Borrowing the title of the satirical classic by LEGENDARY filmmaker, Robert Townsend, to break down how we watch more original films and support independent filmmakers! 

Now this episode is going to look a little different. We’re taking a short break between honoring Black directors for a second to talk about something that’s been on my mind for quite some time. Hollywood continues to play in our faces when it comes to original stories. If we really love films and we really want more original stories, that means doing a little more work on our part. (Just a little!) And I’m going to take you through that right now.

Please let me know in the comments if you want more videos like this! If so, you have to let me know! 

As per usual, you can find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Threads. You can also visit ourvoicesproject.com for more information about what we do. Support the indie filmmaker you’re listening to right now by signing up for our newsletter on our website to be the first to get notifications about new podcast episodes, upcoming community screenings and panel discussions, and new film projects!  

nUPpZf2WG1T7mfoSSQ6R

Mentioned in this episode:

Joe Bean Roasters

Joe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone.

Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

Hello pod! We are midway into Women’s History Month or as I’m calling it, BLACK Women’s History Month! We’re continuing our series giving our flowers to Black Directors!

Tonight’s episode is about Nia DaCosta, the director behind The Marvels, Hedda, the 2021 remake of the horror classic, Candyman, Little Woods, and a recent release, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Our guest tonight, from our Sinners: Black AF and Oscars Reactions episodes, is Brianna Milon, a published author, communications professional and model who blends creativity and connection in everything she does. With a background in media, public relations, and storytelling, she’s passionate about using her voice and presence to inspire and uplift others.

You can follow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/suunnybri

Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button and if you liked tonight’s episode, please give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you liked the most! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, & Threads.

Visit ourvoicesproject.com and sign up for our newsletter for more information about what we do. We’ll be handing flowers to another Black woman director who we should be talking about. Of course, you won’t know until the show premieres so make sure you subscribe!

Chapters:

01:38 - Exploring Nia DaCosta's Impact on Storytelling

06:24 - Exploring Complex Characters in Adaptations

17:41 - The Complexity of Hedda's Character

26:13 - Exploring the Marvels: A Deep Dive into Female Representation

35:28 - Representation and Complexity in Marvel Films

35:34 - Exploring Representation in Marvel's Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel

41:44 - Analyzing the Social Commentary in Candyman

49:56 - Exploring the Themes of Identity and Race in Film

54:16 - Discussion on Character Complexity in Cinema

Mentioned in this episode:

Joe Bean Roasters

Joe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone.

Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

Nights and Weekends

Check out Nights and Weekends on Lunchador!

The Oscars were last night and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT! Some of the wins, the performances, and all of the moments in between!

Our guests tonight are Cocoa Rae David, Brianna Milon, and Sandra and Ike Ntube of Two Beers Cinema Club.

Cocoa Rae David, a New York-based visual artist, curator, photographer, filmmaker, and business owner of By Cocoa Rae LLC. You can visit her website here and follow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/bycocoarae. She also has a studio, art gallery, and event space called Da Purp which you can follow here: https://www.instagram.com/da_purp.

Brianna Milon is a published author, communications professional and model. You can follow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/suunnybri.

Sandra and Ike Ntube make up the Two Beer Cinema Club, a passion project where they celebrate, review, and recommend movies and beer. They love to explore and chat about lesser seen films- from independent to international, to forgotten gems and new releases. You can follow them on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/twobeercinemaclub.

As promised in our episode, we’ve provided videos to critiques and perspectives by Black Women about One Battle After Another:

@Jouelzy’s “One Battle After Another, A White Man’s Wet Dream”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=614S7VuCzb8

Shannan E. Johnson’s “Fetishization, Race & Responsibility in Storytelling | ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (Film Analysis)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFvXpim_Ozo

Cannonball with Wesley Morris featuring Daphne A Brooks – “We Need to Talk About How ‘One Battle After Another’ Depicts Black Women: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buPYKnIk8RU

Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button, and if you enjoyed today’s episode, please give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of the episode. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, & Threads.

Visit ourvoicesproject.com and sign up for our newsletter for more information about what we do. Be on the lookout for not one but 2 more episodes this week honoring Black Women Directors. Throughout this month, we’re handing our flowers to filmmakers that we should be talking about—some you may have heard of and some you may not have heard of. Either way, you won’t know until the show premieres so make sure you subscribe!

Chapters:

00:08 - Intro

02:29 – Initial Oscars Reactions

08:57 – Unequitable Speech Times & The Underlying Disrespect for Non-White Film Workers

11:16 – Giving Our Flowers to Delroy Lindo

13:48 – ALL of the shade to Sean Penn

14:30 – Sinners LIVE Performance

20:58 – More Shade for Timothee Chalamet

23:05 – Variety, THE NORTH REMEMBERS

24:42 – Oscar Wins

30:12 - The Influence of Ryan Coogler

35:34 – Avatar Winning Best Visual Effects

42:09 – Political Speeches

47:55 – Final Thoughts

Mentioned in this episode:

Connections with Evan Dawson

Connections with Evan Dawson - Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Connections

Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

Joe Bean Roasters

Joe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone.

Tonight’s episode is about the legendary, movie pioneer, Robert Townsend, the actor, comedian, writer, and director behind Meteor Man, The Five Heartbeats, Hollywood Shuffle, Up Up and Away, B.A.P.S., The Mighty Quinn, and Little Richard (2000).

Our guest is Aishat Oduola-Owoo, a Nigerian immigrant and lifelong lover of Black film and television. Growing up in a semi-strict household, family-friendly shows like The Parent ‘Hood—her introduction to the brilliance of Robert Townsend—became formative touchstones. Inspired by stories her father shared about Cooley High and the cultural legacy it held for African men migrating to America, Aishat developed a deep curiosity for Black cinematic history. Through thoughtful conversation and cultural reflection, she explores Black storytelling, legacy, and joy—one frame at a time.

You can follow Aishat on https://www.instagram.com/sheknewnothing and also follow her podcast account (https://www.instagram.com/_skndeep) as well as listen in on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/skndeep/id1329428296

Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button, give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & Threads.

Visit ourvoicesproject.com and sign up for our newsletter (https://ourvoicesproject.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0975cb4063cade8f361060fda&id=81139d3995) for more information about what we do. We’ll be back with more episodes every Thursday with old and newly released movies that center Black, Brown, and Indigenous folks, general movie news, and interviews with film festival programmers/curators, film critics, and filmmakers!

Next week continues our series on Black filmmakers –their stories and contributions to cinema. We’re handing flowers to filmmakers that we should be talking about—some you may have heard of and some you may not have heard of. Either way, you won’t know until the show premieres so make sure you subscribe!

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

03:07 – Legend, Pioneer, Icon.

05:59 – Hollywood Shuffle & The Struggles Of Being a Black Working Actor

36:43 - Meteor Man: The Reluctant Hero, Being An Example, and The Love Of Community

01:04:28 – The Five Heartbeats: A Masterclass in Drama and Displaying Brotherhood

01:33:18 – B.A.P.S.: Sisterhood and the Power Behind Being Truly Seen

01:53:45 – Our Words for Robert Townsend

01:56:28 – Where You Can Follow & Support Aishat

01:58:01 - Outro

Mentioned in this episode:

Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

It’s A Lot

Check out It’s A Lot on Lunchador!

Dialed In: A Coffee Podcast

Get Dialed In to the world of coffee with Aaron and Wade! Tastings, coffee news and opinion and more!

Hello pod! It is Day 19 of Black History Month and we’re continuing our series giving our flowers to Black Directors! Tonight’s episode is about the documentary filmmaker, Sam Pollard, the director behind MLK/FBI, The League, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, Black Art: In the Absence of Light and the docuseries Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children.

Our guest is Christopher Rush, a Rochester native who is deeply invested in the success of underrepresented communities in Rochester. He serves the community as a part of the Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI) supporting organizations and individuals committed to creating conditions for upward mobility in Rochester and Monroe County. Chris is a documentary filmmaker and also the host of the CRUSH HOUR on WAYO 104.3 FM connecting with leaders working to make Rochester a better place.

Subscribe and listen to Christopher’s Show, Crush Hour on WAYO 104.3 FM, here: https://wayofm.org/shows/crush-hour. You can follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/_rushunlimited and follow his show on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/_crushhour

If you’re watching on YouTube, make sure you hit that subscribe button. Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button, give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, & Threads.

Visit ourvoicesproject.com and sign up for our newsletter for more information about what we do. We’ll be back with more episodes every Thursday with old and newly released movies that center Black, Brown, and Indigenous folks, general movie news, and interviews with film festival programmers/curators, film critics, and filmmakers!

Next week continues our series on Black filmmakers –their stories and contributions to cinema. We’re handing flowers to filmmakers that we should be talking about—some you may have heard of and some you may not have heard of. Either way, you won’t know until the show premieres so make sure you subscribe!

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

02:16 – Giving Sam Pollard His Flowers

06:18 – MLK/FBI (2020)

27:39 – The League (2023)

46:10 – Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power (2022)

59:59 – Black Art: In the Absence of Light (2021)

Mentioned in this episode:

Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

Behind the Glass

Behind the Glass, hosted by Richard B Colón and Quajay Donnell, is a monthly talk with the current month’s BTG Roster. Artists are interviewed about their submissions and we dive deep into their process, inspiration and thought process centralized around their artwork in the Behind the Glass Gallery located in the heart of Downtown Rochester NY.

Hello pod! Today is Day 10 of Black History Month and we’re continuing our series giving our flowers to Black Directors.

Tonight’s episode is about Peter Ramsey, the director behind Rise of the Guardians and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. While awards and accolades are nice, we don’t center them as a reference to validate and instead look to filmmakers as the artists that they are, the deeper messages and takeaways that come through the characterization, direction, writing, and overall structure, the way that Black folks are portrayed onscreen, and the thought and effort with which they approach storytelling. This, for us, is what makes a filmmaker stand out, and it’s why we wanted to talk about Peter Ramsey – the storyboard artist-director.

Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button, give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, & Threads.

Visit ourvoicesproject.com and sign up for our newsletter for more information about what we do. We’ll be back with more episodes every Thursday with old and newly released movies that center Black, Brown, and Indigenous folks, general movie news, and interviews with film festival programmers/curators, film critics, and filmmakers!

Next week continues our series on Black filmmakers –their stories and contributions to cinema. We’re handing flowers to filmmakers that we should be talking about—some you may have heard of and some you may not have heard of. Either way, you won’t know until the show premieres so make sure you subscribe!

Mentioned in this episode:

Dialed In: A Coffee Podcast

Get Dialed In to the world of coffee with Aaron and Wade! Tastings, coffee news and opinion and more!

Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

Joe Bean Roasters

Joe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone.

Connections with Evan Dawson

Connections with Evan Dawson - Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Connections

Happy Black History Month pod! Throughout February and March, we’re going to be talking about Black Directors who deserve their flowers. With all of the talk about the amount of snubs Ryan Coogler and Nia DaCosta are getting, which is pretty on brand for Hollywood if you ask us (but we digress), we wanted to spend time talking about the filmmakers who inspire us and are creating incredible films.

Tonight, we’re talking about Jordan Peele, the director behind Get Out, Us, and Nope. While awards and accolades are nice, we don’t center them as a reference to validate and instead look to filmmakers as the artists that they are, the deeper messages and takeaways that come through the characterization, direction, writing, and overall structure, the way that Black folks are portrayed onscreen, and the thought and effort with which they approach storytelling. This, for us, is what makes a filmmaker stand out, and it’s why we wanted to talk about Jordan Peele – the storyteller.

Returning back to the podcast is Taurus Savant. Taurus is a queer Black artist, singer/songwriter, composer, published author, and community advocate that moves in steely resolve in the names of authenticity, perseverance, and audacity.

You can follow Taurus on Instagram at www.instagram.com/taurussavant and listen to his songs and support his work on Bandcamp at https://taurussavant.bandcamp.com.

Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button, give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, & Threads.

Visit ourvoicesproject.com and sign up for our newsletter for more information about what we do. We’ll be back with more episodes every Thursday with old and newly released movies that center Black, Brown, and Indigenous folks, general movie news, and interviews with film festival programmers/curators, film critics, and filmmakers!

Next week continues our series on Black filmmakers –their stories and contributions to cinema. We’re handing flowers to filmmakers that we should be talking about—some you may have heard of and some you may not have heard of. Either way, you won’t know until the show premieres so make sure you subscribe!

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

01:46 – Giving Jordan Peele His Flowers

11:06 - The Horror in Everyday Life

17:41 - The Concept of the Sunken Place

21:39 - Discussion of Themes in 'Get Out'

31:25 - The Tension of Anticipation: Cop Cars and Audience Reactions

36:58 - Transition to 'Us': Initial Reactions

45:43 - Exploring the Duality of Characters

55:50 - The Influence of Music in Horror Film

01:01:21 - Dynamic Duo: Exploring Sibling Relationships in Nope

01:03:38 - The Opening Scene in ‘Nope’

01:11:44 - The Spectacle and Its Consequences

01:17:31 - Exploring the Impact of Jordan Peele's Films

Mentioned in this episode:

Joe Bean Roasters

Joe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone.

Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

Nights and Weekends

Check out Nights and Weekends on Lunchador!

Y’all, the Oscar Nominations are OUT and we have a BUNCH of things that we want to cover—the nominees, the snubs, and everything else in between!

You can follow along with the list of Oscar Nominations here: https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2026. There’s a printable ballot here: https://www.thegoldknight.com/2026/01/oscars-2026-download-our-printable.html

Joining me to talk about all of this and more is Arnita Heathington. Follow Anita on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theoryofbeneficence

Arnita is a passionate media professional and an up-and-coming television development executive. She has gained valuable experience working in content-focused and production settings across the U.S. and the U.K. Currently, she is excitedly completing her MSc in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics, where she explores audiences, identity, and how entertainment media shape culture.

Arnita is also the creator of Theory of Beneficence, a media analysis platform where she explores film and television through storytelling, character, and audience impact, with a special focus on how Black women are positioned within narratives. Her work encourages meaningful conversations about why certain stories connect with us, how development choices influence perceptions, and what it truly means to feel seen on screen.

With her background in newsroom operations, project management, and media production, Arnita is passionate about exploring how audience insights, creative development, and original programming come together. She’s excited about building a career focused on how stories are crafted, how audiences engage with them, and the powerful role of thoughtful storytelling in shaping culture.

Mentioned in this episode:

Joe Bean Roasters

Joe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone.

It’s a NEW YEAR which means new movies and it’s January so that also means upcoming award shows. Oscar nominations are coming up next week and we’re going to be diving into that on our next episode so again make sure you’re following us to get updated on that because depending on how that goes, I’m going to have A LOT to say. If SINNERS is not up for Best Picture, we RIDE AT DAWN!

ANYWAY—

Tonight, let’s talk about the movies that are coming out this year - some of the blockbuster films, some more independent films coming out, and then how to watch the TRULY indie films (the ones without agents, without a studio backing—how to see films by filmmakers like us).

Tiffany Nicholas is an avid movie watcher, a casual art maker, and the number one fan of the 2002 Dreamworks movie, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. She has a lot of opinions about a lot of things (especially movies) and despite knowing that these opinions are not objective facts, she will argue about them as if they are.

You can follow Tiffany on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/waffleyoriginal and check out her Etsy store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/WaffleyOriginal.

Christopher Rush is a Rochester native who is deeply invested in the success of underrepresented communities in Rochester. He serves the community as a part of the Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI) supporting organizations and individuals committed to creating conditions for upward mobility in Rochester and Monroe County. Chris is also the host of the CRUSH HOUR on WAYO 104.3 FM connecting with leaders working to make Rochester a better place.

You can follow Christopher at https://www.instagram.com/_crushhour.

Listen to the CRUSH HOUR at https://wayofm.org/shows/crush-hour.

Learn more about the Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI) and how to get involved here: https://rmapiny.org/

Want to support independent filmmakers? Start with your local film festivals! If you live in Rochester, go support the following film festivals by following their social media pages and signing up for their mailing lists:

■ Anomaly Film Festival: https://www.anomalyfilmfest.com/

■ One Take Film Festival: https://thelittle.org/one-take/

■ Witness Palestine Film Festival: https://www.wpff.us/

■ ImageOUT Film Festival: https://imageout.org/

■ Rochester International Film Festival: https://rochesterfilmfest.org/

■ Rochester Teen Film Festival: https://www.wxxi.org/projects/rochester-teen-film-festival/

Mentioned in this episode:

Joe Bean Roasters

Joe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone.

Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement

We sat down with committee member, filmmaker, and professor, Cole Seidl, to talk about the Witness Palestine Film Festival, November 15-23, 2025. (This was recorded on November 17, 2025.) You can learn more and purchase tickets now at www.wpff.us.

We discuss the importance of showing the diversity of Palestinian films--documentary, narrative, and experimental--as well as reflecting on watching "The Voice of Hind Rajab" with an audience, upcoming films this week (Shorts at Visual Studies Workshop ("A Night We Held Between", "Morgenkreis", "The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing"), "All That’s Left of You", "Thank You For Banking With Us", "With Hazan in Gaza", "Palestine 36"), possible award nominations, and Palestinian cuisine with Mama’s Palestinian Dinner on Saturday, Nov 22 cooked by Ahlam Abid.

Cole Seidl is a filmmaker, educator, and literary translator. Once illegally entered the properties of David Lynch and the Sultan of Brunei. Current professor at Monroe Community College. Former Professor at Al Quds University in Abu Dis, Palestine.

The Witness Palestine Film Festival is the primary project of Rochester Witness for Palestine (RW4P), a registered 501 (c)(3), that seeks justice and liberation for the people of Palestine wherever they may be. RW4P's motto "Come and see, go and tell" applies also to the work of WPFF, which aims to provide a space for reflection and discussion, as well as tools for action and change.

The Witness Palestine Film Festival Committee includes activists involved in interfaith and Palestinian solidarity work. As a member organization of the Rochester Committee to End Apartheid, RW4P is dedicated to growing the movement for Palestinian freedom in Rochester, NY, and across the globe.

Chapters:

• 00:01 - Introduction to Representation in Cinema
• 01:38 - Witness Palestine Film Festival's Mission
• 17:30 - Palestinian Cinema and Artistic Expression
• 22:18 - The Diversity of Palestinian Stories
• 26:45 - The Upcoming Events and Mama's Palestinian Dinner