First Time Go

Welcome to spooky season in this re-release of my conversation with filmmaker Hoku Uchiyama.

Published last year while he was crowdfunding for WHITCH, we talk about:

• his filmmaking in the Bay Area starting when he was around 10;
• his new project, a horror comedy short;
• his fantastic team and whether you could put together such a cool group of people if you were a horrible person (his answer: probably not);
• behavior standards in indie film, the constraints and excitements of a five minute project, and more.

Links:

Hoku Uchiyama's Website

Hoku Uchiyama's Instagram

WHITCH

Photo By Victor Giovanny Parra

Be prepared to get a bill from The New School after this episode -- it's an hour with Vlad Nikolić, dean of the School of Media Studies at The New School.

In this episode we talk about:

• how he got started in filmmaking and his advice for new students ("make something every day"; "watch films every day");
• what the average day is like as dean of media studies at The New School;
• can all indie filmmakers be teachers?
• how does he feel about gen z as filmmakers? he talks about the ethos of The New School;
• would he recommend film school?;
• how does The New School handle admissions? what would his advice be for a potential applicant?;
• are students fearless enough? I talk about the boundary pushing of filmmakers like Christian Kamaal;
• the importance of nuance in filmmaking;
• shout out to the brilliant Hannah Fidell;
• the career progression for film school graduates -- working as a PA or starting their own YouTube channel?
• discussing the differences between NY and LA for independent film;
• what's next for him? he's excited about AI; the equipment isn't as important as the story.

Apologies to Will Mustin -- he's shooting in 16mm, not 35.

Links:

Vladan Nikolic Biography

This is a re-release of my discussion with Ross McDonnell. His film, SWIFT JUSTICE, is up for a News & Doc Emmy in Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary. The awards will be revealed live on September 26, 2024.

Ross died on November 5, 2023. His co-director, Victor Blue, writes movingly about his work. Later on this year, I'll post an episode remembering Ross and the legacy of independent filmmakers.

In this episode, I talk with Ross McDonnell, co-director of the new documentary short, SWIFT JUSTICE, about Sharia justice in Afghanistan.

Ross and I discuss:

• how he got started in filmmaking;
• whether some people are just built for the visual arts;
• the gear behind making a film like SWIFT JUSTICE and how they went about filming "without understanding what was happening in realtime"
• the importance of Christmas movies in Ireland and W.B. Yeats;
• never-ending praise for editors and the New Yorker's prowess in the documentary realm;
• what's next for the documentary field.

Ross' Indie Film Highlight: Jonathan Glazer; Wong Kar-wai; Spize Jonze; Chris Cunningham; Floria Sigismondi; Chris Doyle; Lance Acord

Links:

SWIFT Justice Film

Watch The News & Doc Emmys Live On September 26, 2024

You can see the artistic talent of Christian Kamaal in the vivid way he describes his life -- he borrowed a camera from his father, who used it to film funerals for his community ("unfortunately, in the city I come from, a lot of funerals"); his power of observation earned him a spot at USC's film school; and he utilized his power of observation, of visual artistry, to make BLACKIFIER, a powerful short that hits you with more thoughts about our world than most features. And that's only half of it. In this episode,

• we talk about the reaction of BLACKIFIER at film festivals;
• why people don't pursue controversial social topics;
• how he thinks we can change festivals to hear more diverse stories ("it starts at the top") and stresses the importance of ownership of your own stories;
• his thoughts on AI in filmmaking;
• are there enough films programs at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)?
• and what this extraordinarily talented filmmaker is working on next.

Christian's Indie Film Highlight: Letia Solomon

Links:

Christian Kamaal’s Website

American Black Film Festival

This is what you have to give to be successful in indie films: everything.

I'm so proud to share my conversation with So Young Shelly Yo at the start of her Los Angeles theatrical run with SMOKING TIGERS. The film won the AT&T Tribeca "Untold Stories" competition in 2022 and after it screens in LA, it will stream on MAX starting August 23, 2024. Expect it to show up in indie awards season.

In this episode, we talk about how she got started in film; the deeply personal nature of SMOKING TIGERS; what it's like to be a Korean-American filmmaker and how she shares that experience with colleagues; her thoughts on representation and if she's okay with people labeling this as a Korean film rather than specifically a Korean-American or coming of age story. This is such an important topic and she speaks so eloquently on it.

And Shelly concludes by turning expectations around in this interview — you don’t need to rush into your next project, you don’t need to be on Instagram and it’s okay to think deeply about your next project.

Wow.

Shelly's Indie Film Highlight: WHEN THIS SUMMER IS OVER (2024) dir. by Jang Byung-ki; SHORT VACATION (2020) dir. by Kwon Min-pyo; PAPER MARRIAGE (2024) dir. by Jeff Man

Links:

SMOKING TIGERS tickets

So Young Shelly Yo Biography

SMOKING TIGERS Instagram

MUBI (we love you, MUBI)

JEONJU International Film Festival

Filmmaker Hyejin "Grace" Park has such incredible range as an indie filmmaker: she's directed everything from sci-fi to gangster films and made them her own in a way that's utterly enchanting and unique. Her Vimeo page is a testament to her range as a filmmaker.

In this episode, we discuss how she got started in filmmaking; her goal of making sure minority filmmakers feel seen; how life experiences have made her a better filmmaker; the depth of the story behind her genre-breaking film COMET ORPHAN; what made her decide to use Seed & Spark for the film ("we were way short because we had to built a spaceship"); where you can expect to see the film; and what's next for Grace.

If there's a Grace Park fan club, I'm the first member. Go to her Vimeo and see for yourself. It's truly incredible what she's accomplished and I cannot wait to see what's next.

Grace's Indie Film Highlight: Christian Kamaal

Links:

Grace Park's Vimeo Page

Meet Hyejin "Grace" Park

Hyejin "Grace" Park's Website

After listening to all five finalists of the Bloomberg Green Docs, be honest -- there's no way you can tell who won. They are all that good. In part 1, I talked to the judges and today, you'll hear from the five finalists.

• LIFE WITH BATS by David Luff
• CLIMATE DIARIES: HEATHER'S STORY by Berit Anderson and Ali Scattergood
• FINDING HOME by Maria Stanisheva
• GROVE OF GIANTS by Bree Sanders
• SAVING GLACIERS by Ciril Jazbec

And you'll hear who won. But as David Luff says, they all won by being a part of this process. Thanks again to Bloomberg Climate for helping make these interviews happen.

Links:

Bloomberg Green Docs

This week is all about the Bloomberg Green Docs festival, held in Seattle on July 12, 2024. Thanks to Bloomberg Climate, especially Emily Anton and Courtney J. Boland, I interviewed most of the judges and all of the five finalists.

Taken altogether, they paint a picture of where the industry is going in regards to climate documentaries; how nonprofits are changing views through both narrative and documentary filmmaking; the secrets to success in a tough industry; and what they were looking for from the five finalists.

I've broken down the interviews into two episodes: the first is with the judges and the second with the finalists. Maybe you've read who won, but if you haven't, I urge you to go on a ride with me this week and wait till the end of part 2 to see who takes home the $25,000.

In this episode, I talk with:

• Aaron Rutkoff, Executive Editor, Bloomberg Green
• Will N. Miller, Producer, The Territory & Co-founder, Documist
• Jill Tidman, Executive Director, The Redford Center
• Lindsay Firestone, Film & Special Content Projects Lead, Bloomberg Philanthropies

In part 2, I'll talk with the five finalist teams:

• CLIMATE DIARIES: HEATHER'S STORY by Berit Anderson and Ali Scattergood
• FINDING HOME by Maria Stanisheva
• GROVE OF GIANTS by Bree Sanders
• LIFE WITH BATS by David Luff
• SAVING GLACIERS by Ciril Jazbec

Links:

Bloomberg Green Docs

The Redford Center

A Louisiana Story (the 1948 film Lindsay Firestone references)

Go buy ANCHORAGE on VHS Now

I’m re-releasing one of my favorite episodes of the pod, my conversation with Scott Monahan, director of ANCHORAGE.

Until July 18th, you can vote for ANCHORAGE on Decentralized Pictures — here's the link — and their team can win $2500 for their next project.

Given that this is one of my favorite episodes, and one of my favorite dudes, how could I not re-release to support?

So go vote for ANCHORAGE now. (This is assuming you've seen this great indie film. If you haven't, what are you waiting for?)

Scott is a phenomenal actor, sure, but I feel like the kindness is genuine.

Enjoy this episode, it’s one of my absolute favorites, and see you in Anchorage.

In this episode, we talk about Scott growing up with his U.S. Marine-turned middle school guidance counselor family in Japan to crowdfunding for ANCHORAGE at the beginning of the pandemic. We talk about his journey through the film festival circuit and distribution; Film Independent's role in independent film, the multi-hatting necessary for so many independent filmmakers, Scott's larger philosophy in what projects he chooses to be a part of, and what he wants to do next.

Go vote on Decentralized Pictures, and I hope you enjoy revisiting my conversation with one of indie film's good guys: Scott Monahan.

Scott's Indie Filmmaker Highlight: Pete Ohs

Links:

Vote now for ANCHORAGE

Watch ANCHORAGE

ANCHORAGE Movie Instagram

Scott Monahan's Instagram

Dakota Loesch's Instagram

Translating life to art and art to life is the subject of my discussion with Venezuelan director, screenwriter, film producer, and Golden Lion recipient Lorenzo Vigas.

There's just something about Lorenzo's deeply moving films -- he refers to his three feature films as a trilogy about fathers and sons -- that makes a viewer think more deeply about...well, more deeply about everything. And the same thoughtfulness you see in his films is on full display here: his thoughts on film school and film festivals; tackling hard issues in service of art; the state of film in Latin America; and what's next for this extraordinarily talented filmmaker.

Lorenzo's Indie Film Highlight: Gustavo Rondon Cordova (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2271584/)

Links:

Lorenzo Vigas' IMDb (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1729237/)

Watch THE BOX on Mubi (https://mubi.com/en/us/films/the-box-2021-lorenzo-vigas)

Five Films That Inspired My Career (https://aframe.oscars.org/what-to-watch/post/lorenzo-vigas-five-films-that-inspired-my-career)