Amazon Studios

[11 mins.] The great filmmaker Gus Van Sant (To Die For, Milk) visits Filmwax Radio (for the first time) to discuss his exceptionally moving new movie, based on John Callahan’s memoir Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot. After nearly dying in a car accident, the last thing Oregon slacker John Callahan (Joachin Phoenix) intends […]

[4 mins. 10 secs.] Filmmaker Lynne Ramsay (Ratcatcher, We Need to Talk About Kevin) makes her first appearance on the podcast. Her latest film, which stars Joaquin Phoenix and which is being distributed by Amazon Studios, is called You Were Never Really Here. A traumatized veteran (Phoenix), unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe’s nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening. The film opens Friday, April 6th. Check the official website for details about local listings. Filmwax friend Zefrey Throwell sits in during this segment and contributes some questions.

[30 mins. 52 secs.] Then, Filmwax Radio friend Joe Berlinger returns to the podcast for his third visit. Joe has curated a series of screenings at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, South Carolina (4/5—4/8) on the subject of True Crime. The film block is called Crime & Punishment and includes a number of Berlinger’s own films as well such classics on the subject as Titticut Follies, In Cold Blood and The Thin Blue Line.

Music on this episode is from the new album Walk Like a Stranger by the musical artist Escondido, currently available where music is sold and streamed.

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

The king of New York underground cinema, Abel Ferrara on the last episode of the year, Episode 453. We discuss his having transplanted to Rome and his enjoying a family life there. New projects include a new documentary, Piazza Vittorio, which recently premiered at the New York Film Festival.

Then documentary editor Matthew Hamachek makes an appearance to discuss his latest project, City of Ghosts, which is on the Oscar documentary shortlist. The film is about a group of Syrian rebels who call themselves Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, and who risk their lives to document the atrocities committed by ISIS in their homeland. The film is directed by Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land), distributed by Amazon Studios, and produced by Alex Gibney’s production company, Jigsaw Productions.

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

In the first segment [8 mins. 22 secs.], award-winning documentary filmmakers Rachel Grady & Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp, Detropia) return to the podcast (they were last on Episode 49!) to discuss their latest film, One of Us, which is being released by Netflix. Produced over three years, the film take a deep and moving look at the lives of three individuals who have chosen to leave the hugely insular world of Hasidic Judaism. The film follows Etty, a mother of seven, as she decides to leave a violent marriage and divorce her husband; Ari, a teenager on the verge of manhood who is struggling with addiction and the effects of childhood abuse; and Luzer, an actor who, despite having found success in the secular world, still wrestles with his decision eight years earlier to leave the Hasidic community. The film will run on the company’s streaming platform internationally, and also have a theatrical run in select cities including at the IFC Center in NYC as of October 20th.

Next [47 mins. 18 secs.], the podcast is happy to welcome back one of its favorite filmmakers, Todd Haynes (Poison, Carol). Todd is back (he was last on Episode 329) with a brand new film, Wonderstruck, which was adapted from Brian Selznick’s novel of the same name by Selznick himself, and is being distributed by Amazon Studios & Roadside Attractions. Ben and Rose are children from two different eras, both deaf, who secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known, while Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his home and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out on quests to find what they are missing that unfold with mesmerizing symmetry. The film is playing theatrically around the country beginning on Friday, October 20th.

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

[5 mins. 10 secs.] Comedy producer & writer Jeffrey Gurian returns to the podcast for his second appearance to discuss his friendship with Jerry Lewis. Visit Jeffrey’s website Jeffrey Gurian’s Comedy Matters (comedymatterstv.com), subscribe to his newsletter & keep up to date with all of Gurian’s amazing work in the comedy industry. His friendship with Lewis, who died this past week at the age of 91, goes back several decades.

[26 mins. 30 secs.] The filmmaker Matt Ruskin discusses his new feature film, Crown Heights, which is currently screening in NYC, opens theatrically in Los Angeles on Friday, August 25th, then wider in the coming weeks. The film is based on a real incident in 1980 and was adapted from a segment on This American Life. The stellar cast includes Lakeith Stanfield, Nestor Carbonell, Natalie Paul, and prior FIlmwax Radio guest Josh Pais, and is distributed by Amazon Studios and IFC Films.

[51 mins. 30 secs.] Last up, Brooklyn-based filmmaker Sujewa Ekanayake (http://www.wilddinermedia.com/contact.html). Sujewa discusses recent projects as well as his sideline which is consulting with clients running crowdsourced fundraisers. If interested, you can find him Facebook or Twitter.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Visit vcfa.edu/film for further details.

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

Todd Solondz is back on the podcast and back with a new film called Wiener-Dog.

Guests include brilliant filmmaker Whit Stillman (Metropolitan, Barcelona) whose new film Love & Friendship opens in select theaters on Friday, May 13; New York Times culture writer Dave Itzkoff discusses his book, Mad As Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies, published by Picador; and the hosts of the podcast Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers, Dion Baia & J. Blake.

In this Tribeca Film Festival edition of the podcast, guests include director Liza Johnson whose new comedy Elvis & Nixon opens Friday, April 22nd; the team behind a new British comedy called Adult Life Skills which had its world debut at the festival; and Nancy Buiski, the director of a new documentary called By Sidney Lumet which will be having a television broadcast as part of the American Masters series.