What does it take to sustain a film career across vastly different genres? Director David Mackenzie sits down to discuss his evolution, from his early independent Scottish films (Young Adam, Red Road, Perfect Sense) to major studio productions. We focus on his signature style: building intense, character-driven narratives under extreme pressure. David shares insights into the filmmaking behind his new thriller, Relay, including how he captured the paranoia of corporate espionage, the creative freedom of his production company Sigma Films, casting and working with Riz Ahmed and Lily James and the challenges of directing a character who relies entirely on anonymity.

David Mackenzie’s Relay is a tense, modern thriller starring Riz Ahmed as Ash, an elite, off-the-grid 'fixer' who brokers secret payoffs between corrupt corporations and whistleblowers. Ash maintains absolute anonymity by communicating exclusively through a telephone relay service for the deaf, never meeting his clients. The system is threatened when his latest client, scientist Sarah Grant (Lily James), forces him to break his strict rules, pulling him into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game against corporate assassins and risking the exposure of his entire operation.

Relay is OUT this FRIDAY.

David Mackenzie, Relay, filmmaking craft, director interview, genre-bending, Starred Up, character-driven storytelling, Independent film, Sigma Films.

Links

FILM MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION Filmmaking Book - Jonathan Sadler https://www.amazon.co.uk/Film-Marketing-Distribution-Independent-Filmmakers/dp/085730612X

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CREDITS

The Filmmakers Podcast is written and produced by Giles Alderson @gilesalderson

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