Interviews
Interviews
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“I Just Wanted to Make Art with My Friends”: Producers Luke Patton & Joe Camerota on Didn’t Die
In Meera Menon’s Sundance Midnights selection Didn’t Die, a podcast host in a post-apocalyptic finds herself faced by challenges both familial and professional. Didn’t Die was produced by Menon; her husband, co-writer, VFX supervisor and DP Paul Gleason; Erica Fishman; Luke Patton; and Joe Camerota. Camerota and Patton are both first-time producers, and below, they talk about the beauty of making small art with friends and the value in pressing on until you find solutions. 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? Camerota: I met […]
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“Any Type of Work Has Things to Teach”: Editor Geoffrey Boothby on Didn’t Die
Meera Menon’s 2025 Sundance Film Festival Midnights selection follows Vinita, a snarky podcast host in a post-apocalyptic world dealing with a philandering ex, traumatized siblings, and a dwindling audience. The film is a low-budget, black-and-white homage to George Romero updated for contemporary anxieties. Geoff Boothby served as the film’s editor. Below, he talks about cutting in placeholders that allowed for future shoots to be carefully designed and how choices of what equipment to use in the shoot reverberate in the edit. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the […]
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“Perfection Can Be Your Enemy”: DP Paul Gleason on Didn’t Die
In Didn’t Die, the host of a podcast continues broadcasting even after the apocalypse, using irony to mask her fear. The 2025 Sundance Film Festival Midnights selection contrasts her podcast demeanor with her family life and takes inspiration from George Romero and Post-Impressionism. Paul Gleason wore many hats for the production of Didn’t Die. Below, he answers questions in his capacity as DP, elucidating how to navigate budgetary limitations with carefully chosen equipment and connecting the effect budget has on aesthetic to film noir and horror films. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did […]
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“Making Films in Iran Is Not an Easy Task at All”: Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni on their Sundance-debuting Cutting Through Rocks
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni’s Cutting Through Rocks follows Sara Shahverdi, a middle-aged divorcee in a remote and extremely conservative region of the Islamic Republic of Iran. What makes the scenario rather remarkable that Shahverdi is neither pariah nor wallflower in her tiny town. On the contrary, the onetime midwife, who quite literally brought an entire generation of her village into the world, is also a loud motorcycle-riding rebel who ran for a seat at the government table and won. And now, as the first elected councilwoman, a woman who finds herself at the center of an incompetent bureaucracy, one […]
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“Enter into Disagreements with More Compassion”: Editors Hannah Gabriel, Rubin Daniels Jr., Leslie Simmer and Elise Ahrens on Bucks County, USA
Buck County, USA observes both adults and teenagers in the eponymous location, one of Pennsylvania’s pivotal counties for national and state elections. The series, directed and produced by Robert May and Barry Levinson, focuses on the political battles as seen through teens, looking at conflicts from the eyes of students across the political spectrum. Hannah Gabriel, Rubin Daniels Jr., Leslie Simmer and Elise Ahrens all served as editors on the series. Below, they discuss how the project showed them the common ground in viewpoints they would have otherwise dismissed and the challenges of telling a story that weaves together ten separate […]
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“I Don’t Know if We Knew Exactly Where It Would Take Us”: DPs Antonio Rossi and Ben Bloodwell on Bucks County, USA
Bucks County, USA, directed and produced by Robert May (Kids for Cash) and Barry Levinson (Rain Man; Good Morning, Vietnam) follows a pair of teenage girls, best friends with opposing political views, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, one of the swingiest counties in a crucial swing state. The series, part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Episodics section, follows the political battles in the county through the perspective of its young protagonists. Below, Bucks County, USA DPs Antonio Rossi and Ben Bloodwell talk about what drew them to such a political project, matching two different cameras in post, and overcoming the […]
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“These Small Letters Can Cause Such Instability”: DP Paulius Kontijevas on The Librarians
The Librarians shines a light on the people on the frontlines of the ongoing war on education, focusing on the renewed wave of book bans in Florida, New Jersey, and especially Texas. The film, directed by Kim Snyder (Us Kids) is part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres section. Paulius Kontijevas (camera op on Janet Planet) and Derek Wiesehahn (How to Survive a Plague, Welcome to Chernobyl) served as the film’s cinematographers. Below, Kontijevas talks about lighting and staging interviews that protect librarians’ anonymity and the beauty of light refracting through glass. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up […]
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“The Censorship Our Librarians Face is One We Will Face in Our Field”: Producer Janique L. Robillard on The Librarians
Director Kim A. Snyder (Us Kids) turns her camera to the frontlines of the contemporary book-banning wave that is sweeping many U.S. states, particularly Florida and Texas, in The Librarians. The film is part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres section and marks the first producer credit of Janique L. Robillard. Below, Robillard discusses the film’s origins and how the film’s subject connects to today’s film production industry. 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? Robillard: I first worked with director-producer Kim A. […]
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“A Mix of Natural Indie Style, Theatrical Spotlights and Neon Colors”: DP Dustin Supencheck on Touch Me
Following his 2022 film Hypochondriac, writer-director Addison Heimann’s Touch Me centers on two best friends (Olivia Taylor Dudley and Jordan Gavaris) who fall under the erotic spell of the same guy (Lou Taylor-Pucci). At least he looks like a guy; the truth is, he’s an intergalactic being ensconced in a human flesh suit. As the best friends vie for his affection, they gradually realize that they’re fighting for their right to live as much as love. Cinematographer Dustin Supencheck discusses his working relationship with Heimann, the importance of capturing vibrant colors and the influence of 20th century Japanese cinema on the […]
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“Capturing a Kenyan Point of View as a Central Theme”: DP Christopher King on How to Build a Library
Shiro and Wachuka are two Nairobi women who attempt to transform the McMillan Memorial Library, a whites-only library until 1958, into a modern and vibrant cultural hub. Their attempts to navigate local politics and Kenya’s colonial history is tracked in How to Build a Library, husband-and-wife duo Christopher King and Maia Lekow’s follow-up to The Letter. King, besides co-directing, also served as the film’s cinematographer. Below, he explains the importance of capturing a Kenyan point of view and why working as a two-person crew helps build trust with their subjects. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and […]
