Bond on Cinema

Ladies and gentlemen, EXTREMIST is a short film that warns us that censorship of free speech is happening all over the world. Even countries who preach democracy and freedom are slowly taking away our right to free speech. EXTREMIST shows us the absurdity of the lengths that a government will go too to silence its citizens. Sasha Skochilenko decided to stand by her principles in the midst of stand...

Sofiia Chui-kov-ska, an Ukrainian artist based in Paris, France. She is one of seven directors of the Oscar Shortlisted animated short film THE SHYNESS OF TREES. The short film won a Student Academy Award in the Animation category of the 52nd Student Academy Awards, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Sofiia was involved in a bit of everything in the project but mainly ch...

Writer/director and composer Trevor Morris has contributed to 35 Feature Films and over 700 hours of dramatic Television. He is a 5 time EMMY nominee and 2X winner. He has collaborated with Ridley and Tony Scott, Antoine Fuqua, Gore Verbinski, and Jerry Bruckheimer among others. BUTTERFLY ON A WHEEL marks Trevor’s first narrative film as writer-director. Here, he fuses music, emotion and visual st...

Ladies and gentlemen, Entirely hand drawn and animated by Blaise over three years in his Florida studio, SNOW BEAR tells the story of a lonely polar bear navigating a rapidly changing Arctic in search of connection. With stunning 2D animation, the film uses expressive visuals and a poignant original score to capture the emotional landscape of isolation, hope, and ecological fragility. Blaise drew...

Writer/director duo Julia Aks and Steve Pinder and their hilarious Oscar Shortlisted short film JANE AUSTEN’S PERIOD DRAMA. The film is set in 18th century England and following its successful world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the whimsical live-action short was selected for the prestigious OSCAR-qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival, where it was named on...

My guest today is writer/director Christopher M. Anthony and his BAFTA-qualified feature film, HEAVYWEIGHT. The film stars Jason Isaacs, Nicholas Pinnock and Jordan Bolger to name a few.  He taught himself animation and interned for The Jim Henson Company at the age of 15. His first official job in London was for Hensons.  Over the years he worked on a number of pioneering projects, developing the...

My guests today are writer/directors Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh and the absolutely spectacular medium-length French-language film TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA.  NATALIE MUSTEATA is a writer, curator, and filmmaker. She holds a Doctorate in art history and a Masters in film from The Graduate Center, CUNY. She is the curator of several exhibitions including if I can’t dance to it, it’s not...

My guest today is BAFTA-nominated and Oscar-Shortlisted Afghan filmmaker Elham Ehsas has he returns with There Will Come Soft Rains. Elham, whose acclaimed short Yellow earned both a BAFTA nomination and an Academy Award shortlist, is known for illuminating unseen perspectives with emotional clarity and unflinching humanity. With There Will Come Soft Rains, he continues this bold trajectory, casti...

DAVID TELLES - FREYR Short Film My guest today is David Telles, a Chicano filmmaker from Oakland, California, began his career in documentary film and music videos, mediums that continue to inform his narrative work. He believes stories can serve as medicine, offering audiences new ways of seeing the world. With Freyr, David delivers a daring and emotionally charged debut that underscores the tran...

My guest today is Daniel Persitz, the writer/director of the inspiring Oscar-qualified short film Key of Genius, based on the extraordinary true story of a blind, autistic musical savant and the Queen of England's nephew, Derek Paravicini.  The film was also co-written by the Academy Award-winning screenwriter David Seidler (The King’s Speech), the short film explores themes of resilience, brillia...

My guest today is acclaimed filmmaker Simon Panay as he unveils The Boy with White Skin, an evocative and haunting short film that weaves a powerful narrative exploring the collision between ancient tradition and modernity deep within the gold mines of West Africa.  This OSCAR-qualified live action short offers a rare and intimate glimpse into a little-known world where myth, sacrifice, and hope a...

My guests today are writer/director Erik Jasaň and first AD, Patrik Krivanek and their Oscar-Qualified Short Film THE PROFESSONAL PARENT.  Erik is a Slovak director, screenwriter, and producer whose work addresses sensitive social issues. His debut The Professional Parent received an Honorable Mention at the 44th Thomas Edison Film Festival and was selected by multiple festivals. As a non-film-sch...

My guest today is BAFTA-winning actor and producer Letitia Wright, making a powerful directing debut with her short film, Highway to the Moon. This emotional drama confronts the devastating impact of knives crime, aiming to raise crucial awareness about real-life issues. The conversation explores her inspiration, the film's message, and its significance in addressing societal challenges. #filmmake...

My guest today is Jessica Rowlands, a two-time UCLA Screenwriting Award winner, spent much of her childhood between London and Zimbabwe, a place that remains a source of deep connection and inspiration.  Her newest short film RISE, is the culmination of her three-year collaboration with Zimbabwean artists and communities, a film with Zimbabwe in its very DNA - from the landscapes of Victoria Falls...

My guest today is Scottish-Norwegian filmmaker Iain Forbes and his Oscar-qualified short film AFTER DARK.  The film was Oscar-qualified after winning Best International Short Film at the Foyle Film Festival in 2024, cementing Forbes’ reputation as one of Scandinavia’s most exciting emerging directors. Iain graduated from the Norwegian Film School, his short Revisited won a Student Academy Award in...

Hannah Kathryn Kelso, a BAFTA and BIFA nominated writer from the small, rural community of Alloa in the east of Scotland. They graduated from NFTS in 2021, and their pilot script ‘The Velvet Teddies’ which was nominated for the All3Media New Drama Script Award. Kelso co-wrote the standout short film ‘Night of the Living Dread’ which received the nomination for BAFTA Best British Short Animation in...

Liz Rao - THE TRUCK Short Film My guest today is filmmaker Liz Rao and her debut Oscar-qualified live action short film “The Truck”. Academy Award®-winner Spike Lee and acclaimed actor-director Joan Chen have boarded the coming-of-age thriller as executive producers, lending high-profile support as the film entered post-production. Set against the simmering anxieties of post-Roe America, “The Truc...

Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting is a Depression Era coming-of-age fable, set in an alternate 1930s where there exists a long-standing cultural paradigm that mothers take their adolescent daughters on a sacred rite-of-passage hunt to slay a mythical beast under maternal supervision.  From start of pre-production to the film’s premiere at Sundance 2025 (as one of just 21 US Narrative Shorts Films)...

Ladies and gentlemen, Marnie Blok’s Oscar-qualified short BEYOND SILENCE is emotionally powerful and that’s not a strong enough description of her film.  Beyond Silence stars Henrianne Jansen, a deaf actress making her breathtaking screen debut. The film tells the story of two women — one who has remained voiceless for over three decades, and another just beginning to reclaim her voice — offering...

My guest today is part of the acclaimed directing duo, Zhang & Knight, Linden Feng and the Oscar-qualified short film A BEAR REMEMBERS. Their film won the Canal+ Prize and Best European Film at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and the Jury Prize for Drama at Aspen Shortsfest. The film has since appeared at major international festivals including Telluride, Hollyshorts, and B...

My guest today is filmmaker and actor Tom Koch. Raised between the South of France and London, Tom Koch turned childhood struggles with asthma into a creative drive that ultimately led him to New York, where he founded Mes Films en Couleur, a production company dedicated to telling true stories with a twist. His Oscar-qualified short film OLIVE, starring Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-wi...

My guest today is Christopher Stenbocken, a talented film director whose Oscar-qualified short film, 'The Thief,' is making waves. His journey from East Greenland to Copenhagen, beautifully captured in a travel documentary, showcases his unique approach to filmmaking. This insightful discussion explores his creative process and the impact of his Greenlandic roots on his projects, highlighting the...

My guest today is Hedda Mjøen, a writer and director from Oslo, Norway. She is known for confronting controversial and ethically charged subjects in her work, from racism and religion to sexual violence and mental illness. With her Oscar-qualified short MERCY, she does not offer easy answers but instead challenges audiences to step into Guro’s shoes, leaving them with lingering questions about ins...

Mexican-American filmmaker Merced Elizondo is based in Texas and his work focuses on intimate, character-driven narratives. He is a Ryan Murphy Half Initiative Directing Fellow and recipient of the NewNarratives Filmmaker Grant through NewFilmmakers LA and Warner Bros,. Discovery.  His previous film, Manos de Oro, screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals including HollyShorts, LA Shorts Internationa...

My guests today are McKinley and Mackenzie Benson, and their Oscar-qualified animated short film TWO SHIPS. McKinley Benson is a filmmaker and alumnus of the Savannah College of Art and Design, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film and Television. He is a director, producer, and writer responsible for dozens of narrative shorts, television pilots, and documentaries...