On this episode of She's All Over the Place, host Katie Chonacas sits down with acclaimed filmmaker Cate Shortland, director and pioneering voice for women behind the camera, to discuss her landmark debut feature Somersault.

Originally nominated for Un Certain Regard and the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Somersault follows teenage Heidi, who escapes home after a traumatic encounter and attempts to rebuild her identity in a frozen ski town. Through isolation, longing, and fragile connection, the film explores adolescence, intimacy, and the human need for belonging.

We go far beyond filmmaking technique. This conversation becomes an honest exploration of creative courage, emotional exposure, and artistic voice, especially for female storytellers navigating an industry that often discourages vulnerability.

Cate shares: • How Somersault was conceived and made • Working with early-career actors Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington • Why vulnerability is a strength in storytelling • Emotional truth vs. performance in film • The responsibility of female filmmakers to tell authentic stories • Finding confidence as a woman director • Creative intuition, sensitivity, and psychological depth in cinema

We also discuss the film's new 4K restoration and its continued cultural relevance, over 20 years after its Cannes premiere.

More than a film discussion, this episode is a masterclass on owning your voice, telling your story, and making art that feels emotionally truthful.

Following a reckless encounter with her mother's boyfriend, teenage Heidi flees home and takes refuge in a motel in the winter town of Jindabyne. She finds work at a petrol station, befriends a coworker, and begins a complicated relationship with Joe, a young man dealing with his own emotional wounds. Together they confront isolation, desire, addiction, and the search for connection.

Written & Directed by: Cate Shortland Cast: Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, Lynette Curran Genre: Drama Runtime: 106 minutes Restored in 4K from the original 35mm negative by Piccolo Films

Filmmaker Roc Morin on following soldier and actor Pavlo Aldoshyn during the war in Ukraine

What happens when an actor who once played a sniper in a movie becomes a real sniper in war?

In this episode of She's All Over the Place, host Katie Chonacas speaks with director Roc Morin about the documentary MEDUZA, a powerful film following Ukrainian actor Pavlo Aldoshyn from the first days of the 2022 invasion through two years on the front lines.

Before the war, Pavlo was known for the film White Raven and as a contestant on Ukraine's version of The Voice. When Russia invaded Ukraine, he was recruited as a sniper — the same role he had previously portrayed on screen. MEDUZA documents his psychological, emotional and spiritual transformation as he navigates combat, relationships, and identity.

Filmed across Ukraine, Japan, India, Ecuador, and the United States, the documentary connects Pavlo's inner world to global stories, including a Japanese widower searching the ocean for his wife and an Amazonian tribesman describing a lost mythological bridge between earth and sky.

Director Roc Morin, a journalist who has reported on the conflict since 2014, discusses entering Ukraine during the invasion, meeting Pavlo in Kyiv while he was on leave, and filming near the front lines in Kharkiv and surrounding regions.

Topics covered: • The human cost of war • Soldiers and psychological transformation • Documentary filmmaking in conflict zones • Ukraine war reporting • Spiritual identity during wartime • Ethics of filming active conflict • The life of Pavlo Aldoshyn

This episode contains discussion of war and combat experiences.

https://www.rocmorin.com/

ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS ON FEBRUARY 20 by Buffalo 8

Social Media:

@meduzadoc

@rocmorin

@paldoshyn - Pavlo

@leonova_kata - Katarina

Diane Keaton's first feature as a director wasn't a romantic comedy — it was an existential documentary about the afterlife.

On this episode of She's All Over the Place, host Katie Chonacas sits down with producer Arnie Holland to discuss the 2026 HD remaster and re-release of Heaven, Diane Keaton's unconventional documentary exploring what people truly believe happens after death.

Originally released to critical curiosity and now restored for modern audiences, Heaven blends interviews, film clips, and music to examine religion, Hollywood mythology, and humanity's fascination with paradise. The film features everyday people, spiritual thinkers, and public figures answering questions like: What does God look like? Is there a reward? Is there consciousness after death?

The documentary includes a score by Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore and a soundtrack featuring Lionel Richie, Sam Cooke, The Dream Academy, and more.

Producer Arnie Holland explains how the film was made, why Keaton pursued the subject, and why the movie feels especially relevant in today's culture. We also discuss the restoration process, theatrical re-release, and the new limited-edition Blu-ray and digital release.

Topics covered: • Diane Keaton as a first-time director • Hollywood and spirituality • Documentary filmmaking • Afterlife beliefs across cultures • Restoring classic films in HD • The business of film distribution • Music licensing and soundtrack selection

Heaven releases February 17, 2026 on Blu-ray, VOD, and digital platforms.

Content Warning: This episode discusses sexual abuse and institutional failure. Listener discretion advised.

Why can't parents find this when they search the Curtis Institute of Music?

In this episode, we examine Dear Lara, the powerful new social justice documentary from world-renowned violinist and filmmaker Lara St. John, which premiered nationally at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).

The film documents St. John's public account of sexual assault she endured at age 14 while a student at the Curtis Institute of Music—first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer—and expands into a broader investigation of institutional patterns that have affected students across North America and Europe.

Through survivor testimony, investigative journalism, and expert legal insight, Dear Lara explores how elite institutions can fail to protect minors, how silence is maintained, and why accountability is so often delayed or denied.

This episode is intended for parents, students, educators, and advocates seeking transparency, awareness, and reform within music education and elite training environments.

About the Film Dear Lara is the directorial debut of Lara St. John and features original music by St. John. The documentary includes voices from musicians, journalists, legal experts, and advocates, and partners with Child USA, a national organization focused on civil rights and institutional accountability.

Why This Matters If you are researching conservatories, elite music programs, or student safety policies, this conversation provides critical context that is not easily found through search engines alone.

Learn more about the film, resources, and survivor advocacy: https://www.dearlara.film

Blake Winston Rice joins She's All Over the Place to discuss the world premiere of his latest short film DISC at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival.

Blake is an award-winning writer-director whose breakout short Tea premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, with Patty Jenkins serving as Executive Producer. Since Cannes, Tea has screened at 13 Oscar-qualifying festivals, earned multiple awards, and is now a Vimeo Staff Pick streaming on Kanopy.

In this conversation, Blake breaks down:

• The making of DISC, starring Jim Cummings (Thunder Road, The Wolf of Snow Hollow) and Victoria Ratermanis (Oscar-nominated A Lien)

• Crafting intimate, character-driven stories under pressure

• Navigating festival premieres at Cannes and TIFF

• Transitioning from actor and comedian to narrative filmmaker

DISC is a sharp dramedy about connection, vulnerability, and the unexpected intimacy that emerges after a one-night stand—featuring an original score by Grammy-nominated Kevin Garrett (Beyoncé's Lemonade).

Stay connected with the filmmaker: https://www.instagram.com/blakewrice

Stay connect with me: https://www.instagram.com/shesallovertheplacepodcast/

A deep dive into the Basketball Africa League's impact on sports, culture, talent development, and media, featuring insights from BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall and NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi.

In 2019, a longtime dream for many became a reality when the National Basketball Association (NBA) committed to launching the Basketball Africa League (BAL). With 12 teams from the continent representing nations including Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, and Rwanda, the league would showcase the diversity of culture, talent, and love for basketball across Africa while providing a pathway for youth to play professionally in their own nation.

One of the dreamers to realize the opportunity was Amadou Gallo Fall, the former scouting director of the Dallas Mavericks and a lifelong champion of sport in Africa. Fall's work prior to the BAL is seen in the creation of a basketball academy in his native Senegal, working with the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program, and his former position as the NBA's managing director for Africa. As plans for the BAL start to move ahead, one of Fall's Basketball Without Borders colleagues, and former director of the program, would join the movement: beloved former Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri, also the first African general manager in US professional sports history. Together, Fall, Ujiri, and many others would work to make the seemingly impossible possible.

Featuring interviews from many supporters of the BAL, including rapper J. Cole (who played in the BAL's inaugural season), NBA superstar Stephen Curry, and former US President Barack Obama, Origin showcases the vast network of advocates who came together to make the ambitious endeavour a reality. Co-directors Richard Brown and Tebogo Malope highlight the diversity of the continent, the passion of the players, and the universal language that is love of the game.

In this Artist Journal solo episode of She's All Over the Place, host Katie Chonacas reflects on psychological isolation—the experience of emotional and social disconnection that can exist even in the presence of others.

Inspired by Brené Brown's work on belonging and disconnection, this episode explores how psychological isolation develops, why it can become long-standing, and how it quietly erodes our sense of safety, connection, and self-trust. Katie shares a personal reflection on emotional isolation, social withdrawal, and the loss of belonging, offering language and awareness for an experience many feel but rarely name.

This episode is for anyone who has felt:

• Emotionally disconnected despite being "around people"

• A loss of belonging or relational safety

• Socially present but internally isolated

• Unsure how disconnection became so persistent

Stay Connected with me: https://www.chonacas.com/links/

In this episode of She's All Over the Place, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit and chat with the producer, Steven Lawrence, to explore The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026) Michael Apted's long-lost documentary about Soviet underground rock legend Boris Grebenshchikov and his extraordinary 1988 journey from Leningrad to the West during the early days of Glasnost.

Filmed at a moment of rare optimism inside the USSR, the documentary follows Grebenshchikov as he records an album with Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), alongside Annie Lennox, Chrissie Hynde, Ray Cooper, and Crosby, Stills & Nash, becoming one of the first Soviet musicians to collaborate openly with Western rock stars.

Remastered in 4K with new 5.1 sound and expanded with a newly created epilogue, the film now brings Boris's story up to the present: his disillusionment with post-Soviet Russia, his outspoken opposition to Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, and his eventual exile from his homeland.

We discuss the film's disappearance for more than three decades, its rediscovery through MoMA's Film Preservation Festival, and why The Long Way Home now feels less like a period piece and more like a warning, a memory, and a testament to the enduring power of music to resist censorship and tyranny.

MoMA EVENT WEBSITE: https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/11134 MoMA SOCIAL MEDIA:o Instagram: @themuseumofmodernarto Facebook: facebook.com/MuseumofModernArt (@museumofmodernart) o LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-museum-of-modern-art/ (@the-museum-of-modern-art) o TikTok: @museumofmodernarto Threads: @themuseumofmodernarto Twitter: @MoMAFilm

Stay Connected with ME: https://www.chonacas.com/links/

Join me on She's All Over The Place as I sit down with director Clement Virgo and writer Tamara Faith Berger to explore the making of the psychological thriller "Steal Away", which premiered at TIFF.

We dive into the film's lush, intense world of teen drama, desire, and power, adapted from the non-fiction book Steal Away Home. Hear insights into the creative process, casting decisions with Angourie Rice and Mallori Johnson, and how the film illuminates untold histories of female power and systemic cruelty.

If you're a filmmaker, actor, or creative, this episode gives a behind-the-scenes look at directing, writing, and adapting a story for the screen, while navigating film festivals like TIFF.

Key Topics: psychological thriller filmmaking, adaptation from book to screen, creative collaboration, casting teen leads, festival insights, storytelling for social impact.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and share!

https://www.chonacas.com/links/

Filmmaker Michael Premo joins the podcast to discuss HOMEGROWN, his award-winning documentary about January 6, political extremism, and America's deepening divide.

Award-winning documentary HOMEGROWN, which will be released exclusively via GATHR on the upcoming January 6 anniversary of the attack on the US Capital. Directed by Michael Premo, HOMEGROWN brings raw intimacy and unprecedented access to a political moment still unfolding. Shot across battleground communities and key flashpoints of national tension, the documentary reveals the lived experiences of people whose determination to turn their beliefs into action places them on the front lines of America's political divide. The film was an official selection of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, where it won Best Technical Contribution. HOMEGROWN has since garnered top honors on the global festival circuit and was nominated for the 2025 Cinema Eye Honors Spotlight Award, recognizing exceptional independent nonfiction filmmaking. It has screened at nearly fifty top-tier film festivals worldwide. HOMEGROWN- NEW TRAILER: Embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e59UpVz1QM4

Watch here: https://homegrown.film/

Please stay connected with me: https://www.chonacas.com/links/

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