The debut feature, TO NOWHERE (2020), of Sian Astor-Lewis is one of the best films I've seen this year, and she's here to talk about it. It's available now for streaming on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Nowhere-Sian-Astor-Lewis/dp/B0CWN8K3M3/), Tubi (https://tubitv.com/movies/100025711/to-nowhere), and Apple. The story of how she directed such a moody, original, character-driven film is an extraordinary one. The sets and vision are big, bold, and she's here to talk about it. In this episode, we discuss: how she got a start in filmmaking; what it's like when the distance between what you dreamed about and what you're doing (making your first feature) close to zero; how you create characters that come across as amazingly authentic; the importance of casting in character study filmmaking; how she made the universe of TO NOWHERE so large even with a lower budget; ** the problems with trusting the wrong producer in indie films (this happens more often than we know) ** what it's like being a female director; the environment in the UK for an indie filmmaker; and what's next for this character-driven filmmaker. Sian's Indie Film Highlight: FEMME (2023) dir. by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping (https://boxd.it/ASQw); LA CHIMERA (2024) dir. by Alice Rohrwacher (https://boxd.it/vzVi) Links: Watch TO NOWHERE (2020) Now On Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Nowhere-Sian-Astor-Lewis/dp/B0CWN4815B/) TO NOWHERE Website (https://tonowherefilm.com/) Follow Sian Astor-Lewis on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sianastorlewis/) Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/first-time-go/exclusive-content