The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Director Rachel Morrison discusses her new film, The Fire Inside, with fellow Director Elizabeth Banks in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses working with her lead to make the fights look authentic on camera, balancing pace and visual variety in the boxing matches to make each encounter entertaining, and crafting a fight film with an atypical structure that puts the focus on a previously unseen conflict.

The film tells the story of Claressa Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan, who pushes past all limitations to become the first American woman to win the Olympic gold in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, Claressa has to reconcile with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and her real fight has only just begun.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2025/January2025/TheFireInside_QnA_1224

Director Paul Schrader discusses his new film, Oh, Canada, with fellow Director Alex Ross Perry in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses casting multiple Actors in roles across timelines and how he played with this element visually, how as both the Writer and Director, he works to include nothing that will make it to the cutting room floor so he can shoot economically, and how he chose to film in a variety of colors and aspect ratios to portray a story taking place over a long timespan.

The film follows the Miller siblings, a former musician, a writer and an artist, who all contend with challenging shifts in their marriages. As their lives change, their relationships are put to the test, bringing them closer to their partners or pushing them further apart.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2025/January2025/Oh_Canada_QnA_1224

Director Halina Reijn discusses her new film, Babygirl, with fellow Director Spike Jonze in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses finding a tone for what she describes as “a comedy of manners”, working with her Composer to create a soundtrack that follows the seduction over the drama, and finding Actors that could inhabit seductive roles with comedic turns.

The film follows a high powered businesswoman who begins a taboo relationship with a much younger intern at her company. As the secret affair deepens, she puts her career and family on the line.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2025/February2025/Babygirl_QnA_1224

Director Edward Burns discusses his new film, Millers in Marriage, with fellow Director Doug Atchison in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how he works as a Director while being one of the central Actors to the film, how he artfully utilizes locations and resources to work effectively on small budgets, and collaborating with his Actors to discover more authentic arcs from his characters.

The film follows the Miller siblings, a former musician, a writer and an artist, who all contend with challenging shifts in their marriages. As their lives change, their relationships are put to the test, bringing them closer to their partners or pushing them further apart.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/February2025/MillersInMarriage_QnA_1224

Director James Mangold discusses his new film, A Complete Unknown, with fellow Director Guillermo del Toro in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how he intended on making the songs integral scenes instead of separating the drama from the action, how he sought to bring out the impact of Dylan through the figures around him, and the musical and acting performances of his ensemble Cast.

The film follows a young Bob Dylan as he arrives in New York City, performing and forging relationships with his folk contemporaries of Greenwich Village. As he begins his meteoric rise, he strives to break free of his folk identity, culminating in a groundbreaking and controversial performance that reverberates worldwide.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/February2025/ACompleteUnknown_QnA_1224

Director William Goldenberg discusses his new film, Unstoppable, with fellow Director Ben Affleck in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses coming into directing a feature for the first time after working as an editor, seeking to make the wrestling scenes as authentic as he could, and having the real Anthony Robles advise and even wrestle in some scenes of the film.

The film tells the inspiring true story of competitive athlete Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg. With the unwavering support of his mother, the encouragement of his coaches, and his own indomitable spirit, Anthony fights through adversity and defies the odds to become an NCAA division 1 champion wrestler.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/January2025/Unstoppable_QnA_1224

Director Pablo Larraín discusses his new film, Maria, with fellow Director Mike Mills in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses his process of finding the little details in his film worlds, the importance of architecture in the cinematography of his films, and how he worked with Actor Angelina Jolie to establish the presence of the titular character.

The film follows the famed soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. With time to settle and reflect, she reckons with both her legacy and her identity.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/January2025/Maria_QnA_1224

Director Marielle Heller discusses her new film, Nightbitch, with fellow Director Ritesh Batra in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, she discusses her unique approach to casting the child Actors in search of a more authentic onscreen relationship with their parents, finding filming locations that say a lot about her characters without delving into their backgrounds within the film’s story, and how she sought to achieve a deliberate level of ambiguity through her deconstruction of the traditional motherhood myth.

Based on the novel by Rachel Yoder, the film tells the story of a woman who has paused her career to be a stay-at-home mom for her new baby. As she becomes increasingly overburdened with the stress of her new responsibilities, her maternal instincts begin to manifest in canine form.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/January2025/Nightbitch_QnA_1124

Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods discusses their new film, Heretic, with fellow Director Michael Mohan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they discuss working with Actor Hugh Grant to establish the look, presence and psychology of the antagonist, making every shot intentional in order to mimic the theme of control in the film, and using sound and atmosphere to craft a horror movie that prioritizes dread over jump scares.

The film follows two young women ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse when they knock on the door of the diabolical Mr. Reed. Trapped in his home, they must turn to their faith if they want to make it out alive.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/January2025/Heretic_QnA_1124

Director Christine Swanson discusses her new film, Albany Road, with fellow Director Shaz Bennett in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses favoring snowy locations for a setting not typical for the story she wanted to tell, progressively adding color to the film’s palette to indicate the growth of the two leads, and how she aimed to tell a story featuring unsung character types she’s known in her life.

The film tells the story of Celeste Simmons, a New York executive on her way to the most important meeting of her career. Forced to share a rental car with her ex-fiancé’s mother, she discovers that the mother is hiding a major secret about her ex.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/January2025/AlbanyRoad_QnA_1124