Ondi Timoner and her filmmaker panelists talk the art of documentary filmmaking at the 2019 Sidewalk Film Festival.

WeTalk — Docs in a New Spotlight

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Brian d’Arcy James is currently starring in <a href="https://edwardburns.net/projects/finnegans-foursome/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Finnegan’s Foursome</a>, the new family-themed comedy drama from writer-director-actor Edward Burns, which is now on digital. His other recent film credits include two other films for Burns, Millers in Marriage and The Family Mcmullen, as well as Pain Hustlers opposite Emily Blunt and Chris Evans and She Came To Me, alongside Anne Hathaway, Peter Dinklage and Marissa Tomei. He was Officer Krupke in the Oscar-Nominated West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg, co-starred in The Kitchen opposite Melissa McCarthy, and gave standout performances in First Man, Molly’s Game and Spotlight, for which he won a SAG Aaward. On TV, he recently starred in The Copenhagen Test on Peacock, the David E. Kelly miniseries Love and Death, opposite Elizabeth Olsen. Brian has starred in fifteen shows on Broadway, most recently Into the Woods and The Ferryman, and has been nominated for five Tony Awards. He originated the role of King George in Hamilton.

Brian d’Arcy James

Film

Three Great Things: Brian d’Arcy James

Nazanin Boniadi is an acclaimed British-Iranian actress and deeply committed human and women’s rights activist. Her new film, the adoption drama A Mosquito in the Ear, also starring Jake Lacy and Ruhi Pal, is in theaters now. Boniadi recently appeared in the Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. On the big screen, she appeared in Lionsgate’s Fox News drama Bombshell, opposite Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, and John Lithgow, and starred in the drama Hotel Mumbai, opposite Dev Patel. In addition to her passion for the arts, Boniadi is a dedicated human and women’s rights advocate with a focus on Iran. In 2020, she was appointed as an Amnesty International UK Ambassador. That same year, Boniadi released a short documentary film that she produced for ATTN: called Stateless, which chronicles her trip to refugee camps in Calais and Dunkirk to expose the plight of Iranian refugees and other asylums seekers who have been forced to leave their homes in an effort to find freedom, safety and to create a better life for their children.

Nazanin Boniadi

Three Great Things: Nazanin Boniadi

A former accountant and attorney, Van Billet transitioned from the business world at age 52 to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a screenwriter. Since then, several of his screenplays have earned critical acclaim, including Saving Paradise, which was produced in 2020. His screenplay <a href="https://www.jaysilvermanproductions.com/yale" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yale</a> was produced in 2025 and on June 18, 2026 will have its world premiere as the opening-night film at Dances With Films. His next screenplay, Circumstantial Evidence, is about to be sold. Van’s screenplays are character-driven, exploring human frailty, ambition, and moral conflict. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Van now splits his time between Philadelphia and Naples, Florida.

Van Billet

The Charm, the Audacity and the Emptiness Underneath

Nick Dawson talks with filmmakers, musicians and comedians whose work he loves, avoiding the mundane, predictable questions they&#8217;ve heard numerous times and instead asking substantive, thoughtful questions that get to the heart of who they are.

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That

Podcast

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Kirsten Johnson

Zyortza is a Spanish writer-director based between Los Angeles and Spain whose work explores identity, cultural duality, and the resilience of immigrant women. With a background in acting and degrees in Film Production and African-American Diaspora Studies and an MFA in Film Directing, she has a storytelling style that blends emotional rawness with sociopolitical depth. Her latest short film, <a href="https://www.idesmovie.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I Don’t Even Skate</a>, follows Nahiki, an undocumented girl chasing a dream on wheels while battling exploitation and survival in the shadows. The film, now on the festival circuit, captures the stakes of choosing between safety and self-determination. Zyortza creates in both Spanish and English and is currently developing her debut feature, to be shot across Spain and Los Angeles. More at <a href="http://www.zyortza.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">zyortza.com</a>.

Zyortza

You Can Teach Someone Camera Angles. You Can’t Teach Obsession.

Katie Camosy’s documentary <a href="https://gaslitdoc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gaslit</a>, featuring Jane Fonda and focused on the fight against oil/gas extraction boom, is now playing in New York City and opens in L.A. on June 19. She started her career documenting the early 2000s London indie music scene, which led to producing a web series about musicians for Apple. She has crossed the United States multiple times making documentary shorts about people from all walks of life. Recently, Katie has been working with Greenpeace, through which she produced Fire Drill Fridays, a Greenpeace web series about climate change with Jane Fonda, where she was able to experiment with live formats, expert panels, and climate documentary deep dives.

Katie Camosy

“Katie Documentary” and the 20-Year Itch

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Talkhouse

Evan Shornstein, aka Photay, is a composer, drummer, DJ, producer, and musical polymath based in LA.

Evan Shornstein

Booker Stardrum is a composer, drummer/percussionist, and producer based in Kingston, NY.

Booker Stardrum

Music

Mood Board: Booker Stardrum and Evan Shornstein’s OOPS!

794: She Wolf Bakes Thousands of Sourdough Loaves Each Week. Kim Vallejo Keeps It All on Track.

aja monet

959. – Chris & Jason

Your favorite musicians, filmmakers, and other creative minds one-on-one. No moderator, no script, no typical questions. The Talkhouse Podcast offers unique insights into creative work from all genres and generations. <a href="https://pod.link/Talkhouse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Subscribe now</a>, and explore more illuminating shows on the <a href="https://talkhouse.com/category/podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Talkhouse Podcast Network.</a>

Talkhouse Podcast

Revisited: Maya Hawke Talks with Blondshell on the Talkhouse Podcast

Producer/director&nbsp;Ondi Timoner has the rare distinction of winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival twice. Her 2004 doc, <a href="http://www.interloperfilms.com/portfolio/dig/">Dig!</a>, explores the star-crossed rivalry of the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, while her 2009 top prize-winner, <a href="http://www.interloperfilms.com/portfolio/we-live-in-public/">We Live in Public</a>, examines privacy in the virtual age through Internet visionary Josh Harris&#8217; social experiments. Her company <a href="http://atotaldisruption.com">A Total Disruption</a>&nbsp;releases weekly short docs about thought leaders and doers who are transforming our lives through technology.

Ondi Timoner

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Maria Bakalova is now starring in the new sci-fi drama O Horizon, opposite David Strathairn, Adam Pally, Maggie Grace and Paulina Porizkova. She is a Bulgarian actress who, straight out of drama school, was cast by Sacha Baron Cohen to play Borat’s daughter of in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020), for which she won a Critics&#8217; Choice Movie Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, an Actor Award, and a Golden Globe Award. Born and raised in Burgas, Bakalova began her career in Bulgarian cinema while attending the National Academy for Theater and Film Arts, mostly portrayed dramatic roles in films such as Transgression, The Father, Last Call and Women Do Cry.