Our SXSW Film Festival coverage is in full swing with two narrative films that deal with lies and finding out the truth. We Strangers follows a commercial cleaner as she tells a lie (that she can speak to the dead) that spirals out of control. We chat with director/writer Anu Valia about how she created the uncomfortable/anxious tone for the film, interweaving themes of race, power, and assimilation, and how she hopes this film sparks a greater conversation afterwards. Birdeater is a thriller that follows a bride-to-be as she joins her fiance at his bachelor party in the Australian outback. It was a packed house as we were joined by lead actors Shabana Azeez and Mackenzie Fearnley, and co-director/writer Jack Clark and co-director Jim Weir. We get into the environmental and logistical drama that happened off camera, the importance and impact of working with an intimacy coordinator, and the details behind a horrible game we learn about in the film (that's apparently popular in Australia?) called Paranoia. Follow director Anu Valia on IG Follow Birdeater on IG Follow director/writer Jack Clark on IG Follow director Jim Weir on IG Follow actor Shabana Azeez on IG Follow actor Mackenzie Fearnley on IG Audio engineering by Jeff Hunt from Storied: San Francisco Support the Show. Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM