This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob sits down with renowned screenwriter and director, Alex Garland. Over the last 20 years, Garland’s films, including 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and Ex Machina, have helped him stand out as a fresh voice in the crowded landscape of modern science fiction. His latest film, Annihilation, starring Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac, and adapted from Jeff Vandermeer’s best selling novel, is in theaters now.

Garland discusses how J.G. Ballard and Stanley Kubrick got him hooked on science fiction, how he comes up with and researches such complex ideas, and why he doesn’t see his films as prescient, but rather catching up with the obvious.

He also talks about his unconventional approach to adapting Annihilation, how he conceived of the legendary Ex Machina dance scene, and which film in his catalogue he wishes he’d done differently.