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MUBI Podcast

MUBI Podcast

MUBI 96 episodes Latest May 21, 2026

The MUBI Podcast is an audio documentary series exploring how great cinema happens and why it matters. Each season dives into a different aspect of movie culture, from classic soundtracks to influential movie theaters. Between seasons, it features intimate interviews with top filmmakers. Hosted by veteran arts journalist Rico Gagliano, the podcast has been nominated for multiple Webbys, Ambies, and British Podcast Awards.

Episodes

BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM — Gurinder Chadha shoots and scores Jun 11, 2026 2321 On the opening day of the World Cup, we take a look and a listen to the soccer-centric sleeper BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (2002). Director Gurinder Chadha tells Rico about making her breakthrough rom-com about girl power, British Asian identity, and football—and how its mashup soundtrack of pop hits and Bhangra bangers scored goals of its own. Other guests include superstar DJ/producer Bally Sagoo, and
CHUNGKING EXPRESS — Wong Kar Wai puts "Dreams" on the menu (rewind) May 21, 2026 2125 Shot on a shoestring in six wild weeks, CHUNGKING EXPRESS is the movie that put legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai on the international map—along with his star, pop diva Faye Wong...and her Cantonese cover of The Cranberries's hit "Dreams."In this classic episode form our archives, host Rico Gagliano learns how the song, the director, and the singer all came together to capt
DONNIE DARKO — Richard Kelly makes the ultimate ‘80s mixtape (rewind) May 14, 2026 2593 Another classic episode about great music in a great movie: DONNIE DARKO. Richard Kelly's genre-busting rookie feature was one of the first cult hits of the 21st century... and it took the music of '80s band Tears for Fears along for the ride.Host Rico Gagliano tells this twisty tale with the help of Kelly, star Jena Malone (THE HUNGER GAMES), and the film's composer Michael Andrews
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY — Stanley Kubrick finds heavenly music on vinyl (rewind) May 7, 2026 2622 While we polish up some brand-new episodes all about iconic movie needle-drops... we're resurfacing some classic episodes that tackled the same topic! Starting with this one, about the time Stanley Kubrick decided to score his sci-fi spectacular 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY with classical tracks — something he did against the advice of just about everybody, and to the detriment of at least two compo
WHISPER OF THE HEART — Hayao Miyazaki takes “Country Roads” Apr 16, 2026 2072 How'd a 1971 country-pop anthem about West Virginia... inspire a 1995 anime classic about teens in Tokyo? We kick off a season about great movie needle-drops with the tale of WHISPER OF THE HEART — the anime that helped drive John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" into Japanese culture. Guests include the song's co-writer Bill Danoff, plus rare interviews with Studio G
MY FATHER'S SHADOW — Akinola Davies Jr. dreams of 90s Nigeria Apr 9, 2026 1684 Akinola Davies Jr. never really knew his dad. But in MY FATHER’S SHADOW, his BAFTA-winning debut feature set in 90s Nigeria, the director imagines what it would be like to spend the day with him. Akinola tells guest host Simran Hans how he recreated his own hazy childhood memories, and about his ingenious methods for getting a pair of remarkable performances from two young kids who had never acted
THE SECRET AGENT — Kleber Mendonça Filho & Wagner Moura on memory and manguebeat Mar 12, 2026 1488 The Best Picture–nominated thriller THE SECRET AGENT tells a tale of intrigue and absurdity in ’70s Brazil. Director Kleber Mendonça Filho (PICTURES OF GHOSTS) and star Wagner Moura (CIVIL WAR) give Rico a primer on the real politics behind the film’s surreal moments… and hep him to the “manguebeat” music that rocked their world.THE SECRET AGENT is now showing in cinemas and is coming soon to MUBI
LURKER — Alex Russell's outsider look at the in-crowd Feb 26, 2026 1534 Alex Russell just won 2 Independent Spirit awards for LURKER - his debut thriller about a superfan wheedling his way into a pop star's orbit.  Alex tells Rico about his own experiences running with that kinda crowd... and what his twisted tale has in common with a certain kids' baseball movie.LURKER is now streaming on MUBI in the US and Canada. To stream some of the films we've cov
SENTIMENTAL VALUE — Joachim Trier’s different kind of meta-movie (w/ Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning & more) Feb 12, 2026 2008 Joachim Trier, co-writer Eskil Vogt, and an all-star cast including Stellan Skarsgård, Renate Reinsve, Elle Fanning, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas talk about the making and meaning of SENTIMENTAL VALUE — the multiple-Oscar-nominated juggernaut about a filmmaker whose daughters grapple with the ways his art intersects with their messy real lives. In this special episode, Rico learns about how the mov
Wim Wenders LIVE in Berlin: 50 years of rock-n-road movies Jan 8, 2026 2850 Our New Year’s gift to you: Filmmaking legend Wim Wenders returns to the show for a career-spanning interview. Taped before a live audience in his home city of Berlin, Germany, he tells Rico how classics like Wings of Desire (1987), Paris, Texas (1984), and more were informed by his love of rock n’ roll, riding the rails, and cinema itself.PINA is now streaming in the US and PERFECT DAYS is now st
SALAAM BOMBAY! & THE LUNCHBOX — Mira Nair & Ritesh Batra deliver realism and romance Dec 18, 2025 2707 Legendary director Mira Nair and Cannes-winner Ritesh Batra made two very different hit films about very different sides of India's fabled food delivery system. Batra tells Rico about the romance of dabbawallas, while Nair remembers the mean streets of Mumbai's chaiwallas (and what she serves her son Zohran Mamdani at home).Just in time for holiday eat-a-thons, the award-winning MUBI Pod
Kelly Reichardt: THE MASTERMIND behind some of the best movies of the century Dec 16, 2025 2528 The NYTimes just named Kelly Reichardt's THE MASTERMIND one of the top 10 films of 2025... and in this episode she looks back on the career that led up to it. From her debut RIVERS OF GRASS to the Oscar-nominated MEEK'S CUTOFF and beyond, it’s a trip through the indie wilds with one of America's best filmmakers — taped before a live audience at MUBIFest Berlin.THE MASTERMIND is now

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