film essay
Finding Home
First-time documentarian Karla Murthy, whose film The Place That Makes Us airs tomorrow on WORLD Channel, ponders what home means to her.
Once Upon a Time … Xuxa!
Daniela De Carlo, writer-director of The Blackout, on how her childhood idol, Brazilian pop star Xuxa, magically came into her life, for good.
Finding the Thread and Repairing the Past
Filmmaker Enid Zentelis on making her non-fiction podcast series How My Grandmother Won WWII, and how we tell historical stories.
When Movie Theaters Return
Julia Marchese looks ahead to the time when watching a film will once again be a communal and transformative experience.
Connected Through Music, Through Film
David Wexler, director of the SXSW documentary Disintegration Loops, on the way music has shaped all his cinematic visions.
We Become the Stories We Tell Ourselves
Writer-director Jessie Barr on the personal story of death, grief and family that underpins her debut feature, Sophie Jones.
What You (Can’t) Say
Director Brielle Brilliant on the very particular backstory of their new film Firstness, and what that word means to them.
Why I’m Fascinated by Institutional Corruption
Acclaimed writer-director Nicholas Jarecki on why his debut, Arbitrage, and new film Crisis both focus on societal systems in collapse.
Redefining the Meaning of Success
Sarah Sherman ponders concepts of art and achievement after she and her brother Zach co-directed their debut feature, Young Hearts.
The Road to Triumph: Civil Rights and Marjoun and the Flying Headscarf
As Marjoun and the Flying Headscarf vies for Oscar contention, director Susan Youssef charts how Islamophobia has impacted her creative career.
The Puppy with the One Blue Eye: A Documentary Filmmaker’s Dilemma
Elizabeth Lo, whose debut documentary feature Stray is out tomorrow, on the most difficult situation she faced making the film.
Dangerous Business: On Loving Elaine May and Ishtar
Canadian filmmaker Mark Cira traces his long, complicated relationship with May's famously derided comedy back to his anarchist teen years.











