The Oscar Project Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Rishabh Raj Jain, the director of the short film "A Dream Called Kushi (Happiness)," a documentary about a one young woman seeking an opportunity to escape a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh and receive education in the West. The film received the bronze medal in the documentary category at the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen t...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Hannah Rafkin, the director of the short film "Keeper," a documentary about one man's effort to keep bees in the Bronx while raising his daughters as a single father. The film received the gold medal in the documentary category at the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about how a small 5-minute project blossomed into th...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Jens Kevin Georg, the director of the short film "Crust" which tells the story of a young boy in search of his first scar. The film received the silver medal in the narrative category at the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the inspiration for the film, how he knew he had selected the right actor to play his lead, how...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Sarah Blok, the director of the short film "Trouble" which explores the story of a family dealing with changing relationships amid the separation of the two parents. The film was a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the involvement of two actors in casting the film, how Sarah's background in playwr...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Jamie O’Rourke, the director of the short film "Calf." The film looks at a topic that is extremely relevant to many people around the world today, yet not talked about nearly enough and is it qualified for the 97th Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the inspiration for the film in working on a documentary on abuse, some striking sta...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Kirsten Slemint, the director of the short film "Burnt Country" which explores the threat of wildfire in Australia and the indigenous population who works hard to help manage the threat. The film was a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the editorial decision to juxtapose fire with water throughout the...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Bartłomiej Błaszczyński, the director of the short film "Take Me to Her" which explores the story of a woman who has gone through an incredible loss, and struggles to deal with it. The film was a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the genesis of the story of the film, a tragic connection Bartłomiej and...

Send us Fan Mail In honor of the Student Academy Awards that took place this past Monday October 14th, I'm providing a quick recap of the winners. You'll also hear a little bit of my interviews from earlier this year with two of the winners and some thoughts on the ceremony experience itself. Check out my previous interviews with Robin Wang and Birdy Wei-Ting Hung while you wait for some...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Tom Potter, the director of the experimental short film "Lullaby for the Lost" which explores the memories of a man who is beginning to forget his mother. The film was a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear some incredible thoughts on dreams and memories, some very manual tactics used to create the images on sc...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Luke Morgan, the director of the short film "The Boat." The film is based on a heartbreaking true story of a father who must make a difficult choice when his daughter begins exhibiting troubling medical symptoms and is it qualified for the 97th Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the work that Luke and his brother were doing that led...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Birdy Wei-Ting Hung, the director of the experimental short film "A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers." The film looks at the experience of a young girl in 1980s Taiwan and won a gold award at the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear how the film was inspired by two other films, how important formative film experiences...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Louisa Connolly-Burnham the director of the short film "Sister Wives," an exploration of the dynamics between two women in a polygamous relationship as they explore their love for each other. Listen to hear about the real life cult the film is based on, the process of casting a film with the intention of playing one of the main charac...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Daniel Salas the director of the experimental short film "WIRED," a surreal look at the impact technology can have on a person. The film was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear how the film changed in the editing process, some of the challenges in shooting the film in just three days, and the imp...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Zac Lazarou the director of the short documentary "The Undertakers," an beautiful look at the underappreciated world of vultures in Africa. The film was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to learn a bit about the important place vultures hold in the ecosystems, the importance of the music in creating th...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Julia Grupińska, Tian Westraad, and Ezequiel Garibay, three of the five directors of the short film "El Ombligo de la Luna." The short animated film is a heartwarming story of a boy reconnecting with his long lost father and was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about how the team found the per...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Luke Purdye the director of the short documentary "Mail Order Queens," an intimate film about the world of beekeeping. The film was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to get a brief overview of honeybee history, the challenges of working with an animal like the honeybee, and just how many times a direct...

Send us Fan Mail In today's interview, I speak with Craig Singer and Michael Benson, authors of the upcoming book Moguls: The Lives and Times of Hollywood Film Pioneers Nicholas and Joseph Schenck . Listen to hear about some of the famous Hollywood stars that rubbed elbows with the Schencks, how Nick Schenck preferred running his amusement park over the movies, and how generous Joe Schenck wa...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Loïc Girault and Anna Danton, two of the creators of the film "Coquille," an animated short that follows an adorable little hermit crab looking for safety on the beach. The film was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about how the inspiration for the film in Loïc's childhood, the challenges...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Roger Torres about his film "Irma," a personal story of family dealing with difficult choices that is based on his own life. The film was selected as a semifinalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about how the intense personal experience that inspired Roger's film, how he used that to explore a unique storyte...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Luke Salewski about his film "The Lights Above," a genre crossing short film set in Los Angeles in the early day of 1942. The film was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about how Luke and his team creatively sourced their period furniture, a last minute casting change, and how they came to find...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Tomás Orrego about his film "Fever," an experimental short film that was selected as a semifinalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the bold design choices employed in the film, how the film evolved based on budget and time constraints, and how music and sound play a part in the film. Books mentioned in this...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Robin Wang about his film "Neither Donkey Nor Horse," a blending of historical fiction with science fiction. The film was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about how the story of Dr. Wu helped Robin become unstuck during Covid lockdown, parallels between 1910 and 2020, and the meaning behind th...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview Lu Lu about her film "Invocation," a story of dealing with life's changes based on her own personal experiences. The film was selected as a semifinalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards. Listen to hear about the inspiration for the film rooted in her own experience, the importance of the Miao people in Guizhou to the developme...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview director Dur Jamjoom about her film "Kum-Kum," a story of loss and grief built from her own personal experiences. The film was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival back in June. Listen to hear about the inspiration for the film, how her grandmother helped influence an important part of the film, and two versions of Tom Hanks coming t...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I interview director Wendi Tang about her film "Fishtank," a surreal story about a woman struggling to remain sober, but for some reason she can't stop vomiting goldfish. The film will be showing this August at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival and the HollyShorts Film Festival . Listen to hear about the inspiration for t...