Sifter

David Crank is a production designer and art director who’s also a Richmond native. His resume includes design from films including Hannibal , The New World , John Adams , There Will be Blood , Knives Out and News of the World, for which he was Nominated for an Oscar for Best Production Design. We talk about: – His experience at last year’s Oscars – How he feels about his c...

Kevin Willmott is best known as the screenwriter for Spike Lee’s Chi Raq , Da 5 Bloods and BlackkKlansman (for which he shared an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay). He also wrote and directed C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America , a satirical documentary that imagines our country if the South had won and slavery was still legal. We’ll talk about: – How he got into film &#82...

The big Saturday nite film at this year’s French Film Festival will feature the first Native American Rock Opera, entitled Something Inside is Broken . Jack Kohler, the creator of the film and the musical behind it will talk about: – The history behind the story – Mounting the musical – Creating the film version – Challenges still facing Native Americans today –...

Plan 9 from Outer Space is considered by many to be the worst movie ever made (and a fun watch). Katharine Coldiron wrote a monograph about the movie. She’ll also be at Plan 9 Records for a book signing. Then, guest reviewer Victor Koressel joins me to discuss OSCAR SNUBS. Katharine talks about: – Her connection with the record store – Why write a book about this movie – Wh...

In this podcast, Hamilton Glass, Matt Lively & Pam Hervey discuss creating Mending Walls: The Documentary , including: – How the concept came about – How conversations between Matt & Hamilton changed their perspectives – How Pam got involved in producing the documentary – How the project grew to 16 murals – The mural that Ham and Matt created – The chall...

We meet part of the team for the new VPM News Focal Point : – Angie Miles explains the origin of the show – How it’s different from the previous show, Virginia Currents – The subject of the first show – Keyris Manzanares spotlights Virginians who have made an impact – Roberta Oster explains the scope of the show Michael Perry is a Production Designer in LA. We d...

Shoniqua Shandai is one of the stars of HARLEM, an Amazon Prime series that has been called the Black Sex and the City ( here’s my review titled Is Sex Better Uptown? ). Shoniqua was also raised in Richmond. We talk about: – Her character on the show and how it echoes her personality – Meeting Whoopi Goldberg (who’s also on the show) – Getting to be on Broadway (sort...

THE REAL DIRTY DANCING is a new dance competition that celebrates the iconic film’s 35 th anniversary, much of which was shot in Virginia’s Mountain Lake Lodge. Heidi Stone (from MLL) and Daniel Martin (series showrunner) discuss: – How the show started in Austrailia – Events to celebrate the movie at MLL – How the contestants work to re-create the movie’s class...

This show features 2 local film events with a Charlottesville background. First is the producer/director of a new indie, then the 2 UVA grads who are mounting a shorts festival. Ty Cooper talks about his new film AMANDA, which screens at Movieland on 2/5: – How he moved from promoting concerts to become a filmmaker – Why he chose Richmond to shoot – How Miss Virginia got involved...

After 40 years at NBC12, Jim Duncan retired last year. We discuss: – How he got interested in weather – How he got to RVA – Stories from the station – What he’s up to now – Plus a special guest visitor Then, Mike Jones updates us on the 27 th annual James River Short Film Showcase , VA’s oldest juried film competition. It’s screening Jan 28-30. Jim D...

This show features 2 foreign film opportunities: Katrina Nousek (Assistant Professor of German Studies, University of Richmond) tells us about the German Film Series that plays at a unique downtown venue. Leslie McGuigan (Director of Cultural Arts, Weinstein JCC) fills us in on this year’s Israeli Film Festival Jonathan Gruber discusses the film at the festival he produced and directed, Uphe...

Jai grew up in RVA and now lives in LA, where he’s a staff writer on Superman and Lois . We’ll cover: – A behind-the-scenes exploration of the writers’ room and how that process works – His strategy for getting hired in Hollywood – What inspired him to get into writing and film – The projects he’s written and/or directed – What he had for lunch...

Andy’s the Director of the Virginia Film Office. We talk about: – His 80s music video. Click here to watch it. – Interesting connections he’s made with filmmakers that keep them coming back to Virginia – A teaser on what might be coming soon – And more. LINKS My review of: Dopesick Unhinged  

This first show is just a sample. The weekly show will be 30ish-minutes and starts January 5, 2022.