In today's episode, I'm joined by British Director, Writer & Activist Ruby Phelan. Ruby trained as a dancer and worked both as a choreographer and dancer across Europe, before attending the Fontainebleau School of Acting in France. She then studied an MA in Directing & Writing at RADA. Ruby worked on several sold-out London stage productions, as well as working as a Director's Assistant on the hit Netflix series 'The Crown'. With her producer, BAFTA-nominated & BIFA-winning,...

In today's episode of the podcast, I'm joined by Domee Shi. Domee is a Chinese-Canadian Director & VP, Screenwriter & Storyboard Artist at PIXAR Animation Studios (pinch me!) In the interview we talk all about how Domee's childhood love of drawing, manga and anime turned into an education at Sheridan college starting out in storyboarding then finally, into a career at one of the biggest animation studios in the world. She started out as an intern, storyboarding on Inside Out &...

In today's episode, I'm joined by Weronika Tofilska. Weronika is a Polish Director & Screenwriter based in London. Following studies at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Poland before later graduating from the National Film and Television School in England, she's gone on to direct the hit Netflix miniseries Baby Reindeer this year. She was also recently nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her work on the series' fourth episode. Weronika also worked as co-writer alongside Rose...

In today's episode, I'm very excited to be joined by special guest, Iranian-American Director & Writer, Desiree Akhavan. You may have heard of Desiree from her award-winning film The Miseducation of Cameron Post Starring Chloe Moretz or her critcally acclaimed Channel 4 TV series, The Bisexual - where Desiree explores identity & the queer experience. In this episode, we talk about how her love for playwriting put her on a path towards a career in filmmaking, how music is inspiring her...

In this episode, I'm joined by the lovely Louisa Connolly-Burnham. Louisa is a British Actress & Director. She had an early start as an actress, best known her for her roles in the BAFTA-winning "Wolfblood" (BBC) and "Vampire Academy" (NBC Universal). She has made appearances in Channel 4's "Drifters", ITV's "Midsomer Murders", Sky1's "Little Crackers", BBC's "Holby City", "Doctors", "Outnumbered", "Casualty" and a lead role in Nickelodeon's "House of Anubis". Louisa is also an...

In today's brand new 1ST episode of season 3 of the podcast, I'm joined by the lovely Ninna Pálmadóttir! Ninna, from Iceland, is a talented Film Director & Writer. Her filmography includes short films Paper Boy, which was the winner of the Edda Award for Best Short Film in 2020, & All Dogs Die. Her debut feature film Solitude, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Solitude is a multilayered and heartfelt story about an old farmer who has to relocate to the city...

In this special BONUS episode, I'm joined by...Catherine Hardwicke!! Catherine is an American Screenwriter, Director & Production designer, most famously known for having directed Thirteen & Twilight! I feel very lucky and grateful to have interviewed her, even if it was only for 15 minutes! In this short but sweet conversation, Catherine tells me what inspired her to make Thirteen, how she brought her own creative vision toTwilight, what it was like having imposter syndrome when...

In today's episode I'm joined by the brilliant cinematographer (also called DOP - director of photography), Evgenia Alexandrova. Evgenia is the cinematographer for both feature films by French actress Noemie Merlant, Mi Iubita Mon Amour, and The Balconettes (Les Femmes au Balcon) which will be premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this month! Evgenia gives an insight into the application process for studying at La Femis, advice for future cinematographers, stories from working on set, her...

In today's episode I'm joined by the talented audio queen that is Sophia Hardman! Sophia is a Foley Editor and Mixer who has worked on blockbuster films such as 1917 by Sam Mendes, House of Gucci by Ridley Scott and No Time To Die by Cary Joji Fukunaga as well as TV shows like Black Mirror and The Tourist. We chat about Sophia's career beginnings at Twickenham studios, what some of the most common props used in a foley studios are, her advice for people wanting to work in foley and a lot...

In this episode I'm very excited and very grateful to be joined by Mary Harron. Mary is a Director & Screenwriter of major feature films such as, I Shot Andy Warhol, American Psycho, Charlie Says, Daliland, The Notorious Bettie Page and many more. In this interview, we talk about Mary's childhood growing up between Hollywood & Ontario, her student years in London, her first steps into the film world in New York, what it was like working as a music journalist for PUNK magazine and as...

In today's episode, I'm joined by Mariayah Kaderbhai, Head of Programmes at BAFTA. While you all may know BAFTA for the awards ceremony, it's also a membership organisation and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the UK. BAFTA also has an international programme of events and initiatives offering access to talent through workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures, and mentoring schemes in the United Kingdom and the United...

In today's episode, I'm joined by Charlotte Finlay who is a costume supervisor and has worked on some of the most major film productions you've definitely heard of: Harry Potter, Mission Impossible, Indiana Jones, Love Actually (you can check out her full, impressive, IMDb resume here!) ... and most recently, on Barbie!Charlotte worked alongside costume designer Jacqueline Durran and with director Greta Gerwig. We talk all about her career beginnings in Paris, what kind of challenges a...

In this episode of The Reel Girls Club, I interview screenwriter and director, Doroteya Droumeva, from Bulgaria and now resides in Berlin. Her debut feature film 'The Vagabonds' featured at the International Cannes Film Festival last year following the success of her short-film 'The Letter' which won the Cinefondation prize in 2011. In this conversation, we talk about how she got into filmmaking, what inspired her to make 'The Vagabonds' and what she would like to see better representation of...

In the first episode of 2023, I have the pleasure to be joined by award-winning, international production designer, Carol Spier. Carol is known for her long collaboration on several films with David Cronenberg, such as The Fly, Crash and Eastern Promises, to name a few. She has also worked with other directors such as Guillermo Del Toro & Jodie Foster. In today's, short-but-sweet, episode, we talk all about how Carol went from studying interior design to working in theatre, to a lifelong...

In today's episode, I'm joined by Ukrainian film director and writer, Masha Novikova. Growing up in a family of artists, Masha went on to study fine arts in Munich, Germany where she discovered a passion for video art. This led her to pursue a MA in Filmmaking at the London Film School. This is where she made her graduation short film 'Glorious Revolution' which received 3rd prize in the Cinefondation section at the 75th International Cannes Film Festival this year. The film tells the story...

In today's episode I'm joined by two guests! Camilla Baier & Rachel Pronger. Camilla is a Programmer and Curator based in Edinburgh. ​Rachel is a curator, writer and producer based in Berlin. ​ Together, they created Invisible Women, an archive activist film collective which champions the work of female filmmakers from the history of cinema. IW was created from their desire to seek out and champion the work of female filmmakers who have been overlooked, un-credited or left out of the...

For the first episode of series 2 of the podcast, I met up with Natasza Chroscicki - live from the bustling Cannes Film Festival 2022, to chat all things ARRI, cameras, cinema, and much more! After studying architecture in Rome, Natasza worked for a few years as a decorator in cinema and theater in Italy. In 1994, she arrived in Paris to lead Technovision France, in the footsteps of her father, Henryk Chroscicki. The latter having been director of photography, producer, distributor, and...

In this episode of The Reel Girls Club, I'm interviewing two very inspiring and talented guests - Molly Vandermeer & Dr. Parvinder Shergill. Molly is an Award winning, London-based Director, Writer & Producer. Since completing an English Literature & History of Art degree, and studying filmmaking and screenwriting, Molly has been working in Drama & Documentaries and has also gained experience working in the Development of both fiction & factual content. Parvinder is a...

Laura Torenbeek is a Dutch filmmaker based in both the Netherlands and the UK. After finishing her BA in Audiovisual Media at the Utrecht School of the Arts, she continued to do her MA in Filmmaking at the Northern Film School in Leeds. Alongside filmmaking, she is very passionate about the environment and sustainable filmmaking. This is why earlier this year she set up her own company Green Film Productions, which focusses on producing creative content and caring for the earth at the same...

In the 8th episode of the podcast, I chat with Ruth Pease. Ruth is an award nominated freelance Makeup, Prosthetics & Hair Artist based in London with over 12 years experience. Graduating from London College Of Fashion with a BA in Specialist Makeup Design For Film & TV, she threw herself into the industry as an enthusiastic designer and artist. Working with both custom prosthetic creation and cosmetic makeup has given Ruth the opportunity to enjoy a varied career. Her work has...

In today's episode, I'm chatting with two different guests... Sarah McCaffrey is an experienced training and development manager in the film and TV industry, a former actor, psychotherapist (MBACP) and a Suicide and Mental Health First Aid Trainer. She combines her psychotherapy training with industry knowledge to create bespoke, relevant courses for creative professionals. She is the founder of Solas Mind, the go-to mental health company in the film, TV and theatre industry - offering...

Miruna Straut, from Romania, is a University of Southampton film graduate, aspiring filmmaker and rising entrepreneur. Most recently, she has founded Cinefilium, the first video streaming platform dedicated to helping young film students showcase their work. Their goal is to help young artists from all corners of the world be seen and heard, by offering them a platform through which their shorts can reach a film-loving audience. At the same time, she is working on her own creative projects,...

BONUS EPISODE! A 74th Cannes Film Festival Special! In a special, bonus episode and just in time for their premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, I had the pleasure to interview Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova, Bulgarian director, screenwriter and producer duo, in Paris, before they head to Cannes to showcase their new film ' Women Do Cry' in the 'Un Certain Regard' section. The dynamic director & producer duo Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova has created a strong wave of political activism...