“White Girl in Paris” delivers its powerful images of a carefree young black woman prancing around France unburdened by her blackness, as a send-up of France female archetypes. We asked director and star Tajayona about the inspiration behind the project, the development process, and what it was like embodying this character…
Read MoreIn “Space,” by Jesse Thurston, we’re thrown into the in-progress lives of three friends and an Airbnb guest in a Brooklyn apartment, each struggling to maintain relationships and well-being. We asked Thurston about the origins of the project, its layered structure, and deferred conversations…
Read More“youth, full” is a sharply drawn vignette of discontent about a young woman struggling with what she wants out of life, family or freedom. We asked director Melina Valdez how the project began, keeping it simple, and whether she ever stands in front of the mirror and pretends to smile…
Read More“Virginia,” by director Marcela Biven, finds a young woman grieving over the loss of her sister and engaging in an elaborate form of therapy. We asked Biven how the idea came to be, withholding expositional information, and grief surrogates…
Read More“Earth is a Paradise” is a push-pull chamber drama about two strangers who meet after a car accident and spend the night drinking together. We asked co-directors Fabianne Gstöttenmayr and Jessica Garrison how the project began, maintaining thematic complexity, and how they embedded shifts of power and control into their film…
Read MoreIn the near future, as projected in “Five Minutes Before the End of the World,” the hipsters gathered around a Swedish coffee shop can’t be bothered by ominous signs of the end. We asked director Kevin Luna about the film’s doomsday foundations, its foreboding sound design, and whether or not he’s scared of the future…
Read MoreThe sequel to the riotous, “Love is Stinks,” which introduced us to the whirlwind romance of Briant and Edo, begins twenty years after the original. Part two, “Family is Stinks,” finds the couple, now in their 40’s, struggling with family life. We asked director Tynan Delong about his favorite TV tropes, keeping the shoot fun, and ideas for season 3…
Read MoreThe future is neon and holographic, and there’s a hallucinogenic drug that turns anxiety into well-being, as seen in the strange vision that is “Talk About Your Dreams,” the new film from director Robbie Barnett. We asked him how it came to be, the long process of completing the film, and shooting in 3D…
Read MoreWith a hyper-stylized, frenetic energy, “Manila Death Squad” follows an ambitious journalist as she challenges the leader of a violent vigilante group. We asked director Dean Colin Marcial how the project began, the sensory overload style, and about representing violent figures in complicated ways…
Read MoreThe elliptical story of two young friends recalling sublime moments of youth while a floating orb descends down to earth, “Common Structure,” is a collaboration between Bill Bill Kirstein and Anne Hollowday. We asked them about the genesis of the project, the film’s central mystery, and what’s next for them…
Read MoreThe brutally incisive, “Molly’s Single,“ by director Ariel Gardner, follows its protagonist through a painful break-up and a series of bad dates aimed at moving on. We asked Gardner how it began, how he sees the behavior of his characters, and why he shot with an old miniDV camera…
Read MoreIn the form of an oddly revealing personal ad for a dating service, “Hamburger,” follows a day in the life of an awkward, self-proclaimed romantic. We asked director Charlie Tyrell where it all came from, and the process of working with his DP, Amado Stachenfeld, and co-writer, Lauren Neal…
Read MoreThe drugged-out tomfoolery meets existential meaninglessness that is “Country Boy” follows two young men on a quest to find their ideal pick-up trucks in the parking lot of Bass Pro Shops, and generally be reborn in 2019. We asked director Stephen Jacobson what inspired the project, how it came together, and deep YouTube…
Read MoreThe strange farce on American enterprise, “Hardware,” finds a desperate man traveling to a housewares convention looking for business partnership. We asked director Stephen Jacobsen about his cast, finding the film’s odd tone, and his vibe on-set…
Read MoreA contemplative drama about mortality, “A Craftsman,” finds its lead character overcome with grief, on the verge of a drastic response. We asked director, Sanford Jenkins Jr., how the project began, the tricky tonal balance, and working with his cast…
Read MoreThe feature-length mockumentary, “#Blessed” is a wild ride through the embarrassing and painful life of Dallas Mapleshade, a young performer who goes to great lengths to become a star. We asked directors Rich Costales and Kailee McGee, where it all began, the difference between the lead character and actress, and what most inspires them most…
Read MoreThe free-for-all melodrama, “Young Shadow,” by director Nicholas Motyka, tells the story of a houseguest who begins to unravel after seeing a painting of herself. We asked Motyka about the genesis of the project, his filming approach, and working with his talented cast…
Read More
