The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Martin Scorsese, Greta Gerwig, Alexander Payne, Yorgos Lanthimos and Christopher Nolan engage in a conversation with moderator Jeremy Kagan for the 33rd Annual DGA Meet the Nominees: Theatrical Feature Film Symposium.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2024/March2024/MTN_TheatricalFeatureFilm2024

Director Zack Snyder discusses his new film, Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire, with fellow Director Louis Leterrier in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how he aimed to capture the post-Star Wars pulp science fiction aesthetic, his process when pitching the film, and how he worked on stunt scenes with his Actors.

The film tells the story of Kora, who crash-lands on a moon at the edge of the universe, and finds new life among peaceful farmers. But when peace is traded for bloodshed, newly formed revolutionaries must learn to fight together to defend their land, and survive the war on their moon.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2024/February2024/RebelMoon_QnA_1223.aspx

Director George Clooney discusses his new film, The Boys in the Boat, with fellow Director Jon Watts in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses the logistical nuances of filming scenes on the water, finding actors who could inhabit their characters and show physical prowess, and taking notes from other rowing movies as well as borrowing filming techniques from the actual 1936 Olympics.

The film tells the true story of the University of Washington men’s rowing team, who stun the world when they unexpectedly win gold at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/January2024/BoysInTheBoat_QnA_1223.aspx

Director Sean Durkin discusses his new film, The Iron Claw, with fellow Director Catherine Hardwicke in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how he aimed to make a complex narrative exploring the absence of grief, filming with live wrestling fans during the ring scenes, and utilizing one-takes to keep the performances authentic.

The film tells the true story of the Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, and under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/January2024/TheIronClaw_QnA_1223.aspx

Director John Woo discusses his new film, Silent Night, with fellow Director Brian Helgeland in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses his influence echoed throughout modern action films, the importance of classic Hollywood and musical films to his taste, and telling a story absent of any dialogue starring a speechless character.

The film tells the story of Brian, a man who witnesses the death of his son when the boy is caught in gang crossfire on Christmas Eve. Recovering from a wound that cost him his voice, Brian embarks on a bloody quest to punish those responsible, all without uttering a word.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/January2024/SilentNight_QnA_1223.aspx

Director Tamika Miller discusses her new film, Honor Student, with fellow Director Paris Barclay in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses writing the character of the shooter against normal type, the secret meaning of her compositions, and decisions that would consider addressing the subject matter tastefully.

The film tells the story of a Washington prep school student, outraged after having lost his twin brother in a mass shooting. Wanting to take the matter into his own hands, he attempts to teach America a lesson it will never forget.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/January2024/HonorStudent_QnA_1223.aspx

Director Francis Lawrence discusses his new film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, with fellow Director Marc Webb in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses capturing a retro-futuristic visual aesthetic, utilizing his camera language while swapping between two main character points of view, and his visualization and rehearsal process for stunt work and action scenes.

In this prequel to the popular franchise, a young Coriolanus Snow mentors for the 10th Hunger Games and develops feelings for the female tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird, years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/January2024/TheHungerGameBSS_QnA_1223.aspx

Director Michael Mann discusses his new film, Ferrari, with fellow Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses integrating melodrama into the story by balancing the family and industry, crafting a believable time period through color composition and mis-en-scene, and including real locations and historical participants in the film.

The film tells the story of Enzo Ferrari, who in the summer of 1957 finds his auto empire in crisis. To regain his status, he enlists his team in the Mille Miglia, a treacherous thousand-mile race across Italy.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/January2024/Ferrari_QnA_1223.aspx

Director Emerald Fennell discusses her new film, Saltburn, with fellow Director David Lowery in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses making an unlikeable protagonist that the audience could empathize with, crafting the story while incorporating the gothic genre, and utilizing cinematography to accentuate feelings of seduction and desire.

The film tells the story of Oliver, an Oxford student struggling to find his place, who befriends the charming and aristocratic Felix. Finding himself drawn into Felix’s world, Oliver is invited to Saltburn, the sprawling and eccentric family estate for a summer never to be forgotten.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/January2024/Saltburn_QnA_1223.aspx

Director Blitz Bazawule discusses his new film, The Color Purple, with fellow Director Gina Prince-Bythewood in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses the importance of sketching in his artistic process, how his background in music prepared him for the film, and trying to identify the heart of the original text in order to do the story justice.

The film spans decades to tell the story of Celie, a woman who faces many hardships throughout her life. But ultimately she finds strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood, on her journey to independence.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2024/January2024/TheColorPurple_QnA_1223.aspx