Future of Film Podcast

Alan Gershenfeld is a master storyteller, World-Builder and Game Designer who is currently Co-Founder and President of E-Line Media, an impact gaming company that builds games to help players understand and shape the world. In this conversation we discuss storytelling strategies, new synergies between games and films (Alan also has extensive film experience), VR, AR and the practice of World-Build...

Félix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphaël head up Felix & Paul Studios (@felixandpaul), the Emmy Award-winning immersive media entertainment studio based out of Montreal and L.A. Genuine pioneers of immersive storytelling and VR, Felix and Paul are artists, entrepreneurs and storytellers who originate gamechanging work across a variety of genres in partnership with organisations and individuals including...

Kamal Sinclair (@kamalsinclair) is Director of the Sundance Institute’s New Frontier Lab Programme and an internationally recognised expert in new storytelling and Emerging Media. In this 2-part interview Kamal reveals how creators are embracing technologies like AI and VR in remarkable new ways to give life to their stories. In a conversation that covers film, arts and technology, we also talk di...

Kamal Sinclair (@kamalsinclair) is Director of the Sundance Institute’s New Frontier Lab Programme and an internationally-recognised expert in new storytelling and Emerging Media. In this 2-part interview Kamal reveals how creators are embracing technologies like AI and VR in remarkable new ways to give life to their stories. In a conversation that covers film, arts and technology, we also talk di...

Melissa Silverstein (@melsil) is the irrepressible and inspirational change-maker and founder of Women and Hollywood; the initiative that educates, advocates, and agitates for gender diversity and inclusion in the global film industry. Towards the end of a seismic year in the battle for equality, Melissa shares her uncompromising take on the fight, the industry and what still needs to be done to m...

Melissa Silverstein (@melsil) is the irrepressible and inspirational change-maker and founder of Women and Hollywood; the initiative that educates, advocates, and agitates for gender diversity and inclusion in the global film industry. Towards the end of a seismic year in the battle for equality, Melissa shares her uncompromising take on the fight, the industry and what still needs to be done to m...

“It's not tailoring the content for the audience… it's tailoring the audience for the content” Hanno Basse.
 As Chief Technology Officer of 20th Century Fox, Hanno Basse is at the nexus of Film, Tech and Hollywood. In this wide ranging interview, Hanno discusses how new innovations are changing the now and future of a studio; from green-lighting and the production process to distribution and direc...

“It's not tailoring the content for the audience… it's tailoring the audience for the content” Hanno Basse, CTO 20th Century Fox Corp. As Chief Technology Officer of 20th Century Fox, Hanno Basse is at the nexus of Film, Tech and Hollywood. In this wide ranging interview, Hanno discusses how new innovations are changing the now and future of a studio; from green-lighting and the production process...

Habib Zargarpour is on a mission to revolutionise the film production process. Having been a two-time BAFTA winner and Academy Award nominee at Industrial Light and Magic, Habib then moved into gaming and game design winning awards whilst at Microsoft/XBox and Electronic Arts. Now with his new venture, Digital Monarch Media, Habib is implementing the technologies and strategies he developed in gam...

Jonathan Taplin has had a remarkable career in film, music, tech and writing including: - Producer of Martin Scorsese’s breakthrough hit Mean Streets (and many other films) - Manager of Bob Dylan and The Band - Founder of the first widely available VOD service (Intertainer) - Author of "Move Fast and Break Things: How Facebook, Google and Amazon have Cornered Culture and Undermined Democracy". In...

Jessica Lauretti is an artist, entrepreneur and thought leader based in New York City. She was until recently the Global Head of RYOT Studio - the award winning, global, creative studio for Oath. She is an award winning Creative Director and Executive Producer, international keynote speaker and serves on the Advisory Council of Google News Lab's Journalism 360 Program.  In this episode we explore...

This episode is a journey into the art of interactive storytelling with storyteller and artist Hervé Cohen. Specifically, we explore the poetic and fascinating work that is LIFE UNDERGROUND, the major new immersive art installation and interactive documentary. Talking to Herve from his studio in the Bay Area. we deep dive into his creative process, revealing how LIFE UNDERGROUND evolved into a mul...

This episode is a journey into the incredibly exciting possibilities of brand-funded storytelling with Kaaren Whitney-Vernon, Senior Vice President of Branded Entertainment at Shaftesbury. Kaaren is the brains behind one of the most successful branded projects of all time the lesbian-vampire story CARMILLA. Beginning life as a brand-funded web show the story has grown into an award-winning global...

Glen Basner is founder and Chief Executive Officer of FilmNation Entertainment, a leading producer, distributor and financier of independent films. The company has quickly become a destination for many of the world's most renowned filmmakers including Denis Villeneuve, Steven Soderbergh, Terrence Malick, Pedro Almodóvar, Woody Allen, Jonathan Glazer, Jeff Nichols, J.C. Chandor, Rian Johnson, Morte...

Fabien Riggall is Founder and Artistic Director of Secret Cinema, the organisation that over the past ten years has pioneered an entirely new approach to showing movies. In a wide ranging and revealing interview, Fabien discusses the journey of Secret Cinema over the last decade and shares his vision for the future, including plans to bring SC's unique approach to audience engagement and world bui...

Efe Cakarel is the Founder and CEO of MUBI, the pioneering independent film platform that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Joining me from MUBI’s London offices in Soho, Efe discusses his career, entrepreneurship and how MUBI continues to differentiate itself in an ever-evolving film-consumer landscape. In this episode you will discover: The inside story of why MUBI’s $50m China deal coll...

This episode is a trip to the forefront of VR storytelling with senior Tribeca curator and founder at Electric South, Ingrid Kopp. In a wide ranging and in-depth conversation with one of the world's leading experts in VR and immersive storytelling, you will discover: - How Ingrid and Tribeca are reshaping the way VR and immersive stories are curated and presented - Why '360 Video', Volumetric and...

This is the Special Extended Edition of my conversation with Alex McDowell, the visionary designer behind MINORITY REPORT, director at The World Building Institute and Professor of Practice at USC. There was simply too much good stuff too cram into the usual Film Disruptors run time so this version includes much more detail about Alex's practice in the art and science of world building, his work w...

Alex McDowell is the visionary designer behind MINORITY REPORT, director at The World Building Institute and Professor of Practice at USC. In this episode, we discuss Alex's pioneering work in the art and science of 'world building', discovering why this process is so powerful, how it works in practice and the benefits it can bring to projects both artistically and financially. In this episode you...

Film industry legend Lord David Puttnam joins the show to talk distribution, storytelling and education, sharing lessons from his extensive career as well as providing advice for emerging filmmakers. Discover more about this and other podcasts at www.futureoffilm.live

Multi-award winning producer, Rebecca O’Brien discusses how and why she moved into the digital space for her recent interactive documentary, HOW TO MAKE A KEN LOACH FILM. In a wide ranging conversation, we also learn about the financing strategies for a UK independent film, Rebecca’s career and formative creative partnership with Ken Loach and how the distribution success of I, DANIEL BLAKE began...

Bath Film Festival Director, Holly Tarquini is the creator of F-Rated, the major campaign to change gender inequality in film that has recently been adopted by IMDB. We discuss the origins of F-Rated, how it works in practice and why and how it differs from the Bechdel Test. Holly also talks about the breakthrough IMDB deal, why representation on screen still matters and how F-Rated films are more...

As Creative Director at Nowness, Anna Higgs is at the nexus of audiences, digital and storytelling. In a wide ranging conversation, she talks about her career, shares strategies for building audiences during production and reveals how Nowness is transforming the way stories are financed, told and distributed. In this episode you will discover: The Nowness business model and how it partners with br...

“Storytelling isn’t just something you learn at filmschool … we need to break out of old ways of telling stories” Gabo Arora. Storyteller and Founder of LightShed and UNVR, Gabo Arora, discusses VR, storytelling and social impact and explains how the United Nations are utilising Virtual Reality as a new communication strategy. Gabo also reveals how Hollywood are embracing VR and why he believes LA...

“I get very annoyed by festival directors who say you don’t have to take diversity into consideration … nothing is going to change unless you are there making it change!” Clare Stewart. British Film Institute London Film Festival www.bfi.org.uk/lff(BFI LFF) Director Clare Stewart (@clarestewartBFI) discusses diversity, new audiences and the role of festivals in 2017. In this episode you will disco...