Interviews
Interviews
-
“We Had to Turn Everything Upside Down”: Producer Mads-August Hertz on Sauna
Sauna tells the story of a budding romance between a cis man and a transgender man in Copenhagen that forces both of them to consider how they conceive of themselves in relation to how society positions them. The film, the debut feature of writer-director Mathias Broe, is part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition. It is also the first producer credit for Mads-August Hertz, who offers reflections and insights on his biggest job yet and the difficulties of adapting novels below. See all responses to our annual Sundance first-time producer interviews here. Filmmaker: How did you connect […]
-
“I Often Think of Doc Editing as Being Similar to Poetry”: Editors Kate Hackett & Andy McAllister on Sally
Sally Ride is well-known for being the first woman in space, but less recognized is her 27-year partnership with Tam O’Shaughnessy. Director Cristina Costantini gives both the professional and the personal equal treatment in the Sundance Premieres documentary Sally. Much of the film consists of footage shot by NASA during astronaut training. Editors Kate Hackett and Andy McAllister were tasked with combing through NASA’s enormous archive for Sally. Below, they talk about the challenges and excitement of being presented with so much footage and the importance of keeping the film close to Sally Ride’s story. See all responses to our […]
-
“Keep Working with the Psychology of the Characters”: Editor Linda Man on Sauna
Mathias Broe’s feature debut Sauna tells the story of a man thriving in Copenhagen’s queer community who falls for a transgender man, upending his conception of himself. The film is part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Linda Man (Psychosia, 3 Things) served as editor for Sauna. Below, Man talks about restructuring the first act in order to capture the audience and keeping character psychology at the forefront. 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 […]
-
“Draw the Audience into Johan’s World”: DP Nicolai Lok on Sauna
In Sauna, the care-free Johan falls for a transgender man, forcing him to confront his societal position with regard to gender and love. The film is the feature debut of Mathias Broe and screens as part of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Nicolai Lok served as the film’s cinematographer. Below, he explains his choice of camera and lenses and how Sauna‘s story provided room to explore visual ideas. 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 […]
-
“Look at This Not as Reportage of an Event, But as a Metaphor”: Editor Yousef Jubeh on Khartoum
Khartoum is a poetic documentary that retraces the stories of five Sudanese refugees during the coup and outbreak of the civil war. The film, directed by Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Tomeea Mohamed Ahmed and Phil Cox, is part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Documentary Competition. Editor Yousef Jubeh was tasked with compiling archival material, documentary footage from Sudan and green screen studio material. Below, he talks inspiringly of Sudanese culture and history and describes a sequence in the film that, in its description, evokes Sergei Eisenstein’s Strike. See all responses to our annual Sundance […]
-
“I’d Have Done This One on iMovie if They’d Asked Me To”: Editor Christopher Passig on Middletown
In the early 1990s, teenagers enrolled in Fred Isseks’ Electronic English would regularly report on the illegal dumping of toxic waste in their community, their investigation culminating in a student film at the end of the course. Now thirty years older, these former students and Isseks look back on their projects and reflect on their impact on the town’s legacy. Editor Christopher Passig delves into the process of cutting Middletown, including the insane amount of raw footage he worked with, the “extreme levels of candor” he tries to bring to every project and the sympathy he now feels for his […]
-
“We Weren’t Looking To Trick the Audience”: DP Michael Latham on SALLY
The first American woman to enter space is the subject of SALLY, Cristina Costantini’s documentary about the astronaut Sally Ride. The film also delves into an aspect of the maverick’s personal life: her 27-year-long relationship with her partner Tam O’Shaughnessy and the immense burden of keeping their love hidden from the public. DP Michael Latham talks about how he came aboard the project, the team’s mission of “serving the archive” from NASA and the difficulties inherent to the film’s interview shoots. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the […]
-
“Respect Goes a Long Way”: Producer Erin Williams-Weir on Never Get Busted
The docuseries Never Get Busted follows Barry Cooper, a decorated Texas narcotics officer who shifts his focus to exposing police misconduct and, in truly libertarian fashion, helping drug users avoid getting busted for possession. Screening as part of the Sundance’s episodic pilot showcase, Never Get Busted is also the first-time producing venture for Erin Williams-Weir. Below, Williams-Weir discusses the financial challenges she faced along the way and provides a glimpse at the series’ raw material. 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? Williams-Weir: My background is in […]
-
“It’s Wonderful to Aim for the Poetic”: Editor Julian Hart on Never Get Busted
Never Get Busted documents a decorated narcotics officer in Texas turn toward libertarianism as he aims to expose police misconduct and helps drug users slip under the radar. The docuseries, more than five years in the making, takes its name from the YouTube channel of its subject, Barry Cooper. Never Get Busted will screen at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival as part of the episodic pilot showcase. Below, editor Julian Hart extols the benefits that split screens had on his projects and shares what he has learned working for a diverse assortment of projects. See all responses to our annual Sundance […]
-
“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 […]
