Rewriting Hollywood

Jared Milrad chats with award-winning filmmaker Olmo Omerzu about his Oscar-eligible short film, THE LAST DAY OF PATRIARCHY, which explores patriarchy, privilege, and family dynamics. The film questions whether a dying man's wish should be granted in all cases - even if it shocks the conscience - and tells the story of Jakub, whose girlfriend meets his grandfather and must decide whether to g...

Jared Milrad talks with actor Chibuikem Uche about his role in the new Peacock series ONE OF US IS LYING, which is based on The New York Times bestselling book about five high school students who walk into detention - and only four walk out alive. Chib also opens up about changing career paths from actuarial science to acting, landing his first big role opposite Chris Pratt in THE TOMORROW WAR, hi...

Jared Milrad sits down with actor Ser'Darius Blain about his latest projects: THE BIG LEAP on FOX and AMERICAN UNDERDOG, a Lionsgate film about retired NFL quarterback Kurt Warner in which Ser'Darius stars opposite Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, and Dennis Quaid. Ser'Darius also opens up about how his mother inspired him to pursue acting, how he balances being an entrepreneur and workin...

Jared Milrad interviews director Jerry Hoffman and producer Stella Flickr about their Oscar-eligible film, I AM, a unique science fiction short film about a special relationship between a woman and an android. Jerry and Stella discuss why they decided to have Black female characters lead their sci-fi film, what technology and androids say about contemporary society, and how we can make Hollywood -...

Jared Milrad interviews director Marianne Farley about her Oscar-eligible short film FRIMAS, which follows a woman who is forced to decide whether to end her pregnancy in a country where abortion is banned. In the wake of Texas' draconian abortion ban and the U.S. Supreme Court's possible overturning of Roe v. Wade, Marianne discusses the impact of her powerful film and the criminalizati...

Jared Milrad chats with documentarian Joe Kaiser about his award-winning documentary, 2020: A COMEDY SPECIAL, in which Joe followed comedians and comedy club owners across the U.S. during the global pandemic. Joe shares how comedy clubs adapted to the crisis, how the business of comedy is changing, and how comedy is becoming more inclusive and equitable than ever before. We depend on your generous...

Jared Milrad sits down with award-winning writer, producer, and director Suzannah Mirghani about her Oscar-eligible short film AL-SIT, which shares the story of Nafisa, a teenage girl in a Sudanese village who – despite her crush on someone else – is facing an arranged marriage. Jared and Suzannah discuss her unique Sudanese and Russian heritage, filming in Sudan, and child marriages in sub-Sahara...

Jared Milrad interviews filmmaker Dan Redfield about his award-winning documentary, GRANTED: A WISH STORY, which was recognized in Movikarma's A Show For A Change Film Festival. Dan opens up about raising a child with special needs, documenting his family's journey on camera, and starting a nonprofit to help preserve memories for other families with special needs children. We depend on y...

Jared Milrad talks with Kaz and Ryan Firpo about co-writing Marvel's ETERNALS, directed by Chloe Zhao and starring Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjani, Gemma Chan, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, and many more. Kaz and Ryan share how they landed the big writing gig on ETERNALS, how they approached the story from a social impact and inclusion perspective, and why ons...

Jared Milrad chats with Mat Charles about his award-winning documentary, OPERATION BERLIN, which recounts how FARC rebels in Colombia forcibly recruited child soldiers, and why many of them were killed by the Colombian Army in 2000. Mat also walks us through his background as a journalist, which has included being a freelance foreign correspondent covering Colombia's civil conflict for the BB...

Jared Milrad sits down with Sangeetha Gowda and Marshall Yuan on their award-winning film, PERPETUA, which explores how social media negatively affects teens' mental health and well-being. PERPETUA also gives us an unvarnished look at how social media apps impact teenage body image, and why some young women take dangerous risks to pursue their dreams. PERPETUA was recently recognized in Movik...

Jared Milrad interviews co-directors Scott Aharoni and Dennis Latos about their Oscar-eligible film, LEYLAK, which was filmed during the height of the pandemic. Recognized by the Tribeca Film Festival with the Special Jury Prize and by over 25 festivals worldwide, LEYLAK is about an immigrant gravedigger, a frontline worker, whose close relationship with his young daughter arrives at a perilous an...

Jared Milrad sits down with writer/director David Bartlett about his Oscar-eligible short film, MOUSIE, Anthony Hopkins being an inspiration for him, his very own approach to social impact filmmaking, and more!  We depend on your generous support of Rewriting Hollywood to empower new creative voices and share urgently important stories with the world.   Make a tax-deductible donation today: movika...

Jared Milrad interviews award-winning writer/director Brian Lawes about his short film, LOST KINGS, which tells the story of a boy who breaks into a neighborhood home to search for food. LOST KINGS has been making its mark on the film world, having been selected for more than twenty high profile film festivals including seven Oscar qualifiers and is now qualified to be considered for a 2022 Academ...

Jared Milrad chats with Travis Van Winkle about his leading role in Season 3 of Netflix's hit series YOU, out on October 15th. Travis walks us through his journey in Hollywood, from growing up in an Air Force family to acting for almost 20 years in projects such as TRANSFORMERS and FRIDAY THE 13TH. Travis also talks about his global work in service and charity, from being a Big Brother in the...

Jared Milrad interviews Jason Scott Lee about his new Disney+ series, DOOGIE KAMEALOHA, M.D., which tells the story of a teenaged child prodigy juggling her high school life and family with an early medical career. Jason opens up about growing up in Hawaii and raising his family there, his decision to take a break from acting to pursue sustainable farming, and what types of roles he looks for - fr...

Jared Milrad sits down with award-winning writer/director Erica Eng about her latest short film, AMERICANIZED, which tells the story of a teen growing up in Oakland’s hip hop culture who struggles to fit in – on and off the court. The film - which was shot entirely in Oakland, CA at Eng’s own alma mater Skyline High School - has become Oscar-qualified after winning “Best Dramatic Short” at its wor...

Jared Milrad sits down with award-winning documentarian and activist Tolu Kasali about her powerful documentary, REMEMBER ME, which tells the story of women who have survived encounters with the terrorist organization Boko Haram in northern Nigeria. Tolu shares why she founded My Internally Displaced Persons, an organization focused on reintegrating forcibly displaced persons into society with dig...

Jared Milrad interviews Gabe Liedman, the creator of Netflix's new series Q-FORCE, which tells the story of a handsome secret agent and his team of LGBTQ+ superspies as they embark on extraordinary adventures. Gabe shares his background as a standup comic and writer on such shows as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, PEN15, Kroll Show, and Inside Amy Schumer. He also discusses how Sean Hayes asked him to wr...

Jared Milrad sits down with filmmakers Jack Settipane and Bud Rebel about their new cryptocurrency, $tar Coin, which is designed to make Hollywood more inclusive. Jack and Bud share their backgrounds in entertainment, including working with the likes of John Malkovich, Manu Bennett, and Fred Stoller. Jack and Bud also explain what cryptocurrency is, why they want to expand access to Hollywood, and...

Jared Milrad sits down with writer/director Sena Mourad Friedman and producer Erickson Blakney about their award-winning documentary, ZIP CODE MATTERS, which was recognized at Movikarma’s A Show For A Change Film Festival. Based in Toledo, Ohio, Sena and Erickson explain how our zip code impacts our health, education, economic security, criminal justice system and more. Sena serves as the Director...

Jared Milrad interviews Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant about their roles in CODA, which is in theaters and streaming on Apple TV+ on August 13th. CODA tells the story of a hearing teenage girl who is a child of deaf adults. Written and directed by Sian Heder, the film stars Emilia Jones as the hearing girl, with Oscar winner Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur as her culturally Deaf parents and Daniel Du...

Jared Milrad interviews the award-winning filmmaking team behind FORGET ME NOT, a narrative short film recognized by A Show For A Change Film Festival that explores the devastating effects of dementia from the perspective of an elderly woman suffering from it. Jade Rodriguez Solomon (Director/Producer), Bethen Blackabee (DP/Assistant Director), Sophia Patfield (Scriptwriter/Production Designer) an...

Jared Milrad interviews Emmy winning filmmaker Matt Ogens about his new documentary, AUDIBLE, now streaming on Netflix. Matt shares how he decided to tell the story of Deaf high school students in Maryland, his approach to making social impact documentaries, and how we can make Hollywood more inclusive. We depend on your generous support of Rewriting Hollywood to empower new creative voices and sh...

Jared Milrad interviews Academy Award winning writer and producer Glen Zipper about Season 2 of DOGS and his new series, CAT PEOPLE, both on Netflix. Glen opens up about his journey from law to documentary film, why he likes telling real stories about people and animals, and how we can make Hollywood more inclusive and impactful. We depend on your generous support of Rewriting Hollywood to empower...