We Need to Talk About Oscar

Filmmaker Albert Birney joins us to discuss 'OBEX,' his black and white science fiction film set in pre-internet 1987 Baltimore that premiered at Sundance. Albert opens up about the origin of the film, tracing its roots to his own video game creation 'Tux and Fanny' and his experience getting a dog in 2021, both of which became foundational inspirations for this story of isolation and obsession.Our conversation explores Albert's relationship to video games and how he translated that into a film-video game hybrid. He discusses the technical and creative challenges of merging these mediums, creating a mesmerizing multimedia experience where the boundaries between reality and the virtual world dissolve. Albert also addresses the age-old question that haunts any film featuring a beloved dog: does the dog die?We delve into the practical realities of shooting the first half of the film in his own home, turning personal space into cinematic landscape. Albert reflects on the inspirations and inevitable comparisons that come with creating such a visually distinctive work, discussing how influences shaped his vision while maintaining his singular artistic voice.

This week, actress Liz Larsen joins us to talk about her Indie Spirit nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance in ‘The Baltimorons.’ With decades of stage and screen work behind her, she reflects on what it means to be recognized in this category at this point in her career.Liz shares how she first connected with director Jay Duplass and how the film’s low budget, guerrilla shooting style positively impacted her performance and the atmosphere on set. We also explore one of the trickiest aspects of the role: not falling in love too early with co-star Michael Strassner while building their characters’ chemistry.We discuss Baltimore’s role in the film and how the city helped set the tone and made everyone feel at home during production. We wrap up by looking ahead at what might be next for Liz.(Photo credit: Courtesy of Jon Bergel)

Today, we sit down with writer-director Charlie Polinger and cinematographer Steven Breckon to talk about ‘The Plague.’ They share the origins of their creative partnership and how Charlie’s personal experiences shaped the story’s themes.We dig into the technical challenge of underwater cinematography and what it brought to the film’s visual storytelling. Our conversation also explores working with child actors on such heavy material from both their perspectives as director and cinematographer.At the end, they tease their next collaboration, an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Masque of the Red Death,’ currently in production.

Writer-director Julia Jackman and cinematographer Xenia Patricia join us to discuss '100 Nights of Hero,' their adaptation of Isabel Greenberg's graphic novel that premiered at Venice Film Festival. Julia and Xenia open up about the challenges of translating a graphic novel's visual language onto the screen, finding cinematic equivalents for the book's distinctive illustrative style while creating something uniquely filmic.Our conversation explores how they built the look and emotional core of this medieval fantasy world where the story unfolds. We discuss establishing a visual language that serves the film's romantic and fantastical elements while grounding the narrative in authentic feeling.Julia and Xenia also share how they made the most of limited time and budget constraints, turning restrictions into creative opportunities. They also reflect on capturing yearning through the lens and camera movement to externalize the characters' internal longing.

Today, we talk with cinematographer William Rexer about his work on ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’.William shares how he got to this project and the creative collaboration with the likes of writer-director Mona Fastvold, writer Brady Corbet, composer Daniel Blumberg, and choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall.We explore how they approached translating the Shakers’ ecstatic worship onto the big screen while preserving its intimate spirituality, and dig into the weather challenges production faced during the shoot.