My First Film

Adam Rioux made his debut feature Urchins in the swamps, forests, and forgotten backroads of rural Florida, and nearly got destroyed by the process. From seven rain delays on day one to losing a lead actor less than two weeks before production, Adam’s journey to making his first feature is a masterclass in indie filmmaking survival. Before directing Urchins , Adam shot sorority promo videos across...

Jim Cummings is the writer-director behind Thunder Road , The Wolf of Snow Hollow , and The Beta Test —but before any of that, he made a feature he now calls “cringeworthy.” From crashing on his parents’ floor with film school friends to reinventing himself after a five-year directing hiatus, Jim has built a career by staying fiercely independent and refusing to wait for permission. In this episod...

Meet Jacob and Ben Burghart, the dynamic filmmaking duo behind the indie feature "Head Count" (2023)! In this episode of My First Film, host Alec C. Cohen dives deep into their incredible journey from small-town Kansas to creating a critically acclaimed movie. The Burghart brothers share how they honed their craft with whimsical VHS shorts, broke into the industry with their short film "Suspense,"...

In this episode of the My First Film podcast, director Francis Galluppi shares the extraordinary journey of creating his debut feature film, The Last Stop in Yuma County, on a budget of under $1 million. Francis discusses the pivotal decisions that brought the project to life, including his intentional approach to writing stories rooted in real locations and his friend's life-changing decision to...

In this episode of the My First Film podcast, director Amanda Lundquist takes us behind the scenes of her debut feature film, Pinsky , made for just $30,000. Amanda shares the highs and lows of bringing her vision to life, from crowdfunding on Kickstarter to filming in her hometown of Boston. She dives into the creative ways her team leveraged local resources, like using her family apartment as a...

In this episode of the "My First Film" podcast, director Clay Tatum shares his journey to making his debut feature film, "The Civil Dead", for under $50,000. Clay talks about how his long-standing friendship with producer Mike Marasco played a crucial role in getting the film funded, as well as how years of making short films and comedy sketches helped him build the network needed to take the next...

In this episode of *My First Film*, host Alec C. Cohen interviews Edoardo Vitaletti about his debut feature film *The Last Thing Mary Saw*. Edoardo shares his journey from Monza, Italy, to New York, where he attended NYU to study filmmaking. He discusses how his love for writing led him to film, despite not picking up a camera until later in life. The conversation dives into the challenges of maki...

Filmmaker Jonathan Cuartas is making waves in the indie horror scene with his debut feature, "My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To." In this episode, Jonathan sits down with host Alec C. Cohen to discuss how he brought his intimate horror-drama to life outside the traditional film hubs of Los Angeles and New York. From turning a proof of concept short film into a feature to collabor...

One of the fiercest contemporary voices in independent cinema, Joel Potrykus stands firmly in a league of his own when it comes to grungy slacker flicks. His recent works include "Buzzard," "The Alchemist Cookbook," and "Relaxer" garnering him prestigious festival selections like SXSW and Fantasia. But his first feature, "Ape," is a total miracle child. Done...

For our exciting second episode, we're joined by Colin West, an ~out of this world~ director known for incorporating Sci-Fi concepts into grounded drama. His short films have garnered hundreds of thousands of views, Vimeo Staff Picks, and Dust features. He's made two feature films, "Double Walker" and "Linoleum." West discusses his upbringing in Colombus, OH, his decisi...

For our very first episode, we're joined by the incomparable Jonah Feingold, a rom-com director known for his films Exmas, At Midnight, and the upcoming 31 Candles. His first feature is "Dating & New York," a contemporary classic showing the trials and tribulations of millennial dating in the greatest city on earth. Jonah will tell us about his upbringing in NYC, his decision to...

Welcome to "My First Film," a weekly podcast where we interview Hollywood's hottest directors and learn how they made their first feature film. My name is Alec C. Cohen, I'm a writer/director based in Los Angeles, CA who is looking to make My First Film. Each episode will follow one director's journey from first picking up a camera to making a full-fledged movie. At the end o...