford is joined by Cerise Howard who had the chance to sit down with the writer/director/star of Hedwig and the Angry Inch , John Cameron Mitchell, ahead of his in-person commentary for the film at MIFF. Flick, Cerise and Thomas Caldwell also review Jane Schoenbrun's meta-slasher Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma .

Host Flick Ford is joined by Cerise Howard and Anthony Carew who each share their top picks from the 74th edition of the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Flick Ford is joined by Telford Mills, Sarah Richardson and Tyler Bain to discuss the storied and varied career of the British writer-director Mike Leigh. They discuss the empathetic and honest look Leigh takes at the lives of everyday people in his cinema. Together, they review three of Leigh's films: 2008's Happy-Go-Lucky , 2011's Another Year & his most recent outing, Hard Truths from 2024.

This week Flick Ford and Thomas Caldwell chat to James Robert Woods, the writer-director behind The Birthday Trip, and one of its stars David Quirk about bringing this iconoclastic, irreverent new Australian film to the screen. Later on, Flick and Thomas discuss all things The Odyssey, debriefing on Christopher Nolan’s new adaptation and revisiting Uberto Pasolini’s 2024 adaptation The Return.

Flick Ford and Thomas Caldwell pay tribute to the late great Sir Sam Neill, discussing some of their favourite performances of his long and storied career. Flick and Thomas also review Jan Komasa’s dark comedy The Good Boy, Olivia Wilde’s dinner party comedy The Invite and The People Upstairs, the Spanish comedy on which Wilde’s film is based.

This week’s episode features three interviews with three very different auteurs. Flick Ford speaks to writer/director Natalie Erika James about her new body horror film SACCHARINE. Then Vyshnavee Wijekumar speaks to Filipino-Australian writer/director James J. Robinson about his debut feature FIRST LIGHT. And later, Flick interviews acclaimed artist, filmmaker, screenwriter and producer Vincent Wa...

On this week’s show, Flick Ford is joined by reviewers Will Cox & Silvi Vann-Wall to discuss SUPERGIRL which is the latest entry in the DCU, and Lucile Hadžihalilović’s THE ICE TOWER starring Marion Cotillard.

Flick Ford is joined by reviewers Thomas Caldwell and Vyshnavee Wijekumar to discuss DISCLOSURE DAY, Spielberg’s latest sci-fi thriller and the Australian queer horror film LEVITICUS. We also hear Vyshnavee's interview with LEVITICUS writer/director Adrian Chiarella.

Guest host Will Cox is joined by fellow Whovians Thomas Caldwell and Lore Burns to share memories and music from the BBC’s iconic time-traveling sci-fi series. They cover the legendary musique concrète wizardry of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, the symphonic stylings of Murray Gold which beckoned in New-Who and much more.

Flick Ford is joined by Silvi Vann-Wall & Alice McShane to talk about two fresh horror outings. They review Kane Parson’s debut Backrooms & Kate Dippold’s new horror comedy Widow’s Bay , which is now streaming. Silvi also sat down with Parsons to discuss the process of adapting his viral web series into feature form.

Cerise Howard chats all things music and film with the art-pop luminary Russell Mael, who makes up one half of Sparks, ahead of the band’s performance at the Palais Theatre. Later, Cerise speaks with Agnieszka Holland about the making of her new film Franz , which brings the life of the multi-faceted Franz Kafka to the screen.

Documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadi (SENNA, AMY, DIEGO MARADONA) chats about his career so far. Flick Ford and regular guest Thomas Caldwell review two new releases: MOTHER MARY and OBSESSION.

Flick chats to Kai Perringnon and Felix Hubble about Brunsick Underground Film Festival's down-and-dirty offerings. Hadyn Keenan discusses 1982 girls-night-out romp GOING DOWN. Plus, Charlie Teitelbaum's free community screening series, Cinema Yarra.

Flick Ford sits down with Deborah Mailman, who stars in Warwick Thornton's new western WOLFRAM, for a wide-ranging chat about Mailman's storied career.

It’s a festivals special on this week’s Primal Screen! Flick Ford and Cerise Howard chat to the team from TILDE Trans and Gender Diverse Film Festival about their 2026 offering. Later, Grace Boschetti of Cinema Reborn chats about their upcoming festival of rarely screened cult classics.

Film fans Hayley Inch and Thomas Caldwell convene to discuss a new Camus adaptation, a Tangeir-set housing drama, and a video-game inspired thriller set in a never-ending Japanese subway.

Melbourne Cinémathèque’s Adrian Danks joins the show to discuss their season of the films of Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Plus, Flick is joined by Will Cox and Cerise Howard to discuss Jim Jarmusch’s latest anthology film Father Mother Sister Mother , as well as Rebel Wilson’s aptly-named directorial debut The Deb .

Film buffs Maudie Osbourne and Alice McShane bring new release THE DRAMA (starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) into conversation with 1945 noir-tinged melodrama LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN.

Writer/director Cherien Dabis joins Flick to discuss the making of her latest film All That’s Left of You, a multi-generational portrait of a Palestinian family reckoning with the devastating impact of displacement and violence from the Nakba to the present day. Flick is joined by Anthony Carew and Vyshnavee Wijekumar to discuss Riz Ahmed’s surreal industry satire Bait, and Kirk Jones’s BAFTA-winn...

Andrew Goode and Digby Houghton of Kinotopia discuss their inaugural print publication ‘Katies’ which will launch at ACMI with a rare screening of Eddie Martin’s classic graffiti doc Jisoe . Plus, Flick is joined by Silvi Vann-Wall and Will Cox to discuss Lord and Miller’s sci-fi blockbuster Project Hail Mary and Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar nominated docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab .

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of The Tales of Hoffman! Newcomers Austin Lancaster, Alex Williams and Andréas Giannopoulos join host Thomas Caldwell to discuss Amadeus, The Magic Flute, Topsy Turvy and What's Opera Doc.

Director Geeta Gandbhir joins the show to discuss her chilling body-camera footage crime documentary, Perfect Neighbour. Flick and Thomas Caldwell then dicuss two films that engulf the senses: Sirât and The Testament of Ann Lee.

Flick is joined by composer Peter Van Hoesen and Haydn Green, the artistic director and founder of Hear My Eyes to discuss Van Hoesen’s reimagined live score for James Cameron’s 1991 classic Terminator 2: Judgement Day . Plus, reviewers Kate Fitzpatrick and Anthony Carew discuss their thoughts on two new comedies: Matt Johnson’s Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie & Jim O’Hanlon’s Fackham Hall...