The Oscar Project Podcast

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In today's episode, I interview Hannah Rafkin, the director of the short film "Keeper," a documentary about one man's effort to keep bees in the Bronx while raising his daughters as a single father. The film received the gold medal in the documentary category at the 2024 Student Academy Awards.

Listen to hear about how a small 5-minute project blossomed into this film, how Hannah built the trust necessary continue filming when Flynn got sick, and some experiences that didn't manage to make it into the film.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• The Bees by Laline Paull
• How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler
• Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir by Roz Chast

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• "Keeper” directed by Hannah Rafkin
• “Crush Icebergs” directed by Hannah Rafkin
• “The Clockmaker” directed by Hannah Rafkin
• All that Breathes directed by Salik Rehman
• Mayor directed by David Osit
• Hail Satan? directed by Penny Lane
• The Talented Mr. Ripley directed by Anthony Minghella
• But I'm a Cheerleader directed by Jamie Babbit

"Keeper" will be playing at DOCNYC next week on November 13th and 15th and there will be several screenings in New York later this fall.

You can follow Hannah on Instagram @hannahrafkin and follow the film @keeperdoc to see when and where the film will be playing this fall. Find out more about Flynn's honey business @boogiedownbronxhoney and Flynn's daughter Alaura @alaura.flynn.

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In today's episode, I interview Jens Kevin Georg, the director of the short film "Crust" which tells the story of a young boy in search of his first scar. The film received the silver medal in the narrative category at the 2024 Student Academy Awards.

Listen to hear about the inspiration for the film, how he knew he had selected the right actor to play his lead, how he found a roller coaster to fit in his film, and Jens' own first scar.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
• The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• "Crust” directed by Jens Kevin Georg
• Midsommar directed by Ari Aster
• 2001: A Space Odyssey directed by Stanley Kubrick
• Superbad directed by Greg Mottola
• The Royal Tenenbaums directed by Wes Anderson
• Banshees of Inisherin directed by Martin McDonagh
• Kajillionaire directed by Miranda July
• Hunt for the Wilderpeople directed by Taika Waititi

"Crust" will be playing at the Alcine Film Festival in Spain and the Izmir Short Film Festival in Turkey both in November.

You can follow Jens on Instagram @jens__georg and follow the film @kruste_film to see when and where the film will be playing this fall.

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In today's episode, I interview Sarah Blok, the director of the short film "Trouble" which explores the story of a family dealing with changing relationships amid the separation of the two parents. The film was a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards.

Listen to hear about the involvement of two actors in casting the film, how Sarah's background in playwriting contributed to the development of the characters in the film, and .

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Life Ceremony: Stories by Sayaka Murata

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• "Trouble” directed by Sarah Blok
• A Woman Under the Influence directed by John Cassavetes
• Punch Drunk Love directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
• The Double directed by Richard Ayoade
• Poor Things directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
• The Big Lebowski directed by Joel Coen
• Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins

"Trouble" recently screened at the BFI London Film Festival and will likely be screening at other festivals throughout the fall and winter.

You can follow Sarah on Instagram @bloksarah to see what she is working on.

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In today's episode, I interview Jamie O’Rourke, the director of the short film "Calf." The film looks at a topic that is extremely relevant to many people around the world today, yet not talked about nearly enough and is it qualified for the 97th Academy Awards.

Listen to hear about the inspiration for the film in working on a documentary on abuse, some striking statistics around domestic abuse, and the benefits of being able to shoot almost the entire film on a recently retired farm.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Republic of Shame: How Ireland Punished ‘Fallen Women’ and Their Children by Caelainn Hogan
• Making the Future: The Unipolar Imperial Moment by Noam Chomsky
• There Are Little Kingdoms by Kevin Barry

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• "Calf” directed by Jamie O’Rourke
• Zone of Interest directed by Jonathan Glazer
• La Chimera directed by Alice Rohrwacher
• Aftersun directed by Charlotte Wells
• Ghost directed by Jerry Zucker
• Fargo directed by Joel Coen
• Groundhog Day directed by Harold Ramis
• "The Afters" directed by Jamie O’Rourke

Follow Jamie on Instagram @jamie_o_rourke and the film @calf_thefilm.

"Calf" recently screened at the Newport Beach International Film Festival and the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival last week and you can check out at the St. Louis International Film Festival November 7th-17th and the Norwich Film Festival November 11th-24th with more coming up this fall.

Find out more about domestic abuse in Ireland at the Women's Aid website.

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In today's episode, I interview Kirsten Slemint, the director of the short film "Burnt Country" which explores the threat of wildfire in Australia and the indigenous population who works hard to help manage the threat. The film was a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards.

Listen to hear about the editorial decision to juxtapose fire with water throughout the film, the importance of strategic cultural burns in managing wildfire risk, and how to manage shooting in remote locations as one person wearing all the hats of a complex production.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• "Burnt Country" directed by Kirsten Slemint
• All That Breathes directed by Shaunak Sen
• Past Lives directed by Celine Song
• We Are Still Here directed by Beck Cole, Dena Curtis, Tracey Rigney, Danielle MacLean, Tim Worrall, Renae Maihi, Miki Magasiva, Mario Gaoa, Richard Curtis, and Chantelle Burgoyne
• Mrs. Doubtfire directed by Chris Columbus
• Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir

"Burnt Country" just screened at the Santa Fe International Film Festival and will be at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival this coming weekend. It is currently showing at the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival in Monterrey, Mexico and Australia Independent Film Festival in Kirsten's home town of Brisbane, Australia. Later this fall you can check out the film at the Canberra Short Film Festival November 6th-20th, the Ealing Film Festival November 25th-30th, and All Living Things Environmental Film Festival November 22nd-December 8th. 

Follow Kirsten on Instagram @kirstygrimm and the film @burnt__country.

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In today's episode, I interview Bartłomiej Błaszczyński, the director of the short film "Take Me to Her" which explores the story of a woman who has gone through an incredible loss, and struggles to deal with it. The film was a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards.

Listen to hear about the genesis of the story of the film, a tragic connection Bartłomiej and I share, and a joke about difficult names to pronounce.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Boy's Life by Robert McCammon
• Ice Jacek Dukaj
• My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• "Take Me to Her” directed by Bartłomiej Błaszczyński
• The Lion King directed by Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers
• The Lord of the Rings directed by Peter Jackson
• Snatch directed by Guy Ritchie
• The Matrix directed by The Wachowskis
• There Will be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
• The Big Lebowski directed by Joel Coen
• Manchester by the Sea directed by Kenneth Lonergan
• The Bear (TV Series)
• Wolf of Wall Street directed by Martin Scorsese
• Moon directed by Duncan Jones
• "Fish and Chips" directed by Bartłomiej Błaszczyński

"Take Me to Her" just screened at the Warsaw International Film Festival last week and you can check out the film at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival this November.

Bartłomiej is not on Instagram, but you can connect with him on LinkedIn to stay in touch with what he is working on.

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In honor of the Student Academy Awards that took place this past Monday October 14th, I'm providing a quick recap of the winners. You'll also hear a little bit of my interviews from earlier this year with two of the winners and some thoughts on the ceremony experience itself.

Check out my previous interviews with Robin Wang and Birdy Wei-Ting Hung while you wait for some new interviews next week and the rest of October as we head into awards season!

You can watch the entire ceremony on YouTube if you missed any of the acceptance speeches.

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In today's episode, I interview Tom Potter, the director of the experimental short film "Lullaby for the Lost" which explores the memories of a man who is beginning to forget his mother. The film was a finalist for the 2024 Student Academy Awards.

Listen to hear some incredible thoughts on dreams and memories, some very manual tactics used to create the images on screen, and the blending of the music and sound of the film to create the soundscape.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Sculpting in Time: Tarkovsky The Great Russian Filmaker Discusses His Art by Andrey Tarkovsky
• The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• "Lullaby for the Lost” directed by Tom Potter
• The Tree of Life directed by Terrence Malick
• Synecdoche, New York directed by Charlie Kaufman
• My Winnipeg directed by Guy Maddin
• Twin Peaks created by David Lynch

Follow Tom on Instagram @tompotterr_ and the film @lullabyforthelost.bfs.

"Lullaby for the Lost" screened at the Watersprite Film Festival and the Greenwich International Film Festival and is still waiting to hear back on a number of other festivals. Follow Tom and the film at the links above to learn about upcoming festival screenings as soon as they are announced.

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In today's episode, I interview Luke Morgan, the director of the short film "The Boat." The film is based on a heartbreaking true story of a father who must make a difficult choice when his daughter begins exhibiting troubling medical symptoms and is it qualified for the 97th Academy Awards.

Listen to hear about the work that Luke and his brother were doing that led them to the story, why they decided to make a film that highlighted the disease of leprosy, and the realities of quicksand as a danger in film production.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Raised Among Vultures by Molly Toomey
• Palm Wine Tapper and The Boy at Jericho by Nithy Kasa
• Eat Or We Both Starve by Victoria Kennefick
• Bloodrot by Annemarie Ní Churreáin
• Pit Lullabies by Jessica Traynor

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• "The Boat” directed by Luke Morgan
• Life is Beautiful directed by Roberto Benigni
• Cinema Paradiso directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
• There Will be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
• Up directed by Bob Peterson and Pete Docter
• Coco directed by Lee Unkrich
• In Bruges directed by Martin McDonagh
• I Daniel Blake directed by Ken Loach
• The Seventh Seal directed by Ingmar Bergman
• Aruna's Magic (Disney+ series)

Follow Luke and his brother on Instagram @morgan_bros and the film @calf_thefilm.

You can check out "The Boat" at the Offline Film Festival going on right now, and the Kerry International Film Festival from October 17-20. You can check out the trailer on morganbrother.ie.

You can also learn more about The Mission to End Leprosy at their website.

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In today's episode, I interview Birdy Wei-Ting Hung, the director of the experimental short film "A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers." The film looks at the experience of a young girl in 1980s Taiwan and won a gold award at the 2024 Student Academy Awards.

Listen to hear how the film was inspired by two other films, how important formative film experiences are, and the importance of the sound to create the world of the film.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Abject Pleasures in the Cinematic: The Beautiful, Sexual Arousal, and Laughter by Aaron Kerner
• Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• "A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers” directed by Birdy Wei-Ting Hung
• The Lady Avenger directed by Yang Chia-Yun
• A Brighter Summer Day directed by Edward Yang
• Kill Bill Vol. 1 directed by Quentin Tarantino
• Kill Bill Vol. 2 directed by Quentin Tarantino
• Amer directed by Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
• Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion directed by Shunya Itō
• Suspiria (1977) directed by Dario Argento
• Suspiria (2018) directed by Luca Guadagnino
• Lady Snowblood directed by Toshiya Fujita
• All the Colors of the Dark directed by Sergio Martino

You can follow Birdy on Instagram @birdymakesfilms and check out her website at https://www.birdyweitinghung.org/.

The film showed at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX last month and can be seen this month at the Kaohsiung Film Festival in Taiwan from October 12-27.

Read Birdy's essay about the two films that inspired her work at MaiFeminism.com.

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