by Carrie Harris (@carrharr) In Waiting for Anya, a young shepherd boy and a widow help smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain during WWII. The film is based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo and stars Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things), Oscar-winner Anjelica Huston, and Jean Reno (LĂ©on: The Professional). LA... Continue Reading →
York Shackleton on His Latest Film, DISTURBING THE PEACE
by Ashley Scott Meyers Filmmaker York Alec Shackleton talks about the latest movie he directed, Disturbing The Peace (2020). This is an action-crime film which stars Guy Pearce as a Texas Ranger who has to run a gang of outlaws out of town. York talks about casting Guy Pearce and how he has continued to... Continue Reading →
THREE CHRISTS: Jon Avnet on Depicting Mental Illness in Film
Walton Goggins as “Leon,” Richard Gere as “Dr.Stone,” Peter Dinklage as “Joseph” and Bradley Whitford as “Clyde” in Jon Avnet’s Three Christs. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release. by Angela Bourassa (@angelabourassa1) Jon Avnet has written, directed, and/or produced such classic titles as Fried Green Tomatoes, Up Close & Personal, and Risky Business.... Continue Reading →
The Heroine’s Journey: A Talk with Minhal Baig, Writer/Director of Apple TV+’s HALA
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Minhal Baig’s Hala was one of the first films acquired by Apple TV+ after taking Sundance by storm in 2019. The semi-autobiographical story centers around a seventeen-year-old Pakistani American woman coping with the unraveling of her family. LA Screenwriter’s John Bucher sat down with Baig recently to talk about how she made such... Continue Reading →
Filmmaker Wendy McColm On Writing, Directing, and Acting in Birds Without Feathers
by Ashley Scott Meyers In this episode of the podcast, filmmaker Wendy McColm talks about her debut movie as writer/director/actor, Birds Without Feathers. She talks about why filmmakers need to get their contracts in order and what it takes to get an indie film made. Birds Without Feathers is a new indie comedy which was... Continue Reading →
LOVE IS BLIND: A Talk with Director Monty Whitebloom
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Stories that deal with psychological conditions can be difficult to craft and even more challenging to execute. Creating a protagonist who doesn’t become a victim and who the audience enjoys spending time with are only a few of the difficulties filmmakers can run into. Director Monty Whitebloom’s latest project, Love is Blind... Continue Reading →
How to Tell a Social Justice Story Effectively: A Look at MISS VIRGINIA
Uzo Aduba as Virginia in the drama “MISS VIRGINIA,” a Vertical Entertainment release. Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment. by Carrie Harris (@carrharr) This week, I had the opportunity to take in an advance screening of Miss Virginia and sit down for a chat with director R.J. Daniel Hanna. Miss Virginia is based on the life... Continue Reading →
Director Shawn Ku On His New Feature, A Score To Settle
by Ashley Scott Meyers This week on the SYS Podcast, director Shawn Ku talks about how he launched his career as a writer/director with a short and low budget feature, and how that has lead him to his latest feature film, A Score To Settle, with Nicolas Cage. You can listen to the audio portion... Continue Reading →
Writer/Director Timo Vuorensola on His New Feature, Iron Sky: The Coming Race
by Ashley Scott Meyers On this week's episode, writer/director Timo Vuorensola talks about how he leveraged his 2012 success with the sci-fi epic, Iron Sky, into a sequel, Iron Sky: The Coming Race, which he crowdfunded, appealing mostly to the fans of the first film. And in today's interview, he goes into great depth about... Continue Reading →
Writer/Director Mike Kravinsky on His New Film, Nothing to Do
by Ashley Scott Meyers This week on the SYS Podcast, I talk with writer/director Mike Kravinsky about his new feature film, Nothing do Do. Writing/directing is a second career for Mike after working for three decades in journalism. We talk about how that lead him to his current position writing and directing indie films. You... Continue Reading →