The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Director Ron Howard discusses his new film, Thirteen Lives, with fellow director Akiva Goldsman in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, Howard reveals how much of the stunts the actors performed, his thoughts on the future of theatrical film, and his favorite scene in the film. The film follows the miraculous story of the 2018 Tham Luang Nang Non rescue, in which an inter...

Director Olivia Newman discusses her new film, Where the Crawdads Sing, with fellow director Catherine Hardwicke in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Newman reveals how she pitched the film to producers, discusses the difficulty of doing chemistry reads via Zoom, and talks about the necessity of being flexible as a director. Based on the best-selling novel, the film...

Director James Ponsoldt discusses his new film, Summering, with fellow director Ry Russo Young in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they speak about why Ponsoldt wanted to make the film, his cinematic influences for the project, and how he helped the young actresses to function as a group and build chemistry. The film follows four best friends on the brink of starti...

Director George Stevens, Jr. sat in conversation with Director Paul Thomas Anderson to discuss his career and upbringing with his father, DGA Past President George Stevens, Sr. The conversation follows the release of Stevens' memoir, My Place in the Sun: Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington in which Stevens reflects on the legacy of his father and that of his family in Hollywood and...

Director Theodore Braun discusses his new film, ¡Viva Maestro!, with fellow director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Braun shares what drew him to the project, his approach to filming biographical documentaries, and how he captured the music of the film in Dolby Atmos. The film is a behind-the-scenes portrait of conductor and artistic director Gust...

Director Kivu Ruhorahoza discusses his new film Father's Day, with fellow director Alex Stapleton at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Ruhorahoza discusses how the film examines masculinity in the country of Rwanda and his process with working with actors to reveal deeper layers within the characters. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event bel...

In a special anniversary discussion, Director Jonathan Lynn discusses his film, My Cousin Vinny, with fellow director Raymond de Felitta in a screening at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, hear Lynn discuss the improvised moments, the grueling shoots of the courtroom scenes, and the clever method used to get the shoot with the owl. The film tells the tale of Vinny, a wildly inexper...

Director Daniel Adams discusses his new film, The Walk, with fellow director Alejandro Brugués in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they speak about Adams' childhood connections to the story, what a really great performance is about, and making New Orleans look like 1970s Boston. The film weaves together three story threads as an Irish cop, his bigoted 17-year-old d...

Director Joseph Kosinski discusses his new film, Top Gun: Maverick, with fellow director Jason Reitman in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they speak about how Top Gun came into his life (the first and second time), convincing Tom Cruise to hop back into the cockpit, and the complex process of shooting the actors while flying inside the jets. The sequel film takes...

Director Simon Curtis discusses his new film, Downton Abbey: A New Era, with fellow director Amy Holden Jones in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they speak about how Curtis made the film his own after the televsion show and the previous film and how he hopes the film will be perceived. Based on the popular television series and a follow-up to the 2019 feature film...

Director Charles Murray discusses his new film, The Devil You Know, with fellow director Matthew Cherry in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they speak about how the film's premise developed over the years, his approach to casting Michael Ealy for the detective role, and his exploratory approach to directing actors. The film tells the story of Marcus, who after a li...

Director Tom Gormican discusses his new film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, with fellow director Scott Z. Burns in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation they speak about the letter that convinced Nicolas Cage to do the movie, directing the film from an Ipad in a hotel room, and the importance of music in a film with a constantly changing tone. The film stars N...

Director Tia Lessin & Emma Pildes discuss their new film, The Janes, with fellow director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. They talk about the origin of the project, give more context on the films central characters, share their thoughts on the future of Roe v. Wade. Screened as part of the DGA’s Documentary Series, the film tells the story of the Jane Collective, a...

Director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi discusses his new film, Drive My Car, with fellow director Victoria Hochberg in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. The conversation took place via Zoom and was translated by Aiko Hamaguchi. The film follows an aging widowed actor who receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya. During the production, he is forced to confront painful truths from his...

Directors Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert discuss their new film, Everything Everywhere All at Once, with fellow director Destin Daniel Cretton in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. When struggling laundromat owner Evelyn Wang finds out that only she can save the multiverse, she is swept into a dimension spanning adventure as she explores the other lives she could have led. Join Mr. Kwan...

Director Roland Emmerich discusses his new film, Moonfall, with fellow director Anna Foerster in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In a world on the brink of annihilation, two former astronauts team up with a conspiracy theorist to save humanity. Mr. Emmerich shares why Moonfall led him back to directing another disaster film, why production design led him to directing, how he copes wit...

Paul Thomas Anderson, Kenneth Branagh, Jane Campion, Steven Spielberg, and Denis Villeneuve engage in a conversation with moderator Jeremy Kagan for the 31st Annual DGA Meet the Nominees: Theatrical Feature Film Symposium. Part two finds the nominees discussing how they help actors find their characters, what they do when the shot just isn't working, and how they deal with fear. Please note: spoil...

Paul Thomas Anderson, Kenneth Branagh, Jane Campion, Steven Spielberg, and Denis Villeneuve engage in a conversation with moderator Jeremy Kagan for the 31st Annual DGA Meet the Nominees: Theatrical Feature Film Symposium. Part one finds the nominees discussing how they know they've "got the shot," where they like to sit on set, and how they prepare for production. Please note: spoilers are includ...

Director Jeff Tremaine discusses his new film, Jackass Forever, with fellow director Spike Jonze in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. The original Jackass crew return after 11 years to push the envelope with another round of hilarious and absurd displays of comedy. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/April2022...

Director Kat Coiro discusses her new film, Marry Me, with fellow director Gillian Robespierre in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. When pop star Kat Valdez learns that her fiancé has been unfaithful seconds before their wedding in front of a global audience of fans, she decides to marry Charlie, a middle school math teacher and stranger in the crowd, instead. Please note: spoilers are incl...

Director Joel Coen discusses his new film, The Tragedy of Macbeth, with fellow director Guillermo del Toro in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. Based on the timeless work by William Shakespeare, the film reweaves the tale of the power-hungry Thane of Cawdor, who sets his sights on the Scottish throne. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: http...

Director Paul Thomas Anderson discusses his new film, Licorice Pizza, with fellow director Jeremy Kagan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. Set in the early 1970s, the film follows Gary, a 15-year-old aspiring entrepreneur who falls in love with Alana, a 25-year-old yearbook photographer’s assistant, as they embark on a most unlikely romance in California’s San Fernando Valley. Please...

Director Joe Wright discusses his new film, Cyrano, with fellow director Sam Taylor-Johnson in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. Based on the play by Edmond Rostand, the film adds singing to the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, who can dazzle with a word or a sword but, convinced that his appearance makes such a romance impossible, cannot declare his love for his beautiful friend Roxanne. P...

Director Nora Fingscheidt discusses her new film, The Unforgivable, with fellow director Suzi Yoonessi in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. The film tells the story of Ruth Slater, a woman recently released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime. As she attempts to re-enter a society that refuses to forgive her past, her only hope for redemption is finding the estrange...

Director Guillermo del Toro discusses his new film, Nightmare Alley, with fellow director Tim Blake Nelson in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. Set in 1940s New York, the film weaves the tale of a down-on-his-luck hustler who teams up with a clairvoyant and her mentalist husband to scam the wealthy. Please note: spoilers are included. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://w...