film essay
Brian Trenchard-Smith (Drive Hard) Talks the Dark Side of Co-Production – and the Time Glenn Ford Squeezed His Balls
The veteran director looks back on a particularly messy job for hire, and a "testicular encounter" with a legendary Hollywood star.
Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker (Art and Craft) Talk Forging Connections with Your Documentary Subject
The team behind one of the documentaries shortlisted for the 2014 Academy Awards discusses navigating complicated with the people in their films.
Alexandre Rockwell (In the Soup) Talks his Friendship with John Cassavetes
The acclaimed auteur looks back on the experience of being mentored by the godfather of American independent filmmaking, and what he learned from him.
Sophia Takal (Green) Talks Liv Ullmann’s Miss Julie
A night that starts with watching a new take on Strindberg's classic play at a swanky club and ends at Justin Timberlake's restaurant in Times Square.
Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman (Remote Area Medical) Talk Documentary Filmmaking: It’s Not Just Here to Tell You What to Do
The husband-and-wife filmmaking team question the recent idea that activism must play a direct role in documentary cinema.
Anna Martemucci (Hollidaysburg) Talks Amir Bar-Lev’s Happy Valley
This documentary about Jerry Sandusky and the Penn State sex abuse scandal prompts a thoughtful, brave and very personal take on the subject matter.
Zach Clark (White Reindeer) Talks Holiday Movies and What Makes Them Special
A lover of all things wintry and festive — not to mention a devoted cinephile — identifies the qualities that make us connect to holiday movies.
Jim Hemphill (The Trouble with the Truth) Talks Watching Interstellar Six Times in Six Days in Six Formats
Christopher Nolan is one of the major filmmakers trying to keep celluloid alive, but does film truly provide a superior viewing experience to digital?
Theodore Collatos (Dipso) Talks Watching Foreign Movies Without English Subtitles
From watching a film about favelas in Rio to Ferrara's vision of Pasolini in Rome, how do we experience movies when dialogue doesn't get in the way?
Jeff Preiss (Low Down) Talks the Supreme Importance of Chance in Filmmaking
The cinematographer-turned-director looks back on a life and career in film through the prism of serendipitous coincidence.
Brian Trenchard-Smith (Drive Hard) Talks Making a War Movie in a War Zone
The veteran director recalls making a movie about the Vietnam War in the Philippines — where a real conflict was taking place at the very same time.
Russell Friedenberg (Among Ravens) Talks Making Films as a Family
The actor and writer-director reveals the way family and filmmaking mingle for him, and how his daughter unwittingly became an overnight TV star.











