Filmmaker Mixer

What happens when a mother's extraordinary story of survival becomes a legacy carried through music? On this episode of Filmmaker Mixer, we sit down with internationally acclaimed concert pianist and author Mona Golabek and director Josh Aronson to discuss Hold On To Your Music- A Mother's Legacy, a deeply moving documentary about family, survival, and the enduring power of music.The film tells the remarkable story of Mona's mother, Lisa Jura, a young Jewish pianist who escaped Nazi-occupied Vienna in 1938 through the Kindertransport. We explore how the filmmakers brought this personal history to life through archival footage, music, storytelling, and intimate family memories. We also discuss the creative challenges of adapting a story that has already been told through books and theater into a compelling documentary.For documentary filmmakers and independent creators, this conversation offers insight into historical storytelling, working with archival material, emotional storytelling, and finding the cinematic language to bring a personal story to a wider audience.

Writers and directors Will Crouse and Ashley Crowe join Filmmaker Mixer to discuss their short film The First Date, a tender and playful story about two women who meet at a bar and embark on an unforgettable first date. Starring Ashley Crowe and Alex Nolen, the film explores vulnerability, courage, connection, and what happens when two people take a chance on each other.

Will and Ashley discuss how a personal experience became the foundation for the screenplay, developing authentic characters and chemistry, collaborating as writer-directors, directing while acting, and the practical challenges of making their first film together. 

What do Woody Guthrie, the Dust Bowl, Jewish culture and Hanukkah songs have in common? More than you might imagine. In this episode of the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast, writer and director Steven Pressman joins us to discuss his documentary Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie, exploring the fascinating and often overlooked influence Jewish culture had on the legendary American songwriter.We talk about uncovering forgotten history, researching archival material, shaping a documentary around an unexpected cultural connection, and the creative decisions involved in bringing a historical figure's lesser-known story to life. For documentary filmmakers, this is a conversation about research, storytelling, visual choices, and finding a fresh perspective on a familiar subject.Subscribe to the Filmmaker Mixer for conversations with the filmmakers behind the stories.

What does it take to design costumes for a story that jumps across alternate realities? On this episode of Filmmaker Mixer, costume designer Valerie Klarich takes us behind the scenes of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, the genre-bending Big Bang Theory spinoff from Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, and Zak Penn. The series combines sitcom comedy with sci-fi, fantasy, alternate realities, and returning characters—and Klarich's costume work helps define each world.Valerie breaks down the creative and practical decisions behind the costumes, including character identity, genre, collaboration with production design and other departments, and the challenges of designing for a constantly changing universe. Filmmakers and film students will get a look at how costume design functions as visual storytelling—not simply wardrobe.Watch Stuart Fails to Save the Universe on HBO Max, and subscribe to Filmmaker Mixer for more conversations about how films and television are actually made.

What does it take to create the visual world of a film? On this episode of Filmmaker Mixer, director of photography Adam Carboni joins us to discuss Best of the Best and the creative decisions behind bringing a story to life through cinematography.

We explore camera, lighting, visual storytelling, collaboration with the director, and the practical challenges cinematographers face on set. Whether you're an aspiring DP, an indie filmmaker, or a film enthusiast curious about how movies are made, this conversation offers insights you can apply to your own projects.

Subscribe to Filmmaker Mixer for more conversations with filmmakers about the craft, creativity, and challenges of making films.

How does a screenwriter move from film into comics and children's books? On this episode of Filmmaker Mixer, author and Oak Tree Comics founder Josh Oaktree talks about his journey from earning an MFA in screenwriting at the American Film Institute to creating books including Thorn the Unicorn, The Weird Animal Hour, and the Art & Oakie Ask series.

Josh also discusses character development, visual storytelling, writing for younger audiences, and the creative decisions involved in building stories across different mediums. Filmmakers and writers will get practical insight into adapting ideas, developing characters, and recognizing the right medium for a story.

What happens when a classic Western showdown turns into an absurd comedy about two men who can't escape each other? Writer and director Nicholas Arioli joins the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast to discuss The Stalemate, his feature directorial debut starring Ben Foster, Manny Jacinto, Fiona Shaw, and an outstanding ensemble cast.We explore the creative decisions behind reinventing the Western, developing visual comedy, directing first-time feature productions, working with accomplished actors, and balancing absurd humor with the emotional themes of loneliness, friendship, and people caught in larger systems. Nicholas shares insights into translating a distinctive screenplay into a feature film and discovering his voice as a director.

The Stalemate made its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival on Friday, October 30, 2026, at 9:30 PM at the State Theatre.Subscribe to Filmmaker Mixer for conversations with the filmmakers, writers, directors, cinematographers, editors, and creative professionals who bring movies to life.

Director Rebecca J. Matthews joins the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast to discuss Wuthering Heights: House of the Damned, her supernatural horror reimagining of Emily Brontë’s classic novel. We talk about transforming Catherine and Heathcliff’s obsessive relationship into a horror story, creating the mythology of Catherine’s vengeful ghost, and building the isolated, storm-battered world of Wuthering Heights.

Rebecca also takes us behind the filmmaking process—from adapting recognizable source material and directing performances to creating atmosphere, controlling suspense, and solving the practical challenges of bringing gothic horror to the screen. Filmmakers will get an inside look at the creative decisions behind the film and the realities of making an ambitious genre adaptation.

Wuthering Heights: House of the Damned is available on Digital and On Demand October 16, 2026 from Saban Films.

How do you shoot a short film in New York and finish it in Brazil? On this episode of the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast, Brazilian filmmakers Niccola and Maximilion Civita break down the creative and technical journey behind PLAN B, a 17-minute period dark comedy set in late-1990s New York.

The filmmakers discuss creating a story about a small-time mushroom dealer and his pregnant girlfriend, balancing comedy with impending parenthood, and collaborating with Pródigo Filmes, Confraria de Sons e Charutos, and composer João Erbetta during post-production in São Paulo. 

PLAN B has its world premiere at the 33rd Austin Film Festival, screening Sunday, November 1 at 12:50 PM and Wednesday, November 4 at 3:00 PM at Galaxy Theater. Filmmakers will learn about cross-border collaboration, camera department experience, creative problem-solving, and the realities of bringing an independent film from production through post.

What does it take to shoot a fight sequence on Super 16 film in Tokyo? On this episode of Filmmaker Mixer, co-directors James Beaufort and Sean Walker take us behind the scenes of They Loved Us the Most, a 14-minute action thriller filmed with a three-person camera unit and Japanese stunt team.

James Beaufort, co-writer of Netflix's War Machine, and Sean Walker, a veteran video operator whose credits include Mad Max: Fury Road, Rogue Nation, and Solo, discuss choreographing action around short film rolls, managing takes and slates, collaborating across languages, and balancing cinematic ambition with practical production constraints. Learn what independent filmmakers can take away from their approach—and why they would consider shooting action on film again.

They Loved Us the Most has its U.S. premiere at the 2026 Austin Film Festival, screening in Shorts Program 7 on November 1 and November 3. Check the festival schedule for screening details.