Sifter

WRIC’s “Showcase” started a few years back, but was updated to a full one-hour show, when it launched September 8 with co-hosts Amie Carter & Melissa Chase. We had a lively discussion which includes: – Their backgrounds and how they came to this show – Melissa at Hamaganza – Amie’s namesake – Shooting in studio and on location – Why it’s on mid-afternoon &#8...

David Crank is a Richmond-based film Production Designer. He was Oscar-nominated for “News of the World” in 2021 (there’s a link to that podcast below). His latest project was for “The Lost Bus (Apple TV),” which stars Matthew McConaughey as the bus driver who got a bus full of school children thru the horrific Camp Fire in 2018. We discuss: – The origins of his last name – Re-creating...

Joey Clift is a Los Angeles-based comedian, TV writer, director, Emmy-nominated producer and member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. His film “POW” is an animated short about a young native kid trying to charge his video game console at a powwow. He’s one of the featured directors at this year’s Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival (11/20-23), that presents projects from indigenous filmmakers from all ov...

Andrew D. Kaplan has made several documentaries about 19 th century writers and “In Search of Edgar Allen Poe” is his latest. This extensive 3-hour doc is now streaming on PBS. We’ll talk about: – His PhD in mass communications – Acting as the on-camera narrator – Touching up historical portraits – Determining Poe’s accent for the voiceover – Using Stephen Foster’s so...

Daniel Poler comes from Venezuela and Panama and his new film is coming to this year’s Virginia Film Festival (10/22-26). ESPINA is the film he made about and starring his best friend, Jonathan, who’s confined to a wheelchair. The movie explores the subject with an upbeat attitude. We discuss: – How he got to the states – When his filmmaking career began – Creating fashion videos...

Jeff Rathner started his career shooting news at CBS6 right here in Richmond. He ultimately ended up in DC working for 36 years at the PBS Newshour. Our discussion includes: – A wise mouth anchor at “PM Magazine” – Sharing a cigar with Fidel Castro – Covering Bill Clinton as his scandal started – Putting a mic on Paul McCartney – Sharing birthdays with Tom Hanks &#821...

“The American Miracle” is a docudrama inspired by Michael Medved’s book of the same title. It states that God’s “providential hand” intervened in the founding of the United States. Douglas B. Maddox had a number of jobs on the film, including producer. We discuss: – Switching from physics to film in college – How he got involved with this project – Getting Pat B...

This is the 2 nd year for the Inthrive Film Festival, which features the voices and talents of incarceration survivors. It’s coming to Richmond October 3-6 at various locations. We’ll meet the makers of 2 entries about the closing of prisons that take very different approaches. Ashley Hunt’s “And Water Brings Tomorrow” merges poetry and documentary, while Juicebox P. Burton’s short “Space to...

Bunt Young is a Richmond native who started his career as a cinematographer when he was still a teen. He’s worked on TV shows, motion pictures and commercials. We discuss: – His affinity for impressions – Differences between A camera, B camera, insert camera and more – Getting fiery shots in the pit of a big race – Landing the gig on Terrence Malick’s “The New World” &#8211...

Richmonder Melody C. Roscher wrote and directed “Bird in Hand,” which she shot here. It follows Bird Rowe, a biracial bride-to-be who arrives unannounced at her hippie mother’s home to plan her wedding. The Virginia premiere will be at this year’s Richmond International Film Festival on 9/25 at 7pm at the Byrd. Our discussion includes: – Her background in Richmond – Going from wanting...

Will Turner is the subject of the new documentary “Sierra 914,” which follows his extreme marathon event, where he swam, biked and ran 914 miles as a personal challenge. He’s joined by the film’s director Ryan Dugger. They talk about this incredible achievement and the grueling process for Will and the film crew: – What started Will running – How Ryan decided to shoot the doc – W...

Andrea Meyerson formed an online community of fellow lesbians during COVID, Women on the Net. She joined with director Kathryn L. Beranich to produce this documentary about this and the famous guests who were on the zoom group. “An Unexpected Community” will play at this year’s Virginia Queer Film Festival, which will run September 12 – 14 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. We discuss: –...

“Griffin in Summer” is a coming-of-age feature about Griffin, a fourteen-year-old aspiring playwright (Everett Blunck). During the summer he tries to bring his ambitious artistic vision to life, while becoming enamoured by his mom’s handyman. It was shot in Virginia in 2023 and stars Melanie Lynskey (as mom) and Owen Teague (as the handyman). It also won the Founders Award for best U.S. narrative...

Reel Families for Change centers on work-life solutions that ensure career access and advancement for caregiving filmmakers, especially those who may be more vunerable or marginalized. Akima Brown is Founder and Executive Director of the organization and she explains the work they do: – How this got started – Her Virginia connection – How inequity in production became real &#8211...

“The Hitchhiker Effect” was produced in Virginia for under $20K. It features Michael Beardsley as a conspiracy theorist who struggles to understand paranormal events that begin when his neighbors drop by his remote cabin. He’s joined by the film’s writer/director Zack Van Eyck. The Virginia premiere will be at the Richmond Film Network’s day-long Indie Fest, noon, Saturday, 8/9 at The Park RVA. We...

After sold-out screenings at Charlottesville’s Indie Short Film Festival in March, “The Price of Resistance: Sala Udin, An American Agitator” will again be screened in Charlottesville on August 9, 7:30pm at Vinegar Hill Theatre. It will be paired with a companion documentary, “Uprooted,” that explores the displacement of a thriving Black neighborhood in Newport News. Today’s podcast features the d...

Isaac Regelson was trained as an architect, but he has made his career as a location scout and manager for movies, TV shows and commercials. Our chat includes: – Getting into the biz – Location scout vs location management – Why he never designed a building – Working commercials vs movies – Finding the right house for “Loving” – Locating a cliff to drive a truck...

This is part 2 of my interview with Jeanne Meserve, who was on CBS 6 here in the 80s and went on for a 20-year career at CNN. This discussion includes: – The difference between the elections of Clinton and Bush – Prepping nominees for congressional hearings – Changing her approach to covering abortion – Memorable fan interactions – Being a moderator all over the world...

Gordon Bass has been a working actor in Richmond since the 80s. He’s performed in theatres all over the area and made his living as the Tour Manager for Virginia Rep. All that time he managed to assemble an impressive roster of on-camera gigs from commercials to training videos to even a few films. Some of the things we discuss include: – The DuPont gig working in the freezing “rain” (for Je...

Jeanne Meserve was an anchor and reporter for CBS6 here in Richmond during the 80s (when I was reviewing at the station). She went on to have a successful career in news, including years at ABC News and CNN, winning 2 Emmy awards along the way. The first part of our chat starts with the early stages of her career, including: – Starting at a radio station playing polkas – The culture ch...

In 2022, Seth Wood started his own reality documentary competition for farmers titled “Corn Warriors.” Since then, he’s produced two more shows, “Top Crop” and “The Podfather.” Producing and directing them takes him all over the country, but he edits them up right here in Richmond. We’ll discuss: – The definition of Agritainment – How he got into this field (pun intended) – What...

Sharon Y. Cobb co-wrote “The Man in the White Van” with the film’s director Warren Skeels. It’s a thriller based on a true story about a serial killer in a small Florida town. We’ll discuss: – How they met – The story originated over coffee – Shooting in a 70s house – Directing a snake – References from the period like “Bonanza” and extension phones – Getting Se...

Drs. Peter Kirkpatrick and Françoise Ravaux-Kirkpatrick created Richmond’s immensely popular French Film Festival in 1993 and ran it until 2022. The Festival became the largest French movie and culture showcase outside of France. In addition to film screenings and master classes, it included more than 900 guest artists. On this second part of the podcast we’ll cover: – How the festival chang...

Eight years ago, Angela Patton (CEO and founder of Girls For Change) started the program that allowed Black girls to attend a dance with their fathers, who were incarcerated. Earlier this year, she and her co-director Natalie Rae had their documentary picked up by Netflix. We’ll discuss: – How did the idea for the dances started – The evolution of the movie – Deciding which girls...

Drs. Peter Kirkpatrick and Françoise Ravaux-Kirkpatrick created Richmond’s immensely popular French Film Festival in 1993 and ran it until 2022. They were professors of French literature, culture and film studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Richmond, respectively. The Festival became the largest French movie and culture showcase outside of France. In addition to film scre...