Intermission

Episode 96

John-Michael’s path to the director’s chair has a lot of interesting stops along the way. In a pre–Funny or Die era, he cut his teeth editing comedy shorts for Jerry Zucker’s National Banana before going on to shape indies like Women Is Losers (SXSW/HBO), Obselidia (Sundance), and It Happened in L.A. (Sundance). He won an Emmy for editing Netflix’s American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing and made his directing debut with The Send-Off, which won the Audience Award at Jeff Nichols’ Filmland festival.

Violent Ends from IFC lands in theaters exclusively on October 31

https://www.fandango.com/violent-ends-2025-242886/movie-overview

https://www.violentends.movie/

Episode 95

Micheline Pitt is a multi-disciplinary artist renowned for her work as a fashion designer, artist, animator, and advocate for sexual assault survivors as a member of RAINN National Leadership Council. Pitt was recognized as an LA Weekly Person of the Year in 2020, and named Allure Magazine's top 10 Gothic Beauty Icons. Her breakout directorial and writing debut is her short film Grummy made along side her creative partner and husband R.H. Norman. The Normans' short films have screened in Academy Award-qualifying film festivals and their feature scripts have placed in the finals of high profile competitions including Final Draft's Big Break Contest, Shore Scripts, Screencraft, and others.

R.H. Norman is an independent writer, director, and editor whose work includes Afghanistan War drama, "Hajji", starring Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead) and Dayo Okeniyi (Hunger Games), and "Gusano", a short film written and directed by R.H. under Werner Herzog's supervision in Cuba. He also works alongside his filmmaking partner & wife, Micheline Pitt.⁠www.MichelinePitt.com

https://www.instagram.com/rh.norman/

https://www.instagram.com/michelinepitt/?hl=en

Episode 94

Abel Ferrara, director of the cult classic films Bad Lieutenant, King of New York, and Dangerous Game, offers an unflinching look at his life, career, and the gritty world of independent cinema with his new memoir, SCENE.
Throughout his five-decade career, film director Abel Ferrara—now in his seventies—has been one of cinema’s most provocative and critically revered figures. Since beginning as an independent filmmaker in Manhattan in the early 1970s—before “indie films” were a genre—and refining his craft as a director for the TV show Miami Vice, he has directed more than thirty feature films, most notably the cult classics Bad Lieutenant, King of New York, and Dangerous Game.

His work, often controversial for its depictions of sex, violence, and drugs, has been praised for its sincerity and depth, with critics noting that his films take spirituality and morality more seriously than most films do. In Scene, Ferrara opens up about the inspiration for his creativity detailing his dramatic life journey, from his rough upbringing in the 1950s Bronx to reaching the pinnacle of his career while struggling with addiction. This memoir is not just a recounting of his life but a manifesto on what it means to be a true artist—one who refuses to compromise and continues to create boundary-pushing work.

Episode 93

GG Hawkins (she/her) is a writer-director and podcaster from the Bay Area. She tells stories that explore the dark side of the female experience and millennial ennui. Her directorial debut I Really Love My Husband had its world premiere at the 2025 SXSW festival and was released in theaters September 2025. It will be available to stream digitally on Nov. 4, 2025.

"I Really Love My Husband" Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knI2g3s5_q4

GG’s podcast - “No Film School”https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-no-film-school-podcast/id1078804724

GG's websitehttps://www.gghawkins.com/

Episode 92

Lauren's Instagram

Rhythm is a Dancer Instagram

Episode 91

Emerging genre filmmaker Mercedes Bryce Morgan doesn't shy away from bold intense storytelling which is evident by her previous films Fixation and Snatchers. October 3 she returns with Bone Lake—a seductive and darkly hilarious horror-thriller being released by Bleecker Street. The film follows a couple’s romantic lakeside escape that takes a sinister turn when they’re forced to share the estate with an alluring and mysterious pair.

What begins as an idyllic getaway quickly spirals into a nightmarish tangle of sex, lies, and manipulation, as buried secrets surface and a deadly game of survival unfolds. With razor-sharp tension, unsettling humor, and Morgan’s signature psychological edge, Bone Lake explores desire, power, and trust with a uniquely twisted lens.

Mercedes's Instagram

Episode 90

The Man in My Basement is now playing in theaters, and on Hulu and Disney+ September 26

https://www.instagram.com/herrdirector/

https://www.instagram.com/themaninmybasementmovie/

Nadia Latif is a Sudanese-British theatre and film director who has built an impressive body of work. Nadia trained at RADA under British theatre director, Bill Gaskill and 2019 was selected as one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow and was a Sundance Screenwriters Lab Fellow in 2020.

Nadia’s feature film directorial debut, THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT, based on the Walter Mosley novel by the same name will be released this year. The film stars Corey Hawkins as Charles Blakey, an African American man living in Sag Harbor about to lose his ancestral home when a peculiar white businessman, portrayed by Willem Dafoe, offers to rent his basement for the summer. The film received its World Premiere at TIFF this month and will release in cinemas in the US and UK on 12th September and on Disney + / HULU on 26th September.

Next year, Nadia will direct the stage adaptation of Babak Anvari’s film UNDER THE SHADOW at the Almeida Theatre starring Leila Farzad and Carmen Nasr.

Episode 89

Manny, or as he's known on TikTok, "MoviesWithManny," is a self-described ADHD riddled film lover. His work as a child actor in northeast Ohio fueled a deep love of the medium at a very young age until he morphed into a writer/director, who has now directed over 11 eye-popping short films and has written over 8 feature screenplays. Check out his films (if you dare) on his ⁠website⁠. You can stay connected with the eccentric film freak on his ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Letterboxd⁠, and ⁠TikTok.

Viola Odette Harlow, singer and writer of Glüme, was born and raised in Los Angeles underneath the Hollywood sign. As a child actor, dancer, and singer, she got her start early on Broadway at the age of 6. She grew up leading a life fit for a film; full of magic and tragedy. After being diagnosed with Prinzmetal disease, she found a lane of her own while recording music at home. Her sophomore album featured collaborations with Rufus Wainwright, Sean Ono Lennon, STRFKR, and Of Montreal. After writing her third album “Porn Star” she dove headfirst into making musicals and intends to continue indefinitely.

Episode 88

Billie JD Porter is a British journalist and documentary filmmaker. Her most recent project, It's Different For Girls - follows scientists on a quest to bring male contraceptive methods to market, uncovering the systemic hurdles and ingrained misogyny behind the delays.

www.itsdifferentforgirls.com / www.billiejdporter.com

Episode 87

TRUST will be available on Digital on Friday, September 19th

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