Sifter

This year’s Indie Short Film Festival runs from March 20 – 22 in Charlottesville. Two directors from the festival talk about their films. Jamal Hodge has 2 films: “Take it to the Grave” and “Mourning Meal” Kelsey Nerrie is premiering her first short “Repurcussion(s)” They’ll give us insight into their backgrounds, their inspirations and the challenges for their projects. LINKS Indie Short Film Fes...

Andy Edmunds, Director of the Virginia Film Office, is back for this 5 th year to talk about the activity in Virginia’s production industry last year. This also includes a discussion of the film that Andy wrote and directed here. LINKS Virginia Film Office “The Cashier” on Insta “The Cashier” on Facebook The Byrd Theatre Previous podcasts mentioned Griffin in Summer Bird in Hand Daphne Reid...

This year’s RVA Environmental Film Festival runs from 2/21 to 3/7 in venues all over town. Today’s show features 2 locally made docs. CATCHING PINECONES tells the story of Jan and Herb Conn, who were pioneering rock climbers, cavers and nature preservationists. Director Chad Heddleston discusses: – The 10-year journey to get this made – Inspiration from the lives of the Conns – T...

Patrick Michael has been acting since the 3rd grade. His big break came from “Travelers,” an early reality series that ran on the Discovery Channel from 1996 to 1998. He was one of the hosts who visited cities around the world to experience the culture. He later went to Hollywood where he worked in TV shows and movies before returning back here. We’ll cover: – His real name – What is “...

Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Richmond several times and the documentary “Echoes of a Dream: MLK’s Legacy in Richmond, Virginia” is playing around the state to celebrate his connections to our city. The film’s director is Tyrone Nelson, Jr., who’s the Founder and CEO of Newviews Agency, a local creative agency and production company. Our discussion includes: – How he got noticed by Adidas...

Ward Howarth produces promotional videos for the Lockwood Broadcast Group. Lockwood is a television, digital and advertising company that owns and operates 13 television stations and programs 33 channels in eight markets. Our chat includes: – How he started his career with skate videos – Being a “dub cub” – A creepy Halloween spot from “Family Feud” – Challenging and cool a...

Nicholas Kleczewski is a Richmonder who edited the documentary “Song Sung Blue,” which inspired the current film of the same name starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. He’s had a varied career as an editor and director. Our discussion includes: – Starting with extreme sports docs – Two years creating videos for Beyoncé – Getting the “Song Sung Blue” gig via Craigslist – Co...

Walid Chaya is an actor, director, writer and teacher who worked in Richmond before moving to Los Angeles. He’s acted in TV shows and movies, as well as directed shorts and taught acting classes. Our lively discussion includes: – Getting inspired as a child in Lebanon – How he got to Richmond – Moving to LA – Being cast in stereotypical Middle Eastern roles – Working...

“Bad Shabbos” is a comedy about family that gathers for the traditional Shabbos dinner, when the son brings his new Catholic girlfriend. That’s just the beginning of what happens before it takes a surprising turn. Zack Weiner co-wrote this film with his director Daniel Robbins. It will be the first film playing at the 17 th annual Israel and Jewish Film Festival at the Weinstein JCC. T...

Hard Light Cinema is run by 8 cinephiles who screen independent and international films in various venues around Richmond. Since founding last November, they’ve screened 35 films. They have 3 slated for January and the first is Frederick wiseman’s 1968 documentary “High School” (free at the Richmond Public Library Main Branch, 1/4, 2pm). For this interview Lewis Peterson, Warner West & Syd Mil...

Charles D. Thompson Jr. is a prolific author and director. His most recent documentary is “Rock Castle Home,” which is about this unique community in the Blue Ridge Mountains and how it evolved and later vanished. It’s being screened as part of a series of programs at the Library of Virginia that highlight stories of displacement in Virginia communities, “House to Highway: Reclaiming a Community H...

WRIC’s “Showcase” started a few years back, but was updated to a full one-hour show, when it launched September 8 with co-hosts Amie Carter & Melissa Chase. We had a lively discussion which includes: – Their backgrounds and how they came to this show – Melissa at Hamaganza – Amie’s namesake – Shooting in studio and on location – Why it’s on mid-afternoon &#8...

David Crank is a Richmond-based film Production Designer. He was Oscar-nominated for “News of the World” in 2021 (there’s a link to that podcast below). His latest project was for “The Lost Bus (Apple TV),” which stars Matthew McConaughey as the bus driver who got a bus full of school children thru the horrific Camp Fire in 2018. We discuss: – The origins of his last name – Re-creating...

Joey Clift is a Los Angeles-based comedian, TV writer, director, Emmy-nominated producer and member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. His film “POW” is an animated short about a young native kid trying to charge his video game console at a powwow. He’s one of the featured directors at this year’s Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival (11/20-23), that presents projects from indigenous filmmakers from all ov...

Andrew D. Kaplan has made several documentaries about 19 th century writers and “In Search of Edgar Allen Poe” is his latest. This extensive 3-hour doc is now streaming on PBS. We’ll talk about: – His PhD in mass communications – Acting as the on-camera narrator – Touching up historical portraits – Determining Poe’s accent for the voiceover – Using Stephen Foster’s so...

Daniel Poler comes from Venezuela and Panama and his new film is coming to this year’s Virginia Film Festival (10/22-26). ESPINA is the film he made about and starring his best friend, Jonathan, who’s confined to a wheelchair. The movie explores the subject with an upbeat attitude. We discuss: – How he got to the states – When his filmmaking career began – Creating fashion videos...

Jeff Rathner started his career shooting news at CBS6 right here in Richmond. He ultimately ended up in DC working for 36 years at the PBS Newshour. Our discussion includes: – A wise mouth anchor at “PM Magazine” – Sharing a cigar with Fidel Castro – Covering Bill Clinton as his scandal started – Putting a mic on Paul McCartney – Sharing birthdays with Tom Hanks &#821...

“The American Miracle” is a docudrama inspired by Michael Medved’s book of the same title. It states that God’s “providential hand” intervened in the founding of the United States. Douglas B. Maddox had a number of jobs on the film, including producer. We discuss: – Switching from physics to film in college – How he got involved with this project – Getting Pat B...

This is the 2 nd year for the Inthrive Film Festival, which features the voices and talents of incarceration survivors. It’s coming to Richmond October 3-6 at various locations. We’ll meet the makers of 2 entries about the closing of prisons that take very different approaches. Ashley Hunt’s “And Water Brings Tomorrow” merges poetry and documentary, while Juicebox P. Burton’s short “Space to...

Bunt Young is a Richmond native who started his career as a cinematographer when he was still a teen. He’s worked on TV shows, motion pictures and commercials. We discuss: – His affinity for impressions – Differences between A camera, B camera, insert camera and more – Getting fiery shots in the pit of a big race – Landing the gig on Terrence Malick’s “The New World” &#8211...

Richmonder Melody C. Roscher wrote and directed “Bird in Hand,” which she shot here. It follows Bird Rowe, a biracial bride-to-be who arrives unannounced at her hippie mother’s home to plan her wedding. The Virginia premiere will be at this year’s Richmond International Film Festival on 9/25 at 7pm at the Byrd. Our discussion includes: – Her background in Richmond – Going from wanting...

Will Turner is the subject of the new documentary “Sierra 914,” which follows his extreme marathon event, where he swam, biked and ran 914 miles as a personal challenge. He’s joined by the film’s director Ryan Dugger. They talk about this incredible achievement and the grueling process for Will and the film crew: – What started Will running – How Ryan decided to shoot the doc – W...

Andrea Meyerson formed an online community of fellow lesbians during COVID, Women on the Net. She joined with director Kathryn L. Beranich to produce this documentary about this and the famous guests who were on the zoom group. “An Unexpected Community” will play at this year’s Virginia Queer Film Festival, which will run September 12 – 14 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. We discuss: –...

“Griffin in Summer” is a coming-of-age feature about Griffin, a fourteen-year-old aspiring playwright (Everett Blunck). During the summer he tries to bring his ambitious artistic vision to life, while becoming enamoured by his mom’s handyman. It was shot in Virginia in 2023 and stars Melanie Lynskey (as mom) and Owen Teague (as the handyman). It also won the Founders Award for best U.S. narrative...

Reel Families for Change centers on work-life solutions that ensure career access and advancement for caregiving filmmakers, especially those who may be more vunerable or marginalized. Akima Brown is Founder and Executive Director of the organization and she explains the work they do: – How this got started – Her Virginia connection – How inequity in production became real &#8211...