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Talkhouse

Garth Jennings is a film director, writer and artist whose latest film, <a href="https://mubi.com/en/us/films/pulp-what-do-you-do-for-an-encore" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pulp: What Do You Do for an Encore?</a>, is now streaming on MUBI. His work includes videos for Blur, Radiohead, Beck, R.E.M., Fatboy Slim and Vampire Weekend. He directed the feature film The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and wrote and directed the semi-autobiographical film Son of Rambow. Garth went on to write and direct the animated films Sing and Sing 2 with Illumination Entertainment, and is the author of four children’s books: The Wildest Cowboy, The Deadly Seven, The Good, the Bad, and the Deadly Seven, and The Curse of the Deadly Seven. Garth is currently writing and directing his next movie. (Photo by Ezra Petronio.)

Garth Jennings

Film

Three Great Things: Garth Jennings

Nick Dawson talks with filmmakers, musicians and comedians whose work he loves, avoiding the mundane, predictable questions they&#8217;ve heard numerous times and instead asking substantive, thoughtful questions that get to the heart of who they are.

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That

Podcast

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Kathryn Grody

Travis Gutiérrez Senger is a Mexican American director, writer and producer based in Los Angeles. His recent project, <a href="https://ascofilm.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ASCO: Without Permission</a>, a genre-defying film about the Chicano, avant-garde art group ASCO, premiered at SXSW 2025 and is out now on PBS. The film is executive produced by Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna. The project has received support from the Ford Foundation, Film Independent, the Dolby Creator Lab and was recently given the Cinema Tropical Award for Best U.S. Latinx Film. His prior narrative and documentary projects, Desert Cathedral, White Lines and the Fever, along with a number of shorts, have won top prizes at festivals such as Tribeca, SXSW, and SIFF. He founded ANM Films, a premium film and TV company, focused on bold, progressive stories.

Travis Gutiérrez Senger

Notes on a Dedication

Melody C. Roscher’s debut feature film as a writer and director, <a href="https://www.futureoffilmisfemale.com/bird-in-hand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bird in Hand</a>, premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival in the U.S. Competition category and is out now in theaters. The film is preceded by a companion short film she wrote and directed, White Wedding, that premiered at 2021’s Sundance Film Festival, and played in dozens of festivals around the world. Her directing and writing work comes off years of producing film, television and commercial work. Some notable works include Borderline Films Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, and Josh Mond’s works Christine; James White, Simon Killer, and Martha Marcy May Marlene. For these works she was nominated for two Independent Spirit awards including Best First Feature for James White, and Piaget Producer’s Award for Christine. Other cult favorites include Dean Fleischer-Camp’s Catherine, starring Jenny Slate, and Robin Comisar’s Great Choice. Melody hails from both New York City, and Richmond, Virginia where she now resides. She’s a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Melody C. Roscher

The Genetics of a Film

Acclaimed producer and actor Leonardo Nam can now be seen returning to his fan-favorite role as Maddox Hatter in Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, now streaming on Disney+. He is best known for HBO&#8217;s Westworld, where he starred opposite Thandiwe Newton as Felix Lutz, as well as standout roles in Marvel’s Werewolf by Night, Netflix’s Yes Day, and in films such as Origin, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants franchise, and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Off-screen, Leonardo is also entering a major new chapter creatively with the launch of Good On Ya Productions; his independent film and television banner focused on globally minded, character-driven storytelling. Born in Argentina to Korean immigrant parents and raised in Australia, Leonardo brings a uniquely international perspective to both his acting and producing work.

Leonardo Nam

Someone Sent My Family a Hateful Homophobic Note. We Responded to Fear with Visibility.

Louis Paxton is a writer and director from Edinburgh, Scotland. After studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, he completed an MA in Directing at the National Film and Television School in London. His feature debut, <a href="https://sumerianpictures.com/movies/the-incomer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Incomer</a>, an offbeat comedy starring Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin and Grant O&#8217;Rourke, premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and is out now in theaters through Sumerian Pictures. Learn more at his <a href="https://www.louispaxton.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official website</a>.

Louis Paxton

Fast Forward

Adam Rifkin is a writer-director whose eclectic career ranges from family comedies to thought-provoking indies to cult classics. Notable titles include The Dark Backward, Detroit Rock City, Look, Giuseppe Makes a Movie, Mousehunt, Small Soldiers and The Last Movie Star. His latest film, the Western <a href="https://lasttraintofortune.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Last Train to Fortune</a>, starring Malcolm McDowell, James Paxton, Mary Steenburgen and Bernadette Peters, is out now in theaters.

Adam Rifkin

The Little Train That Finally Came Home

Shannon Plumb has shot over 200 short films, which have been exhibited in museums, galleries, and on international screens. She started by shooting herself as various characters, acting out three-minute situations using humor and silence as her vehicles for storytelling. In 2013, her first feature film, Towheads, premiered at MoMA as part of New Directors / New Films; it is now streaming on the <a href="https://www.criterionchannel.com/towheads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Criterion Channel</a>. You can see her short films at <a href="http://shannonplumb.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shannonplumb.com</a> and Towheads is available on Netflix and iTunes. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, director Derek Cianfrance, and their two sons.

Shannon Plumb

Holding It In

Dos Santos is a Chicago-based alt-Latinx band known for their powerful live performance and their progressive compositional layering of various Latin/American musics.
The core band consists of drummer Daniel Villarreal, percussionist Peter “Maestro” Vale, bassist Jaime Garza, guitarist Nathan Karagianis, and multi-instrumentalist/singer/lyricist Alex Chavez. 
Their latest record, Es Amor, is out now.
(Photo Credit: Trey Legit)

Dos Santos

Music

Mood Board: Dos Santos’ Es Amor

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Nicolas Winding Refn

Lauren Caster is a writer, director, and actor based in Los Angeles, deeply connected to Southern California. Raised by a lesbian mother who conceived her through an anonymous sperm donor, Lauren is committed to telling LGBTQ+ stories, reflecting her personal journey and the diverse family structures she grew up with. Her semi-autobiographical feature film debut, <a href="https://rhythmisadancer.utopia.film/buy-tickets?utm_source=ig&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=link_in_bio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rhythm is a Dancer</a>, in which she stars opposite Amy Aquino and Tate Donovan, plays the Roxy Cinema in New York City on July 16 and 17. Her filmmaking journey began with her short film Donor Baby, which was picked up by Amazon. This success led to additional shorts, Plan C and Becoming, creating opportunities such as a development deal with Lifetime after winning The Wrap’s Pitchfest for emerging female filmmakers. Lauren later served as associate producer on Lifetime&#8217;s You&#8217;re Not Supposed To Be Here, a story she wrote, which was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Movie (Streaming or TV).

Lauren Caster

The Stories We Invent Before We Have Language

Alex Zhang Hungtai is a Taiwanese-born Canadian musician and actor. He formerly released music as Dirty Beaches, and now performs under his own name. His double album Orion/Mother is out now.

Alex Zhang Hungtai

Andrew Thomas Huang is a visual artist, writer and director who crafts hybrid fantasy worlds and mythical dreamscapes. Known for his Grammy nominated music videos of Björk, FKA twigs and Thom Yorke, Huang is also recognized as a writer and directer of narrative film. His work has been commissioned by and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Sydney Opera House and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Inspired by his queer Chinese heritage, Huang’s work mines the unconscious realms to blend technology, mysticism, future folklore and queer spirituality.

family