A filmmaker is joining the podcast today! That’s Ava Maria Safai, the director behind the 2023 body horror short film “ZIP” and the 2025 horror movie Foreigner. Arthur was fortunate enough to discover her through “ZIP,” which you can find on YouTube thanks to ALTER’s platform for terrifying and imaginative horror media. Appreciation for Final Destination, using “ZIP” to call for the liberation of Iranian women, Ava’s music background, pinpointing the right horror-comedy balance, and the importance of being grateful and supportive to your film crew emerge as some of the topics for this conversation.

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Ava’s Good Word: Coraline, Requiem for a Dream, DAHLIA by Christian Laurian, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Boroughs, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, Dance Moms, Outlast, Little Fires Everywhere, Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, Carrie, Holy Spider, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and Telefilm Talent to Watch

Reach out at [email protected] if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello!

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