Interviews
Interviews
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“I Filmed It, and I Posted It. Now, Watch”: David Borenstein on His Sundance-Debuting Mr. Nobody Against Putin
David Borenstein’s Sundance-premiering Mr. Nobody Against Putin stars Pavel “Pasha” Talankin (also credited as co-director), an “unlikely hero” in an even more unlikely collaboration. A jokey primary school teacher in his Ural Mountains hometown of Karabash (which has the dubious distinction of being one of the most polluted cities on the planet), Pasha spends many days mentoring the kids who use the thirty-something’s open door office as a hangout/safe haven. That is, when he’s not documenting their young lives as the school’s videographer. Which is why things get rather complicated for this pro-democracy, but non-activist, educator. For once Putin decides […]
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“Shooting Vérité Means Embracing the Coincidences”: DP Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo on Folktales
In the northern extremes of Norway, along the Russian border, is a folk high school that teaches teenagers self-reliance and survival. That school is the subject of Folktales, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, who also co-directed Jesus Camp and Endangered, among others, together. Most remarkable about Folktales is its remote location. Below, cinematographer Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo (Songs of Earth) discusses the challenges of working in the Arctic and walks us through the equipment that made shooting a film at temperatures significantly below freezing possible. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did […]
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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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“I Love Diving Into the Unexpected”: DP Amine Berrada on Sukkwan Island
Sukkwan Island marks Vladimir de Fontenay’s follow-up to Mobile Homes, his 2017 Directors Fortnight entry. The film, which stars Swann Arlaud (Anatomy of a Fall) and newcomer Woody Norman, tracks the conflict between Tom and his 13-year-old son Roy when they move to remote northern Norway. Amine Berrada (Hounds, Banel & Adama) served as director of photography on the Arctic shoot. Below, he gets into the nitty gritty discussing lighting, explaining how the film’s different timeframes necessitated unique approaches to lighting both to serve the story and to adjust to the drastic seasonal differences in northern Norway. See all responses […]
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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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“We All Have a Desire to Make Our Lives Make Sense”: DP Brandon Somerhalder on Come See Me in the Good Light
Come See Me in the Good Light follows Andrea, a poet in Colorado, as they face a cancer diagnosis. The film is an intimate verité documentary and marks director Ryan White’s return to Sundance after Assassins and Ask Dr. Ruth. Brandon Somerhalder (A Concerto is a Conversation, Live to 100) served as the film’s DP. Below, he explains why a verité approach was right for the project and the difficulties of maintaining that at a live poetry reading without jeopardizing the comfort of his ailing subject. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]
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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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“If You’re in the Room, Your Voice Matters”: Producer Shannon Moss on East of Wall
Screening in the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s NEXT section, East of Wall is a fictionalized version of the life of Tabatha Zamiga—who runs a ranch for wayward teenagers—and her family after the sudden death of her husband. The film stars its subjects as themselves and was written by debutant writer-director Kate Beecroft while she spent time with the family after a chance meeting on a road trip. Also debuting on East of Wall is producer Shannon Moss. Below, Moss talks about some of the challenges of shooting the film, the industry’s risk-averse nature and the mentors who helped her make […]
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“I Grew Up Playing Nintendo”: Albert Birney on OBEX
Albert Birney has been busy since 2020. On top of releasing 2022’s Eyeballs in the Darkness, a second feature in his series about a pair of 8-bit inspired animated best friends, Tux and Fanny, in, after releasing a video game incarnation of those characters the year before, and premiering his second collaboration with Kentucker Audley, Strawberry Mansion, Birney has now completed his first live-action film as a solo director. OBEX started its humble, black-and-white production with resources Birney had on hand: his house, his bulldog-chihuahua-pug mix (what he calls a “Bullchug”) Dorothy and his affinity for the ‘80s technology of […]
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“You Have to Create a Strong Duo”: Producer Dominique Barneaud on GEN_
Italian director Gianluca Matarrese centers his latest film on Dr. Bini, who oversees in vitro and gender-affirming care Milan’s Niguarda public hospital. Navigating complications put forth by the country’s conservative government as well as the commodification of healthcare, Dr. Bini never wavers in his mission to help his patients. First-time producer Dominique Barneaud discusses the difficulties of security Italian funding, his long-standing relationship with Matarrese and the importance of free speech among the film’s 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? Barneaud: […]
