Film Forward

We ring in the year 2021 with a bang! Bing Liu joins us to discuss his Academy Award Nominated film Minding the Gap which gets a Criterion Collection release on January 12th.

Bing and host Nicholas Ybarra discuss the making of the documentary and what it was like to put Bing’s own life and experiences into the film. We also talk about what went into building the Criterion Collection special features.

** GIVEAWAY ** - Film Forward is giving away a Criterion Collection Blu Ray of Minding the Gap.

Click on this link to enter: https://kingsumo.com/g/1pmhqa/minding-the-gap-criterion-collection-blu-ray

Through this link you’ll find other ways earn more entries. Good luck!

Film Forward returns with another one of our patented Gimme Three episodes. Given the unprecedented year that this was, we decided to theme this episode; Gimme Three: Films that Embody 2020.

Joining us to tackle this deep prompt is Mr. David Chiu; writer, director, cinephile and close friend of the the podcast.

David and host, Nicholas Ybarra each provide three recommendations of films that they feel epitomize the whirlwind year of 2020. The pair suggest films that address political strife, racial injustice, the pandemic and how the human condition reacts to it all.

It’s been a hard year for all of us. This podcast will not provide the answers on how we move forward. But our goal is that this podcast can offer some insight, perspective, and perhaps even some hope. If nothing else, this podcast will provide you with some epic movies to watch.

Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults is a thorough examination of the infamous UFO cult through the eyes of its former members and loved ones. What started in 1975 with the disappearance of 20 people from a small town in Oregon, ended in 1997 with the largest suicide on US soil and changed the face of modern new age religion forever.

Director Clay Tweel and producer Shannon Riggs join us to discuss the intricacies of their documentary and what they took away from this fascinating examination of the human mind.

Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults is available to stream now on HBO MAX.

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe, comment and share our podcast with your friends.

We return with another installment of our famous Gimme Three episodes. This month, Film Forward explores the theme “Animal Heroes.” As we approach the holiday season - we wanted to pay respects to our non-human friends, show them some love and maybe think twice about what we put on our plates at Thanksgiving dinner.

Our guest is Asher Brown. Asher is a director, producer, the founder of CEO of PollutionTV and the co-founder of the non-profit, Switch4Good. He is also an animal rights activist and a champion for Veganism (don't worry, he loves non-vegans too).

Asher and host, Nicholas Ybarra do a deep dive on their favorite films with animal protagonists.

We also debut a new segment during our break: LADFF Festival Director gives us Sonja’s Movie Minute.

Follow Asher on Instagram: @smasherbrown

Follow Nicholas on Instagram: @nicholasybarra

Follow LADFF/Film Forward on Instagram: @ladiversityfilmfest

Follow LADFF on Twitter: @LADFF

We conclude our coverage of the 2020 New Orleans Film Festival with a documentary about the rise and fall of the infamous Six Flags New Orleans. The film is Closed for Storm. The director is Jake Williams.

Jake joins us on Film Forward to discuss his infatuation with Six Flags New Orleans and what it was like to step foot on the abaondoned park for the first time. The film is both powerful and informative.

As always Jake partakes in our Gimme Three segment, providing us with three film recommendations of work that inspired him and his career.

You can see Closed of Storm at the New Orleans Film Festival until Nov. 22nd.

For tickets, visit: https://neworleansfilmsociety.org

To stay up to date with the film, visit: https://www.closedforstorm.com

We are honored to be joined by Maia Lekow and Christopher King, the directors of the breathtaking documentary The Letter.

The Letter follows Karisa who travels from Mombasa back to his rural home when he finds out that his grandmother has been accused of witchcraft. It turns out the threats and accusations aimed at his grandmother are coming from his own family members.

The Letter has been selected as the official Kenyan submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Feature.

You can watch this gripping film at the New Orleans Film Festival until November 22nd. Visit https://neworleansfilmsociety.org for tickets.

To stay up to date on all things Film Forward, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Instagram at @ladiversityfilmfest

Follow The filmmakers of The Letter on IG:

@maialekow or at @the.letter.film

This week’s episode of Film Forward highlights the gripping short documentary Do Not Split, which puts audiences in the middle of the intense Hong Kong protests that took place in 2019.

We are joined by the film’s director Anders Hammer as he takes us through his filmmaking process and the importance of social awareness in documentaries.

As always, our guest partakes in our segment Gimme Three. Mr. Hammer provides the audience with three incredible recommendations.

You can watch Do Not Split at the New Orleans Film Festival, available until November 22nd. Visit https://neworleansfilmsociety.org for tickets.

Follow Anders Hammer at:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andersshammer/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anders.hammer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/andershammer

Website: www.andershammer.com

Website: https://fieldofvision.org

Throughout the month of November we will be highlighting some incredible documentaries from the stacked New Orleans Film Festival. 

To kick off the month, we talk with Zandashé Brown, the festival’s programming manager & arts development coordinator. 

Zandashé and host, Nicholas Ybarra compare notes as festival programmers. They discuss the importance of inclusion and diversity, and how their festivals have responded and pivoted in the age of Covid. 

We also discuss one of Zandashé’s films, Blood Runs Down, a chilling southern-gothic short. 

You can watch that film on her website at: http://www.zandashe.com

To purchase tickets to the New Orleans Film Festival, visit: https://neworleansfilmsociety.org

This episode of Film Forward features the writer, director and star of the new film, Good, Mr. Justin Etheredge.

Good is follows Payton, who becomes the caretaker of Gregory Devereaux, a wealthy man facing his final months. As they become close, Gregory's past sins force Payton to decide between his dreams and a pregnancy that could squander them all.

As always, our guests join us in our segment Gimme Three, where they hook us up with 3 film recommendations of films that have inspired them and inspired their work.

Good will be available to view at the Austin Film Festival from October 22nd - 29th. Visit AustinFilmFestival.com for tickets.

This episode of Film Forward features the documentarian Lucas Millard, co-director of the new film, Baato.

Baato is follows Mikma and her family as they travel by foot from their village deep in the Himalaya of Nepal to sell local medicinal plants in urban markets. This year, construction of a new highway to China has begun in their roadless valley, and things are never going to be the same.

As always, our guests join us in our segment Gimme Three, where they hook us up with 3 film recommendations of films that have inspired them and inspired their work.

Baato will be available to view at the Austin Film Festival from October 23rd - 25th. Visit AustinFilmFestival.com for tickets.