Our final episode at Slamdance and Sundance Film Festival speaks to THE UNTITLED AMAZING JOHNATHAN DOCUMENTARY producer and founder of CherryPicks.com, Miranda Bailey, Kino Lorber CEO, Richard Lorber, and the Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance, Lela Meadow-Conner. The Daily Buzz then speaks to THIS TEACHER director Mark Jackson and cowriter/producer Dana Thompson. In this last episode, we speak with director Musa Syeed and producer Afzal Sofi about the short film, DISPOSSESSED. Then we speak to director Michael Shaun Conway about WE RISE UP before heading to the red carpet to speak to a few of the influencers from the film.
Our first bonus episode at Slamdance and Sundance Film Festival includes a roundtable with San Francisco’s Ninth Street Film Center. We chat with Masashi Niwano (Festival Director at the Center for Asian American Media), Paul Struthers (Festival Director at Frameline), and Lexi Laban (Director of the Jewish Film Institute). We also speak to TIGERLAND director, Ross Kauffman, SEA OF SHADOWS (a Sundance Audience Award winner) director Richard Ladkani, subject Andrea Crosta, and producer Anita Ladkani. Then we speak to Adam Dietrich, creative director/producer of the Slamdance Audience Award winning film, VAST OF NIGHT, with cast Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz. Then we end with a quick chat with THE SUNLIT NIGHT composer Enis Rotthoff.
This episode starts with a Shorts Filmmaker Roundtable featuring Stefanie Abel Horowitz (SOMETIMES, I FEEL LIKE DYING) and Andre Hyland (OLD HAUNT). We then speak with the Sundance episode, THE DRESS UP GANG talking to Creeper himself, Frankie Quinones, and creators Donny Divanian, Cory Loykasek, and Robb Boardman. Then we speak to director Alex Tibaldi and cast members Piper DePalma and Jade Fusco from Slamdance’s SPIRAL FARM. We also speak with director Stephanie Liang and producer Dave Hill from BOOTSTRAPPED, a Sundance episodic piece.
Day nine of the Daily Buzz brings a rousing session of hot topics with Anne Thompson from INDIEWIRE, Dino Ray Ramos from DEADLINE, and Kaitlyn Booth from BLEEDING COOL. They give the scoop on their favorites at festival and discoveries they’ve found while watching those films. Then, we speak to several documentaries. Director Heidi Yewman joins her subject Will Little in BEHIND THE BULLET. We talk to director Kim Longinotto, editor Olie Huddleston, and producer Niahm Fagan about SHOOTING THE MAFIA. And, we also speak to the amazing Israeli lawyer fighting for Palestinian rights Lea Tsemel and directors Rachel Lee Jones and Philippe Bellaïche about ADVOCATE.
We start day eight of the Daily Buzz with a hot topics roundtable with EarthXFilm’s David Holbrook and Michael Cain; Monica Navarro, Senior Director of Programmes from the Tribeca Film Institute, and Clay Pruitt, Head of Acquisitions and Programming at Seed & Spark. Then we speak to a trio of fun girl-powered films. We chat, in a somewhat tearful conversation, with THE FAREWELL director Lulu Wang about the inspiration behind the Awkwafina film that was sold to A24. In an unusual yet refreshing selection at Sundance, we speak to director Wayne Blair and stars Miranda Tapsell (also a co-writer) and Gwilym Lee about their romantic comedy, TOP END WEDDING. Then we also talk to creator Alie Liebegott, director Kyra Sedgwick, and producers Valerie Stadler and Meredith Bagby about the episodic GIRLS WEEKEND.
Day seven of the Daily Buzz begins with a roundtable with Firelight Media VP Loira Limbal and two documentary filmmakers from Firelight – the Sundance award-winning ALWAYS IN SEASON (director Jacqueline Olive) and MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF COOL (director Stanley Nelson). We also speak with Sundance veteran Alison Klayman about her Steve Bannon documentary, THE BRINK, and take a look at the chest-bursting scene from ALIEN with MEMORY director Alexandre Phillipe. Then, we speak with director Alexander Franchi, writer Joelle Bourjolly, and cast members (David Roche, Cindy Nicholsen, E.R. Ruiz, Dawn Shaw) from a Slamdance feature, HAPPY FACE.
Day one of The Daily Buzz kicks off with a hot topics discussion between co-hosts John Wildman, Erin Lim and Angela Tabora – along with Variety’s Peter Debruge, IDA’s Simon Kilmurry, Julia Ricci from the Heartland International Film Festival, and Amanda Slack-Smith from the Brisbane International Film Festival. Plus a look at SKI BUM: THE WARREN MILLER STORY with director Patrick Creadon, producer Joseph Berry, editor Josh Earl, and skier Dan Egan. We then speak with Chiwetel Ejiofor about his directorial debut THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND along with cast mates Aissa Maiga, Maxwell Simba, and the author of the book the film was based on, William Kamkwamba.
Day three of the Daily Buzz brings interviews with the Sundance film PAHOKEE, a special exclusive performance from THROAT SINGING IN KANGIRSUK (a short film in the Sundance Film Festival), a remote interview with the team behind the Indie Episodic QUARTER LIFE POETRY (Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr.) that will be coming to FX next month. We also talk to the Slamdance film, DESOLATION CENTER, and learn about the one that started off festivals like Coachella and Burning Man and conclude with a roundtable around Asian and Asian American representation in film with filmmaker Tim Tsai from the Slamdance film SEADRIFT and representatives from the Boston Asian American Film Festival and the Pacific Arts Movement.
Day four of the Daily Buzz starts with a roundtable session from the artist development team at SFFILM joining the Director of Artist Development, Caroline von Kuhn and Senior Manager of Artist Development, Lauren Kushner. The roundtable includes two SFFILM developed Sundance films: Suzanne Andrews Correas, director of GREEN, and Luke Lorentzen, Kellen Quinn from MIDNIGHT FAMILY. The theme continues with interviews with producer/writer/editor Emelie Mahdavian of MIDNIGHT TRAVELER and director Liza Mandelup of JAWLINE. The two films were also SFFILM developed projects. The episode ends with an interview from director/writer Chinonye Chukwu and producer Bronwyn Cornelius from the Sundance film CLEMENCY.
Starting off the new week with the Daily Buzz, we first sit down with a roundtable of GLAAD representatives (Anthony Ramos and Jeremy Blacklow) and LGBTQ shorts filmmakers Mary Evangelista (FRAN THIS SUMMER) and Matthew Puccini (LAVENDER). The episode continues with the legendary Tracy Edwards, the star and subject of the Sundance documentary MAIDEN where an all-female crew defies naysayers by racing around the world. Filmmaker Alex Holmes and producer Victoria Gregory also join the conversation. Then, we speak with director Lucas Heyne and cast members David Arquette, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Briah Huskey, Max Adler, Tonya Cornelisse, and Kelly Sry from the episodic MOPE; and director Sacha Polak and newcomer lead Vicky Knight about the gritty portrait and first English feature from Polak, DIRTY GOD
Starting the program off with a programmer’s hot topics roundtable, the Daily Buzz speaks with Alamo Drafthouse co-founder Tim League ad Denver Film Society’s Andrew Rogers about festival buzz. We also speak with PADDLETON director Alex Lehman and Slamdance 2x award-winning film KIFARU (director David Hambridge and producer/editor Andrew Brown). We also talk to director Justin Chon, co-writer Chris Dinh, and actors Tiffany Chu and Teddy Lee from the Sundance hit MS. PURPLE.
On day two of the Daily Buzz, host John Wildman and co-hosts Erin Lim and Angela Tabora speak with two different virtual reality installations at the Sundance Film Festival’s New Frontier exhibit. The VR Roundtable features Shannon Service and Lucas Gath from GHOST FLEET VR (produced by Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions) with Ayesha Nadarajah from TRAVELING WHILE BLACK. Then, the hosts of the Daily Buzz speak with director Kenneth Paul Rosenberg and #BlackLivesMatter founder Patrisse Cullors from BEDLAM. The show finishes with two more roundtable sessions: one speaking with VICE STUDIOS and another Documentary Roundtable with Carrie Lozano from the International Documentary Association and Hayley Pappas from RYOT Films.
Recording from the heart of Historic Park City at the Slamdance Film Festival Headquarters at the Treasure Mountain Inn on Main Street, we speak with some of the most important voices in independent film.
Recording from the heart of Historic Park City at the Slamdance Film Festival Headquarters at the Treasure Mountain Inn on Main Street, we speak with some of the most important voices in independent film.
Recording from the heart of Historic Park City at the Slamdance Film Festival Headquarters at the Treasure Mountain Inn on Main Street, we speak with some of the most important voices in independent film.
Recording from the heart of Historic Park City at the Slamdance Film Festival Headquarters at the Treasure Mountain Inn on Main Street, we speak with some of the most important voices in independent film.
Recording from the heart of Historic Park City at the Slamdance Film Festival Headquarters at the Treasure Mountain Inn on Main Street, we speak with some of the most important voices in independent film.
Recording from the heart of Historic Park City at the Slamdance Film Festival Headquarters at the Treasure Mountain Inn on Main Street, we speak with some of the most important voices in independent film.
Recording from the heart of Historic Park City at the Slamdance Film Festival Headquarters at the Treasure Mountain Inn on Main Street, we speak with some of the most important voices in independent film.
Recording from the heart of Historic Park City at the Slamdance Film Festival Headquarters at the Treasure Mountain Inn on Main Street, we speak with some of the most important voices in independent film.