Editors
Interviews - Editors
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“I Studied Experimental Filmmaking, Not Editing”: Editor Nico Leunen on The Eight Mountains
When Pietro’s (Lupo Barbiero) father passes away and leaves him a plot of land in the small Alpine village of Grana, he decides to return to the mountainous locale to build a house. Upon his return, he bonds anew with Bruno (Cristiano Sassella), who he first met when he visited with his mother as an 11-year-old boy many years ago. The winner of the Jury Prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, The Eight Mountains from directors Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch is an engrossing look at a friendship that transcends time and distance. Editor Nico Leunen tells Filmmaker […]
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“A Joyful Film About a Complicated, Well-Lived Life”: Editor Tal Ben-David on Judy Blume Forever
Directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok examine a YA literary icon in their documentary Judy Blume Forever. The author of coming-of-age touchstones like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Forever and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Blume has amassed quite a legacy during a career than has spanned more than 60 years and 25 novels. Editor Tal Ben-David discusses the process of cutting Judy Blume Forever, touching on her appreciation for the author’s work and how she charted her life and career through the decades. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why […]
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“I Don’t Think I’ve Ever Cried So Much in the Edit”: Editor Michelle Mizner on 20 Days in Mariupol
War correspondent Mstyslav Chernov found himself and a team of fellow Ukrainian journalists under siege in the eastern port city of Mariupol, their most valuable weapon against the encroaching Russian forces being the camera they used to document the atrocities of the invasion. The resulting footage became 20 Days in Mariupol, Chernov’s feature debut that chronicles the strife of Ukrainian citizens and the journalists trying to ensure that their story is told. Editor Michelle Mizner shares with Filmmaker her insights on cutting Mstyslav Chernov footage from the frontline. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and […]
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“My Goal Is Always To Move People to Laughter or Tears”: Editor JoAnne Yarrow on The Persian Version
Leila (Layla Mohammadi), an Iranian-American girl, gathers with her family in New York City for her father’s heart transplant surgery in The Persian Version from writer-director Maryam Keshavarz. When a tightly-kept secret of hers is revealed, she grapples with the divided expectations from the two cultures she inhabits and comes to identify the parallels between her and her mother (Niousha Noor). Editor JoAnne Yarrow tells Filmmaker about inheriting the project after its initial assembly by Abolfazi Talooni, “softening” Leila’s character and the most difficult scene to cut. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why […]
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“Curiosity and Fear Are Strange Companions”: Editor Stella Heath Keir on Girl
Precocious 11-year-old Ama (Le’Shantey Bonsu) and her 24-year-old mother Grace (Déborah Lukumuena) have an intense (if somewhat co-dependent) bond in Girl, the feature debut from writer-director Adura Onashile. Living in a sprawling Glasgow apartment complex, Grace constantly fears that Ama is in danger when she leaves her home alone to work the night shift as a janitor. Perhaps this has to do with Grace’s own traumatic past—a facet of her life she will need to unpack and being to heal from if she wishes to foster a healthy relationship with her daughter, who is on the precipice of puberty and […]
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“There Was a Lot of Important World Building To Be Done”: Editor Sam Levy on The Starling Girl
Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen) is starting to feel out of place among her fundamentalist Christian community in The Starling Girl, writer-director Laurel Parmet’s debut feature. A 17-year-old girl living in rural Kentucky, the only person who Jem seems to relate to is youth pastor Owen (Lewis Pullman). However, as a married man, Owen’s “friendship” with Jem poses some serious problems—most of which will become the teenage girl’s burden to bear. Sam Levy, the film’s editor, tells Filmmaker about his industry origins and how he went about cutting Parmet’s relatively lean first feature. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor […]
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“A Rom-com That Knows Exactly What It Is”: Editor Victoria Boydell on Rye Lane
Director Raine Allen Miller brings a fresh feeling to the traditional romcom with Rye Lane, her Sundance 2023-premiering film set to drop on Hulu later this year. Following accountant Dom (David Jonsson) as he spends a day walking-and-talking around south London, a la Before Sunrise, with free-spirited costumer designer Yas (Vivian Oparah). Below, editor Victoria Voydell discusses her work on the stylish feature debut. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Boydell: I had mentioned to my agent that I was […]
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“I Use Split Screens as a Tool for Ensuring Any Performance Can Be Used”: Editor Franklin Peterson on Fair Play
The subject of a bidding war after its premiere before selling to Netflix for a reported $20 million, Chloe Domont’s twisty thriller Fair Play owes much to the work of editor Franklin Peterson in establishing the deliberate pace necessary to suck viewers in. Below, he offers (spoiler-free!) insights on his work on the film. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Peterson: I was offered an interview with Chloe, the writer-director, for the position, as she responded to my […]
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“The Main Goal Was To Make the Audience Connect With an Unusual Protagonist”: Editor Fàtima de los Santos on MAMACRUZ
A routine Internet search turned pornographic discovery is what prompts Cruz (Kiti Mánver), a devoutly religious grandmother, to experience a latent sexual awakening. Though she’s initially stricken with a classic case of God-fearing shame, Cruz embarks on a path of sensual self-discovery via a local women’s sex therapy group in MAMACRUZ, Patricia Ortega’s latest film. Editor Fàtima de los Santos discusses how she got the audience to connect with an “unusual” protagonist, how she aided in changing the MAMACRUZ‘s narrative structure and the difficulty of working on a film without background music. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor […]
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“A Narrative That Exposes the Horror of Losing One’s Autonomy”: Editor Taylor Mason on birth/rebirth
Director Laura Moss’s feature debut birth/rebirth is laden with horror references, which was a principal reason for editor Taylor Mason vying for the gig. The film is essentially a modern retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, with an overtly femme twist. It follows Celie (Judy Reyes), a maternity nurse who experiences a sudden tragedy, and Rose (Marin Ireland), a brilliant (if somewhat anti-social) pathologist, form an unlikely bond over the latter’s experimental reanimation process. As their friendship develops, they both reassess their respective moral compasses—shocking each other, and themselves, in the process. Mason spoke with Filmmaker about the film’s myriad horror […]
