The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Director Luca Guadagnino discusses his new film, Bones and All, with fellow director John Krokidas in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Guadagnino discusses working with frequent collaborators, his one month journey through the Midwest that prepared him to conceptualize the film, and making a film from the era rather than about the era.

The film tells the story of Maren, a young woman on the margins of society, and Lee, a disenfranchised drifter, who embark on an odyssey through the backroads of America and their own cannibalistic natures. However, despite their best efforts all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/January2023/BonesAndAll_QnA_1122.aspx

Director Werner Herzog discusses his new film, The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft, with fellow director Jeremy Kagan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Herzog speaks about crafting the voiceover for the film during the edit, obtaining the groundbreaking footage shot by the two subjects, and modifying facts to resemble the truth.

Screened as part of the DGA's Documentary Series, the film crafts a fitting memorial to volcanologists and filmmakers Maurice and Katia Krafft, who were killed while filming the eruption of Japan's Mount Unzen on June 3, 1991.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/January2023/TheFireWithin_DocSeries_1122.aspx

Director Dean Craig discusses his new film, The Estate, with fellow director Alex Grossman in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Craig speaks about encouraging actors to bring ideas to their roles, the perks of directing your own material, and how he prefers making shot lists over storyboarding.

In the film, two sisters are pitted against their greedy extended family members in a battle to win over their terminally ill, difficult to please Aunt, in hopes of becoming the beneficiaries of her wealth.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/December2022/TheEstate_QnA_1122.aspx

Director Mark Mylod discusses his new film, The Menu, with fellow director Lorene Scafaria in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, Mylod speaks about his approach to building the ensemble of actors, finding places to put the camera in a mainly one-location film, and handling the controlled chaos of as movie set.

The film follows a young couple as they travel to a remote island to dine at an exclusive restaurant, only to find that the chef has prepared a few surprises along with the meal.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/January2023/Menu_QnA_1122.aspx

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu discusses his new film, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, with fellow director Rodrigo García in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Iñárritu shares his thoughts on how fiction can elucidate truth, the four years of developing the script, and the joyful process of editing his own work.

The film follows a renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker who is compelled to return to his native country, unaware that this simple trip will force him to grapple with intimate questions about identity, mortality, Mexican history, and what it means to be human in these peculiar times.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/January2023/Bardo_QnA_1122.aspx

Director Rian Johnson discusses his new film, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, with fellow director Phil Lord in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Johnson talks about the movies that influenced the conception of Glass Onion, his process when working with his "family" of filmmaking collaborators, and how nostalgia for a specific genre can be an obstacle to making a film.

The film follows southern detective Benoit Blanc on a billionaire's lavish Greek island at a yearly reunion of a disparate group of friends. When one guest turns up dead, everyone becomes a suspect and must peel away the layers of their motivations, secrets, and lies.

This is a spoiler-free podcast.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/January2023/GlassOnion_QnA_1122.aspx

Director Ryan Coogler discusses his new film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with fellow director Tyler Perry in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Coogler talks about how he approached the tribute to actor Chadwick Boseman after his passing, writing and directing from his worst fears, and staying tapped into his inner child when faced with challenging directing decisions on the film.

The sequel to 2018's megahit Black Panther finds the people of Wakanda grieving the untimely death of King T'Challa and facing off against intervening world powers. However, when an advanced hidden nation threatens to destroy them, someone else must pick up the clawed gauntlet.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/January2023/BlackPantherWF_QnA_1122.aspx

Director Steven Spielberg discusses his new film, The Fabelmans, with fellow director Paul Thomas Anderson in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Spielberg discusses the development of the script with Tony Kushner, the process of directing Gabrielle LaBelle to play a version of himself, and the feeling of rediscovering his family through his camera.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/January2023/Fabelmans_QnA_1122.aspx

Director Tobias Lindholm discusses his new film, The Good Nurse, with fellow director Scott Cooper in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Lindholm talks about casting Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, wrestling with the true crime genre, and learning how to shoot diner scenes from David Fincher.

Based on true events, a nurse risks her life to uncover the truth after she begins to suspect her colleague is responsible for a series of mysterious patient deaths.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/December2022/TheGoodNurse_QnA_1122.aspx

Director Maria Schrader discusses her new film, She Said, with fellow director R.J. Cutler in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, Schrader speaks about shooting in the New York Times building, communicating the humanity of the leads rather than portraying an heroic treatment, and what it was like showing the film to Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor.

The film recounts the true story of how New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor broke one of the most important stories in a generation - one which unveiled decades of silence on the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood and helped launch the #MeToo movement.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2023/January2023/SheSaid_QnA_1122.aspx