In his new book, Stay Alive: Berlin, 1939-1945, Ian Buruma explores the complexities of survival and daily life under Nazi rule. He talks to Mike about the book, his longtime interest in China and Japan, and their shared experiences with a legendary Dutch avant-garde theatre.

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Mike Figgis and Josh Karp talk about what AI means for the movie industry, and whether there’s a positive side to the disruption. They also talk about what to do when the artists you love have done harmful things. And Mike recounts his thoughts after a trip to Berlin for the 30th anniversary screening of Leaving Las Vegas. 

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Mike and Josh Karp discuss the Oscar nominations, a favourite that didn’t make the cut, and what Mike learned from attempting to get MEGADOC into the Academy screening rooms. Then, Mike shares more strange stories from Hollywood, his performance art roots, and being a concerned dad.

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Mike keeps a notebook filled with memories – those strange, touching, unsettling or funny moments that stick with you for one reason or another. Today, he opens up the notebook and shares some of his favourites, including a couple of near-death experiences, the time he bought a bootleg DVD of his own movie, and an extreme art performance that ended with the destruction of a Picasso.

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Mike and Josh Karp dissect Quentin Tarantino’s brutal comments about Paul Dano, the bizarre process of getting an Academy Award nomination, and what they’ve been watching. 

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After Leaving Las Vegas became a surprise hit, Mike was a hot name in Hollywood. He talks to writer Josh Karp about the bizarre ritual of the Oscars ceremony, his brief entry into the Hollywood club, and why he ultimately decided not to pursue big budget studio movies.

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More recollections of Leaving Las Vegas, this time focusing on the cast, the feel of the movie, and the three-week shoot. Mike talks to writer Josh Karp about what it was like working with Nicholas Cage, Elisabeth Shue and a dream list of actors in smaller parts, as well as battles to maintain the film’s iconic sound, and shooting a movie in a city that didn’t want them there. 

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Mike talks about how bad experiences in the Hollywood studio system led to his decision to make Leaving Las Vegas. The film was made with a small budget and crew, from a book that he thought was unadaptable at first read.

He talks to writer Josh Karp about what drove him to independent cinema and how the classic movie came together.

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Mike continues his conversation with legendary editor and sound designer Walter Murch. They talk about Murch’s sound work on THX 1138 and Apocalypse Now, surround sound, editing in a foreign language, and some of the early movies that shaped him.

Walter Murch’s new book is called Suddenly Something Clicked: The Languages of Film Editing and Sound Design.

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Three-time Oscar winner Walter Murch (The Godfather Trilogy, Apocalypse Now, The English Patient) joins Mike Figgis to talk about a lifetime spent reinventing how films are cut, heard, and felt, from his early experiments in sound design to the insights behind his new book Suddenly Something Clicked.

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