We Need to Talk About Oscar

Writer-director Georgia Bernstein joins us to discuss 'Night Nurse,' her feature directorial debut that premiered in the NEXT section at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Georgia traces the birth of the film's idea and how she ventured into the realm of psycho-sexual thrillers while maintaining its foundation in elderly care and caregiving, creating an unsettling blend of intimacy and menace.
Our conversation explores Georgia's long-spanning friendship and collaboration with actress Cemre Paksoy, revealing how their creative partnership shaped the film's central performance. We delve into the opening shot and its crucial role in setting the tone, discussing how those first moments establish the film's psychological terrain and prepare audiences for what's to come.
Georgia also reflects on her relationship with intention and the audience, sharing her approach to balancing control and release as a filmmaker. She discusses the deliberate choices that guide viewers through the film's unsettling narrative while leaving room for their own interpretations and emotional responses.

Director William D. Caballero joins us to discuss ‘They Dream,’ his deeply personal film premiering in the NEXT section at Sundance. Blending documentary with multiple forms of animation, the film explores his family’s story through an intimate collaboration with his mother.
William shares what drew him to build a film from such personal material and the dynamics of working creatively with his mom. The film employs a striking mix of animation techniques including 2D, 3D, miniatures, and rotoscoping, each serving a different purpose in the storytelling.
We discuss why he chose this hybrid approach, how the various visual forms interact with the documentary elements, and the process of transforming family memory into a multi-layered cinematic experience.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Writer-director Constance Tsang and producers Tony Yang, Sally Sujin Oh and Eli Raskin join us to discuss ‘Blue Sun Palace,’ their Spirit Award nominated feature. With nominations celebrating the film’s achievement, the team reflects on the journey from conception to completion.
Constance and the producers open up about the very birth of the story and what it took to produce and manage a film like this in today’s independent landscape. We explore how the logistics and creative storytelling relate to one another, and the challenges of bringing this vision to the screen.
We also dig into the collaborative process between director and producers, how they navigated the realities of independent filmmaking, and what might be next for this creative team.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Writer-director Mascha Schilinski and cinematographer Fabian Gamper join us to discuss ‘Sound of Falling,’ their ambitious sophomore feature that won the Jury Prize at Cannes and has been selected as Germany’s entry for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards.
Mascha and Fabian open up about how they structured the film to connect the four girls across time beyond just their shared location, exploring their approach to continuity on multiple levels as they wove the separate timelines into a cohesive whole.
Our conversation digs into the camera’s role as a storytelling device, including their use of natural light and the film’s distinctive voyeuristic shooting style. We also discuss their decision to break the fourth wall at key moments and what that brings to the film’s exploration of memory and womanhood.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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.