Authors — Filmmaker Staff
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“You Have to Give It the Love It Needs”: Editor Matthieu Bouchard on Two Women
In Two Women, an adaptation of Claude Fournier’s Two Women in Gold (1970), two women, one struggling with depression and the other on a difficult maternity leave, find that misadventure and taboo make their lives a bit more invigorating. The World Cinema Dramatic Competition entry is directed by Chloé Robichaud (Days of Happiness, Sarah Prefers to Run). Matthieu Bouchard, a veteran of TV comedy, took his first turn as a feature film editor on Two Women. He reflects on achieving that dream and helping Robichaud realize her vision below. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2025 -
“The Beginning of A Very Powerful Artistic Exchange” | Chloé Robichaud, Two Women
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? A few months before starting the film shoot, I invited Sara Mishara, Louisa Schabas, and Patricia McNeil to my home—respectively, the director of photography, the production designer, and the costume designer. I live in the countryside, and we settled in front of a fire and spent an entire day discussing our feelings about the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2025 -
“Our Communication Had Been Restricted” | David Borenstein, Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? The making of our film is a story as epic as the film itself. From my perspective, it’s filled with unforgettable moments: the first time I connected with Pasha in Russia, the trust-building conversations we shared over the phone and the nerve-wracking security incidents that kept us awake through long, tense nights. The most […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2025 -
“An Entertaining Film About a Very Pressing and Complicated Topic”: Editor Nicolaj Monberg on Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Pasha is a nonconformist and a teacher in a small town in the Ural Mountains who finds his world turned upside down when Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Director David Borenstein’s documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, follows Pasha, himself the cinematographer and credited co-director, as he watches his institution transform into a militarized indoctrination center for nationalist ideology. Mr. Nobody Against Putin screens as part of Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Competition. Below, editor Nicolaj Monberg explains how he balanced the desire for an entertaining film about contemporary Russian politics with the gravity of its subject matter. See […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2025 -
“Shooting Vérité Means Embracing the Coincidences”: DP Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo on Folktales
In the northern extremes of Norway, along the Russian border, is a folk high school that teaches teenagers self-reliance and survival. That school is the subject of Folktales, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, who also co-directed Jesus Camp and Endangered, among others, together. Most remarkable about Folktales is its remote location. Below, cinematographer Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo (Songs of Earth) discusses the challenges of working in the Arctic and walks us through the equipment that made shooting a film at temperatures significantly below freezing possible. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2025 -
“A Film Is Like a Puzzle” | Vladimir de Fontenay, Sukkwan Island
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? In many ways, a film is like a puzzle. It is a slow and gradual process that is often very challenging depending on the number of pieces you’re missing. But because of the story, and the way in which we filmed it—backwards—it was especially true of Sukkwan Island. Roy agrees to spend a formative […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2025 -
“From Day One, Andrea Was All-in” | Ryan White, Come See Me in the Good Light
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? Day one. I had never met Andrea before—they came out to the driveway and gave me a hug and said, “So you’re gonna be with me when I die,” and then they invited us inside. Usually Day one (and often Month one) of a documentary is just a warm-up in building trust and getting […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2025 -
“The Film and My Understanding of It Really Changed”: Editor Nicolas Chaudeurge on Sukkwan Island
Thirteen-year-old Roy agrees to spend a year in northern Norway with his father to reconnect in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition film Sukkwan Island. The film stars Swann Arlaud (Anatomy of a Fall) and newcomer Woody Norman. Nicolas Chaudeurge edited the film after working with director Vladimir de Fontenay on his previous film, Mobile Homes. Below, he explains his efficient style and what it means when solutions start to happen by mistake. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2025 -
“I Love Diving Into the Unexpected”: DP Amine Berrada on Sukkwan Island
Sukkwan Island marks Vladimir de Fontenay’s follow-up to Mobile Homes, his 2017 Directors Fortnight entry. The film, which stars Swann Arlaud (Anatomy of a Fall) and newcomer Woody Norman, tracks the conflict between Tom and his 13-year-old son Roy when they move to remote northern Norway. Amine Berrada (Hounds, Banel & Adama) served as director of photography on the Arctic shoot. Below, he gets into the nitty gritty discussing lighting, explaining how the film’s different timeframes necessitated unique approaches to lighting both to serve the story and to adjust to the drastic seasonal differences in northern Norway. See all responses […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2025 -
“Present the Various Perspectives in Their Fullest Possible Sense”: Editor Graham Taylor on The Stringer
The Stringer is an investigation into the authorship of The Terror of War, sometimes known as “Napalm Girl,” one of the most recognizable photographs of the 20th century. The film is directed by Bao Nguyen (The Greatest Night in Pop) and screens as part of the Premieres section at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Graham Taylor, who worked with Nguyen on Be Water, again serves as editor for The Stringer. Below he discusses balancing the multiple disciplines that informed the film and prioritizing evidential footage over salacious material. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2025
