Episoder
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In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex discusses two films starring Ralph Fiennes: Uberto Pasolini's The Return and Edward Berger's Conclave. In them, Fiennes respectively plays Odysseus at the end of his journey and a cardinal in charge of the process for selecting a new pope.
The episode is spoiler-free.
About the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and looking for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world explore similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tif24
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
Sign up here: http://email.seventh-row.com/tiff24
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In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex discusses three films about bicultural daughters and their absent fathers.
Fittingly, the films are about identity, the role of the father-daughter relationship, and what it may mean for both father and daughter for that relationship to be severed.
To discuss the films' differing cultural contexts, I quote from interviews with the filmmakers, who share many similar insights despite their disparate backgrounds.
All three films are world premieres at TIFF and are still seeking North American/UK distributors.
The films are:
Egil Pederson’s My Father’s Daughter (Sápmi) - first feature Koya Kamura’s Winter in Sokcho (France) - first feature Guillaume Senez’s A Missing Part (Belgium/France)
About the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and looking for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world explore similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tif24
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
Sign up here: http://email.seventh-row.com/tiff24
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Manglende episoder?
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In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex discusses two new films from masters of British social realism: Andrea Arnold's Bird and Mike Leigh's Hard Truths.
Bird had its world premiere at Cannes in May; Hard Truths had its world premiere at TIFF.
Alex finds similarities in subject matter and storytelling approach between the films, including the very strong performances from some Seventh Row favourites, and discusses what each of them is individually doing that's worth noting.
Alex wrote the book on Mike Leigh's Peterloo and his process, so her discussion of Hard Truths places it within Leigh's oeuvre and discusses how his signature process helped make this film an impressive achievement.
On this episode
0:00 Intro to the episode
3:34 Andrea Arnold's Bird
16:32 Mike Leigh's Hard Truths
38:14 Closing remarks, more from TIFF to find and look forward to
More Andrea Arnold
An essay on landscape and limbo in Fish Tank by Gillie Collins A review of American Honey by Elena Lazic An interview with editor Joe Bini by Orla Smith on editing Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here and how that differs from working with Andrea ArnoldMore Mike Leigh
Read our ebook on Mike Leigh's Peterloo: mikeleighbook.com Listen to Ep. 32: Sorry We Missed You and Peterloo (Members Only) Listen to Ep. 119: Mike Leigh's Naked (FREE) Listen to us discuss Vera Drake and its place in the history of abortion movies in our Abortion on Film season.About the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and looking for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world explore similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tif24
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
Sign up here: http://email.seventh-row.com/tiff24
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In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex discusses three films from around the world that take place within the world of sports but aren't really about sports.
Alex finds common ground in how the films are shot and tell stories, often through gestures and blocking rather than dialogue.
These films are:
Leonardo van Dijl’s Julie Keeps Quiet – Belgium/Sweden (sales title) Frida Kempff's The Swedish Torpedo - World Premiere - Sweden (sales title) Hiroshi Okuyama’s My Sunshine - Japan (Film Movement will distribute)About the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and looking for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world explore similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tiff24
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
Sign up here: http://email.seventh-row.com/tiff24
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In this episode of the TIFF 2024 season, Alex discusses the four Palestinian films at this year's festival.
These films are:
No Other Land (Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor) - Norway/Palestine To a Land Unknown (Mehdi Fleifel) - Germany, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Netherlands, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia Happy Holidays (Scandar Copti) - Germany, France, Italy, Palestine, Qatar From Ground Zero (22 directors), France, Jordan, Palestine, QatarAbout the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and look for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world are exploring similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Check out all of our TIFF 2024 coverage here: https://seventh-row.com/tiff24
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
Sign up here: http://email.seventh-row.com/tiff24
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The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicks off on Thursday, September 5, and Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will cover it with a series of podcast episodes.
In this episode, Alex introduces the podcast season and explains why this season is for you and whether or not you're attending TIFF this year.
I'll explain what to expect from this podcast season and why TIFF and our coverage are relevant to you if you're interested in exploring world cinema.
About the TIFF 2024 season:
In the TIFF 2024 season, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney will discuss some of the best under-the-radar gems at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival through themed episodes.
This is for you if:
You're attending TIFF and look for recommendations; You're looking ahead to your local film festival for must-see titles; and/or You're interested in how filmmakers from around the world are exploring similar topics/genres, even if you're not sure if you'll ever see the films.The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen the films (or are worried you won't ever be able to).
Click here for a link to all of our TIFF 2024 coverage.
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Interested in attending a film festival?
Get my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience.
These tips are tailored to TIFF but will work for any other film festival.
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Announcement: I'm covering TIFF, the Toronto International Film Festival!
Sign up to receive my five essential tips for the film adventurer seeking a fantastic festival experience, whether at TIFF (or any other festival) at email.seventh-row.com/tiff24.
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Alex Heeney interviews writer-director (and Seventh Row fan!) India Donaldson about her debut feature, Good One. Inspired by Seventh Row favourites Kelly Reichardt and Joanna Hogg (we wrote the books on both of them!), Donaldson's film is a quiet story of a teenage girl who goes camping in the woods with her self-absorbed divorced father and his father's best friend. We observe her as she observes the adults who don't quite behave like adults in ways that are often quite hurtful to her.
Donaldson tells Alex about adjusting her expectations to get her first feature made, working with her incredible cast, telling a story about a child of divorce, shooting outdoors in a remote area, and more.
The film premiered at Sundance before screening at the Cannes Film Festival in the Director's Fortnight sidebar.
The film is now in theatres in the US and Canada.
Want to keep exploring Joanna Hogg's and Kelly Reichardt's films?
Get our ebook on Joanna Hogg at thesouvenirbook.com
Get our ebook on Kelly Riechardt's films and process at reichardtbook.com
Listen to our podcasts on Kelly Reichardt and her films
Listen to our podcast on Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir Part I & II (ep. 118: FREE!)
Stay updated on Seventh Row
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter and Instagram. Read our articles at seventh-row.com.
Follow Alex Heeney on Twitter and Instagram.
For detailed show notes, visit the Seventh Row website. There is also an AI-generated transcript available.
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Toronto film critic Nathalie Atkinson joins Alex Heeney to discuss their latest obsession -- Amazon Prime's swashbuckling fantasy series, My Lady Jane -- and why we can't stop thinking about it. From husbands that are sometimes horses, to intimacy coordination by Ita O'Brien (Normal People), to an incredible cast (Edward Bluemel!), the show is a whole lot of fun with impressive craft behind it.
The limited series reimagines the story of Lady Jane Grey, the Tudor Queen who, at age 16, was queen for nine days. The show asks, what could have happened if Lady Jane lasted a little bit longer, had a whole lot of gumption, and also, uh…what if a bunch of people, named Ethians, could also transform into animals? The show is part romance, part adventure, part YA coming-of-ager, with an incredible supporting cast.
>> Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on the best new under-the-radar films and streaming theatre productions
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Announcement: Our new membership, Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month Discussion Club is now open for new members in August! Doors close on August 9 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Once doors close, we won't be opening them again until October.
Find out more and reserve your spot by clicking here.
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Alex Heeney interviews South African director and co-writer Oliver Schmitz about the 4K restoration of his landmark 1988 film, Mapantsula. Mapantsula was the first movie about the realities of apartheid that was actually made by South Africans in South Africa.
In the press notes for, director Oliver Schmitz writes, “Mapantsula is not just a film, it is an act of defiance. It is guerilla filmmaking and a cameo of some of the best talent from South AFRICA in the 1980’s — and by that, I mean Black talent, that had been held back, had no voice, and could not speak freely. Mapantsula was a taste of freedom at a time of the worst repression in South Africa. It was a loud andclear expletive at the Apartheid Government. It was a film that should not have been made, and yet, it was.”
The film is now in theatres in the US and available to stream on BFI Player in the UK.
>> Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on the best new under-the-radar films and streaming theatre productions
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I've just launched a Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month discussion Club, a new membership for movie lovers to watch amazing movies and meet other film lovers to discuss them.
In this trailer, I will tell you more about Reel Ruminators and help you figure out whether it's a good fit for you.
Doors are currently open to join, and doors close Thursday, July 4 at 11:59 p.m. EST for July’s Reel Ruminators.
Click here to find out more and join Reel Ruminators
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Announcement: Our new membership, Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month Discussion Club is now open for new members in July! Doors close on July 4 at 11:59 p.m.
Find out more and reserve your spot by clicking here.
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Alex Heeney interviews legendary Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland about her Venice Jury Prize-Winning film, Green Border. Holland discusses why she wanted to make the film, how it's in conversation with her other work, and why she chose to shoot it in black and white.
Green Border is about the ongoing migrant crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border and the horrors happening there. Holland tells the story from multiple perspectives, including a family of refugees, a group of activists helping migrants, and the border guards, to give a picture of the complex and harrowing situation.
>> Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on the best new under-the-radar films and streaming theatre productions
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Alex Heeney interviews co-directors Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan whose new film Ghostlight was a hit at Sundance. Ghostlight is the story of middle-aged construction worker Dan (Ian Keiser) who discovers that theatre and Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet are excellent outlets for working through his complicated feelings of grief, guilt, and anger.
>> Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on the best new under-the-radar films and streaming theatre productions
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In this episode, we discuss Luca Guadagnino’s new film Challengers (2024), which stars Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Seventh Row favourite Josh O’Connor as competitive tennis players and romantic rivals.
Film critic and Katherine Hepburn obsessive Andrew Kendall joins host Alex Heeney for the episode. We are both Josh O’Connor super-fans and liked the film. But we had a lot of issues with it. We discuss why we can’t stop thinking about it and where it disappoints.
Get your copy of Alex’s book on Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name.
Get your copy of Alex’s book on Francis Lee’s film God’s Own Country, which stars Josh O’Connor in his breakout role.
Get both books with our 35% discounted bundle here.
For detailed show notes, click here. There is also an AI-generated transcript available on our website.
Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on all Seventh Row content + streaming recommendations.
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.
Follow Andrew Kendall on Twitter. Follow Alex Heeney on Twitter and Instagram.
On this episode:
0:00 Intro to Challengers and why we’re talking about the film (Josh O’Connor and Luca Guadagnino)
6:04 Why can’t we stop thinking about the film even though we had issues with it? What’s all the fuss about?
13:40 Tennis serves as an extended metaphor and a structure of the film and informs the film’s grammar
26:15 Missing scenes and character development
56:49 The film fails to recognize momentous occasions and how this relates to the way the film was shot
1:00:00 How Luca Guadagnino’s direction rescues weaknesses in the script and performances
1:20:00 Will Challengers still matter by the end of the year or years from now?
1:23:00 Where you can find us, related episodes, coming soon on the podcast
Show Notes
Purchase a copy of Alex’s ebook Call Me by Your Name: A Special Issue
Purchase a copy of Alex’s ebook God’s Own Country: A Special Issue
Read Andrew’s review of Challengers for Stabroek News
Read Seventh Row’s Special Issue on A Bigger Splash
Read Alex’s piece on Josh O’Connor’s performances in Emma. and Hope Gap
Related Episodes:
Get the Spotify Playlist of FREE related episodes.
Ep. 110: Weekend and End of the Century
Ep. 115: Revisiting The English Patient 25 Years Later with Andrew Kendall
Ep. 33: Comparing Emma Adaptations, including Emma. starring Josh O’Connor (Members Only)
Ep. 28: 1917 and Jarhead: Sam Mendes’ war films (Members Only)
Ep. 66 Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country and Ammonite
Ep. 71: The Crown Season 4
Ep. 4: Suspiria and Luca Guadagnino’s violent bodies (Members Only)
Ep. 94: Looking HBO with Andrew Kendall (Members Only)
More episodes featuring Andrew Kendall
Ep. 115: Revisiting The English Patient 25 Years Later (Members Only)
Ep. 82: Quo Vadis, Aida and Our Lady of the Nile: Genocide on Film (Members Only)
Ep. 108: The Deep Blue Sea(s) Redux
Discover all episodes featuring Andrew Kendall.
Coming Soon: Abortion on Film Season
In this six-episode season, we discuss how socially progressive depictions of abortion on film have changed and developed since the 1950s. The season will start airing publicly in late May, but you can listen to the entire season today as a member!
Find out more about the Abortion on Film season
Become a member to listen to the entire season today! We will begin airing the show to the public in the coming weeks.
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Director Uberto Pasolini and James Norton discuss avoiding sentimentality and collaborating on their film Nowhere Special (2020).
Seventh Row Host Alex Heeney interviews them and offers her take on why this heartwarming and heartbreaking tearjerker is worth your time.
James Norton plays John, a 35-year-old window cleaner and single dad who is dying of an unspecified disease. To prepare for the future, he searches for adoptive parents to care for his three-year-old son Michael after he dies. The film is about the relationship between father and son and its mundanities, how we care for and protect our children, and how the pair learn to cope with their reality. It's tender and warm, and James Norton is great.
Nowhere Special is out in US cinemas today. It's streaming on BBC iPlayer on the UK.
For detailed show notes, visit: https://seventh-row.com/2024/04/26/ep-136-nowhere-special-interview-james-norton-uberto-pasolini/
Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for updates on all Seventh Row content + streaming recommendations.
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.
On this episode:
0:00-10:49 Introduction to the film 10:49-29:22 Interview with James Norton and Uberto Pasolini 29:22-31:06 Related episodes, announcementsRelated Episodes:
Ep. 85: The films of Naomi Kawase, featuring True Mothers Bonus 19: Who is the poshest actor in Britain?Coming Soon: Abortion on Film Season
In this six-episode season, we discuss how socially progressive depictions of abortion on film have changed and developed since the 1950s. We’re putting the finishing touches on the season now, and hoping to have it out in about a month’s time.
Find out more about the Abortion on Film season
Become a member to listen to the entire season today! We will begin airing the show to the public in the coming weeks.
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Emerald Fennell's new film, Saltburn, comes out today, so we're re-releasing our 2021 episode about two very different depictions of rape culture from 2020: Fennell's revenge thriller Promising Young Woman and Kitty Green's The Assistant, a portrait of a young woman working in a misogynistic office environment. This is a landmark episode of the podcast, which kickstarted a series of episodes on rape culture on film.
This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, and special guest Lindsay Pugh.
Want to support the podcast? Become a member today, and access our entire archive of 150+ episodes. It helps us pay our expenses to keep the podcast going and continue to improve the podcast.
For detailed show notes, visit: https://seventh-row.com/2021/01/06/ep-73-explorations-of-rape-culture-in-promising-young-woman-and-the-assistant/
Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.
Related episodes:
Ep. 86 (Members Only): Una & Slalom: Depictions of childhood sexual assault Ep. 92 (Members Only): Sugar Daddy and An Easy Girl: Commidfying women Ep. 132 (Free): Sarah Polley's Women TalkingComing Soon: Abortion on Film Season
In this six-episode season, we discuss how socially progressive depictions of abortion on film have changed and developed since the 1950s. We’re putting the finishing touches on the season now, and hoping to have it out in about a month’s time.
Members get early access to the Abortion on Film season! Once the season starts, we’ll be releasing new episodes every two weeks, but members will get the first three episodes immediately, and early access to the remaining episodes. Become a member.
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In the fifth and final episode of our Creative Nonfiction Film podcast season, Alex Heeney talks to Penny Lane about her experimentations with documentary form in Confessions of a Good Samaritan. The film is a trip inside Penny’s brain as she goes through the stressful process of anonymously donating her kidney and investigates why kidney donations are necessary. Lane weaves almost all of the techniques from her previous films (and a few more!) into Confessions of a Good Samaritan, offering a thoughtful, educational, and funny look at the complicated feelings that come with doing good in the world at some personal expense.
Click here to read the episode show notes.
You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
Useful links Visit the Creative Nonfiction Podcast homepage Discover all of our resources on the films of Joachim Trier Pre-order Existential detours: Joachim Trier's cinema of indecisions and revisions More on creative nonfictionDownload a FREE excerpt from Subjective Realities here.
Get your copy of the ebook Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film here.
Get your copy of the ebook In their own words: Documentary Masters vol. 1
Listen to the podcast on the ebook Subjective realities: The art of creative nonfiction film
Become a MemberMembers receive early access to all new episodes of our season.
Members can also access the entire podcast archive of 150+ episodes. Our recent episodes from our seasons and regular episodes from the last six months are free to all for a limited time.
To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
Related EpisodesMembers Only Episodes
Ep. 12: Penny Lane on Hail Satan? (Members' Exclusive): Penny Lane discusses her 2019 film Hail Satan Ep. 40: Dead Mothers (Members' Exclusive): We discuss Joachim Trier's Louder Than Bombs, a film that expertly gets inside the head of its thoughtful characters. We also compare it to Mouthpiece and Stories We Tell. Ep. 122: Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World (Free): Joachim Trier's breakout hit is also a film that is very good at getting us inside the protagonist's mind amidst an existential crisis.Free Episodes
Ep. 105: Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film: We discuss the making of the ebook Subjective Realities and what you can expect from the book Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative Nonfiction CreditsHost Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. Find her on Twitter @bwestcineaste.
Email us at contact seventh row com.
This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.
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In the fourth episode of our Creative Nonfiction Film podcast season,
Alex Heeney talks to Sam Green about 32 Sounds and his work exploring the possibilities of his work that he describes as "live documentaries". These are part locked footage, part live performance, usually including a live band on stage performing the film's music.
On this episode, we give some background on Sam Green's work in live documentary, talk about how A Thousand Thoughts (2018), co-directed with Joe Bini, felt like a turning point for his work in the form, and discuss what makes 32 Sounds such a wonderful and innovative film. Finally, Alex talks to Sam Green about making 32 Sounds, and more broadly about how he thinks about live documentary and why this is a space he likes working in.
The episode features a conversation between Alex Heeney and Orla Smith about 32 Sounds and live documentary, recorded in January 2022 right after the world premiere of 32 Sounds. The interview with Sam Green was conducted via Zoom in January 2022 the day after 32 Sounds had its world (virtual) premiere at Sundance. This is an edited version of the complete conversation; the complete conversation is available on our website here.
Click here to read the episode show notes.
You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
Useful links Read Alex Heeney's full interview with Sam Green on 32 Sounds Find screenings of Sam Green's live documentaries Find screenings of 32 Sounds Read Sam Green's introduction to live documentary and Utopia in Four Movements More on creative nonfictionDownload a FREE excerpt from Subjective Realities here.
Get your copy of the ebook Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film here.
Get your copy of the ebook In their own words: Documentary Masters vol. 1
Listen to the podcast on the ebook Subjective realities: The art of creative nonfiction film
Become a MemberAll of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
We also regularly record members only episodes.
To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
Related EpisodesMembers Only Episodes
Ep. 67: Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris and City Hall Ep. 95: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed: Reclaiming history in documentary (Members only)Free Episodes
Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative Nonfiction CreditsHost Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. Find her on Twitter @bwestcineaste.
Email us at contact seventh row com.
This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.
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In the third episode of our Creative Nonfiction Film podcast season, Philippe Falardeau discusses Lac-Mégantic: This is Not An Accident is a four-part documentary series about the catastrophic 2013 trainwreck in Lac-Mégantic, its inevitability, the aftermath, and the government failure to change safety requirements to avoid another "accident" in future. Lac-Mégantic had its world premiere at the HotDocs Film Festival where all four episodes were screened back-to-back.
The Lac-Mégantic rail disaster was the fourth-deadliest rail accident in Canadian history (47 people died) and the deadliest involving a non-passenger train. The documentary Lac-Mégantic not only chronicles the disaster and its devastating effects on the town Lac-Mégantic, but also how blame was handled and how similar disasters continue to happen.
The series reclaims the history of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster by showing how systemic problems lead to a disaster that has been blamed on individuals. The series also reveals how appropriate safety measures have not been taken in the intervening years to prevent a similar disaster from happening (and other, smaller disasters have indeed continued to happen).
At the beginning of the episode, Alex Heeney introduces the series Lac-Mégantic, and why she thinks it's worthy of discussion. Next, we play your Alex's interview with Falardeau about the film. Finally, we wrap up with how the film fits into the framework for creative nonfiction that we at Seventh Row created in our ebook Subjective realities, and offer some suggestions for what to watch and listen to next.
Click here to read the episode show notes.
You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
Useful links Watch our masterclass with Philippe Falardeau and Mina Shum Read our interview with Philippe Falardeau on My Internship in Canada More on creative nonfictionDownload a FREE excerpt from Subjective Realities here.
Get your copy of the ebook Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film here.
Get your copy of the ebook In their own words: Documentary Masters vol. 1
Become a MemberAll of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
We also regularly record members only episodes.
To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
Related EpisodesMembers Only Episodes
Bonus Episode 25: This is Going to Hurt and physician mental health Ep. 41: In the Loop and My Internship in Canada: Political satires Ep. 67: Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris and City Hall Ep. 95: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed: Reclaiming history in documentary (Members only)Free Episodes
Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative Nonfiction CreditsHost Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. Find her on Twitter @bwestcineaste.
Email us at contact seventh row com.
This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.
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In the second episode of our Creative Nonfiction Film podcast season, Sophie Fiennes discusses The Four Quartets and how she approaches documenting live performance on screen. In The Four Quartets, she captures the stage play of the same name, directed by and starring her brother, actor Ralph Fiennes. For the production, Ralph Fiennes adapted the T.S. Eliot poem for the stage — which was never originally intended to be performed that way — and then toured this production around the UK in 2021.
Sophie Fiennes’s film of The Four Quartets is neither live capture nor a full adaptation of the play. Instead, Fiennes remarkably documents the theatre production on screen, maintaining all the original lighting and blocking. Her choices of framing and camera movement really puts us in the black box theatre with Ralph Fiennes. Unlike most recorded theatre, where there is a constant sense of information loss, Sophie Fiennes gives us a sense of the theatrical space so we get a better sense of what we’re missing when we’re missing it. It’s built into Sophie Fiennes’s direction.
Sophie Fiennes discusses Ralph Fiennes’s production, the challenges of documenting the play on screen, and how working with Declan Donnellan of Cheek by Jowl just before she shot The Four Quartets changed how she thinks about acting and theatre.
Click here to read the episode show notes.
The show notes also include excerpts from Sophie Fiennes's director's script.
You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
Useful links Read T.S. Eliot’s The Four Quartets Listen to Cheek by Jowl’s Not True But Useful podcast episode on thresholds and space Read our interview with Sophie Fiennes on Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami More on creative nonfictionDownload a FREE excerpt from Subjective Realities here.
Get your copy of the ebook Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film here.
Get your copy of the ebook In their own words: Documentary Masters vol. 1
Become a MemberAll of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
We also regularly record members only episodes.
To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
Related Episodes on creative nonfiction Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen Sundance 2023 Ep. 7: Best of the fest + documentaries Fantastic Machine, Is There Anybody Out There, and more Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative NonfictionMembers Only Episodes
Ep. 67: Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris and City Hall (Members only) Ep. 95: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed: Reclaiming history in documentary (Members only) CreditsHost Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. Find her on Twitter @bwestcineaste.
Email us at contact seventh row com.
This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.
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In the first episode of our Creative Nonfiction Film podcast season, Alex Heeney previews what to expect in this five-episode season and discusses what is creative nonfiction film.
Click here to read the episode show notes.
You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
Get the tote bag with the Céline Sciamma quote "Cinema is the only art form ever where you share somebody else's lonelines"
More on creative nonfictionDownload a FREE excerpt from Subjective Realities here.
Get your copy of the ebook Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film here.
Get your copy of the ebook In their own words: Documentary Masters vol. 1
Become a MemberAll of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
We also regularly record members only episodes.
To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
Related Episodes on creative nonfiction Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen Sundance 2023 Ep. 7: Best of the fest + documentaries Fantastic Machine, Is There Anybody Out There, and more Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative NonfictionMembers Only Episodes
Ep. 67: Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris and City Hall (Members only) Ep. 95: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed: Reclaiming history in documentary (Members only) CreditsHost Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. Find her on Twitter @bwestcineaste.
Email us at contact seventh row com.
This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.
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