Practically lives in a film theater? Develops films based around sex workers? Who does this sound like? It sounds like the brilliant Angel Fernandez, who wowed me with a tour-de-force discussion about the history of filmmaking and his current film, THE TIMES OF MELANCHOLY. In this episode, we talk about how he got his start in filmmaking; his decision making process about whether to go to film school; how his Mexican-American heritage influences his work; how THE TIMES OF MELANCHOLY came...

You can see the artistic talent of Christian Kamaal in the vivid way he describes his life -- he borrowed a camera from his father, who used it to film funerals for his community ("unfortunately, in the city I come from, a lot of funerals"); his power of observation earned him a spot at USC's film school; and he utilized his power of observation, of visual artistry, to make BLACKIFIER, a powerful short that hits you with more thoughts about our world than most features. And that's only half...

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: NANNY (2022). Director: Nikyatu Jusu Written By: Nikyatu Jasu Cast: Anna Diop; Michelle Monaghan; Sinqua Walls; Morgan Spector SYNOPSIS An African woman hopes her new job as a nanny will help bring her young son to the United States. However, when a violent presence begins to invade both her dreams and reality, it threatens to destroy everything she's fought for. Watch The...

"It's not about me, it's about my films." When you get awards for your filmmaking at 15, you can either become arrogant about it or you can become reflective, humble, and brilliant, and from listening to this episode, I think you can tell which path filmmaker Ava Bounds chose. In this episode, we talk about: how the "natural successor to David Lynch" got started; watching a lot of films on her iPad at 11 and 12 and what that meant for her filmmaking; how that kind of passion for...

It's a full-on British Week on the podcast. In this episode, I talk with Aleks Dimitrijevic, and on Friday, you'll hear from filmmaker Ava Bounds. What an exciting week to discover the future of filmmaking. The British Film Institute's Future Film Festival is accepting late submissions until September 13th. As you hear from program director Aleks Dimitrijevic, the program is unique globally and if you qualify within the age range -- 16-25 -- you should certainly want to participate. Aleks...

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: THE SENSE OF AN ENDING (2017). Director: Ritesh Batra Adapted Screenplay: Nick Payne Cast: Jim Broadbent; Charlotte Rampling; Michelle Dockery; Emily Mortimer SYNOPSIS A middle-aged business owner who lives a quiet life in London reunites with his first love after his mother unexpectedly receives a letter from his ex-girlfriend from school which forces him to confront the...

The UnShushed! Film Festival is coming to Washington, DC on October 13th, 2024 for its inaugural year. In this episode, I talk with its founder, filmmaker Tanya Upshur. The UnShushed! Film Festival is a "festival for fantasy, horror noire, Southern Gothic and Afrofuturism films by Black women and emerging filmmakers creating genre films with Black women protagonists." Tanya brings so much energy to the conversation, talking about how she got started in film; her work as a filmmaker and the...

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: THE HYPNOSIS (2023). Director: Ernst De Geer Writers: Ernst De Geer; Mads Stegger Cast: Asta Kamma August; Herbert Nordrum; Andrea Edwards SYNOPSIS Young entrepreneurial couple André and Vera get the chance to pitch their female health app at a prestigious competition. Before going there, Vera tries hypnotherapy to quit smoking and her attitude changes. André starts to...

This is what you have to give to be successful in indie films: everything. I'm so proud to share my conversation with So Young Shelly Yo at the start of her Los Angeles theatrical run with SMOKING TIGERS. The film won the AT&T Tribeca "Untold Stories" competition in 2022 and after it screens in LA, it will stream on MAX starting August 23, 2024. Expect it to show up in indie awards season. In this episode, we talk about how she got started in film; the deeply personal nature of SMOKING...

Have you ever watched a film about a middle-aged man falling in love with a public bus? In the spirit of Yorgos Lanthimos comes Leonardo Perez and his film MOTORIZED LOVE, currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo. In this episode, Leonardo and I talk about his Mexican-American heritage, the originality of absurd films; how best to tell culturally appropriate films; why he chose Indiegogo and how he secured the nonhuman portion of the film (i.e. the bus). Cheers for Mexican-American filmmaking,...

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: BARNEY'S VERSION (2010). Director: Richard J Lewis Story by: Mordecai Richler Screenplay: Michael Konyves Cast: Paul Giamatti; Rachelle Lefevre; Rosamund Pike; Dustin Hoffman SYNOPSIS Toward the end of his life, Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) looks back on his triumphs and tragedies, beginning with an ill-fated relationship with Clara (Rachelle Lefevre), whom he marries...

Speeding in a Mini and filming it for a short? Aussie-born? That's our podcast gold, and Dan Lesser blew away all expectations, as he crowdfunds for his film ONE TWENTY SIX. In this episode, we talk about how he got his start in film as an Australian in Los Angeles and how his commercial work influences his narrative style. We get into the state of comedy; the weeds of what it's like, technically, casting child actors and filming a moving car; whether he views brand activations as possible...

Filmmaker Hyejin "Grace" Park has such incredible range as an indie filmmaker: she's directed everything from sci-fi to gangster films and made them her own in a way that's utterly enchanting and unique. Her Vimeo page (https://vimeo.com/gracepark) is a testament to her range as a filmmaker. In this episode, we discuss how she got started in filmmaking; her goal of making sure minority filmmakers feel seen; how life experiences have made her a better filmmaker; the depth of the story behind...

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: THE VISITOR (2007). Director: Tom McCarthy Written by: Tom McCarthy Cast: Richard Jenkins; Haaz Sleiman; Danal Gurira SYNOPSIS When professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) travels to New York for a lecture, he's stunned to find illegal immigrants Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira) living in his apartment. It comes out that it was rented to them by a swindler,...

On July 24, 2024, I recorded this episode live with several of the 2024 Straight 8 winners. Check back soon for our next live episode. Straight 8 is a filmmaking challenge that invites anyone to make a film on a single cartridge of super 8mm film without editing or post production. If you're reading this and haven't seen the Straight 8 films (https://www.straight8.net/2024), go see them. And here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IThVTzrk9gY) are the five films we'll be talking about. I'll...

If you like filmmaking with film, “slice of life”/character studies, and 1980s camp party films, you’re welcome to join our club. In today’s episode, I talk with filmmaker Will Mustin about all these things and his new film currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, WHILE THE SUN SHINES. In this episode, we talk about how he got his start; the importance of building your team, whether it's at film school or not; how utilizing film makes him a more disciplined filmmaker; the importance of mood,...

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: THE PERFECT CANDIDATE (2019). Director: Haifaa al-Mansour Screenplay: Haifaa al-Mansour; Brad Neimann Cast: Mila Al Zahrani; Khalid Abdulrahman; Nojoud Ahmed; Reem Fahad SYNOPSIS A determined young doctor runs for city council after the incumbent repeatedly ignores her request to fix the muddy road leading to her clinic. Despite the community's struggle to accept her as the...

After listening to all five finalists, be honest -- there's no way you can tell who won. They are all that good. In part 1, I talked to the judges and today, you'll hear from the five finalists. LIFE WITH BATS by David Luff (https://www.instagram.com/davidluffpictures_bts/) CLIMATE DIARIES: HEATHER'S STORY by Berit Anderson and Ali Scattergood (https://www.instagram.com/beritanderson/) (https://www.instagram.com/scattergoodable/) FINDING HOME by Maria Stanisheva...

This week is all about the Bloomberg Green Docs festival, held in Seattle on July 12, 2024. Thanks to Bloomberg Climate, especially Emily Anton and Courtney J. Boland, I interviewed most of the judges and all of the five finalists. Taken altogether, they paint a picture of where the industry is going in regards to climate documentaries; how nonprofits are changing views through both narrative and documentary filmmaking; the secrets to success in a tough industry; and what they were looking...

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: WEIRDOS (2016). Director: Bruce McDonald Written By: Daniel MacIvor Cast: Dylan Authors; Julia Sarah Stone; Molly Parker; Allan Hawco SYNOPSIS During the American Bicentennial weekend, a 15-year-old Nova Scotia boy runs away with his girlfriend to make a new home with his artistic mother. Watch The Episode on YouTube (https://youtu.be/J7uukeHSeTU) Watch WEIRDOS Now on...

Independent cinema won't save itself. People have to go to local art house theaters and support the films they are showing if they want them to survive. And by them, I mean the theaters and the filmmakers. The good news is: we have a day coming up where you can do just that. Art House Theater Day is July 25th, 2024, and my guest, Kate Markham, managing director of Art House Convergence, is here to talk about it. We talk about how she got started at the organization; trends in art houses;...

There's not been another episode like it. And maybe that's because I've never had a Brazilian filmmaker on the show. But that changes with Pedro Freire, director of Sundance favorite MALU. It's stunning the amount of ground and insight we cover in this episode, and a recap feels a little inadequate to the brilliance of Pedro's mind, but here goes: we talk about how he got his start in filmmaking (watching films with an obsession for years); teaching film in Cuba; the state of Brazilian...

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (2010). Director: Lisa Cholodenko Story: Ruby Caster; Clara McGregor; Vera Bulder Cast: Julianne Moore; Annette Bening; Mark Ruffalo SYNOPSIS Lesbian couple Nic and Jules have been together for twenty years, bringing up two children thanks to the contributions of a anonymous sperm donor. As 18-year-old daughter Joni prepares to leave for college, she...

There's something so special about having filmmakers who are writers -- or writers who are filmmakers -- on the show because of their turns of phrase are so...well, literary. You'll hear it several times in this episode from both Avery & Chloe: those little twists of words that turn a sentence into an image and an image into a memory. I didn't think I could be more excited for their film, THE BALLAD OF LORETTA RAY, now crowdfunding on Seed & Spark, but: listen to them talk about...

I’m re-releasing one of my favorite episodes of the pod, my conversation with Scott Monahan, director of ANCHORAGE. Until July 18th, you can vote for ANCHORAGE on Decentralized Pictures — here's the link (https://app.decentralized.pictures/proposal/66886500c16241db6c02d877) — and their team can win $2500 for their next project. Given that this is one of my favorite episodes, and one of my favorite dudes, how could I not re-release to support? So go vote for ANCHORAGE now. (This is assuming...