Best in Fest

Sam Fox is a unique Director that is making her mark in Hollywood.  Leslie sat down with Sam to discuss the techniques, inspiration ​​and secrets behind her highly stylized films.

More About Sam

Born on a secluded animal farm at the top of Malibu’s infamous Mulholland Highway and now based in Venice Beach, Sam blends highly stylized imagery, music, and psychedelia with horror and genre cinema via her production company Foxy Films (WOWZERS, UNAGI). Inspired by a clothing collection from indie fashion label Animal Crackers Clothing, for whom she often collaborates, Sam wrote and directed BAD ACID in 2021 featuring Bonavega, Number One Pop Star and DJ Harvey.

Sam also produces with the Greatgrandma Film Collective, namely as executive producer along with Desiree Staples on Heidi Weitzer’s female ensemble comedy feature MY DIVORCE PARTY coming 2022 (ft. Rumer Willis), and as producer on Britt Lower's CIRCUS PERSON, which screened at Tribeca Film Festival, won Best of Festival at Catalyst 2021, the Audience Award at Nashville Film Festival and which FX Productions' Diversity Hire, Ltd. is currently developing into a half hour TV series. Sam is also developing her mother's journey through addiction memoir BLOOD IS THICKER THAN VODKA into a mini series about alcoholism and family dysfunction, as well as Alex Knell's
horror fantasy project, MALOCCHIO, about body dysmorphia. Sam freelances as a commercial producer for J. Crew and spends her free time surfing, sailing and disco dancing.

Today Leslie has a fascinating conversation with Documentary Filmmaker Cevin Soling about what it's like to investigate ancient tribes that still exist. How do you put together a compelling film when you have no idea what you will find? Do you go in with a planned story or agenda? Cevin addresses this and much more in this informative episode of Best in Fest.

More About Cevin

Cevin Soling, president of Spectacle Films and Xemu Records, works as
writer, director, producer, artist, and academic. 

Soling directed and produced, THE WAR ON KIDS, winner of the best educational documentary award at the New York Independent Film and Video
Festival. The film demonstrates how American public schools have become
modeled after prisons in response to fear and a burgeoning intolerance of youth.
The film ran at the Quad Cinema in New York City and screened at Harvard
University as well as other major universities. It has received accolades from
The New York Times, Variety, and The Huffington Post. Soling was a guest
on numerous radio shows including The Lionel Show on Air America, The
Joey Reynolds Show on WOR, and The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC. In
addition, the film was featured on national television along with an interview on
The Dr. Nancy Show on MSNBC, as well as on RT Television, and Soling was
the featured guest on The Colbert Report. The film has been broadcast
internationally on The Sundance Channel and aired domestically on The
Documentary Channel.

Soling also produced and directed IKLAND, a film about a tribe in Northern
Uganda that had been described as the most despicable people on the planet by
the anthropologist who studied them over forty years ago. IKLAND won the
award for Best Documentary content at the Boston International Film Festival
and was released theatrically in June of 2012 where it received enthusiastic
reviews from The New York Times, Discovery Magazine, and from several
syndicated critics.

Soling wrote, directed, and produced the feature film, THE WAR ON THE WAR
ON DRUGS, winner of the best experimental feature film award at the New York
Independent Film and Video Festival, the Stoney Award for best documentary
from High Times, as well as the “Clear Creek” Honorable Mention Award at the
Winslow International Film Festival.

The New York Times proclaimed in a rave review that THE WAR ON THE WAR
ON DRUGS "...a lively and well-executed satire that sweetens its occasional
truths with rebellious humor..." The film was acquired for DVD distribution
worldwide through Time Warner by The Disinformation Company.

Want to understand what it takes to understand the film industry? Listen to this episode!  A distributor and a lawyer get together to create an independent film production company.  Leslie talks with Jonathan Hlibka and Ryan Keller about the transition into production and the high-wire act it takes to get a film made.

Jonathan Hibka & Ryan Keller

Seeing the world change so quickly on 911, I took a step back and focused on
developing music and writing for film. Around that time is actually when I met Ryan Keller. I
had seen how hard it was to get projects made so I quite literally jumped into producing music
videos, short films and selling clients commercials - while working full time. Quite literally
grinding every day. When we originally conceived of what is now Other Animal, Ryan and I
had been reading reams scripts. We were both looking for a raw story that we could get made
on a slim budget, in the hope that it could attract exceptional talent to support our vision.

Somewhere in the first 6 months, after countless scripts read and forgotten, I was on a
Megabus to Montreal going to get a smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz’s. Laptop open and
phone in hand, Ryan calls me and says “you need to read this script.” It was a draft of what
would become our first feature, Poor Agnes. The lead character Agnes, that Lora Burke went
on to play, tore her way through the pages with no mercy or remorse. I think I called him back in like 20 min of reading it and saying, ‘Fuck, I’ll put the money up, let’s get this made.”

I pulled the financing for the film from the commissions I’d retained in my indie
distribution company. I was selling indies to TV, VOD, and Theatrical, which in Canada means
begging 3 broadcasters to ‘just watch it’ and traveling from cinema to cinema convincing the
reluctant owners to book amazing films. When we premiered Poor Agnes, I remember distinctly the silences and gasps of the audience. Then the eruption of applause, the audience was completely taken. Going into Happy FKIN Sunshine, we weren’t looking to re-create Agnes, our goal was building on our vision. We were seeking out truly raw and authentic talent who could pour them selves into the story.

In a way, this episode is like a do-it-yourself guide to how to launch your career as a filmmaker.  Leslie speaks with Brenton Tyner Bryan about putting together funding for independent projects, establishing yourself as a filmmaker, finding the right crew, guerilla-style filming, finding a mentor, asking the right questions and much more. The lesson? Get out there and start, complete, learn the lessons and then do it again. This is a great episode.

Brenton Tyner Bryan

HOLLYWOOD - MAY 18, 2022 -- Multi-award winning director/actor/writer/choreographer
Breton Tyner-Bryan will present the Los Angeles premiere of her short film “Delusione” at the
25th Annual Dances With Films Festival, June 9-19, 2022.
Starring Breton Tyner-Bryan (Winner World London IFF, Madrid IFF, Barcelona IFF) and Emily
Ulrich (Other World), “Delusione” has been on the festival circuit at Paris International Short
Festival, New York International Women Festival, Bucharest Film Awards, Big Apple AGENTS
AND MANAGERS Lab, ASVOFF14 Paris, and La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival.
Described as “an examination of dissociation, as a means for survival and manipulation,” the
passionate and nuanced film follows the dancers as they explore an empty vintage hotel filled
with memories that probe the depths of their shared past, creating a mirage of illusion. The film
is an ethereal exploration of two characters entering and exiting one another’s lives.
“Delusione” has screened on the festival circuit including the French Riviera Film Festival May
2022, Stockholm Short Film Festival February 2022, Paris Short Film Festival December 2021,
Bucharest Film Awards December 2021, New York International Women’s Film Festival
December 2021, ASVO Film Festival Paris November 2021, Big Apple Film Festival Agents
and Managers Lab November 2021.
Additionally, Tyner-Bryan has two other films on the festival circuit this year: INVICTA
premiering at La Jolla IFF (nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Fashion Dance, Best
Score, Best Cast Ensemble) that will compete at Tokyo Shorts this month, and TIMELESS
LOVE that won 22 awards at Vegas Movie Awards including Best Director and Best Editor.

Are you looking for a class in how to write for stage and screen? This is the episode for you. Leslie speaks with writer and educator William Nedved on his life and process for writing and teaching writing.

About William:

I am a playwright, lyricist and screenwriter engaged with exploring the journeys that define us. I’m the co-founder of The Gift Theatre Company of Chicago, where I have premiered my plays Body + Blood (Jeff Recommended), Northwest Highway (2011 Steinberg American Theater Critics Association nomination), A Young Man in Pieces, and County Fair. 

I wrote the book and lyrics for Medusa: The Musical, with a score by composer and Project Runway winner Kentaro Kameyama, developed by the Tony Award-winning Deaf West Theatre at The Getty Villa in 2019. Our The Passion of McQueen, an opera based on life, death, and art of fashion visionary Alexander McQueen, played a sold-out concert at Pasadena’s Boston Court Theatre in 2019.

My play Closet Drama, or The Dick Pic of a Twink was featured in the 2018 LAMBDA Literary Fest in Los Angeles. I wrote and performed in the critically-acclaimed Fact & Fiction for the 2011 Hollywood Fringe Festival. My short play Kid was awarded “Best Production” at Collaboraction’s Sketchbook 2009. All Tomorrow’s Parties premiered at the 2002 Los Angeles Short Film Festival. Against the Grain was part of the 1997 Young Playwrights, Inc. Summer Festival. Fate, an original musical, was awarded the inaugural 1997 Leonard Bernstein ‘Learning through the Arts’ Interdisciplinary Scholarship through Scholastic, Inc.  The journey that defined me was the year I lived in Brazil as a Rotary International high school exchange student. 

Caroline Friend is fresh out of film school and already making waves in the industry.  In this episode, Leslie and Caroline discuss all things film and festivals.  You're gonna love it.

About Caroline:

Caroline Friend is an award-winning director and writer. Caroline earned her degree in Film Production and History from the University of Southern California. Her latest film, Under Darkness, was a finalist for the Student Academy Awards®, premiered at Telluride Film Festival, and won the Horizon Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Her work has been recognized by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Television Academy, as well as supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Adrienne Shelly Foundation, Panavision, and Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation. She continues to seek meaningful true stories to bring to audiences.

 TOP FESTIVALS & AWARDS:

Student Academy Awards® - Finalist, 2019

Telluride Film Festival - Official Selection, 2019

Sundance Film Festival - Horizon Award Winner for Directing, 2019

Director's Guild of America - Jury Award Winner for Student Film, 2019

Television Academy (Emmys) - College Awards - Best Drama Nominee, 2019

Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival American Pavilion - Best Student Film, 2020

Film Pittsburgh Presents: The Robinson International Short Film Competition - Award Winner 2020

Today, Leslie's guest is acclaimed actor, producer and writer Chris Mulkey! Leslie and Chris cover everything from his original music to Twin Peaks, , Captain Phillips, his most recent project "The World Without You", and how he's managed to have a career of such longevity and prestige. Do NOT miss this one.

About Chris Mulkey

Award-winning American actor, writer and director, Chris Mulkey has a long and diverse career in film, television and stage. Chris is best known for On the Basis of Sex (2018), Whiplash (2014), Captain Phillips (2013), Twin Peaks (1990), Castle Rock (2018), Broken Trail (2006), Any Day Now (1998) and Boardwalk Empire (2010).

Chris grew up in the Midwest, majored in acting at the University of Minnesota and spent four years as a company member of the Children's Theatre of Minneapolis. While in Minnesota, Chris starred in Loose Ends (1975), the Grand Prize winner at the USA film Festival. Chris moved to Hollywood 1975, married actress/artist Karen Landry and they moved to Venice Beach. The couple wrote and starred in Patti Rocks (1988), an independent film that won the Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival. Chris and Karen often worked together in film and on stage in LA, New York, and the Twin Cities.

Chris is also a songwriter with original songs featured in films and television and can be seen playing around the country with his band Chris Mulkey and Deluxe.

Co-writing and film-making is a tricky business in Hollywood today which is why Leslie spoke with the team of writer/filmmaker Jacob Withers and writer/director/editor/composer Justin Norman.

Jacob has over a decade of writing experience and four years of filmmaking experience.  During those four years Jacob has worked on several short films, including seven award-winning shorts: Admission, winner of Best Film at the 48 Hour Film Project Des Moines (2018); Subtext, Runner Up Best Film at the 48 Hour Film Project Des Moines (2019); Cope, Runner Up Best film at the 48 Hour Film Project Kansas City (2019); A Negotiation, winner of Best Director and Best Score at the 48 Hour Film Project Kansas City (2020); Be Happy, winner of Best Film and Best Writing at the 48 Hour Film Project Minneapolis (2021); Flour & Eggs, winner of Best Writing at the 48 Hour Film Project Milwaukee (2021); and Enjoy Your Evening, winner of Best Director at the Great Canadian Comedy Film Festival. He has also co-written five feature screenplays, including Roy of Sealand, which scored in the top 4.8% of entries on The Black List, and TubeLords, which was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Iowa Arts Council. He worked as a director of photography for the Elison music video “Hopes + Horoscopes” and the interactive film-based video game, In Lukewarm Blood. He also has experience as an editor, sound editor (Welcome to a Better You and TubeLords), and sound recordist.

Justin is a Des Moines-based award-winning writer, director, videographer, editor, producer, animator, actor, visual effects artist, and music composer with a decade of film experience creating advertisements, narrative short films, television pilots, and documentaries. As an editor, he has won seven Best Editing awards in competitions across four states in three different genres: comedy, drama, and documentary. As a director and producer, he has helmed over 60 short films, a feature documentary, and a comedy TV pilot. In 2020, he won a Greenlight Grant from the Iowa Arts Council, won the 2021 Best Director award from the Great Canadian Comedy Film Festival, and won the 2018 Best Director award from the 48 Hour Film Project.

As a videographer, he has shot footage for more than 70 productions, including advertisements, documentaries, narratives, and television series, including the 2020 PBS series American Portrait, the award-winning 2019 documentary The Happiness Machine, and the 2021 Frontmen series which aired in the UK.

He has written more than 60 produced short films and co-written five feature screenplays and two television pilots. His 2020 dramedy, Roy of Sealand, was ranked in the top 4.8% of all scripts on The Black List, and was featured as one of the top 10 scripts of the week.

Leslie talks with her guest Ana Tuazon Parsons about moving with her single mom from the Philippines all the way to Hollywood. Ana has appeared in projects such as Adam Ruins Everything, Dexter, Sherlock Holmes, the Asian That Didn't  etc..., but may be best known as a theatre actor and stage comedian. Ana also discusses her writing background and storytelling style which has taken her on many incredible journeys and opened up all sorts of opportunities.

Today Leslie speaks with Actress and Acting Coach Kadina De Elejalde about how to transform and live inside a character. Next they discuss auditioning for major roles vs. supporting roles, auditioning with  self tapes, the intimacy of film, casting during Covid,  Kadina's specific coaching process.  If you're an actor then this is your episode.