First Time Go
A weekly podcast that highlights the creators of independent film and the business behind it. Hosted by Ben Duchek, each episode features conversations with filmmakers and industry professionals about how independent movies get made and brought to audiences. It explores the practical and business side of filmmaking, from financing and production to distribution and marketing. The show is aimed at aspiring and working independent filmmakers.
Episodes
Mylissa Fitzsimmons On Running Away And The Making of MACKENZIE (2026)
My guest today, director Mylissa Fitzsimmons, previously released two features -- EVERYTHING IN THE END (2021) and THE LONG RUN (2025) -- and never got a premiere. She suffered from burnout of the excruciating process of making these brilliant films. And yet:here she is in 2026 with MACKENZIE (2026), opening at Film Fest Oldenburg this year. What does that say about perseverance? Resilience? A nev
Thrilling sci-fi films, parenthood, and acting in your 60s: The Amazing Story of Ace Thor & Glen Steele
Expectations are good in a lot of ways. They hold us to a standard and promote accountability. But they can also be creatively limiting. For actor and executive producer Glen Steele of the film INFINITELY DENSE, who you heard in the intro, he took the shackles off the word expectation and made his art, giving the middle finger to age or any other perceived limitation.INFINITELY DENSE is having its
Indie Film Highlight: RYE LANE (2023)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: RYE LANE (2023)Director: Raine Allen MillerSYNOPSISTwo twenty-somethings reeling from bad breakups spend an eventful day wandering South London, helping each other face their nightmare exes and rediscovering the possibility of romance.Subscribe t
Betting Big On Yourself Through Helping Others: Dylan Mulick and HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Watch This Episode On YouTubeWhen you normally see a series like HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD, put together by my guest, filmmaker Dylan Mulick (and the team at World Within Studios), the tendency is to brush it off as do-gooders doing good things. Where is the conflict in that? A lot of great documentaries aren't seen because of these assumptions.Dylan turns the usual tropes of the series upside d
War Zones And Walks To Legendary Romances: Orlando von Einsiedel, director of THE CYCLE OF LOVE (2025)
One of the most fascinating things I've learned about in conducting interviews are how top awards can end up meaning -- nothing.Think back -- can you name who won the Oscar for best documentary short five years ago? Two years ago?So often, it doesn't show a noticeable trajectory change in the filmmakers' careers. That's not true of my guest today, Orlando von Einsiedel, whose film,
Indie Film Highlight: EVELYN (2018)
Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: EVELYN (2018).Director: Orlando von EinsiedelSYNOPSISWhen a 22-year-old kills himself, his three siblings try to bury their pain. Ten years later, they go on a hiking trip and seek out the places he liked to walk in the English countryside, allowing them to contemplate their
Shooting A Coming Of Age Story From A Child's Perspective: Ang Geck Geck Priscilla, dir. of AH GIRL (2026)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeIf you are staying up till 1030 pm to talk with me from Milan, Italy, well, I'm going to be grateful no matter what.But even better if your film is truly exceptional. My guest, Ang Geck Geck Priscilla, director of AH GIRL (2026), which premiered at Rotterdam and now screens at the Toronto International Film Festival next month, made a fantastic coming of age story
TWO UGLY PEOPLE (2025), One Exceptional Director: Peter Skinner
It always fascinates me when people with other artistic backgrounds settle on making films. They end up creating an art form that is noticeably different than their peers. My guest, Australian director Peter Skinner, spent five years as a sculptor, and then with the precision that art form requires, turned his focus into making astonishing films like his most recent, TWO UGLY PEOPLE (2025).It'
Indie Film Highlight: MOON (2009)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: MOON (2009)Director: Duncan JonesCast: Sam Rockwell; Kevin Spacey; Dominique McElligott; Kaya ScodelarioSYNOPSISAstronaut Sam Bell's (Sam Rockwell) three-year shift at a lunar mine is finally coming to an end, and he's looking forward to h
The Best Film I've Watched All Year (Part 2): Cinematographer Tom Ford of URCHINS (2026
At the risk of sounding corny (and real in a world of AI slop podcast descriptions), let me add a fourth F: Ford. As in Tom Ford. No, not that one -- the cinematographer Tom Ford, who made my favorite film of the year absolutely shine through his work years ago.What do I mean by that? As we talk about, much of what I love about URCHINS is its lighting, and that came from enduring relationships tha
The Best Film I've Watched All Year (Part 1): Director Adam Rioux of URCHINS (2026)
The story behind URCHINS (2026), a coming of age tale set in the waterways of Florida, distills what is best and what is worst about the modern state of independent film. URCHINS is a dazzling display of cinematography and storytelling at its most compelling: it shows Florida like you've never seen before and the story is told in a very unconventional way without the tropes of the genre.But: i
Indie Film Highlight: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011)
Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011)Director: David GelbCast: Jiro Ono; Masuhiro Yamamoto; Daisuke Nakazama; Harutaki TakahashiSYNOPSISA documentary about an octogenarian sushi master, his two sons, and the tiny restaurant in which they tirelessly work.Subscribe to our YouTube channe
Shih-Ching Tsou, dir. of LEFT-HANDED GIRL (2025)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeFrom the looks of it, LEFT-HANDED GIRL (2025) has everything going for it. Fantastic film. Taiwan's 2025 Oscar submission (and widely expected to be a nominee.) Edited and co-written by Sean Baker. A Netflix rollout. But the reality is much more complicated.This was a 20 year labor of love by my guest, director Shih-Ching Tsou, and we talk about everything related
Lee Kirk, dir. of NIMRODS (2025)
I talk to filmmakers all the time who say things like, I'm reviving the romcom. Or my film is a homage to 1950s Westerns. The statements encompass so many genres but the truth is, most of the time they don't work. It ends up being a facsimile of something great, which isn't good at all.This is a long way at getting to the point that NIMRODS, opening in theaters on August 14th, is the a
Indie Film Highlight: OVERNIGHT (2003)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: OVERNIGHT (2003)Directors: Tony Montana; Mark Brian SmithCast: Troy Duffy; Harvey Weinstein; Chris BrinkerSYNOPSISThis documentary follows Troy Duffy, a brash, foul-mouthed bartender whose screenplay for an action film called "Boondock Saints&
Yiru Deng, dir. of TUNNEL VISION (2026)
I'm always on the lookout for original filmmaking to highlight, so if you just look at the objective facts of my guest Yiru Deng's film, TUNNEL VISION (2026), which premiered at LA Shorts International Film Festival on August 4th, 2026, you'll be impressed:4 minute run time.Animation with just killer transitions that we find out were painful to draw.An excitingly original topic that is
The Funniest (NSFW) Film Of The Year: Elliot Connors of I'M GOING FULL FRONTAL (2026), now on NoBudge
Watch This Episode On YouTubeI couldn't stop laughing during the funniest film of the year, directed by my guest, Elliot Connors. It's called FULL FRONTAL, or if you want to use the full title (and you should), it's I’M GOING FULL FRONTAL FOR MY NYU STUDENT SHORT FILM (2026), streaming today, August 4th, 2026 on NoBudge.I'd argue getting laughs is the hardest thing to do in indepen
Indie Film Highlight: RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (2008)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (2008)Director: Jonathan DemmeScreenplay: Jenny LumetStars: Anne Hathaway; Rosemarie DeWitt; Bill Irwin; Debra WingerSYNOPSISA young woman who has been in and out of rehab for the past ten years returns home for the weekend
Anthony Argento, Festival Director Of Greenpoint Film Festival
Watch This Episode On YouTubeThere's something especially New York about the sentiment of my guest, Anthony Argento, saying, "we're only going to give you what you give us" about film promotion.And in the best possible sense, that kind of New Yorker attitude is at the heart of the Greenpoint Film Festival, now celebrating its 15th year and 7th under the leadership of Mr. Argento, w
Writer/Producer Kate Radcliffe Of STILL LIFE (2026)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeI imagine there's not a lot of debate out there but here's what I believe: there's nothing worse in the human experience than losing a son or daughter. It violates our understanding of the cycle of life and it forces a unyielding loss amongst the living that can never be taken away.Any experience so intense can, in the right hands, be channeled to create gr
Indie Film Highlight: SHOT CALLER (2017)
Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: SHOT CALLER (2017)Director: Ric Roman WaughWritten By: Ric Roman WaughStars: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau; Omari Hardwick; Lake Bell; Jon BernthalSYNOPSISA California stockbroker is arrested and charged for a fatal DUI accident, and on his lawyer's advice, takes a plea deal whic
Zoe Zhou of WE ARE HAPPY FISH (2025)
Director Zoe Zhou's film, WE ARE HAPPY FISH (2025), is described as "a nihilistic girl escapes from her family with a robot boy to revive a dead fish", which by itself is interesting and accurate. But it only nibbles at how wild, zany, carefree the film is. Zoe also pushes back at the idea that film school would ever take the edges off her work. In this film, she does an amazing job bl
Will Niava of JAZZ INFERNAL (2025)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeDirector Will Niava's film, JAZZ INFERNAL (2025), is showing on July 23rd at the Future of Film Showcase in Toronto. If you're reading this before the date and can go, what are you waiting for? Buy tickets!It's that incredible, one of the best films I've seen all year. It won a Short Film Jury Award at Sundance last year and very deservedly so. Will is
Hazel McKibbin Of LAST MAN UP (2026)
My guest, Hazel McKibbin, directs films that make top festivals. She edits films that make top festivals. And she makes commercials for brands at the Met Gala. And yet:Here's Hazel taking on a project about masculinity called LAST MAN UP (2026). Last episode, I praised writer and actor Robert R. Palmer for offering Hazel the opportunity to direct his project, so she deserves equal credit for t
Indie Film Highlight: LEFT-HANDED GIRL (2025)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: LEFT-HANDED GIRL (2025)Director: Shih-Ching TsouWriters: Shih-Ching Tsou; Sean BakerStars: Janel Tsai; Shih-Yuan Ma; Nina YeSYNOPSISAfter a single mother and her two daughters return to Taipei to start anew, their fragile family dynamic is tested
Actor/Writer Robert R. Palmer Of LAST MAN UP (2026)
This is a director's podcast, but the truth is I don't talk with enough actors on here about the struggle they face in indie film. It offers a different lens on how difficult it is to get things made. That's why I'm so happy to be joined by Robert R. Palmer, actor/writer in the film LAST MAN UP (2026), which premiered at the Palm Springs International ShortFest.When we talked about
Daniel Bogran Of THE KILLING MOON (2025)
Director Daniel Bogran made a film that could be spoiled with just a few words and it would change the entire dynamic of how you watch it. So I'm not going to do that. But the "how" behind him filming THE KILLING MOON ("A wealthy couple's lake vacation takes a sinister, seductive turn when an attractive stranger shows up wounded at their door") is definitely worth a convers
Benny Chen Of HAND (2026)
How many Gen Z filmmakers say, nah, the story I'm feeling is a middle aged undocumented Chinese immigrant cook worried about survival in America. And it's 23 minutes long. You'll hear in almost every professional film course or, ahem, podcast, short films are hard to make or make your film shorter for festivals. And that advice is right, of course.It's great advice. But it doesn
Third Anniversary Pod: Gar O'Rourke Of THE SIEGE OF PARADISE (2026)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeHappy third anniversary to the pod and I'm so happy to be spending it with Irish filmmaker -- and award-winning ad maker -- Gar O'Rourke.When people ask about the podcast, the usual first question is, what are your favorite episodes? And I respond with, well, they are all my favorites.It's true. I wouldn't publish something if I wasn't proud of it,
Indie Film Highlight: PAYING FOR IT (2024)
Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: PAYING FOR IT (2024)Director: Sook-Yin LeeStory by: Chester BrownStars: Emily Lê; Andrea Werhun; Dan BeirneSYNOPSISWhen an introverted cartoonist's girlfriend wants to redefine their relationship, he begins sleeping with sex workers and discovers a new kind of intimacy in
Why Film In Minnesota? Deputy Director Of Explore Minnesota Film, Nell Lawrenz-Wareham
I love Minnesota; in fact, on June 29th, there I'll be, beside one of its 10,000 lakes, ready for America's 250th birthday. (It's the best place to spend the Fourth.)It's also a great place for filmmaking so I talk about that with deputy director of Explore Minnesota Film, Nell Lawrenz-Wareham. This was recorded at the beginning of the month so apologies about any confusion about a
Special Tribeca Podcast: Lindsay Calleran, dir. of CAITY (2026)
I conclude Tribeca special coverage with one of my favorite films at the festival, CAITY (2026). To say Lindsay Calleran has been through some things to get her debut feature made is underselling it by a lot. Please read this First Person IndieWire article that Lindsay wrote; it gives a lot of important background to her story and how CAITY came to be.I'm so impressed by so many different thin
Special Tribeca Podcast: Lily Weisberg, dir. of RARE BIRDS (2026) & Maria Sofia Hernandez, dir. of LA LUCHA DE LUCÍA (2026)
The Tribeca Film Festival helped organize this tremendous in-person panel with two New York filmmakers: Lily Weisberg, dir of RARE BIRDS (2026) and Maria Sofia Hernandez, dir of LA LUCHA DE LUCÍA (2026).Recorded on June 9th at Spring Studios, we talk about their incredible films; the challenges of writing different types of characters; what BACKROOMS (2026) and OBSESSION (2025) mean for independen
Special Tribeca Podcast: David Clancy, dir. of NIO KO BOKK (THIS BELONGS TO ALL OF US)
If you're going to make a film about surfing in Senegal, I assume the viewer expects beautiful shots of surfing and the landscape of Dakar, Senegal's capital city. And man, does my guest, filmmaker and director, David Clancy, of NIO KO BOKK or THIS BELONGS TO ALL OF US (2026) deliver.The film is a valentine to so many things: refugees, Senegal, surfing, and documentary filmmaking itself. D
Indie Film Highlight: STRAIGHT TO HELL (1987)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeWatch STRAIGHT TO HELL On Criterion ChannelEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: STRAIGHT TO HELL (1987)Director: Alex CoxWriters: Dick Rude; Alex CoxStars: Joe Strummer; Dick Rude; Courtney LoveSYNOPSISThree bank robbers (Sy Richardson, Joe Strummer, Dick Rude) and a pregnant woman t
Special Tribeca Podcast: Elisee Junior St. Preux, dir. of THE TROPIC SUN AND HIS EYES (2026)
What a last month or so for Haiti and director Elisee Junior St. Preux's debut feature. Upon its release at the Tribeca Film Festival, THE TROPIC SUN AND HIS EYES (2026) received the Special Jury Mention for Best New Narrative Director alongside rave reviews. It is truly stunning filmmaking, offering both a realistic glimpse of Haiti and an expansive view of fatherhood.Let's count the way
Special Tribeca Podcast: Hannah Peterson, dir. of VIA NEGATIVA (2026)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeVIA NEGATIVA resonated with me on so many different levels -- as a Catholic; as someone who uses firearms; as a veteran (there's a moment in there, if you've seen it); and most importantly, a lover of truly astonishing filmmaking. Director Hannah Peterson achieved something extraordinary with this film by bringing a novel to life in the best possible way and ma
Special Tribeca Podcast: Shan Jiang 姜姗, dir. of EPHEMERA (2026)
It's one thing to say you're going to create the "Chinese lesbian version of BEFORE SUNRISE (1995)"; it's another thing to actually pull it off.In EPHEMERA (2026), the debut feature for filmmaker Shan Jiang which premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival, it appears she has done just that. It took global producers, a fantastic team, and a truly extraordinary story in how she
Special Tribeca Podcast: Meriem Sakrouhi, dir. of MON TAXI (2026)
MON TAXI (2026), which premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival, is a "love letter to the filmmaker's dad." Architect + filmmaker Meriem Sakrouhi created a film that is part New York, part Moroccan, and altogether touching cinema, and we talk about how she did it for the podcast.Along with directing, she edited and produced the first Moroccan entry at Tribeca in 20 years. Given that
Indie Film Highlight: LURKER (2025)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: LURKER (2025)Director: Alex RussellWriter: Alex RussellStars: Théodore Pellerin; Archie Madekwe; Havana Rose Liu;SYNOPSISA retail employee infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom. As he gets closer to the budding music st
Special Tribeca Podcast: Rob Rice, dir. of PONDEROSA (2026)
The career path -- M.S. in Neuroscience to filmmaking -- is a wholly original one and so is his filmmaking. His second feature, PONDEROSA (2026), is a comedy-horror film that looks at American masculinity in a way I've never seen before. It is a gift to watch -- beginning to end -- not because I understood everything going on, but because I didn't.The best type of filmmaking should challen
Special Tribeca Podcast: Lyle Lindgren, dir. of MOUTH FULL OF GOLDS (2026)
Very rarely, you'll watch a documentary, and think...how did he get that all on film? That was the case for me and the film MOUTH FULL OF GOLDS (2026) premiering this week at the Tribeca Film Festival. It's about "grillz" -- the teeth attachments/implants and their cultural connection in New York City, Miami, Atlanta, and Paris.If that description sounds incredible, that's beca
Special Tribeca Podcast: Branislav Jankic dir. of WHITE BELT (2026)
The journey from Yugoslavia to New York City is a wild one, and filmmaker Branislav Jankic has been a keen observer along the way. Coming off a debut feature that was released at the height of COVID, Branislav is now at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival with a story about his wife called WHITE BELT (2026). The film traces the journey of supermodel Monika "Jac" Jagaciak from the runway to Braz
Indie Film Highlight: OUT OF LOVE (2025)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: OUT OF LOVE (2025)Director: Nathan AmbrosioniWriter: Nathan AmbrosioniStars: Camille Cottin; Monia Chokri; Juliette ArmanetSYNOPSISA woman is forced to take care of her niece and nephew after their mother voluntarily disappears.Subscribe to our Yo
Special Cannes Podcast: Anna Berthollet of Lightdox
The podcast concludes this unreal Cannes Film Festival series with Lightdox founder and CEO, Anne Berthollet. Lightdox has consistently championed stunning documentaries, like GABIN (2026); FLOPHOUSE (2025) and so much more. How is the company able to find such amazing documentaries? What happens when Lightdox grows -- will they be able to maintain their quality offerings? And what is her advice f
Special Cannes Podcast: Nguyễn Phan Linh Đan
I'd argue the Pierre Angénieux Tribute is the best thing going at the Cannes Film Festival. Why? Two reasons:they elevate one filmmaker -- this year, it was Japanese cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa -- by way of tribute. If you haven't seen her work, now is your opportunity. But they don't stop there.they utilize the platform of that tribute to give a "special encouragement" to a
Special Cannes Podcast: Akiko Ashizawa 芦澤 明子
What an incredible honor to be joined by famed cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa, who was honored at the Cannes Film Festival with the 2026 Pierre Angénieux Tribute. We talk about her career, how she thought the tribute was spam!, females in cinematography, and more.The episode is recorded thanks to a translator.In this episode, Akiko and I discuss:how she found out about the Pierre Angénieux Tribute
Special Cannes Episode: Michael Hampden of Sandbox VR
We've seen the future of indie filmmaking the last few weeks with the theatrical runs of OBSESSION (2025) and BACKROOMS (2026).Let me argue that sometime in the future, we'll see a Sandbox VR or immersive experience film have that kind of launch. In this Cannes episode, I talk with senior vice president of content for Sandbox VR about what the future looks like for VR + immersive experienc
Indie Film Highlight: FIRST GROWTH (2015)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: FIRST GROWTH (2015)Director: Jérôme Le GrisWriters: Vanessa Portal; Rémi Bezançon; Jérôme Le GrisStars: Gérard Lanvin; Jalil Lespert; Alice TaglioniSYNOPSISCharlie must take over operation of his family's vineyard when it nears bankruptcy. He
Special Cannes Podcast: Why Peru? An Interview With The Country's Director At Le Marché du Film
Why film in Peru? I stopped by a booth at Le Marche du Film at the Cannes Film Festival to talk about what they have to offer filmmakers. At the Cannes Film Festival, they have a market where most countries around the world are represented.I talked with Carlos Manuel Arca Hoyle, director of Promperú France, about why people should film in western South America.In this episode, Carlos and I discuss
Special Cannes Podcast: Sara Ishaq سارة إسحاق Of THE STATION (2026)
It's a hard question for me to answer because I saw so many wonderful films, but people ask it -- what was your favorite at Cannes?And I answer it with THE STATION (2026) by Sara Ishaq, her fiction debut at the Cannes Film Festival.The film tells a story we hardly see in war films: what is happening with the families during a conflict. The characters are richly drawn from the amazing tapestry
Special Cannes Podcast: Sophie Power Of WHATEVER A SUN WILL ALWAYS SING (2025)
Today, I'm talking with Irish filmmaker Sophie Power, whose film WHATEVER A SUN WILL ALWAYS SING (2025), which was selected to screen at the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner - Cinema De Demain. The film is built entirely around recreations of four anonymous people answering the question: what was the moment you were forced to grow up?In some random order, I love hybrid documentaries; Iri
Special Cannes Podcast: Ant Roberson Of AT WHAT COST (2026)
The people that filmmaker Ant Roberson inspires are legion: athletes looking to enter filmmaking; film school students heading to Cannes; actors inspired by meaty roles; filmmakers looking to make their feature breakthrough, and so many others.Add me to the list because I have zero doubt he'll be taking a film here to competition very shortly.In this episode, Ant and I discuss:what it's li
Special Cannes Podcast: Rostislav Kirpičenko Of VESNA (2026)
Former pro footballer turned literature major and outstanding filmmaker, director Rostislav Kirpičenko brings brutal authenticity to his feature film debut, VESNA (2026), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.The film follows a Ukrainian priest who sees his church turned into a morgue in a Russian-occupied city, and he depicts Russians in a way we hardly ever see on screen but is an accurate
Special Cannes Podcast: Director Maxence Voiseux & Producer Élise Hug Of GABIN (2026)
From the opening scene of the brilliant film, GABIN (2026), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year, it was clear you were in the hands of a master of the craft of documentary. And it's no wonder: director Maxence Voiseux and producer Élise Hug worked ten years to make this happen.How such brilliance wound up on a screen at Cannes is what I wanted to know from the filmmakers, and
Special Cannes Podcast: Alain Furcajg Of RETURN TO BRITTANY
What's it like taking a film that's 70% finished to the Cannes Film Market? Filmmaker Alain Furcajg joins me today to talk about that very question and his insightful, beautiful -- and time-sensitive - documentary RETURN TO BRITTANY, which he is hoping to finish up in the coming year before the story becomes impossible to tell due to the age of the participants.(With a potential guest appe
Special Cannes Podcast: 鄒靜 Zou Jing Of A GIRL UNKNOWN (2026)
A GIRL UNKNOWN (2026), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, succeeds on multiple levels: as a work of art about the struggle of life and the potential for rebirth; an eye-opening journey of a young girl trying to find her place in the world; a statement about the policies of China without falling into tired stereotypes; and ultimately, as a phenomenal film that challenges the viewer about
Dawood Hilmandi
The word paikar is Persian for "war" or "warrior" and what you're getting from a documentary of the same name is war, of a sort, but layered among so many levels: the war within a family, the war in Afghanistan, the war within the director's own self. This is filmmaking at its highest level, and I'm so thrilled to be joined by director Dawood Hilmandi today to talk abou
Indie Film Highlight: FOUR LETTER WORDS (2000)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: FOUR LETTER WORDS (2000)Director: Sean BakerWriter: Sean BakerStars: Henry Beylin; David Ari; Darcy Bledsoe; Fred BermanSYNOPSISA study of the post-adolescent male psyche looks at their views, attitudes, and language.Subscribe to our YouTube chann
Vanessa Esteves
The kind of filmmaking that my guest, Vanessa Esteves, does is all encompassing -- job, hobby, passion. And that shows through in her latest work, CHRISTOPHER & THE BUG (2025), a "heartwarming short film about a reclusive owl whose peaceful solitude is disrupted when a tiny bug unknowingly moves into his home."We talk about why we don't see the bug, what college roommate inspired h
Wall Street Journal Entertainment Reporter Ben Fritz
Watch This Episode On YouTubeIf you're looking to understand the business of film, let me suggest listening to Ben Fritz, who covers entertainment for the Wall Street Journal and is my guest for the podcast.Why? Well, for me, it's two things. First of all, if you listen to his astonishing documentary podcast called "With Great Power: The Rise of Superhero Cinema", you get to hear w
Indie Film Highlight: LAST SUMMER (2023)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: LAST SUMMER (2023)Director: Catherine BreillatWriters: Catherine Breillat; Pascal Bonitzer; Maren Louise KäehneStars: Léa Drucker; Samuel Kircher; Olivier RabourdinSYNOPSISSuccessful lawyer Anne leads a happy life with her husband Pierre and their
Brandyn Johnson
Watch This Episode On YouTubeThe film SEAWEED SNACKS (2026), which screened at Slamdance this year, was so moving for me as a father that I wanted to talk with the person that directed it -- Sylvia Ray, a great episode, you can find it linked in the show notes -- and my guest today, the writer, Brandyn Johnson.What does it feel like when someone else directs your words? Why the focus on fatherhood
Suki Chan
Watch This Episode On YouTubeThe words "artist, writer, and director" that my guest, filmmaker Suki Chan, uses to describe herself, do not come close to encompassing the artistic brilliance of her feature directorial debut, CONSCIOUS (2026), which she premiered at CPH:DOX this year in Denmark.The film delves into the stories of three people who "navigate dementia in transformative ways
Indie Film Highlight: YEAST (2008)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: YEAST (2008)Director: Mary BronsteinScreenplay: Mary Bronstein; Greta GerwigStars: Mary Bronstein; Greta Gerwig; Benny SafdieSYNOPSISA maddeningly oblivious, tyrannical and emotionally stunted young woman tries her best to negotiate two toxic frie
Eric Leja
Watch This Episode On YouTubeOnly a Marine could get away with writing a novella entitled -- let me make I'm sure I got this right -- "Let's Murder the Fuck out of Baby Hitler." And even then, maybe only a Marine who is a filmmaker and screenwriter.Fellow redleg Eric Leja (servicemember assigned to the artillery branch) returns to the podcast to talk about his new novella which is
NYC Mayor's Office Of Media And Entertainment Commissioner Rafael Espinal
Elected at 26 to the New York State Assembly, my guest today, filmmaker Rafael Espinal says it was easier to become a politician than chase his dreams into indie film. Think about that for a moment!Now he's helping you achieve your dreams by serving as commissioner of New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, or MOME. And what I mean by that is I didn't expect him to be
Indie Film Highlight: HAPPYEND (2024)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: HAPPYEND (2024)Director: Neo SoraWriter: Neo SoraStars: Kurihara Hayato; Hidaka Yukito; Ayumu NakajimaSYNOPSISFriends Yuta and Kou, about to graduate, sneak into school. They pull off a terrible prank and face unforeseen consequences as graduation
Natalia Koniarz
Watch This Episode On YouTubeOne time, it might be a coincidence. But time after time, if you're going to areas that make other people afraid, like underground fight clubs in Asia or the Chilean Andes or like in her latest film, SILVER (2026), a mine in Bolivia, that's your hallmark as a filmmaker.You can say that about my guest, brilliant director Natalia Koniarz, whose film SILVER won th
Victoria Trow
Watch This Episode On YouTubeLet's all wish happy birthday to filmmaker Victoria Trow, whose film ERUCTATION (2026) won big at SXSW this year -- not at all surprising once you watch it.That said, when you first read about it, at least for me, it was...a film about what? Burping? Then you watch it and realize you're in the hands of an ultra-talented admaker and filmmaker for six quick minut
Indie Film Highlight: ADOPT A HIGHWAY (2019)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: ADOPT A HIGHWAY (2019)Director: Logan Marshall-GreenStory By: Logan Marshall-GreenStars: Ethan Hawke; Elaine Hendrix; Diane GaetaSYNOPSISWhen an ex-convict finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster, he gains a new lease on life, deciding to dedicate h
Julia Coulter
Watch This Episode On YouTubeHere's a challenge: watch the first few minutes of ROAD TO L'ETAPE DU TOUR (2026) and not get the sense you're seeing a documentary. Impossible because the film is that good about its comparison to real life. The logline: facing a turning point in her life, a woman with a congenital heart defect embarks on a journey to train for a famous cycling race.It'
Indie Film Highlight: THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH (2011)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH (2011)Director: Pawel PawlikowskiStory By: Douglas KennedyStars: Ethan Hawke; Kristin Scott Thomas; Joanna KuligSYNOPSISTom Ricks, estranged from his wife and daughter, travels to Paris to try and reunite with them, but he&#
Renée Marie Petropoulos
Watch This Episode on YouTubeWhen you watch SOUVENIR (2025), you know you are watching something incredible -- filmmaker Renée Marie Petropoulos brings the power of cinema to the topic of relationship abuse. And what I mean is that she uses the full force of the medium to craft a story of what it really looks like in the modern age.It's like nothing I've ever seen before, and SXSW agrees -
Josef Gatti
Watch This Episode On YouTubePHENOMENA (2026) is a type of film that I've never seen before -- an exploration of nature through a visual medium. It's not surprising that it, too, comes from a filmmaker of a type I've never talked with-- an Australian who started doing art exhibitions and immersive experience shows before his debut feature.So it's not surprising it's getting the
Jessica Kivnik & Alexa Coblentz -- The Cinecamp Episode!
Watch This Episode On YouTubeDuring this episode, you'll hear a part that's normally edited out -- a phone ringing. But given that's one of my guests' school calling, I decided to leave it in. Because that's the life of a parent, right? It doesn't stop for a podcast recording, a film premiere, whatever you have going on in life.And the point of this episode, with Cinecamp f
Eric Jackowitz
A short film has never met its moment like THE SEEING EYE DOG WHO SAW TOO MUCH (2026), which premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival this month. Of course it won the audience award -- how could it not? The film, as filmmaker Eric Jackowitz explains, is a homage to Italian giallo films, a mix of mystery horror and thriller films that peaked in the 1970s.Eric's career, as a filmmake
Indie Film Highlight: CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016)Director: Matt RossScreenplay: Matt RossStars: Viggo Mortensen; Samantha Isler; George MacKaySYNOPSISBen Cash (Viggo Mortensen), his wife Leslie and their six children live deep in the wilderness of Washington state. Isolat
Special Slamdance Coverage: Victoria Blade
Watch This Episode On YouTubeShe'll tell you acting is her calling, but then you listen to Victoria Blade sing and watch her direct -- her most recent film, VICKY WAKES UP (2026) won the episodes grand jury prize at the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival -- and I'm with you in thinking maybe three things are her calling.Filmmaker Victoria Blade is here to talk about her path to winning filmmakin
RE-RELEASE: David Borenstein & The Best Documentary Oscar MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN (2025)
Watch This Episode On YouTubeRE-RELEASE: I'm re-releasing this episode, in part to congratulate the team behind MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN (2025), who won the Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, and also give further background to director David Borenstein's comments at the event. After you listen to this episode and hear about his background, his words come from experience. Congratulati
