Sundance
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“The Turning Point for the Entire Project” | David Ngo, Never Get Busted!
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? Our first meeting with John Battsek and Chris Smith was quite a moment, as I’m a fan of both their works. My partner in crime Erin Williams-Weir and I took a bit of risk personally funding the initial production for Never Get Busted! We cut together a teaser and pitched the project to John, […]
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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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“A Deeply Important Gap in Kenya’s History” | Maia Lekow & Christopher King, How to Build a Library
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? One unforgettable day was following our subjects into the basement of the decaying McMillan Library and witnessing them unearth from a pile of junk a miniature photograph of the first hanging in Kenya, in 1907, conducted by the Imperial British East Africa Company. We all got chills and, in this tiny photograph, found a […]
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“We Did These Sensual Slow-Motion Close-Up Shots with Our Actors” | Addison Heimann, Touch Me
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? There are so many memorable and important days throughout the process that I hold near and dear to my heart, but I think the wildest one was within our first week of filming. Because of the nature of our filming schedule, we had a light first week and then an extremely heavy three weeks […]
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“A Grueling 12-hour Interview Day” | Cristina Costantini, SALLY
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? My favorite part of making SALLY was getting to know Tam O’Shaughessy, and the most memorable day of shooting was a grueling 12-hour interview day which now serves as the primary narration for our film. National heroes like Sally Ride inspire us, give us hope, and show us just how far we can go. […]
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“People Are Willing to Show Up if You Create Something Important” | Mathias Broe, Sauna
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? The day when we shot two big party scenes for the film at two iconic Copenhagen clubs was a very memorable day for me. More than 300 people showed up to show support and attended to make the scenes feel as real and energetic as possible. Afterwards I was filled with so much pride […]
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“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 […]
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“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 […]
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“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 […]
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“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 […]
