Creative

Footer Legal

Main

NavBar

Sections

Topics

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Talkhouse

Alina Adams has worked for ABC Daytime, Procter &amp; Gamble Productions, and the Daytime Emmy Awards. Her tie-in novels, Oakdale Confidential (As the World Turns) and Jonathan’s Story (Guiding Light) were New York Times bestsellers, while The Man From Oakdale won a Scribe Award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. She wrote the officially sanctioned continuations of Another World with Another World Today, and Guiding Light with Mindy’s Twitter. She currently writes for SoapHub.com, which originally serialized her May 2025 historical fiction novel, <a href="https://www.historythroughfiction.com/go-on-pretending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Go On Pretending</a>, which is set in the 1950s world of radio soaps as they transition to television, and what that means for the show’s African-American leading man. Read more at <a href="http://www.alinaadams.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AlinaAdams.com</a>.

Alina Adams

Film

Is It Time for Women to Reclaim the Soap Opera?

Michael Polish is a prolific and acclaimed American film director, writer, and producer. His breakout feature debut, Twin Falls Idaho (1998), was acclaimed by Roger Ebert as “one of the best films of the year” for its striking originality and emotional depth. From this start, Michael continued to collaborate with his brother, Mark, crafting an eclectic mix of visionary films. His works include Northfork (2003), a visually poetic tale starring Nick Nolte and James Woods, and The Astronaut Farmer, a studio production with Billy Bob Thornton and Virginia Madsen. His 2013 adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s Big Sur was praised by The New York Times for “cracking the code” of adapting a novel for the screen. Michael’s passion for independent storytelling also led to the creation of the 10-episode series Bring on the Dancing Horses, a bold modern Western about a hit woman’s journey for justice. Most recently, Michael directed Alarum, an action-packed thriller starring Sylvester Stallone, Scott Eastwood, and Willa Fitzgerald, about two spies on the run. Michael has also authored books, including The Declaration of Independent Filmmaking, and is a respected photographer and advocate for independent film. (Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.)

Michael Polish

The Chemistry of Connection

Writer-director Dan Levy Dagerman, along with his wife, writer-actress-producer Selina Ringel, made the new romantic comedy <a href="https://www.ymhmovie.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You, Me &amp; Her</a>, which is out now in theaters. Their previous movie, Single Mother By Choice, documented Selina’s real-life pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic and was acquired by HBO Max. After earning an MFA in Directing from AFI Conservatory, Dan co-founded Two Hands Productions with Selina, also an AFI grad. He also founded High Concept Entertainment, a production company at the intersection of cannabis and entertainment, pioneering content marketing and distribution strategies that reflect the evolving demands of digital-age audiences.

Dan Levy Dagerman

Love, Laughter and a Little Chaos: Making You, Me & Her as a Husband-Wife Filmmaking Duo

Max Rissman’s debut feature, the supernatural romance <a href="https://www.uponwakingfilm.com/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upon Waking</a>, is out February 14. Ever since he was four years old, when he forced his parents to watch and subsequently act out The Wizard of Oz with him nightly, he has been captivated by the power of stories to transform the mundane into the magical. After attending college at Washington University in St. Louis and completing New York University’s MFA program in filmmaking, he followed the yellow brick road to Los Angeles, where he has been creating stories about characters coming of age and embarking on journeys of self-discovery. His web series Root for the Villain was an official selection of the 2018 Austin Film Festival, and his feature screenplay Hit Me Harder was featured on the 2020 GLAAD List.

Max Rissman

Sometimes You Can Jump From a 10-Story Building and Land in a Thimble

Tzvi is a writer director from NYC. His debut feature film, Killer of Men, made on a $10,000 budget, premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival, which Eric Kohn hailed as &#8220;one of the best debuts of 2024&#8221; and Oscar-nominated director Ramin Bahrani said &#8220;Tzvi has created the definition of low-budget auteur cinema.&#8221; Filmmaker magazine called it &#8220;an eerily austere serial killer drama, with a (possible) science fiction twist.&#8221; In his free time, Tzvi writes short fiction, essays on cinema, and runs the monthly screening series Film Underground, focused on democratizing cinema. He can be found on Instagram <a href="http://instagram.com/tzvi_shadowplayfilms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@tzvi_shadowplayfilms</a>.

Tzvi

Time Stop

Julia Marchese is a filmmaker, writer, actor, podcaster, film programmer, VHS Vixen &amp; film critic. She’s known for directing the award-winning feature documentary Out of Print, an acclaimed exploration of repertory cinema culture and film preservation. She also adapted Stephen King’s short story I Know What You Need into an award-winning short film. Julia co-hosts the podcasts Horror Movie Survival Guide, The Loser’s Club and JodoWOWsky, reviews a VHS from her rainbow wall every day on her social media channels and writes about cinema for Talkhouse. Her work frequently explores nostalgia, genre cinema, physical media culture, and the communal power of moviegoing. She is @juliacmarchese on all platforms.

Julia Marchese

My Semester at Shermer High School

Gabby Kono-Abdy produced and costars in the romantic drama <a href="https://www.lionsgate.com/movies/wish-you-were-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wish You Were Here</a>, the directorial debut of Julia Stiles starring Mena Massoud, Isabelle Fuhrman and Kelsey Grammer, which is out now through Lionsgate. She is a bicoastal actress who has appeared in series such as Law &amp; Order: SVU, iCarly and Big Time Rush and has roles in such movies as Nighthawks, opposite Chace Crawford, and Agent Game, starring Mel Gibson and Dermot Mulroney. Gabby was the star and lead producer of Baker’s Dozen, a romantic comedic mini-series that premiered on Amazon Prime, and currently is working on several other producing projects with Universal, Lionsgate, and several independent production companies. Gabby recently publicly launched her production company, Little Fishy Films, which has optioned the rights to several bestselling novels and scripts, where various projects are currently in development. Gabby’s mission is to unearth the amazing books and authors who are currently flying under the radar. (Photo by Emma Silke.)

Gabby Kono-Abdy

From New Girl to Bookworm: How High School Loneliness Sparked My Love for Storytelling

Justin Martell and Matt Manjourides were producers on Fangoria&#8217;s Castle Freak with Seager Dixon serving as Unit Production Manager. Their company Not the Funeral Home produced <a href="https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collections/frontpage/products/street-trash-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Street Trash</a> in South Africa, which is now available on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, and produces The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, which is currently in its seventh season on Shudder. The latest Not the Funeral Home film, Black Eyed Susan, is available for pre-order from Vinegar Syndrome <a href="https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/black-eyed-susan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Justin Martell, Matt Manjourides and Seager Dixon

How A Group of “Dumb Americans” Made One of the First Ever Horror Movies Shot in Albania

Sasha Rainbow is an award-winning New Zealand-born director whose new body horror Grafted is now streaming on Shudder. Her documentary Kamali, about a seven-year-old Indian girl skateboarder, was long listed for an Oscar, nominated for a BAFTA and was distributed through RYOT films. Sasha has been a mentee of the British Film Institute X British Academy of Film and Television mentorship since 2018 and attended the renowned Yaddo artists residency in 2019. In 2021, Sasha was selected as one of eight women for the Women in Film multi-hyphenate mentorship scheme in Los Angeles. Sasha is developing several feature-length scripted films, including BETA, a female lead sci-fi set in the Bay Area.

Sasha Rainbow

How I Lost My Face

Summer Shelton was the recipient of the 2018 Independent Spirit Producers Award. Her directorial debut,<a href="https://www.summershelton.com/films/project-one-youandithemovie" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> You &amp; I</a>, which she also wrote, produced and co-starred in opposite Clayne Crawford, is now available on digital. She produced the acclaimed films Maine, Keep the Change, People Places Things and Little Accidents, and is a frequent collaborator of Ramin Bahrani, including working as associate producer on his features Goodbye Solo and At Any Price. She was the recipient of the inaugural Bingham Ray Creative Producing Fellowship, awarded by the Sundance Institute (2012), a Rotterdam Producing Fellowship (2013), Film Independent Sloan Producing Fellowship (2014) and Cannes Producing Fellowship (2021) awarded by the Gotham.

Summer Shelton

On Losing It All and Gaining Back My Voice

Jim McKay is a filmmaker and co-founder, along with Michael Stipe, of C-Hundred Film Corp. McKay broke through with his debut feature, Girls Town (1996), the landmark Sundance-winning drama which is now in theaters in a <a href="https://www.filmmovement.com/girls-town" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new 4K restoration</a>. His other directorial features include Our Song (2000), Everyday People (2004), Angel Rodriguez (2005) and En El Septimo Dia (2017). He has produced and directed a full-length documentary, Lighthearted Nation; a feature-length concert film, R.E.M.’s Tourfilm; numerous music videos; and an award-winning series of public service announcements called Direct Effect. McKay has also directed numerous TV shows, including The Wire, Big Love, Law and Order, In Treatment, Treme, Mr Robot, The Americans, The Good Wife, Breaking Bad, Rectify and Better Call Saul. Visit <a href="https://jimmckayfilm.com/">jimmckayfilm.com</a> for more info.
Anna Grace is an actor, writer, and environmental lawyer. She is known for her work on Girls Town and has received grants and awards for her writing, including a New York Foundation for the Arts Award in Fiction. She was a trial attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice enforcing federal environmental laws from 2014 to 2021. More recently, she served as senior counsel and legal strategist for an environmental response trustee responsible for remediating and revitalizing contaminated sites across the United States.

Jim McKay and Anna Grace

Letters from Girls Town

Amber Sealey is an award-winning filmmaker whose most recent film, <a href="https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/out-of-my-mind/5U9QeQMDIDaj" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Out of My Mind</a>, premiered at Sundance 2024 to multiple standing ovations and is now streaming on Disney+. Based on the bestselling YA novel of the same name, it stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Kirby and Judith Light, with Jennifer Aniston voicing the inner life of the lead. Her feature No Man of God, starring Elijah Wood and Luke Kirby, was theatrically released in 2021 to rave reviews. Her feature No Light and No Land Anywhere was theatrically released by Factory 25 and won a Special Jury Award at the LA Film Festival. Her second feature, How To Cheat, won Best Performance at LAFF and both Best Narrative and Best Acting at BendFilm. Her first film, A Plus D, was released by IndiePix. Sealey has a BA in theater arts and modern dance from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an MA from The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She studied Shakespeare at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She was born in England and lives in Los Angeles with her family. (Photo by Jack Caswell.)

film essay