film essay
Swimming Upstream
Kusama — Infinity director Heather Lenz details the obstacles she faced during her resilient attempts to get her documentary made.
An Oral and Visual History of the Making of Bisbee ’17
Director Robert Greene, his cinematographer and producers break down the images in their new film, and how they used genre to interrogate mythologies.
How We Ended Up Casting a Legendary French Porn Star in Our New Movie
The married writer-directors of Let the Corpses Tan on using porn stars in their movies, and working with the iconic Marilyn Jess.
How a Broken TV Led to Us Becoming Hollywood Filmmakers
Twins Jonathan and Josh Baker, the Australian directing team behind the new sci-fi film Kin, recall when their beloved family set packed it in.
Making a Fictional Documentary in the Era of Fake News
Dean Fleischer-Camp on the story behind his film Fraud, and what it's been like to show the film to audiences in the current climate.
Storyboarding We the Animals
The director and co-writer of We the Animals discusses putting his film on paper before he made it, and shares storyboards from the movie.
How Repeated Rejection Can Lead To Your Dream Job
Two of the The Katydids, the comedy team behind TV Land's hit sitcom Teachers, share how hearing a lot of “no's” set them up for success.
One Year After Charlottesville, Lessons Learned from Making a Film About the Alt-Right and Antifa
Adam Bhala Lough, director of Alt-Right: Age of Rage, ponders where we stand 12 months after the tragic death of Heather Heyer.
Between Brooklyn and Manila
Manila Death Squad's director on his adopted home and his birth country, and making work that explores the gap between the two places.
What I Learned Working with Jean-Luc Godard, Béla Tarr and Alex Cox
At the end of the day, writes Gavagai's writer-director Rob Tregenza, it's all dependent cinema.
Peace in Chaos: An Introvert’s Story of Speaking Softly in a Loud Business
Jennifer Yuh Nelson, director of the new YA sci-fi thriller The Darkest Minds, on how she went from quiet animator to blockbuster director.
Making Movies, Making Babies (and the Monster Beside Me)
Susanna Nicchiarelli is about to release her new film Nico, 1988, and about to have her second child. She has a lot of thoughts about all this.











