Two New York writer-directors discuss their work, gender inequality in film, bad actors, "director jail," finding your voice, and much more.

Daniel Schechter (Life of Crime) Talks with Desiree Akhavan (Appropriate Behavior) for The Talkhouse Film Podcast

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Emily Bennett&#8216;s latest film, <a href="https://darkskyfilms.com/film/blood-shine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blood Shine</a>, which she co-directed and co-wrote with Justin Brooks and also stars in, is now in select theaters and on <a href="https://linktr.ee/bloodshine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VOD/Digital</a> from Dark Sky Films. She is an Academy-recognized screenwriter and Fangoria Chainsaw Award winning director whose films have screened at festivals such as Sitges, Fantasia, Fantastic Fest, FrightFest and BIFAN. A RADA trained actress, she is represented by DDO Agency. She is represented by Anonymous Content for writing and directing. She can be found on Instagram @emilyrbennett and also at <a href="http://www.emilyreneebennett.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.emilyreneebennett.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1788196906591000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1Bz8Djt_YFtlfZYxh0UrlQ">www.emilyreneebennett.com</a>. (Photo by Keith Barraclough.)

Emily Bennett

Film

Faith and Flesh on Film

James Ashcroft is the director of the new dark thriller <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81278442" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Whisper Man</a>, starring Adam Scott, Michelle Monaghan, Robert DeNiro and Michael Keaton, which is now on Netflix. His previous films include the psychological horror The Rule of Jenny Pen, starring Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow, and Coming Home in the Dark, which had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. He is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, Victoria University and has studied with New York’s prestigious theatre company The Wooster Group. He served as development producer on the New Zealand Film Commission-funded feature This Town, which was released in 2020. From 2007 to 2013m he was the CEO/Artistic Director of multi-award winning Māori Theatre Company Taki Rua Productions. His short films and web series works have screened at multiple festivals. (Photo by Stan Alley.)

James Ashcroft (Ngati Kahu/Nga Puhi)

Three Great Things: James Ashcroft

Ember Knight is an LA-based musician and comedian. They&#8217;re the creator of the webseries The Ember Knight Show, and a series of shorts for Adult Swim called Ember&#8217;s Etiquette. Their latest record, Water Can Fly, is out now.

Ember Knight

Ember Knight and Tristan Wheeler Talk About Being Evil

Sophia Silver is an actor and writer. Her directorial debut, Over/Under, a heartfelt coming-of-age drama executive produced by Cooper Raiff (Cha Cha Real Smooth, Hal &amp; Harper), is now available digitally in the U,K, Ireland, the U.S. and Canada. Over/Under is the first film under her production company, Synchronicities, which she founded in 2021.

Sophia Silver

Life Won’t Look Anything Like You Thought It Would

Phyllis Toben Bancroft is a writer, director and producer whose films explore women, identity, memory, longing and transformation. Her work includes SPENT, which won a $100,000 award from Johnson &amp; Johnson and aired on BET; Burned; and the award-winning …with salt, which screened at more than 30 film festivals internationally. Her latest release, Echoes: Four Stories of Becoming, now available on Amazon Prime Video, brings together four of her films. An alumna of the AFI Conservatory, Bancroft is currently developing her feature film Hide and Seek. (Photo by Amina Touray.)

Phyllis Toben Bancroft

The Things That Echo: What Four Films Taught Me About Becoming

Alison Star Locke earned a B.F.A. in Filmic Writing from USC, where she won the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Award. She began her career as a reality TV Story Producer and writing, directing and producing numerous shorts. After staying home to advocate and care for her daughter, who has autism, she returned to work to write and direct The Apology, her first feature, a psychological thriller starring Anna Gunn, Linus Roache and Janeane Garofalo and is available on Shudder, AMC+, Blu-Ray and VOD. Her comedy horror short, Pick Up Time, was laureled up at fests, including Nightmares, Renegade, etc. She recently produced the zombie horror/relationship drama short, Until the End. She lives with her husband and daughter in the LA area. Her work focuses mainly on motherhood, gender disparity, disability and having fun getting your rage out. You can find her on socials at @alisonstarlocke.

Alison Star Locke

Feeding the Babadook in the Basement

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Talkhouse

Colin Blunstone is the voice of The Zombies, the British Invasion pioneers best known for timeless hits like “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No,” and “Time of the Season.” Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, Blunstone has enjoyed a career spanning over six decades, celebrated for his uniquely silky and emotive vocal style. In addition to his work with The Zombies, including the cult classic Odessey and Oracle, he’s released various solo albums such as One Year, Ennismore, Journey and more. With The Zombies&#8217; touring era concluded, Blunstone continues to perform and record as a solo artist, carrying forward the legacy of one of rock’s most distinctive voices.
(Photo Credit: Andrew Eccles)

Colin Blunstone

Music

Colin Blunstone and Peter Asher Are Hitting the Road

Podcast

989. – Chris & Jason

830: Editing at The New York Times to Veg Everything with Tanya Sichynsky   

Taxi Driver with Tracy Letts

Daniel Schechter is an indie filmmaker living in New York City. His micro-budget feature Supporting Characters is now available on iTunes and Netflix and his latest film, Life of Crime starring Jennifer Aniston, will be released on August 29th, 2014.