Showbriz Studios

Andrew Cohn (Modera) returns to the podcast with a new documentary, Night School, which follows the story of three Indianapolis adult learners Greg, Melissa and Shynika, finally earning their high school diplomas could be a life-changing achievement.The film opens theatrically in NYC at the IFC Center on Friday, June 9th.

In the second segment, senior programmer for the NY Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Leah Sapin, stops by to discuss the upcoming festival which runs June 9th through the 18th. Some of the films that are part of this year’s festival include Matthew Heineman’s City of Ghosts, Peter Nicks’ The Force, and Pamela Yates’ 500 Years.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Magic Drop. Magic Drop is a music licensing business based in Brooklyn, NY which represenst an eclectic roster of bands and composers, licensing their music for use in films, TV and beyond.

Filmwax Radio is part of the ShowBriz Studios podcast network and presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Episode 409 of the podcast begins with a nod to BAMcinemaFest which runs from June 14th through the 25th. Then in the first segment I have a conversation with the team behind the new documentary One October, Clay Pigeon and director Rachel Shuman. During the last days of Barack Obama’s first bid for the presidency and the country’s worst economic disaster since the Great Depression—WFMU The Dusty Show host Clay Pigeon takes to the streets of New York to talk to people about their lives, their dreams, and their relationship with a transforming city. The film is screening at the upcoming Lighthouse International Film Festival on Saturday, June 10th at 11 AM. They will also be screening at the Woods Hole Film Festival this summer.

Next up is a two-part segment. The first part is the with the creative team behind the documentary Big Sonia, Leah Warshawski and Todd Soliday. Standing tall at 4’8″, Sonia is one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors in Kansas City and one of the only survivors there who speaks publicly about her wartime experience. Sonia’s enormous personality and fragile frame mask the horrors she endured. After that in the second part of the segment I’m joined by Jennifer Jones & Cynthia Hornig the founders of Women You Want to Fund, a crowd sourcing platform for female driven projects. Big Sonia is attempting to raise money for their theatrical trajectory and more festival screenings. Consider contributing!

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Magic Drop. Magic Drop is a music licensing business based in Brooklyn, NY which represenst an eclectic roster of bands and composers, licensing their music for use in films, TV and beyond.

Filmwax Radio is part of the ShowBriz Studios podcast network and presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

[4 mins. 23 secs.] Dispatches from the 2017 Edition of the Maryland Film Festival. Included is filmmaker Stanley Nelson (The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution) who is back on the podcast to talk about his latest documentary, Tell They We Are Rising: The Story of Historically Black Colleges and Universities which I caught at the Maryland Film Festival.

[28 mins. 19 secs.] After that I speak with Theo Anthony, a Baltimore-based filmmaker who made a stunning debut feature with Rat Film. The documenary follows a number of humans who live with rats, love them and kill them.

[50 mins. 45 secs.] Next up, filmmaker and programmer, Baltimore’s own Skizz Cyzyk who discusses his long relationship with the Maryland Film Festival and his own filmmaking.

[1 hr. 5 mins. 12 secs.] Lastly, Maryland Film Festival Director of Progrmaming, Eric Hatch, who reports on this year’s festival.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Magic Drop. Magic Drop is a music licensing business based in Brooklyn, NY which represenst an eclectic roster of bands and composers, licensing their music for use in films, TV and beyond.

Music in this episode of the podcast is brought to you by… Baltimore! All clips are Baltimore-based bands including The Orioles’ Crying in the Chapel; Double Dagger’s No Allies; Lower Dens’ To Die in L.A.; Celebration’s Heartbreak; Wye Oak’s Civilian; and Beach House’s Space Song.

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

Amir Bar-Lev (My Kid Could Paint That, Happy Valley) has the new documentary about the Grateful Dead and executive produced by Martin Scorsese called Long Strange Trip. The film, an in-depth look at the seminal band by those who lived through their ceaseless years of touring and performing, opens today in select cities. Then the film will be available for streaming on Amazon Video Prime on June 2nd. This is Amir’s first time on the podcast and we are able to talk at length.

Next up, one of the founders of a new streaming video on demand (SVOD) platform, Filmatique, Lorenzo Fiuzzi. Filmatique releases one film per week, every week— works from celebrated auteurs from around the world. They are currently programming New Asian Voices and starting next Thursday there will be a focus on Brazilian cinema. Become a member now for only $4.95/month. The first month free.

Filmwax Radio is part of the ShowBriz Studios podcast network and presented by Rooftop Films. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher & Youtube.

Documentary filmmaker Steve James returns to the podcast with the subjects of his new film, the Sung Family. The film is called Abacus: Too Small to Jail. After that, Cameron Bruce Nelson discusses his new film, a dramatic feature called Some Beasts.

[8 mins. 13 secs.] Up first on Episode 405 of Filmwax Radio​, Ben Wheatley (Down Terrace, High Rise) with his new film, Free Fire​. The film, which stars Sharlto Copley, Brie Larson, Armie Hammer & Cillian Murphy, is currently in theaters. Set in Boston in 1978, a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two gangs […]

Grandaddy of experimental film, Jonas Mekas is the guest in the first segment. He’s joined by the Artistic Director of The Brooklyn Rail, Phong Bui. The Anthology Film Archives, of which Jonas is one of the founders, is currently undergoing a capital campaign to raise money for a floor to the top of the building which will house a film archive library. This conversation took place at the Anthology Film Archives in the East Village of New York City.

Filmmaker Philip Shane (Being Elmo) is the guest. We talk about film, film, film. Also, an appearance by filmwaxradio.com blogger Jon Hogan in the show’s intro.

The co-hosts of the podcast, La Grande Bouffe (The Big Feast) are the guests. Gen X veteran film critic Cole Smithey and Millennial filmmaker Mike Lacy copiously consume international culture and politics through the prism of a single film, and a different craft beer, every week. This week they stop by Filmwax Radio to talk podcast turkey. Don’t miss this extensive and entertaining conversation.

Director Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hours) is up first. The legendary filmmaker has a new movie which just hit select theaters called The Assignment. The film stars Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver & Tony Shalhoub, and is about a hit man (Rodriguez) who becomes a hit woman with help from a rogue surgeon (Weaver). Hill discusses the return to action movies as well as a look back at his career.

Artistic Director of Rooftop Films, Dan Nuxoll, makes his 5th visit to the podcast to discuss what the elimination of federal funding for the NEA & NEH might mean. Also a look forward to Rooftop Films’ 21st season which begins on Friday, May 19th.

Filmwax Radio is part of the ShowBriz Studios podcast network and presented by Rooftop Films. Subscribe on iTunes. Also available on Stitcher, YouTube & Soundcloud.