The No Film School Podcast

When Sundance Is the End of Your Festival Run: ‘How To Have Sex’ Director Molly Manning Walker


Listen Later

Molly Manning Walker is the Writer-Director of How to Have Sex. The story follows three British teen girls who find themselves navigating the complexities of sex, consent, and self-discovery while on holiday in Greece. The film has won awards across various film festivals, including British Independent Film Awards, Cannes Film Festival, Athens International Film Festival, and others. It premiered at Sundance 2024 in the Spotlight film section.


In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, speaks with Molly Manning Walker to discuss:

  • The inspiration behind the film
  • Realizing her own friendships as a teen were quite harsh
  • Unexpected reactions from the audience
  • Exploring the glorification of party culture
  • The process of choosing a cinematographer
  • Director vs DP - The POV of the set changes 
  • Why some scenes were heavily scripted and others improvised
  • Navigating a group of high energy teen actors
  • The benefit of doing experimental takes
  • Bringing in an intimacy coordinator so the cast felt protected
  • How Molly created a safe environment for both cast and crew


  • Memorable Quotes

    • “How I see a film set has always been through a lens. Through holding a camera.” [7:16]
    • “It was definitely difficult navigating six really high energy young people.” [11:47]
    • “Watch your film on mute and see if it still makes sense.” [24:13]
    • “The more time you put into something, you eventually break through.” [25:34]


    • Mentioned

      How to Have Sex 


      Find No Film School everywhere:

      On the Web

      https://nofilmschool.com/


      Facebook 

      https://www.facebook.com/nofilmschool


      Twitter 

      https://twitter.com/nofilmschool


      YouTube 

      https://www.youtube.com/user/nofilmschool


      Instagram

      https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool


      Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected]!

      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      The No Film School PodcastBy No Film School

      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5

      4.5

      418 ratings


      More shows like The No Film School Podcast

      View all
      Filmspotting by Adam Kempenaar & Josh Larsen

      Filmspotting

      3,950 Listeners

      The Treatment by KCRW

      The Treatment

      612 Listeners

      The Business by KCRW

      The Business

      661 Listeners

      Scriptnotes Podcast by John August and Craig Mazin

      Scriptnotes Podcast

      2,437 Listeners

      The Next Best Picture Podcast by Evergreen Podcasts

      The Next Best Picture Podcast

      494 Listeners

      IndieWire: Screen Talk by Indiewire: Screen Talk

      IndieWire: Screen Talk

      329 Listeners

      The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast by Directors Guild of America

      The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

      737 Listeners

      IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit by Chris O'Falt

      IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit

      104 Listeners

      The A24 Podcast by A24

      The A24 Podcast

      1,057 Listeners

      The Big Picture by The Ringer

      The Big Picture

      5,630 Listeners

      The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna by Meg LeFauve & Lorien McKenna

      The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

      973 Listeners

      Team Deakins by James Ellis Deakins, Roger Deakins

      Team Deakins

      1,119 Listeners

      Script Apart with Al Horner by Script Apart

      Script Apart with Al Horner

      206 Listeners

      The Town with Matthew Belloni by The Ringer

      The Town with Matthew Belloni

      1,091 Listeners

      Ankler Agenda by TheAnkler.com

      Ankler Agenda

      106 Listeners