Sundance
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“Editorially It Was Similar to Quilt-Making”: Brittany Shyne on her Sundance-Debuting Seeds
While “stunning directorial debut” is an overused description that seldom lives up to the Sundance hype, in the case of Brittany Shyne’s Seeds it’s also quite precise. The lush, B&W-shot doc is a gorgeous portrait of what may very well be the last in a long line of generational Black farmers in rural Georgia, one in which Shyne’s camera serves as both portal and means of preservation. By quietly and patiently embedding with two extended families in the small town of Thomasville, Shyne is able to capture everything from the languid rhythm of daily work, from harvesting cotton to repairing […]
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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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“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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“A Film Is Like a Puzzle” | Vladimir de Fontenay, Sukkwan Island
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? In many ways, a film is like a puzzle. It is a slow and gradual process that is often very challenging depending on the number of pieces you’re missing. But because of the story, and the way in which we filmed it—backwards—it was especially true of Sukkwan Island. Roy agrees to spend a formative […]
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“From Day One, Andrea Was All-in” | Ryan White, Come See Me in the Good Light
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? Day one. I had never met Andrea before—they came out to the driveway and gave me a hug and said, “So you’re gonna be with me when I die,” and then they invited us inside. Usually Day one (and often Month one) of a documentary is just a warm-up in building trust and getting […]
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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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“Adding Both Seth’s Son and Peter’s Grandson to the Animation” | Seth and Peter Scriver, Endless Cookie
Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why? Well this film took nine years to make so we’re already looking back, haha. Jeeze, I wonder—there were lots of hilarious moments. Cookie says she always laughs when thinking about Sylvester’s song that they were singing. I would say adding both Seth’s son and Peter’s grandson to the animation—who were born a couple days […]
