Editors
Interviews - Editors
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“I Even Found Myself Taking Lines into My Personal Life”: Editor Berenice Chavez on Come See Me in the Good Light
In the latest documentary by Ryan White (Pamela, A Love Story; Ask Dr. Ruth), poets Andrea and Meg turn to their art to help them cope with Andrea’s cancer diagnosis. Come See Me in the Good Light will screen as part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres section. Editor Berenice Chavez, who also edited Pamela, A Love Story returns to the cutting room for Come See Me in the Good Light. Below, she talks about finding her way into Andrea and Meg’s life despite not, at least initially, being a fan of poetry. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. […]
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“He Wanted To Share with People How To Embrace Death”: Editor Parker Laramie on André is an Idiot
In Tony Benna’s directorial debut, André is an Idiot, André Ricciardi, armed with his sense of humor, documents his own eventual death from cancer. The film will premiere in the U.S. Documentary Competition of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Parker Laramie (Unfriended, Sing Sing) served as the film’s editor. Below, he talks about what it was like to join a delicate project while it was in motion and how they cut their subject’s journey down to just 88 minutes. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of […]
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“Being Able to Do Even Crude Ideas Yourself as an Editor Is Really Valuable”: Editors Austin Reedy and Mark Becker on The Librarians
In The Librarians, director Kim A. Snyder’s documentary chronicles the efforts of these educators in states like Texas and Florida in the face of sweeping book bans, which largely censor stories that center on LGBTQ and racial identities. Editors Austin Reedy and Mark Becker tell Filmmaker about working with archive, creating through lines in the edit and how this film “helps us build a more empathetic conversation about such an important institution.” 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 […]
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“We Could Really Be Quite Merciless in the Edit”: Editor Jennifer Vecchiarello on East of Wall
Premiering in the festival’s NEXT section, this hybrid film from filmmaker Kate Beecroft follows Tabitha Zimiga, a horse trainer who houses wayward women in her remote Badlands ranch. As she provides shelter and guidance for her oft-teenage house guests, Tabitha also grapples with the recent death of her husband and mounting financial peril. Editor Jennifer Vecchiarello answers our questions about her collaboration on East of Wall below. 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 that led to your […]
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“Working With the Storyboard Was Crucial:” Editor Giorgia Villa on GEN_
GEN_, the latest documentary from filmmaker Gianluca Matarrese, follows Dr. Maurizio Bini and his medical team at Milan’s Niguarda public hospital. Specializing in gender-affirming care as well as in vitro, Dr. Bini provides care to patients whose identities are increasingly politicized amid the rise of far-right conservatism. Editor Giorgia Villa discusses her hands-on education background, longtime collaboration with Matarrese and the similarities between music and editing. 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 that led to your being […]
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“I Am Always Mining for Gold in the Rushes”: Editor Fiona DeSouza on Brides
Premiering in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition, Brides follows two UK teens who travel to Syria in an attempt to escape the othering they face at home. The film is the debut feature of Nadia Fall, the artistic director of London’s Young Vic Theatre and director of productions of Three Sisters and King Hedley II, among others. The film is edited by Fiona DeSouza, whose credits include 2020’s Kindred and episodes of numerous TV series, including Great Expectations and Hanna. Below, she shares a trick for making a small number of setups go a long way and how a good cup of tea […]
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“The Power of Sounds, Spells, and the Sublime Unknown”: Editor Brett W. Bachman on Rabbit Trap
Set in 1976, writer-director Bryn Chainey’s Rabbit Trap follows a couple (Dev Patel and Rosy McEwen) who decide to move to a house in the Welsh countryside. Musicians by trade, they unwittingly unleash an eldritch horror through the songs that they make, culminating in an eerie, unnamed child showing up at their doorstep. Below, Bachman speaks about the two dominant ideas kept in mind while cutting Rabbit Trap, the intense sound design process and the importance of trusting one’s audience. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor […]
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“Knowing How to Take Feedback Is an Art”: Editor Lev Lewis on Dead Lover
When a young grave digger (Grace Glowicki) finds love—despite her crude demeanor and disheveled appearance—she vows that it will be eternal. When her betrothed dies at sea, she decides to revive her dream man out of the corpses that she buries every day. Glowicki serves as the writer, director and star in this horror-comedy take on Mary Shelley’s iconic sci-fi novel. Editor Lev Lewis tells Filmmaker about the extensive test screening process, his preference for cutting on Premiere and why he’s “thrilled” to be part of the team that made Dead Lover. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor […]
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“Amanda’s Approach is About Eclecticism”: Editor Benjamin Shearn on By Design
By Design is the latest feature film by Amanda Kramer, best known for Please Baby Please and Ladyworld. The film will premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival as part of the NEXT section. Benjamin Shearn, who has edited all of Kramer’s feature films, joined her once again in the cutting room for By Design. Below, he explains how his close friendship with Kramer helps him retain the magic in the edit. 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 that led […]
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“The Language of the Film Slowly Emerges in the Editing Room”: Editor Michal Reich on DJ Ahmet
A fifteen-year-old boy navigates first love, familial pressure and his newfound love of music in DJ Ahmet, premiering in the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film is the feature debut by Sundance Short Film Program alum Georgi M. Unkovski. Michal Reich (The Ballad of Piargy) served as his former university mate’s editor. Below, he talks about moving scenes around in the edit to provide the desired emotional arc and preserving the performances of non-professional actors. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of […]
