We Need to Talk About Oscar

‘Anima,’ premiering at SXSW this week, is Brian Tetsuro Ivie’s narrative feature debut. An acclaimed documentarian, Brian now turns to a sci-fi road movie following an impulsive young woman and a reclusive older man on a cross-country trip to preserve his failing consciousness at an experimental facility.
We open with what the leap from documentary to narrative actually feels like and what each form demands that the other doesn’t, before getting into the decision to shoot on film and why the logistical weight it carries is more than justified by what it gives back. From there Brian talks about working with Sydney Chandler and Takehiro Hira, and how their casting shaped not just the performances but the characters and the entire film around them.
We also get into something that runs quietly through everything Brian makes: his faith, and how it finds its way into a story that on the surface seems to sit in direct tension with it. We close by looking at what making ‘Anima’ means for how he thinks about both forms of filmmaking going forward.

Emily Robinson brings 'Ugly Cry' to the screen as writer, director, producer, and star, exploring the vulnerable act of crying as an actor and what it reveals about performance and authenticity. She reflects on the decision to take on all these roles simultaneously, navigating the challenges of being both in front of and behind the camera while maintaining perspective on the story.
Our conversation delves into the institution of auditioning and how it's evolved over the years in the industry. Emily opens up about her personal evolution as someone who's been acting since childhood, sharing how that long history shapes her collaboration with cast and crew. She brings a unique empathy to directing actors, understanding their process from the inside out.
Emily reveals how a tonal shift during production changed the entire emotional trajectory of the film, transforming what it could be. She reflects on how her acting experience fundamentally shapes her directing approach.
(Photo credit: Brody S. Anderson)

Writer-director Millicent Hailes takes ‘Perfect,' her feature directorial debut, to SXSW. Millicent opens up about whether feeling ready to take the leap of making your first feature is essential to actually doing so, sharing her own experience of moving forward despite uncertainty and what that taught her about the creative process.
Our conversation goes into Millicent's transition from music videos to feature length filmmaking, examining how she navigated the shift from short to long form storytelling. She unpacks figuring out the pacing and other aspects unique to the medium, from sustaining narrative momentum over 90 minutes to developing visual language that serves an extended story rather than a three-minute track.
Millicent shares her approach to assembling her cast while maintaining the chemistry and relationships established earlier in the process, ensuring those connections translated authentically on screen. We also delve into the title itself and the concept of someone or something being "perfect," exploring how that theme permeates the film. We close our conversation with what this project means for Millicent's plans going forward as she charts her path as a feature filmmaker.

Director and executive producer Tom Verica and cinematographer Jeffrey Jur discuss their work on 'Bridgerton,' tracing their collaboration back nearly two decades. They share how their creative partnership was formed and has evolved over countless projects, building the trust and shorthand that allows them to tackle ambitious productions like the Bridgerton universe.
Our conversation explores their journey through the world of 'Bridgerton,' from the different stages they've worked on across each season to helming 'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story' as a cohesive whole, approaching it almost like a feature film. Tom and Jeff share how their roles and responsibilities shift depending on the scale and scope of each production within the franchise.
We dig into the fourth season of the widely beloved series, examining multiple facets: the elaborate masquerade ball sequence, the visual language used to showcase class differences in Regency era London, and what it takes for a team like Tom, Jeff, and their crew to operate at such a consistently high level year after year, season after season.

‘The Plan’ premiered at this year’s Slamdance last Sunday. One location, one day, one unbroken take: a group of disillusioned young adults inside a modest Los Angeles apartment, preparing for a radical act they believe will change the world.
This is our conversation with writer-director Jessica Barr and cinematographer Sarah Whelden. We open with the nature of their collaboration and how the project came to life, before getting into what it actually means to conceive a film like this from the ground up.
From there we dig into the one-take approach from every angle it touches: what it demands in the writing process, how it shapes the shot design, and what it asks of a cast that has nowhere to hide. We close by looking at where both filmmakers are headed next.