Interviews
Interviews
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“A Constant Atmosphere of Uncertainty and Caution”: DPs Anas Saeed, Ibrahim Snoopy & Phil Cox on Khartoum
Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, and Timeea Ahmed are among the 10 million+ people who have been displaced by the ongoing Sudanese Civil War. In Khartoum, they work with British director Phil Cox and five displaced Sudanese to reenact their stories. The film combines studio recreations with documentary footage shot in Sudan. Below, Snoopy, Saeed, and Cox, all of whom served as cinematographers, talk both about the logistical difficulties and the aesthetic goals of Khartoum. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were […]
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“Forgetting the Camera Was Rolling, It Hit Me”: DPs Neema Sadeghi & Nicholas Bupp on Serious People
In Serious People, a music video director hires a doppelganger to take his place at work after he learns that his wife is pregnant. The film, co-directed by Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson, is inspired by Gutierrez’s own expectant fatherhood and is a 2025 Sundance Film Festival NEXT selection. Neema Sadeghi (Noel Miller: Stop Crying) and Nicholas Bupp (Aporia, Salam) served as co-cinematographers. Below, they talk about working without a crew and contrasting a calm visual style with a mounting sense of narrative tension. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]
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“The Onus Always Comes Back to Producers’ Creativity”: Producer Colleen Cassingham on Life After
Life After is an investigation into the whereabouts of Elizabeth Bouvia, whose request for medically assisted in dying in 1983 kicked off a debate that still rages today. The film is Reid Davenport’s follow-up to the 2022 Sundance film I Didn’t See You There and screens as part of the festival’s U.S. Documentary Competition. The film is also the first producer credit for Colleen Cassingham. Below, she talks about being challenged by her film’s subject matter, navigating conundrums of documentary ethics, and the overlapping crises in the industry. See all responses to our annual Sundance first-time producer interviews here. Filmmaker: How […]
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“Bringing Light to Darkness Does Motivate My Choice”: Editor Don Bernier, Life After
Reid Davenport’s follow-up to I Didn’t See You There probes the intersection between disability rights and medical assistance in dying in relation to the case of Elizabeth Bouvia, who started a national conversation about the issue in 1983 that persists to this day. The film screens in the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary Competition. Don Bernier (Athlete A, An Inconvenient Sequel) served as the film’s editor. Below, he explains how working on Life After altered his view on the subject and connects the fine arts and experimental film that sparked his interest in film with documentary editing. See all responses to our […]
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“Sudden Twists and Turns Are What Support the Core Idea”: Producers Sara Khaki & Mohammadreza Eyni on Cutting Through Rocks
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni directed, shot, edited and produced their debut feature, Cutting Through Rocks, about an Iranian councilwoman who uses her position to advocate for the rights of women and girls in her village. The film screens as part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Below, Khaki and Eyni respond in their capacity as producers about the process of finding funding while sticking with their subjects. See all responses to our annual Sundance first-time producer interviews here. Filmmaker: How did you connect with this filmmaker and wind up producing the film? Khaki & Eyni: […]
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“We Were the First Audience for Our Editing Work”: Editors Sara Khaki & Mohammadreza Eyni on Cutting Through Rocks
In Cutting Through Rocks, directors Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki follow Iranian councilwoman Sarah Shahverdi, who teaches girls to ride motorcycles and uses her position to try to end child marriages. Cutting Through Rocks screens as part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Documentary Competition. Eyni and Khaki, besides directing, also served as the film’s editors. Below, they explain their method for editing in parallel and how they combed through 200 hours of footage. 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 […]
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“The Story was Unfolding in Real Time”: Editor Emelie Mahdavian on Heightened Scrutiny
Heightened Scrutiny documents ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio as he fights of transgender rights in the courtroom, as well as the battles waged outside the courtroom by those advocating for their rights. The film is director Sam Feder’s follow-up to 2020’s Disclosure and screens as part of the Sundance Premieres section. Emelie Mahdavian, whose previous credits include Midnight Traveler and Singing in the Wilderness, served as the film’s editor. Below, Mahdavian talks about the challenges of editing a film whose story is unfolding outside the editing room in real time. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind […]
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“Balancing the Cultural Context with the Story’s Essence”: DP Mohammadreza Eyni on Cutting Through Rocks
Sara Shahverdi was the first elected Iranian councilwoman in her village, Cutting Through Rocks documents how she uses her power and resources to empower and protect women and girls. The film is the debut feature documentary of co-directors Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni. Eyni also served as the World Documentary Competition entry’s director of photography. Below, explains how he earned the trust of his subjects and, alongside Khaki, was able to shoot in women-only spaces. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors […]
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“The Feeling of Triumph was Palpable”: DP Martin DiCicco on Heightened Scrutiny
Director Sam Feder’s first film, Disclosure, tackled the influence of Hollywood on the perception of transgender people. Now, Heightened Scrutiny follows ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio as he fights for trans rights in the courtroom. Cinematographer Martin DiCicco (Union) also worked on the Sundance Premieres section entry. Below, DiCicco talks about creating the perfect look for the film’s interviews and shooting a contentious rally outside the Supreme Court on a cold day. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes […]
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“Snapshots of a Memory of Our Character”: DP Mia Cioffi Henry on Sorry, Baby
In Eva Victor’s debut feature, a professor, played by Victor herself works to come to terms with her past trauma over a five-year period, which unfolds nonlinearly. The film screens as part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Dramatic Competition. Mia Cioffi Henry, best known for The Surrogate and herself a professor, served as the film’s cinematographer. She explicates the challenges of shooting a scene when the director is in front of the camera and how she captured her protagonist’s isolation below. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up […]
