Fri, Sep 2, 2022
Documentarian Alex Pritz didn't have a background in film. He studied environmental science in college and was certain he wanted to be a scientist to "work on these big problems plaguing our planet," he says. But at the end of his time at university, he realized that film was a better way to engage with big issues. "I have always been interested in participatory video working with communities that are experiencing conflicts and challenges to help them use film as a method of advocacy and also self expression," he remarks. With that approach in mind, he went to the western part of Brazil's Amazon rainforest to direct "The Territory." The filmmaker discusses how he was introduced to the Uru-eu-wau-wau people, a small indigenous community that is fighting to protect their land, the challenges and accessibility issues he faced to make the documentary.
Fri, Sep 9, 2022
In 1994 Kevin Smith wrote, produced, and directed his first feature "Clerks." The movie became a cult classic, and Smith introduced the audience to Jay and Silent Bob, the fictional friends portrayed by Jason Mewes and Smith, respectively. Despite the film's success, the filmmaker reveals he didn't necessarily have a plan moving forward. Almost three decades later, Smith discusses his latest movie "Clerks III," his work in animation, and changes in the movie industry.
Fri, Sep 16, 2022
When Aubrey Plaza's colleague handed her the script for "Emily the Criminal," she was immediately struck by it. While Plaza had found her next great project, director John Patton Ford explains why it took 12 years to write the story. With Plaza, they discuss the struggles of making "Emily The Criminal" and independent movies in general, and the film's unexpected success.
Fri, Sep 23, 2022
Comedy is not exactly in vogue among big studios, so when filmmakers Judd Apatow and Nicholas Stoller approached actor Billy Eichner about making 'Bros,' the first big-studio, big-screen LGBTQ+ rom-com for Universal Pictures, he was skeptical. The movie was greenlit, and now Eichner talks about starring on a feature film for the first time, the thrill of co-writing the script with Stoller and how a major movie studio came on board to make a gay romatic comedy came to life.
Fri, Sep 30, 2022
Mike Rinder spent most of his life as a member of the Church of Scientology International. He joined as a child, and by the age of 18, he signed the organization's Sea Org contract, pledging loyalty and allegiance to the church, while committing all of his future lifetimes to it as well. But after years of emotional and physical abuse, he left the organization in 2007. Now, Rinder discusses his just released memoir "A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology," in which he exposes a harrowing account about the church that only someone of his former high rank could provide.
Fri, Oct 7, 2022
Steven Levitan was still working on his ABC's hit-show "Modern Family'' when the network decided to revive the sitcom "Roseanne" after a 20-year hiatus. But after finishing its 10th season, the show was canceled under a cloud of internal rift between cast members and turmoil with ABC executives. That incident made Levitan reflect on the industry. From that reflection, Levitan used the behind-the-scenes drama as inspiration to create "Reboot." Now, he talks about some of the challenges of launching the show, having Hulu as its home, and the joys of having his show live on a streamer versus network television.
Fri, Oct 28, 2022
Documentary filmmaker Margaret Brown was born and raised in Mobile, Ala., and has had an absorbing interest in the American South, including her 2004 documentary "Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt." But only while filming "The Order of Myths," in 2008, she learned of the last known slave ship brought to the United States in the late 1850s, and the nearby community former slaves formed. That was the moment when she came across the topic of her newest project, the film "Descendant." Now, Brown shares how she created partnerships to make the film, and got Questlove, Netflix and the Obamas to become involved in it.
Fri, Nov 4, 2022
The Business revisits a conversation with filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who is now being tapped to direct an upcoming "Star Wars" movie, along with Damon Lindelof, who will develop and co-write it. Obaid-Chinoy will be the first woman and person of color at the helm of this movie franchise. She shares with Kim Masters her path from making intimate documentary shorts in her home country of Pakistan, to animated features, to "Ms. Marvel" - her first live-action, narrative fiction series. The filmmaker also talks about how the real life heroes she has depicted over the years in documentary form are tied to "Ms. Marvel."
Fri, Nov 11, 2022
Actor, comedian, writer, and producer Larry Wilmore has been in show biz for four decades. He has written for dozens of iconic TV shows, including "In Living Color," "The Office," and "Black-ish." But early in his career, he says a Black comedian who didn't fit a stereotype didn't have a job.
Fri, Nov 25, 2022
After writing and starring in the film "The Big Sick" in 2017, actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani says writer-director and producer Robert Siegel ("Pam and Tommy," "Big Fan," "The Wrestler") approached him with an idea to make a drama film about the American stripper troupe Chippandales. At the time, Nanjiani turned it down.
Fri, Dec 2, 2022
When actor, writer, and producer Kumail Nanjiani was 18, he moved from Karachi, Pakistan - a city of more than 9 million people - to the United States to attend Grinnell College, a small, private liberal arts college in Iowa in 1997. The town of Grinnell's population was about 9,000 then. Though he had visited New York as a teenager, and "sort of knew America the way it is in movies," he was not prepared for the cultural shock.
Fri, Dec 9, 2022
Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino stays busy with his projects, which lately have stacked up on top of each other throughout their production cycles. After recovering from a broken foot, he's flown to Brazil, Argentina, the United States, and around Europe in a months-long global press tour to promote two most recent films that he produced and directed.
Fri, Dec 16, 2022
Ruben Östlund's latest film "Triangle of Sadness," a satirical dark comedy that takes place in a luxury yacht, has gained considerable recognition since it came out, including a Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in the spring. Now, Östlund delves into his directing, shooting during the pandemic, funding, and the aftermath of the film's success, while Filipina actress Dolly De Leon discusses her career and how being in the film has changed her life.
Fri, Dec 30, 2022
The Business revisits its most popular episode of 2022: part two of a conversation with multi-hyphenate Bradley Cooper. To get a shot at directing his remake of "A Star is Born," Cooper passed on an upfront payday in exchange for a piece of the profit. And that gamble paid off. In part two of this interview with Cooper, he shares his worries about the streaming future. He also remembers picking up filmmaking tips on the set of "Alias." And he shares how he created the memorable voice of Marvel's Rocket Raccoon.
Fri, Jan 6, 2023
Filmmaker James Cameron started pre-production of "Avatar: The Way of Water" in 2014. Though sequels two and three to the 2009 "Avatar" had been greenlit by then 20th Century Fox head Jim Gianopulos, Cameron knew change was coming. In early 2019, The Walt Disney Company acquired the studio and with it, Cameron's latest project. In the first installment of a two-part conversation with Cameron, the filmmaker shares what changes affected the production of the movie, and why what he calls an "arranged marriage" with Disney turned out better than expected. He also discusses the importance of theaters and repeat views for the film's success, and how he views streaming services.
Fri, Jan 13, 2023
With "Avatar: The Way of Water" charting a course for a $1.9 billion international gross, co-writer, producer and director James Cameron can now continue working on the following three sequels of the franchise, a project he compares to having kids. "Once you've done that, you're kind of stuck," he jokes.
Fri, Jan 20, 2023
Before "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" saw a limited theatrical release last November, Producer Ram Bergman wasn't sure if audiences would be back in theaters. Bergman is grateful that Netflix decided to premiere it on 600-odd screens for a week, and hopes the experiment moves the needle.
Fri, Jan 27, 2023
Writer-director Sarah Polley had a successful career as a child actor. By eight, she had appeared in several TV series and films and was cast to play Sally Salt in the notorious "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen," Terry Gilliam's adventure fantasy film. While Polley's family was thrilled about it, she recalls an out-of-control production, with "unsafe and scary situations" on set.