Episodit
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We sat down with directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West and producer Talleah Bridges McMahon to chat about their new film MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
The film takes an in-depth look at the life and ideas of Pauli Murray, a non-binary Black lawyer, activist and poet who influenced both Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall.
The film comes out in theaters today (September 17) and will be available on Amazon Prime after theatrical release.
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Emily Best is the founder and CEO of Seed&Spark, a platform that makes entertainment more diverse, inclusive, connected and essential. Over the last 8 years, Seed&Spark has developed an unprecedented pipeline of unique voices and award-winning content through its education and crowdfunding platform. Seed&Spark’s platform and national education program have helped thousands of bold storytellers raise millions to bring to life entirely new stories, and Seed&Spark delivers those stories into workplaces for employee training, engagement, and intelligence through its proprietary Impact Screening Platform.
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This week, we chat with Ariel Marx, composer of the documentary Rebel Hearts, which premiered at Sundance this year. An eclectic composer and multi-instrumentalist, Ariel draws from many genres and often combines orchestral and rare instruments with electronics to create unique worlds of sound. Her scores have premiered in films at Sundance, TIFF, SXSW, Tribeca, Woodstock, Criterion Channel, as well as Amazon, Netflix, HBO, and is a Sundance Film Music and Sound Design Lab fellow. We really enjoyed hearing about her collaborative process with Pedro Kos (director of Rebel Hearts), discoveries she had while working on the music, and her Sundance Lab experience. Enjoy!
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This week, we chat with writer/director Mei Makino, about her feature film debut Inbetween Girl, which just had its premiere at SXSW! For three years, Mei taught filmmaking to youth in the Austin area which inspired her to tell honest stories about kids and teens. She’s written and directed short films that have played at The Dallas VideoFest, PBS, and ESPN’s Longhorn Network, and is an AFS grant recipient. Makino is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Radio-TV and Film. Enjoy!
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This week, we chat with Whitney Skauge, director of the short documentary The Beauty President, premiering at SXSW this week. The Beauty President asks the question, “If a bad actor can be president, why not a good drag queen?” In 1992, Joan Jett Blakk made a historic bid for the White House as an openly queer write-in candidate. Today, Terence Smith, the man behind the persona, reflects back on his place in gay rights history at the height of the AIDS crisis. By making this film, Whitney’s vision is to fill in one of the many gaps in the oral history of queer America. Though popular history has often swept the triumphs of gay heroes under the rug, documentary film helps us bring these incredible stories back into the light of day. As a black queer person, Whiney understands how imperative it is to share perspectives from underrepresented communities. Whitney Skauge is an award-winning filmmaker dedicated to diverse storytelling and representation. Their films act as an extension of social and political activism with hopes of helping audiences understand themselves and the world around them better. Having worked at Breakwater Studios, Women In Film, Sundance Institute, and the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, their career has demonstrated a consistent commitment to the art of independent filmmaking. They received their B.F.A. in Digital Filmmaking from the University of Montana. We loved chatting with Whitney about the perseverance needed to make the film, the process, and what they hope people will come away with after watching the film. Enjoy!
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Brenda Wachel is a veteran script supervisor. She has worked closely as a script supervisor for directors and producers including Joe Johnston, Paul Haggis, Steven Spielberg, Michael Mann, John Dahl, Gary Sinise, on projects such as Jurassic Park 3, Hidalgo, October Sky, and The Next 3 Days. Additionally, Brenda recently wrote, produced, and directed a Get Out The Vote video called “America, Vote!” We chat with her about all things script supervision, and about her exploration into directing. Enjoy!
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This week, we check in with Jessie Barr, director of SOPHIE JONES. We talked to Jessie at the beginning of the pandemic and wanted to chat with her again now that her film is out in the world. The film tells the story of a teen who [ushes the boundaries of her newfound sexual awakening as she copes with the recent loss of her mother. Jessie discusses the distribution journey during a pandemic and what she’s looking forward to in 2021 (hint: lots of space to daydream). The film is now available on VOD. After our check-in, we re-air our first conversation with Jessie, who talks more about the process of making the film.
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This week we chat with Emmy award-winning production designer, Amy Williams. Amy has worked on over 40 films, including a number of Sundance selections, in addition to several TV shows. She won an Emmy for her scenic design work on A Crime To Remember, and some of her other work includes Master of None season 2, HBO’s Crashing, and the Apple+ series Little America. We chat specifically about Amy’s recent work on Amazon Prime’s new series, The Wilds. Enjoy!
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This week, we chat with director Ashley O’Shay and producer Morgan Johnson about their film Unapologetic. They talked about collaborating, their love for Chicago, and why this doc following two fierce abolitionist leaders coming of age within the Movement for Black Lives in Chicago is a timely watch. The film most recently screened at TIFF Next Wave Festival and will be playing at the Black Lesbian Film Festival and Big Sky Documentary Film Festival this weekend. Check out unapologeticflm.com to see where you can watch. Enjoy our conversation!
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This week, we chat with Gillian Wallace Horvat, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, writer, and film programmer about her new film I BLAME SOCIETY. I BLAME SOCIETY is Gillian’s feature film debut; previous projects include KISS KISS FINGERBANG, which was awarded the Jury Prize in the Midnight Shorts category at the 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival, and a Vimeo Staff Pick. She has also produced several documentaries and is a guest columnist for Filmmaker magazine. I BLAME SOCIETY is available to watch on demand February 12!
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It's a Sundance tradition! We welcome back friend of the pod + film critic Beandrea July to chat with us about her Sundance Film Festival 2021 virtual experience and her favorite films.
Beandrea July (@beandreadotcom) is a freelance film critic based in Los Angeles who works in print and audio. Her work has appeared in several publications including Vanity Fair, The New York Times, Time, The Hollywood Reporter, Hyperallergic, Level and NPR. She has also been a guest on the NPR shows 1A and The Takeaway as well as KPCC SoCal’s The Frame. Of the nine films that Sidney Poitier has directed the eighth one is still a favorite. -
Happy (virtual) Sundance Film Festival! We're warching films from our living rooms all week and bringing you interviews with Sundance filmmakers.
We chatted with a favorite past guest, Amey René, casting director of MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE, directed by Kate Tsang. She tells us about the casting process for the film and what special skills she brought to the table for this project!
MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Sammy is struggling to cope with the death of her mother. After she is caught vandalizing one of her school’s restrooms, her father, fed up with her wild behavior, enrolls her in a summer course—if she fails, she’ll be sent to a boot camp for delinquent youth. After storming out of her first class, Sammy meets Margot, a surly magician. Margot forces Sammy to be her assistant for a performance, and although Sammy seems uninterested, she seeks Margot out after the show and asks to become Margot’s pupil. Margot agrees, and as their unlikely friendship grows, we learn that she and Sammy understand each other more than they expected. -
Happy (virtual) Sundance Film Festival! We're watching films from our living rooms all week and bringing you interviews with Sundance filmmakers. First up, we chatted with co-director/co-writer Julia Baylis, and actor Deanna Gibson, about their short film WIGGLE ROOM.
WIGGLE ROOM synopsis: Determined to save her wheelchair ramp from repossession, Daisy confronts the shady insurance agent who owes her money. *This short is available on-demand throughout the Festival with purchase of a pass. -
This week we sat down with award-winning director, producer, and writer, Chantal Potter, and talked with her about her directorial debut, Balloon Man. Chantal founded Made For T.V. Productions in 2008 and she was previously known for BET Network's award-winning docu-series, The Defining Moment & Turning Point, where she was the creator, Executive Producer, and host.
Her feature directorial debut Balloon Man, is an intimate portrait of a her father--a former NFL athlete who learned how to navigate through the clouds, becoming the first African American Hot-Air Balloon Master Pilot in the world. Balloon Man will be released worldwide on-demand on February 2, 2021. -
This week, we chat with costume designer Laura Cristina Ortiz. She chats with us about discovering her love for costuming (it’s in her blood!) and her passion for ethical fashion. She talks with us about her recent project, the film Synchronic which can be found on VOD, and the fascinating design challenges she faced on that. Enjoy our conversation!
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With her infectious personality and unique sense of humor, Pittsburgh native Sujata Day has established herself as a performer, creator, writer, and director. She regularly performs in Upright Citizen Brigade's hit Asian AF show. Sujata is known for her starring role as CeCe in Issa Rae’s The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. She's recurred for three seasons on HBO's Insecure. Sujata is a Sundance Lab fellow, Sundance Film Festival influencer, and Sundance Collab advisor. Her short film, Cowboy and Indian, sold to a major studio for series development with Sujata writing, producing and starring. She served as HBO Visionaries Ambassador in 2019. She directs This Is My Story, a series in which beloved storyteller LeVar Burton narrates real life personal experiences of everyday racism. Sujata's debut feature film, Definition Please, is currently touring the film festival circuit.
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This week, we chat with Sade Ndya, an LA based Cinematographer, who also specializes in Fine Art Photography and Community Organizing. Through her creative work, Sade is actively dedicated to providing safe creative spaces for fellow BIPOC to carry out their personal visions and endeavors. At only 19, she started her own freelance production company called The Red Futon, where she cultivates space for BIPOC talent to freelance creating content for local brands and musicians. Additionally, she is also a Cinematography mentor at Made In Her Image, which is a non-profit that provides young brown and black girls education, resources and industry opportunities to learn the world of filmmaking.
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This week, we have a conversation with writer/director Tara Miele about her recent feature film, Wander Darkly, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Tara is well known for the viral video 'Meet a Muslim' which she created to combat Islamophobia. The video has been featured on Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Upworthy, and was shared around the world over 45 million times. Tara recently directed the backdoor pilot Green Arrow and The Canaries, and has directed episodes of Arrow, Batwoman and Hawaii Five-0, as well as four micro budget feature films. She is also a graduate of Ryan Murphy's Half Foundation and the CBS Directing Initiative. Wander Darkly is now available to watch on VOD.
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This week, we bring you a delightful conversation with Kenna Wright. Kenna is an actress, dancer, and choreographer based in Los Angeles. She has appeared on TV shows such as Veronica Mars, Grown-Ish, The Affair, Fresh Off The Boat and multiple national commercials. Kenna recently directed, wrote and produced her own short film PALMS, that takes a deeper look at the world through the eyes of a young African American girl. PALMS is currently being submitted film festivals around the country and has received a series of awards and acknowledgements. Enjoy!
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Special Episode! We're so excited to re-air this conversation (and one of our last in-person interviews!?) with film production designer, Tracy Dishman. We chatted with Tracy at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival about the film Black Bear, which she designed for. Black Bear was directed by Lawrence Michael Levine and stars Aubrey Plaza. We loved getting to hear about how Tracy found her way into production design and what her process was like designing for Black Bear. Tune in for our conversation with Tracy and check out Black Bear on demand, today!
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