film essay

Bette Gordon takes us back to Downtown NYC in the early 1980s and the roots of her classic 1983 directorial debut feature.

Rachel Dretzin, whose new film Far From the Tree opens Friday, on a formative experience that shaped the way she approaches her work.

Leslie Harris on the unique journey she took to making her debut feature, Just Another Girl on the I.R.T., and beyond.

Steve Lippman exclusively shares his new collaboration with singer-songwriter Joe Henry, and his thoughts on working with him again 15 years later.

The director of the new film Love, Cecil on stumbling into cinema, and how she somehow ends up looking like all of her documentary subjects.

Andrew Fleming details the rejection he has faced with his new film, the gay romantic comedy Ideal Home, starring Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd.

The director of Super Dark Times reveals how making the film helped him come to terms with two traumatic incidents from his youth.

In The King, Eugene Jarecki is taking aim at one of our nation's sacred cows. But, despite what the trolls say, it's not Elvis.

Writer-director Mouly Surya on how she struggled to find her identity as an Indonesian filmmaker after years spent studying abroad.

Lifelong Landis devotee Jim Hemphill revisits his little-seen first film, reminding him just what he loves about the veteran director’s work.

Lea Thompson traces the roots of her artistic identity from the relationships with her mother and dance teacher through to her directorial debut.

Drew Pearce pulls back the curtain on the exhaustive approach he took to world-building for his star-studded directorial debut, Hotel Artemis.