Filmwax Radio

Ep 494: Kimberly Reed • Iyabo Boyd

Documentary filmmaker Kimberly Reed (Prodigal Sons) makes her first appearance  on the podcast. Her new film, Dark Money, is a political thriller which examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. The film takes viewers to Montana—a frontline in the fight to preserve fair elections nationwide—to follow an intrepid local journalist working to expose the real-life impacts of the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Through this gripping story, Dark Money uncovers the shocking and vital truth of how American elections are bought and sold. This Sundance award-winning documentary is directed/produced by Kimberly Reed and produced by Katy Chevigny (E-TEAM). The film will have a theatrical engagement in New York City at the IFC Center beginning Friday, July 13. Both Kimberly and subject John S. Adams will be at various Q&A’s. For screenings near you, check the full schedule.

Iyabo Boyd was last on the podcast in August of 2012 on Episode 51. Iyabo’s back and she’s about and she has a new short film she’s excited about. Check out the Kickstarter campaign for the project which is called Me Time — A Feminist Sex Comedy. In our conversation we discuss the project, a highly personal work, in greater detail as well as how to get a short distributed and exhibited.

Music on this episode is by the artist Olivia Chaney from her new album Shelter (Nonesuch Records, 2018). Tracks showcased here include IOU, Roman Holiday and Shelter.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Ep 493: Andrew Fleming • Harris Doran, Auden Thornton & Catherine Curtin

[2 mins. 55 secs.]  In the first segment, a conversation with the director Andrew Fleming (Dick, Hamlet 2). Andrew has a new comedy called Ideal Home which stars Steve Coogan and Paul Rudd. Paul (Rudd) and Erasmus (Coogan) are a bickering couple with an extravagant life. But when Bill, the grandson Erasmus never knew he had, shows up at their dinner party with nowhere else to go, the couple reluctantly decide to take him in. Despite the difficulties of incorporating a child into their lives, Bill grows on them. But when Bill’s father is released from prison and comes to take back his son, the men realize that you don’t fight with your family, you fight for them. Ideal Home opens tomorrow, Friday, June 29th in New York City at the Cinema Village, and on iTunes and on demand.

[24 mins. 6 secs.] Then, recorded from the 2018 Woodstock Film Festival, a conversation with the team behind a new dramatic film called Beauty Mark, including director Harris Doran and actors Auden Thornton and Catherine Curtin (Orange is the New Black). When an impoverished young mother (Thornton) and her toddler are evicted, she is forced to turn to the only one she knows who has any money, the man who abused her as a child. Beauty Mark is being distributed by The Orchard and is available for streaming on iTunes, youtube, Amazon Prime and elsewhere.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Ep 492: Debra Granik • Eugene Jarecki

[4 mins. 30 secs.] Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone, Stray Dog) makes her first appearance on the podcast. Debra has a new film which opens on Friday, June 29th, called Leave No Trace. The film is about a father (Ben Foster) and daughter (Thomasin McKenzie) who live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Ore., rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own. Leave No Trace is being distributed by Bleecker Street.

[37 mins. 13 secs.] Then documentary filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight, The House I Live in) makes his first appearance on the podcast to discuss his new film, The King, which opened in New York City this past Friday to rave reviews. With this film, Jarecki takes a musical road trip across the U.S. in Elvis Presley’s 1963 Rolls Royce during the 2016 presidential election, comparing Elvis’s transition from country boy to “The King” to America’s transformation into an empire. The King, which is being distributed by Oscilloscope, opens this Friday, June 29th at the Nuart Theater in Los Angeles, then it will go wide after that.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Ep 491: The Return of the Zellner Brothers • Tara Culp

The Zellner Brothers were last on Episode 279 discussing their film Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter. They’re back on this episode with a brand new feature film called Damsel which had its premiere this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Samuel Alabaster (Robert Pattinson), an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope (Mia Wasikowska). As his group traverses the west, the once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel. Both David and Nathan Zellner also appear in memorable roles. The film, distributed by Magnolia Pictures, opens Friday, June 22nd.

Then actor, producer and former assistant to Brand De Palma, Tara Culp appears in the second segment. Tara stars in a short film called The Audition which is currently in the festival circuit.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Ep 490: Father’s Day Special Edition — Bob Schartoff

In this Father’s Day special edition I interview my Dad, Bob Schartoff. Bob is 81 years old and currently resides in Queens, NY. He was greatly responsible, along with my mother, for introducing me to the arthouse film.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Ep 489: Wendell Pierce & Tim Rouhana • Arya Ghavamian

[8 mins. 8 secs.] In the first segment, actor Wendell Pierce (The Wire) and filmmaker Tim Rouhana discuss their new feature film, One Last Thing. The film is about a lonely Florida dentist (Pierce) who is confronted by a figure from the past bringing news that sends him on an eventful journey of discovery. One Last Thing also stars Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) and Jurnee Smollett-Bell in supporting roles. The film hits theaters Wednesday, June 20th, so check your local listings as there is a very wide national release here.

[39 mins. 50 secs.] Then I’m joined by filmmaker Arya Ghamanian who is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds & awareness about his project, The Candy Store. The film tells the tale of a miraculous friendship between a young Iranian artist (Ghavamian) & the proprietor of the last all-night candy store in NYC. The film is being produced by FIlmwax friend —and upcoming guest— Ari Gold.

The music on this episode is by the musical artist Harper Nilson with tracks from his album The Years.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Ep 488: Julie Bridgeham & Jason Stefaniak • Michael Galinsky & David Beilinson

First up, the programming team behind the 2018 Brooklyn Film Festival, documentary programmer Julie Bridgeham and narrative programmer Jason Stefaniak. The festival, now in its 21st season, runs from June 1st through the 10th. Check out the website for remaining screenings, this weekend’s BFF Exchange and more.

Then we welcome back to the podcast Rumur Films’ filmmaker Michael Galinsky back for his 4th visit to the podcast. This time he’s joined by David Beilinson, who along with Michael and co-director —and wife— Suki Hawley, made their current documentary, Working in Protest, which had two screenings at the Brooklyn Film Festival earlier this week. We’ll keep listeners apprised on how they can keep up with the film going forward.

This episode of the podcast also celebrates the Northside Festival which takes place through this Sunday, June 10th. The interstitial music on this episode is entirely by musical artists performing at the festival including Soccer Mommy with her song Your Dog, Parquet Courts with their song Wide Awake, and Katie von Schleicher with her songs Midsummer and Paranoia. For specific details about these performances and more, check out the full schedule on the Northside website.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Ep 487: Hal Hartley

Filmmaker Hal Hartley (Ned Rifle, Meanwhile) returns to the podcast to discuss his current Kickstarter campaign to create awareness and funds for the production of The Long Island Trilogy boxset. That trilogy includes The Unbelievable Truth (1989), Trust (1990), and Simple Men (1992). The films will be re-mastered in HD and subtitled in 5 languages, and be available on DVD and blu-ray. Visit the campaign today and consider getting involved with this exciting project. The campaign ends on June 13th.

Fans of Hartley, should listen to his past visit on Filmwax Radio including Episode 191, and two separate conversations on Episode 463.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Ep 486: Silas Howard • Lorenzo Fiuzzi Returns

[4 mins. 50 secs.] In this first segment, filmmaker Silas Howard appears to discuss his new feature, A Kid Like Jake, which premiered at Sundance 2018 to great acclaim. The film, edited by Filmwax friend Michael Taylor, is about the Wheelers, a couple who are trying to find the right primary school for their 4-year-old son, Jake. Described as gender-expansive by his adviser (Octavia Spencer), Jake’s increasingly erratic behavior starts to cause a rift between the couple. Alex (Claire Danes) worries that the adults in her son’s life are labeling him prematurely, while Greg (Jim Parsons) wonders if Jake’s fondness for dressing up might be more than just a phase. The film which was adapted by the playwright Dan Pearle from his own play, also stars Ann Dowd, Priyanka Chopra,and Asif Mandvi, and opens at the IFC Center on Friday, June 1st.

[29 mins. 23 secs.] Film producer and entrepreneur Lorenzo Fiuzzi returns to the podcast for a second visit. Lorenzo was on the podcast almost a year  ago to the day on Episode 408. Lorenzo is back to discuss the latest news with his streaming platform, Filmatique, which is more robust with great international arthouse fare than ever. Listeners of Filmwax Radio will get an additional 20% off the already low subscription price of $4.95 a month when they use the coupon code ‘FILMWAX’ (in caps) at checkout. The first month is also gratis, by the way. Lorenzo also fills us in on the news of a new feature film he produced, Noble Earth, which will have its US festival premiere next week at the Seattle International Film Festival. If you are planning on attending, there are two screenings of the film. Details are available on the website’s schedule.

Music on this episode is by the musical artist MIRS (led by recent Filmwax guest Amir Motlagh) from their new EP, Meat on Your Lonely Bonez, available on iTunes.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Ep 485: Joe Swanberg • Skizz Cyzyk • Eugene Kotlyarenko

[6 mins. 55 secs.] Joe Swanberg returns for his 5th visit to the podcast. Other than a mention of some previous films and the upcoming 3rd season of his Netflix series, Easy, the conversation was about independent film festivals like the one where we were located, The Maryland Film Festival. This episode is the second from that festival in the city of Baltimore.

[24 mins. 33 secs.] Then a freewheeling conversation with Baltimore native and filmmaker/musician, as Skizz Cyzyk returns. Skizz was on Episode 411 back at the Maryland Film Festival 2017. We catch up with Skizz despite the interruption of New Yorker film critique and indie film advocate, Richard Brody.

[44 mins. 43 secs.] Filmmaker Eugene Kotlyarenko was last heard on Episode 285 discussing his 2nd feature, A Wonderful Cloud. Well, he’s back on the podcast and he’s back with a new film called Wobble Palace which premiered at SxSW 2018 and has found its way to the Maryland Film Festival. Shot by Sean Price Williams (Listen Up Philip, Good Time) and takes place a week before the 2016 election, when a couple (Dasha Nekrasova & Eugene) who on the verge of breaking up, decide to split their home over the weekend and test the waters of independence. Wobble Palace is currently in the festival circuit and we’ll keep you abreast of where you can see it.

Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

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