Editors
Interviews - Editors
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“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 […]
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“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 […]
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“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 […]
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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 […]
