Behind The Lens

Today on #BTLRadioShow it's a day celebrating some talented and very happy and fun filmmakers and their latest films; ANDY FICKMAN talking ONE TRUE LOVES and GARO SETIAN & ANAHIT SETIAN talking SPACE WARS: QUEST FOR THE DEEPSTAR. Each of the filmmakers you'll hear from in my prerecorded exclusive interviews are brimming with joy and happiness as they talk about their respective films and their craft. And another commonality among them is their attention to detail in the making of their films.

First up, take a listen to the oh-so-talented and oh-so-fun ANDY FICKMAN talking about his new film ONE TRUE LOVES. Starring Simu Liu, Luke Bracey, and Phillipa Soo, ONE TRUE LOVES is a tale filled with love, heartache, and happiness that is sweet, sentimental, and poignant as Emma (Soo) marries the love of her life Jesse (Bracey) only to lose him to a tragic accident a year later. But as time passes, she reconnects with her childhood best friend Sam (Liu) and falls deeply in love with him. But as Emma readies for a future with Sam, Jesse suddenly appears. How do you choose between the two loves of your life? And that's the journey that Andy takes us on and discusses in this interview with each aspect of the directorial process.

Then get ready, as we blast off with director/co-writer/editor GARO SETIAN and producer/actor ANAHIT SETIAN and go deep into the making of SPACE WARS: QUEST FOR THE DEEPSTAR. A fun fun film that pays homage to the best parts of sci-fi fantasy films, SPACE WARS is the story of father-daughter space cowboys Kip and Taylor Corman as they travel the galaxies on an elusive search for something very precious. Along for the ride is a fellow space traveler named Jackie. As comes as no surprise there are bad guys in pursuit, an over-the-top very pissed-off female ship captain named Elnora, and plenty of creatures, aliens, space battles, and more! Starring Michael Pare, Sarah French, Olivier Gruner, Tyler Gallant, Jed Rowen, Sadie Katz, and ANAHIT SETIAN (who steals the film with heart and humor), Garo celebrates practical effects and buttresses that VFX and creature creations while always keeping his eye on character and story.

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We've got a jam-packed #BTLRadioShow for you this week thanks to DAWN MIKKELSON and her latest documentary MINNESOTA MEAN, while CHAZ BONO talks about his new film BURY THE BRIDE, both of whom join us live!

First up, documentarian, director/editor DAWN MIKKELSON, is with us talking about her latest doc, MINNESOTA MEAN, a look inside the world of women's roller derby through the eyes of the Minnesota All Stars as they compete to win the Hydra, the top international prize of the sport. While giving all the team members a spotlight, the focus of the documentary primarily features six team members and their personal journeys over the course of a year as they battle injury, come to a crossroads in each of their personal lives, get incredible and enthusiastic spousal support, face the challenges and desires of motherhood, question the "what next after derby", and so much more.

And then CHAZ BONO is with us live to talk about his new film, a little taste of horror with BURY THE BRIDE.

Directed by Spider One and written by Krsy Fox and Spider One, in addition to Chaz, BURY THE BRIDE stars Krsy Fox, Scout Taylor-Compton, Dylan Rourke, Lyndsi LaRose, Katie Ryan, Rachel Brunner, Cameron Cowperthwaite and Adam Marcinowski in this tale of bride-to-be June's bachelorette getaway with the girls only to turn deadly when her blood-thirsty fiancé and his backwoods friends show up to crash the party. What follows becomes a living nightmare of unholy proportions as June, her sister Sadie and their closest friends fight for their lives, and avenge the ones who don't make it through the night.

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Catch up now with this episode of #BTLRadioShow and our guest writer/director/DP/editor TRIP JENNINGS talking about his new documentary ELEMENTAL: REIMAGINE WILDFIRE. Plus, you'll hear our exclusive interview with CASPER VAN DIEN talking about his new film HUNT CLUB.

One of the most interesting and educational documentaries you will see this year is ELEMENTAL: REIMAGINE WILDFIRE, especially for those living in the Western United States and fire-prone areas. Bringing us the foremost experts on wildfire, as well as the most recent science from a firefighting aspect, preventative aspect, and ecological aspect, ELEMENTAL examines the history of wildfires and firefighting in the United States, opening our eyes to the ever-changing approach to combating wildfires in an effort to prevent whole communities like Paradise, California from being eradicated. Delving into everything from how fire is needed for the ecosystem to controlling and preventing fire and punctuated with some stunning cinematography as well as cell phone videos taken by those fleeing the catastrophic wildfires of the past few years, ELEMENTAL is a powerhouse doc.

And then you'll hear my exclusive interview with CASPER VAN DIEN discussing his new film HUNT CLUB along with a look at BATTLE FOR SAIPAN and HEART OF A CHAMPION. You've known him and loved him for years going back to one of his earliest films, "Starship Troopers", and over the years Casper has flourished and become a fixture onscreen tackling diverse and eclectic roles. (For a real Casper Van Dien experience, just watch these three most recent films and you will see his emotional range with these characters.)

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It's a colorful and lively edition of #BTLRadioShow thanks to writer/director MOSTAFA KESHVARI who joins us live talking about his new film COLORBLIND. Plus, writer/director TIM BOGART dives into the making of what quickly became one of my fave films of the year, SPINNING GOLD!

Joining us live at the top of the show is writer/director MOSTAFA KESHVARI discussing his new film, the exquisite and powerful COLORBLIND. The story of a colorblind mother and son facing racial and social injustices, COLORBLIND speaks to us literally, figuratively, and metaphorically. A fascinating aspect of the production is that the film was developed by color scientists to accurately display colorblindness and metaphorically address racism. Take a listen as Mostafa discusses the science and the cinematic art that came together for COLORBLIND.

And then, get ready, because you'll hear my prerecorded exclusive interview with writer/director TIM BOGART talking about his new film opening on Friday – SPINNING GOLD. One of my fave films of the year, this is the story of legendary music producer and founder of Casablanca Records, Neil Bogart. For all the youngsters out there, this is the man who created and shepherded some of music's greatest legends – Donna Summer, KISS, Gladys Knight, George Clinton, The Isley Brothers, just to name a few. Making Tim uniquely qualified to tell this story is that he is Neil's son.

Visually exciting and period perfect in hair, make-up and costuming covering several decades, one of the real joys of SPINNING GOLD is the story structure as the film is written as if Neil Bogart himself was telling his life story. As many already know, and as you will see in the film and hear Tim talk about, Neil Bogart was the consummate showman and storyteller which makes this approach to the film pitch perfect.

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On this episode of #BTLRadioShow we take a look at the incredible new VR project ONCE A GLACIER with writer/director JIABAO LI, and then you'll hear our exclusive interview with writer/director PAUL WEITZ talking MOVING ON.

Fresh off the world premiere of her amazing animated VR project ONCE A GLACIER at SXSW, writer/director JIABAO LI is with us live talking all things VR and glacial. A fascinating and immersive work that explores the life of a glacier and a young girl whose life journey is to save the glacier, Jiabao talks about her journey into this immersive VR experience and its accompanying VR installation which debuted at SXSW. Discussing her own involvement with VR and her professorial work at the University of Texas, Jiabao talks about her love of glaciers and her approach to making the animated short film. A real technical challenge, you'll be as amazed as I was to hear her talk about the capturing of various sounds of glaciers and the dangers and care to be taken in obtaining the audio and then editing it to help tell the story of a glacier. (The soundscape of ONCE A GLACIER is amazing.) Diving into her research with glaciologists and indigenous peoples in Alaska where the footage was captured, among others, Jiabao also gives us some incredible insight into glaciers and how even the smells of a glacier are brought to life in the VR immersion and installation. A fascinating conversation!

And then we're moving on to MOVING ON and my prerecorded exclusive interview with writer/director PAUL WEITZ who talks all about this story and bringing it to life after getting a call from Lily Tomlin with the mandate "write something for me and Jane [Fonda]." And when Lily Tomlin says write, you write! And write Paul does, and then direct, calling on his "Grandma" cinematographer Tobias Datum, and fellow artisans who delicious dark comedy starring Tomlin and Fonda, along with Malcolm McDowell and Richard Roundtree.

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It's a post-Oscar week on BEHIND THE LENS as we do a brief recap of this year's events and take a look back at the Oscar-winning AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER with our prerecorded exclusive interview with VFX Supervisor JOE LETTERI. And while we take a look back, we also take a look forward with writer/director RYAN LACEN and his film which is now eligible for consideration for Academy Awards 2024, ALL THE WORLD IS SLEEPING.

Although written versions of this first interview have popped up in various places over the past months, this is the first time you'll hear an excerpt of my exclusive interview with AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER VFX Supervisor JOE LETTERI. Joe and the team at Weta took home the Oscar for their work on the film and you'll hear exactly what went into creating the Oscar-winning VFX work from water to eyes to weight of hair and jewelry in water and more!

And then, writer/director RYAN LACEN joins us talking about his film ALL THE WORLD IS SLEEPING. Our longtime listeners may recall that Ryan was with us back in September 2021 just days after the world premiere of the film. Well, now the film is being distributed and hits theatres and digital on March 17th, and he's back to talk with us about the film and his post-world premiere journey. Ryan gives us some of the ins and outs of the distribution process while we also dive back into the "making of" the film itself. And as an added bonus for all the Melissa Barrera fans out there, she stars in ALL THE WORLD IS SLEEPING (and she's in about 95% of the scenes). Ryan has a lot to say about Melissa, especially since "Scream VI", which also stars Melissa is now out in theatres. A great contrast in performances from her. A testament to Ryan's casting.

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We're getting into the swing of Spring a bit early on this episode of #BTLRadioShow thanks to EMILIO PALAME as he joins us live talking about his new film KNIGHTS OF SWING. And it's "ride 'em cowgirl" as YAYA GOSSELIN talks about her new film HEART OF A CHAMPION.

First up is my prerecorded exclusive interview with the wonderful YAYA GOSSELIN. YaYa has long been a favorite actor of mine and it's always a joy to speak with her about any project she's working on. This time it's a film very close to her heart, HEART OF A CHAMPION. A champion barrel racer and horsewoman in real life, it's as if HEART OF A CHAMPION was written just for her as she plays – you guessed it – a girl desperate for her own horse who learns to barrel race. And YaYa does all of her own riding and barrel racing! Are you listening Taylor Sheridan?

Then get ready to swing as writer/director/musical arranger/composer/actor EMILIO PALAME joins us live talking about his swinging new film KNIGHTS OF SWING. And what a swinging film this is!!

Set in 1947 as America is recovering from WWII, and the Civil Rights Movement is still years away, Big-band swing music is all the rage. KNIGHTS OF SWING chronicles the adventures of a determined group of high school jazz musicians who recruit their reluctant science and math teacher, Mr. Miller, to help them form a "really swingin' big band." Things get complicated when school administrators and community leaders object to the band's diversity and alliances form and lines are drawn. Dealing with multiple themes still as relevant today as they were in 1947, KNIGHTS OF SWING illuminates the power of music and unconditional love and friendship in bringing about forgiveness and moving forward into a brighter future.

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This is one fun episode of #BTLRadioShow as writer/director BEN EPSTEIN is back talking about WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE and, the moment I was waiting weeks to share with you, my interview with writer JIMMY WARDEN talking COCAINE BEAR! And if you missed this live show, you definitely want to take a listen now!

Get ready because we're talking about what is already one of my fave films of the year – COCAINE BEAR! You've seen the trailer and by now you've heard the screams of laughter and delight from folks who have hit the theatres. Now you get to hear my laughter-filled exclusive interview with screenwriter JIMMY WARDEN giving us the scoop on the true life story, crafting the script, collaborating with director Elizabeth Banks and more. Plus, Jimmy gives us some tidbits about his directorial feature "Borderline" which should be releasing later this year.

Regular listeners may recall that BEN EPSTEIN joined us in March 2022 while WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE was on the festival circuit, but now it's out in the world in select theatres and on VOD. While we revisit "the making of", Ben also talks about the road to distribution and its challenges.

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Getting into a Valentine's Day mode and showing some love on this episode of BEHIND THE LENS thanks to JR RODRIGUEZ, plus our exclusive interview with EVERETT DOWNING and PATRICK HARPIN.

First up, we're talking about the new Netflix animated series MY DAD THE BOUNTY HUNTER in this exclusive interview with the series co-creators/Executive Producers/writers, EVERETT DOWNING and PATRICK HARPIN. I am a huge fan of this new series and you will be, too. And I'm a huge fan of Everett and Patrick who, as you'll hear, put heart and soul and humor into the series.

And then take a listen to writer/director JR RODRIGUEZ who joins us live discussing his new Valentine's Day release, REMEMBER YESTERDAY. A sweet and poignant look at love, life, and second chances.

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An exciting episode of BEHIND THE LENS thanks to documentary director/producer CHRISTINE YOO and director NICOLAS HARVARD.

First up, take a listen to my exclusive interview with director NICOLAS HARVARD talking about his feature directorial debut – THE LOCKSMITH. Now, Nicolas is no stranger to film and television having long worked as a 1st Assistant Director and 2nd Unit Director on shows like "Yellowstone" and films like "Wind River", "Chappaquiddick", "The Spectacular Now", and "Rudderless". (Let's face it. You can’t do much better today then work and learn from Taylor Sheridan.) But now he steps into the saddle as director and tackles elements of filmmaking he hasn't had to concern himself with before, such as casting, editing and music. It's a terrific conversation as Nicolas gets candid about this experience.

And then, director/producer CHRISTINE YOO is live talking about her documentary 26.2 TO LIFE which screened at Santa Barbara International Film Festival, among others. Talk about a powerful, inspiring, and uplifting film! Christine goes behind the walls and barbed wire of San Quentin to show us one of the incredible rehabilitative programs offered to prisoners – The 1000 Mile Club. Honing in on three main inmates with 50+year sentences (although we hear from many more), we learn about the program from Coach Franklin Ruona and then follow Rahsaan Thomas, Tommy Lee Wickerd, and Markelle "The Gazelle" Taylor on their journey to complete a 26.2 mile marathon within the prison while having their eyes on the prize of possible parole and life outside. We get to know these men and you will care about them by film's end. Metaphoric when viewing training for a marathon as compared to their individual journeys at rehab, self-improvement, and redemption, Christine has done an amazing job.

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