Colorado Films: The Podcast!

On this episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast, I sit down with Jack Hanley — a Colorado-based film historian, critic, programmer, educator, and podcaster to talk about how we watch movies and why that matters. We get into the many layers a great film can hold at once (Jaws as a shark movie, a study of masculinity, and a critique of capitalism all at the same time), the value of cinema as a commun...

On this episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast! I sit down with filmmaker, actor, writer, and producer Jimmy Drain, founder of Thunder Knight Entertainment. Jimmy shares his journey from acting to producing, how a desire for creative control led him to focus being behind the camera. We discuss his feature films Realm of Shadows and Heavy Weapon, working with legendary actors including Tony Todd, V...

On this episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast! I sit down with writer, director, and actor Curtis K. Rodgers to discuss his original stage production, 13 Fires. Inspired by the history of Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis, 13 Fires tells the story of a thriving Black community impacted by displacement, redlining, and gentrification. Curtis shares how discovering the hidden history of his hometown in...

New episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast. This week I sat down with University of Denver filmmakers Kassia Fundoukos ( The Kendama Club ) and Audrey Brittain ( The Staked Girls ), whose films are featured in this year's In Short Student Film Showcase. We discussed the inspirations behind their films, the challenges of student filmmaking, directing styles, and how the University of Denver&#39...

On this episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast, I sit down with Noah Smith, President of the Colorado Film and Video Association (CFVA), @CFVA and founder of In Contrast Films, to discuss the current state and future of Colorado's film industry. We talk about the impact of Colorado's film incentives, the opportunities and challenges surrounding Sundance's move to Colorado, and how film...

On this Episode of colorado FIlms: The Podcast we sat down with filmmaker Tom Ropelewski to talk about his documentary Jill Sobule: Underdog Victorious.  A tribute to Denver-born singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, one of the most eclectic and underappreciated storytellers in modern music. The project began in 2017 as a film about protest music in America, but after struggling to find the right narrati...

On this episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast, we speak with Thomas McCartney, director of the Air Academy High School film program. This Saturday, Air Academy is hosting their 4th annual student film festival, “SummerTime Stories.” We also discuss how the program has evolved from a traditional film analysis class into a hands-on, multi-level production pipeline. Here, students write, direct, sho...

On this episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast we’re joined by Lance Lucero—award-winning independent filmmaker, writer, comic book editor, and founder of Warehouse 9 Productions. This was such a fun episode as Lance's new movie, "Hunting for Fish," was shot in my old high school stomping grounds in Thornton! Known for his commitment to shooting on real film, Lance has built a unique voice blendin...

New Episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast! We sat down with Mandy Spooks and Mister Spooks of Ghoul Mates Entertainment to talk about their upcoming short film Bad Boy follows a woman who suspects she’s dating a serial killer… but her dog may be hiding an even darker secret. A genre blending mix of romance, horror, and true crime created with women horror fans in mind. Also in this episode, we di...

🎬 New Episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast! This week we sit down with Kathy Beck — international businesswoman, filmmaker, producer, and co-founder of the Boulder International Film Festival. From working in Boulder movie theaters as a teenager to helping build one of the most celebrated film festivals in the country, Kathy shares the journey behind creating a true cultural institution. In thi...

🎬 New Episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast! In this episode, we sits down with Hunter Burns. Hunter is a filmmaker, marketing chair, and one of the driving forces behind the Castle Rock Film Festival. Hunter shares his journey into filmmaking, from sneaking into late-night movies as a kid to helping build one of Colorado’s growing grassroots film festivals. They dive into:• How the Castle Rock...

🎬 New Episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast! As a CSU alum from the School of Liberal Arts, the ACT Film Fest makes me proud to be a Ram. Go Rams!!!We sat down with Beth Seymour, Executive Director of the ACT Human Rights Film Festival at Colorado State University in the College of Liberal Arts Fort Collins. Now in its 11th year, ACT continues to bring powerful human rights stories from around t...

On this episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast! we sit down with award-winning editor Mike Scalisi, known for his work on The Cove, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2009. Mike, in partnership with the Boulder County Film Commission, is teaching an in person one-day Adobe Premiere class. So if you want to learn editing from an academy award winning editor sign up now as the is on...

On this episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast , I sat down with Sara Moore , Executive Director of Colorado Dragon Boat, to talk about the upcoming Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival and the incredible work her organization is doing to uplift Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) voices in Colorado. Since launching in 2016, the film festival has grown into the only all-As...

A fantastic panel from ScorpiusFest, called “A Bug’s Life: The Delusion of Distribution” with award-winning filmmaker Justin Hunt. It hit right at the intersection of two things I love talking about film and software. Justin from his own experiences describes the modern distribution machine: how the marketplace actually works, the traps filmmakers fall into, and how to get your film distributed wi...

On this week's episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast! I sat down with award-winning filmmaker Justin Hunt while he was in Boulder for Scorpius Fest, where his latest film Rotten Apple premiered. Justin is the founder of White Whale Pictures and has built a career tackling difficult social issues through powerful documentaries like American Meth, Addicted to Porn: Chasing the Cardboard Butterf...

On today's episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast! We are speaking with Ron Meyer. Ron Meyer has spent decades working at the intersection of storytelling, science, and the unexplained, building a career that closely mirrors the evolution of independent production in America. As the founder of Center Communications and a longtime resident of Louisville, Colorado, Meyer emerged during a pivotal era...

I sat down with Evan Cannon and Tyson Kroening the filmmakers behind Spectacular by Comparison and the new directors of Scorpius Fest and it honestly just felt like three people who love movies talking about why we do this in the first place. They originally attended Scorpius Fest in Park City with their film, not knowing what to expect. The experience was wild, heartfelt, unpredictable and comple...

Colorado Films Conversation with Darla Rae I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Darla Rae award-winning filmmaker, actress, and CEO of Film It Productions. Darla has built her career around telling stories that matter stories rooted in resilience, healing, faith, and the strength of the human spirit. From documentaries that have screened before the U.S. Congress to powerful projects l...

On this episode of Colorado Films: The Podcast!  I spoke with Shawna Crocker & Dave Steinke cofounders of the Colorado Environmental Film Festival (CEFF). CEFF is entering its 20th year! Shawna and Dave detailed the festival's origins, current electronic submission and screening process for between 250-350 films each year. CEFF is an all-volunteer operation and has launched many educationa...

 Justin McClure, a filmmaker from South Carolina and a veteran of the United States Air Force who served in Turkey and in Okinawa, Japan. Justin separated from the military to pursue film, graduated summa cum laude from CU Boulder in cinema studies, and recently released their first independently funded film, Mad Man Maddox , about a Colorado pro wrestler named Dorian Richard. Justin McClure expre...

Scott Crady⁠ details his career shift from graphic design to filmmaking, now balancing photography and filmmaking. Scott discussed his work in outdoor adventure filmmaking, including a two-year documentary project for HBO Max, Here to Climb , about athlete Sasha DiGiulian. As well as the technical aspects of filming extreme climbing, as well as their pivot from action sports to outdoor cooking and...

On this episode Colorado Films: The Podcast, I speak with Ousmane Ndoye. Ousmane a social entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Denver, Colorado, founded Askkanwii Filmmaking Hub Incubator in 2013. Originally from Senegal, he has pursued various certifications and college degrees in Arts, organizational management, and filmmaking. Ndoye is currently involved in several projects, including docum...

Justin Balog, a Director of Photography (DP) based in Denver, Colorado. Justin served as the DP on a feature film called Uck , which wrapped principal photography at the end of April and is expected out in a couple of months, and will also be the DP on Devil in the Trunk , starting principal photography in May. We talk about future of the Colorado film industry, The role and challenges of a Direct...

Bruce make's documentaries about interesting people. I interview him about his new films, such as Easton, and his other spectacular films. www.youtube.com/@BruceMichaelFilms https://eastonbjj.com/