We Need to Talk About Oscar

Writer-director Constance Tsang and producers Tony Yang, Sally Sujin Oh and Eli Raskin join us to discuss ‘Blue Sun Palace,’ their Spirit Award nominated feature. With nominations celebrating the film’s achievement, the team reflects on the journey from conception to completion. Constance and the producers open up about the very birth of the story and what it took to produce and manage a film like...

Writer-director Mascha Schilinski and cinematographer Fabian Gamper join us to discuss ‘Sound of Falling,’ their ambitious sophomore feature that won the Jury Prize at Cannes and has been selected as Germany’s entry for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards. Mascha and Fabian open up about how they structured the film to connect the four girls across time beyond just their shared locati...

Filmmaker Albert Birney joins us to discuss 'OBEX,' his black and white science fiction film set in pre-internet 1987 Baltimore that premiered at Sundance. Albert opens up about the origin of the film, tracing its roots to his own video game creation 'Tux and Fanny' and his experience getting a dog in 2021, both of which became foundational inspirations for this story of isolation and obsession. O...

This week, actress Liz Larsen joins us to talk about her Indie Spirit nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance in ‘The Baltimorons.’ With decades of stage and screen work behind her, she reflects on what it means to be recognized in this category at this point in her career. Liz shares how she first connected with director Jay Duplass and how the film’s low budget, guerrilla shooting style pos...

Today, we sit down with writer-director Charlie Polinger and cinematographer Steven Breckon to talk about ‘The Plague.’ They share the origins of their creative partnership and how Charlie’s personal experiences shaped the story’s themes. We dig into the technical challenge of underwater cinematography and what it brought to the film’s visual storytelling. Our conversation also explores working wi...

Writer-director Julia Jackman and cinematographer Xenia Patricia join us to discuss '100 Nights of Hero,' their adaptation of Isabel Greenberg's graphic novel that premiered at Venice Film Festival. Julia and Xenia open up about the challenges of translating a graphic novel's visual language onto the screen, finding cinematic equivalents for the book's distinctive illustrative style while creating...

Today, we talk with cinematographer William Rexer about his work on ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’. William shares how he got to this project and the creative collaboration with the likes of writer-director Mona Fastvold, writer Brady Corbet, composer Daniel Blumberg, and choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall. We explore how they approached translating the Shakers’ ecstatic worship onto the big screen whil...

Today, we sit down with writer-director Kurtis David Harder to talk about ‘Influencers,’ the sequel to his 2022 horror hit that was not always part of the plan. Kurtis shares how the sequel came to fruition and the creative challenge of bringing CW back after the first film’s ending. We dig into how he justified her return both narratively for audiences and practically for the cast who thought her...

Today, we talk with writer Robert Kaplow about ‘Blue Moon,’ the Richard Linklater film that took decades to bring to the screen. Robert shares how his long-gestating interest in Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers evolved over the years, and how he looks back on the journey now that it’s become the backbone of a Linklater film. We explore what it was like having his first screenplay made into a film a...

Writer-director Shih-Ching Tsou joins us to discuss 'Left-Handed Girl,' her deeply personal solo directorial debut that premiered at Cannes Critics' Week and has been selected as Taiwan's entry for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards. Shih-Ching reflects on her decades-spanning collaboration with Sean Baker, who co-wrote, produced, and edited the film, and how their creative partnersh...

Director Clint Bentley and cinematographer Adolpho Veloso join us to discuss 'Train Dreams,' their adaptation of the Denis Johnson novella. The filmmakers reflect on the origins of their collaboration and how their partnership shaped the translation of Johnson's spare, evocative prose into visual storytelling from both a writer-director and cinematographer's perspective. Our conversation explores...

Director Simon Cellan Jones joins us to discuss 'The Family Plan 2,' the second installment of what has become a franchise following the 2023 hit. Simon reflects on the fruition of this sequel and the timeline between making the two films, revealing how quickly they moved from the first film's success to developing its follow-up. Our conversation explores how the family dynamics have shifted now t...

Director Emily Mkrtichian joins us to discuss 'There Was, There Was Not,' her documentary that began filming in 2016 and evolved in devastating ways no one could have anticipated. Emily opens up about the mythology embedded in the film's title, a traditional Armenian storytelling phrase, and how the story she set out to tell transformed from hopeful beginnings into a chronicle of war and survival...

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey joins us to discuss 'Die My Love,' his latest collaboration with director Lynne Ramsay. Seamus reflects on their decades-spanning friendship and creative partnership, revealing how Ramsay's unique filmmaking style continually reinvents cinema. Our conversation delves into the technical choices that define the film's aesthetic, particularly the decision to shoot on E...

This time around we are joined by Mike Makowsky, creator of the limited series ‘Death by Lightning,’ about bringing the story of one of America’s lesser known presidents to the screen. Mike shares how he connected with Candice Millard’s book and what it took to get a 4-episode historical series made in the current TV landscape, where IP recognition often drives decisions. We also dig into comedy’s...

Writer-director-actress Cherien Dabis joins us to discuss 'All That's Left of You,' a film following a Palestinian family across three generations of conflict. Cherien opens up about evacuating the production from Palestine to Cyprus, Greece, and Jordan just two weeks before filming began due to escalating violence. Our conversation explores how Cherien balanced writing, directing, and acting whil...

Writer-director John-Michael Powell joins us to discuss 'Violent Ends,' his southern crime thriller hitting theaters on Halloween. Powell opens up about the leap from his micro-budget debut 'The Send-Off' to this significantly larger production, sharing insights into navigating that scale shift. Our conversation explores John-Michael's extensive editing background and how it shaped his approach to...

Co-directors Salvatore Scarpa and Max Burgoyne-Moore join us to discuss Largo, their short film about a young Syrian refugee in the U.K. that took nearly five years to develop. The filmmakers open up about the dynamics of their creative partnership, exploring how two voices shaped one vision, and what can be achieved within the constraints and creative possibilities of short film format. We dig in...

This time around, we talk with Cooper Raiff, the creator, director and star of the limited series ‘Hal & Harper,’ about navigating the indie scene on the TV side. Cooper breaks down one of the show’s central conceits: he and Lili Reinhart playing their characters as kids in certain scenes. We explore what it took to get into that childhood headspace and how those scenes shape the series. We al...

Filmmaker M.G. Evangelista joins us to discuss their horror short 'Anino,’ premiering at this year's NewFest. Our conversation explores the integral role of language in shaping their film's narrative and the ongoing search for identity that drives their work. M.G. opens up about their venture into genre filmmaking with this monster story, revealing how horror became a vehicle for exploring deeper...

Cinematographer Mattias Nyberg joins us to discuss his work on episodes 1-3 of 'The Girlfriend,' directed by Robin Wright. Mattias reveals what drew him to the project - the opportunity to collaborate with Wright, whose directorial vision he'd long admired - and how they developed a visual language that serves the story's emotional core. Our conversation explores Mattias's tailored approach to cap...

Director Mercedes Bryce Morgan and cinematographer Nick Matthews join us to discuss 'Bone Lake,' a film that shifts the typical thriller focus from "whodunit" to exploring why chaos unfolds in the first place. Our conversation explores how Mercedes and Nick crafted a visual experience that subverts audience expectations, blending genres and pushing boundaries. Mercedes discusses the creative evolu...

Cinematographer Alexander Dynan joins us to discuss his work on 'The History of Sound,' tracing his collaboration with director Oliver Hermanus from their previous project 'Mary & George.' Alexander reveals how lessons from episodic filmmaking informed his feature approach, while acknowledging the distinct storytelling demands of each medium. Our conversation explores the film's ambitious temp...

This week, we sit down with director Ondi Timoner to talk about her documentary ‘All God’s Children,’ which follows the partnership between Congregation Beth Elohim and Antioch Baptist Church in Brooklyn. Ondi walks us through how the project began with her sister’s activism and the challenges of filming within sacred spaces while balancing her roles as both filmmaker and family member. We explore...

This week, writer-director Carmen Emmi takes us through his creative process for ‘Plainclothes,’ where he threw technical perfection out the window to focus on raw, heartfelt storytelling. Carmen shares his journey from cinematographer to director, and how he navigated the transition from worrying about flawless shots to weaving a personal story that resonates with queer audiences. We talk about t...