The Screen Podcast

Razor Film co-founder Roman Paul and Komplizen Film co-founder Janine Jackowski explain why the German film sector is undergoing a major transition. Host Wendy Mitchell talks to Jackowski and Paul about some of the challenges facing production in Germany at the moment and the advantages of European co-production. Paul co-founded Razor in 2002 with Gerhard Meixner, and their credits include Waltz W...

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team delves into the talking points from European exhibition convention CineEurope, which took place in Barcelona last week (June 22-25).Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s box office and awards editor Charles Gant, who takes us through all the studio presentations at CineEurope, and picks out some of the key titles. He picks out Zach Cregger...

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team debates why open letters have become so popular in the film industry and what kind of impact they can have. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s deputy editor Louise Tutt and Europe editor Tim Dams to discuss the latest in a growing trend of open letters - this time, two in support of Israeli-born filmmaker Nadav Lapid, who was forced to...

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, Aardman co-founder Peter Lord discusses 50 years of the historic UK animation company. Ahead of the Annecy film festival, senior international reporter Ben Dalton speaks to Lord about co-founding the Bristol-based company with David Sproxton over 50 years ago and their decision to become an employee-owned business in 2018.The animator, whose credits in...

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, US producer John Sloss speaks to Wendy Mitchell about finance trends, working in Europe, and the restructuring of deal-making. Sloss is the founder and CEO of Cinetic Media and also a partner at the law firm Sloss Eckhouse Dasti Haynes LawCo. His credits include Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, Blue Moon, Boyhood and Before Sunrise series as well as...

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, our senior critics share their hidden gems from the 2026 Cannes film festival. Host Wendy Mitchell speaks to Screen’s senior international critic Wendy Ide and senior US critic Tim Grierson to discuss the films from this year’s festival that didn’t come away with any prizes, and that they feel deserve more attention. The Screen Podcast is produced by E...

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team debriefs on Cannes Film Festival’s closing ceremony and awards; and chats to Norwegian actresses Renate Reinsve, star of Palme d’Or winner Fjord, and Marie Ulven, star of Directors’ Fortnight title Low Expectations. First, host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s France correspondent Rebecca Leffler to take us inside Cannes’ closing night act...

In the final episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team rounds up the key talking points from the market, including the major deals and the Dogma filmmaking boom. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s editor-in-chief Matt Mueller and deputy editor Louise Tutt to discuss all the biggest deals from the Cannes market and what it says about the health of the industry. Then, they delve into...

In the ninth episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team delves into the latest from the French film industry and the festival’s best parties so far. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s UK and international reporter Ben Dalton and France correspondent Rebecca Leffler to discuss the mood of the French film industry, particularly in the wake of Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada’s statement that he...

In the eighth episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, two of our critics pick their favourite films from the festival so far. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen critics Johnathan Romney and Lee Marshall, who each spotlight a film from the Competition and parallel sections so far. Plus, they discuss what themes are emerging from the festival and whether it has been a strong year for the Compe...

In the seventh episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team spotlights genre titles and discusses the films causing market buzz. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s reviews editor Nikki Baughan and Americas editor Jeremy Kay to discuss the genre highlights from the programme, the buyers circling 'Club Kid' and 'A Man Of His Time' as well as new distributor Cineverse. Hosted on Acast. Se...

In the sixth episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, host Matt Mueller is joined by Tim Grierson, our senior US critic, to discuss the current state of the Cannes Competition, including his highlights and lowlights, and why this could be the year of Sandra Huller. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fifth episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team explores Asia’s presence and what themes are emerging from the press conferences. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s Asia editor Michael Rosser and reporter and video producer Ellie Calnan to discuss the Asian films making noise in both the festival and the market. They also delve into the weighty topics being tackled at press c...

The team delves into the future of Creative Europe and the history of Screen’s jury grid. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s head of digital, Orlando Parffit, and Europe editor Tim Dams to discuss the end of Creative Europe’s Media programme and why over 4,500 filmmakers, actors and industry folk have signed an open letter calling for more support for cinema from the EU. The trio also delve...

In the second episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team takes a look at the UK’s presence in the market and the private equity boom. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s editor-in-chief Matt Mueller and senior UK and Ireland reporter Mona Tabbara to debate whether UK sales agents are making a comeback and why the programme is not so light on UK presence as it first appears. The trio a...

In the second episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team delves into the market from the US and French perspectives. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s Americas editor Jeremy Kay and France correspondent Rebecca Leffler to discuss the lack of films from Hollywood studios and the shake-up in US distribution. They also delve into why the French sales agents are dominating the market mo...

In the first episode of The Screen Podcast at Cannes, the team previews the market and festival. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s deputy editor Louise Tutt and UK and international reporter Ben Dalton to discuss the opening of the Cannes market and why buyers and sellers are arriving earlier every year. The trio also delves into Thierry Fremaux’s press conference which tackled politics, g...

Fionnuala Jamison, managing director at French sales and production powerhouse mk2 Films, speaks to Screen’s editor-in-chief Matt Mueller ahead of the Cannes Film Festival. In the interview, Jamison discusses her ambitions for mk2’s Cannes festival and market slate, and her views on what the market is looking for. She also talks about mk2’s multi-year financing deal with investment fund manager IP...

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, Italian-UK producer Carlo Cresto-Dina advocates for protecting the role of film producers, who he says are essential for managing “complex creative processes.”Cresto-Dina, founder of the Italy- and UK-based Tempesta, is best known for producing Alice Rohrwacher’s features: Corpo Celeste. The Wonders, Happy as Lazzaro and La Chimera. His other credits i...

Industry experts share their tips for navigating the Cannes Film Festival. Joining host Wendy Mitchell are Picturehouse Cinemas and Picturehouse Entertainment creative director Clare Binns, TrustNordisk managing director Susan Wendt, and Frederic Boyer, artistic director at both Tribeca Film Festival in New York and France’s Les Arcs Film Festival. The quartet of Cannes veterans discuss how they t...

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, our team go in-depth on the Cannes parallel sections that were unveiled earlier this week. Screen’s France correspondent and Cannes expert Rebecca Leffler joins host Wendy Mitchell to offer her insight into the Critics’ Week and Directors’ Fortnight selections, having spoken to the heads of both sections this year. Our team also discuss Thierry Fremaux...

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team reacts to this year’s Cannes Official Selection, which was unveiled by Thierry Fremaux and Iris Knobloch in Paris earlier today. Breaking down the list of titles with host Wendy Mitchell are Screen’s editor-in-chief Matt Mueller and senior international critic Wendy Ide. The trio picks out the films they are excited about, plus some of the tre...

On this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, Norwegian author and screenwriter Jo Nesbø discusses his Netflix series Detective Hole. Host Wendy Mitchell talks to Nesbo about how he transformed his novel into a nine-episode series and why star Tobias Santelmann almost lost out on the lead role. Nesbo also discussed his previously adapted novel The Snowman, which was made into a feature film by oth...

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, our team is at the Series Mania festival, which has seen leading execs from the European TV drama sector descend on Lille this week. Screen’s Europe editor Tim Dams and French correspondent Rebecca Leffler join host Wendy Mitchell to discuss the challenges faced by European drama producers in the post-‘peak TV’ era and why co-producing is now key. The...

In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, the team breaks down the Oscars ceremony and chats to two of the filmmakers who found themselves in a rare tie for an Academy Award. Host Wendy Mitchell is joined by Screen’s Americas editor Jeremy Kay, who attended the ceremony, and box office and awards editor Charles Gant, to break down the 98th Academy Awards. They discuss what worked at the ceremo...