Directors UK Podcast

This episode features directing duo Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, who joined us to discuss the making of their latest film and first narrative feature Nyad. Listen now to learn about their transition from documentary to drama, the challenges of shooting in and underwater, and portraying the real Diana Nyad.

Sofia Coppola sat down with fellow director Emerald Fennell to discuss her latest film Priscilla, a biopic of Priscilla Presley. Hear the two award-winning directors discuss the challenges of portraying a household name, translating Priscilla’s 1985 memoir to the big screen, and conveying the worlds of teenage girls.

For our final In Conversation members event of 2023, Andrew Haigh sat down with Sandra Hebron to discuss his latest film All Of Us Strangers, a beautiful and poignant film about love and loss. Andrew spoke about capturing vulnerable performances from his cast, including Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, and creating a calming environment on set. He also dived into how approaches his craft as a director, such as his decision to shoot on 35mm for the film. Please note: this podcast contains some strong language. (Image credit: Christopher Andreou)

As part of our In Conversation season, Todd Haynes returned to Directors UK and spoke to fellow director Harry Wootliff about his latest feature film, May December. Todd spoke about how he created the film’s distinct style of comedy, working with actors Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton, and a director’s responsibility.

This episode of the Directors UK podcast comes from our In Conversation event with Bradley Cooper and Shawn Levy, who went behind-the-scenes of the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro. Bradley discussed cinematic tools he used to depict the marriage of Leonard and Felicia Bernstein, the importance of collaboration, and his evolution as a filmmaker from his debut feature A Star is Born to Maestro. Listen to their fascinating conversation now!

This episode of the Directors UK podcast was recorded at our members' masterclass with director, producer and editor Thomas Meadmore and documentary story consultant Nic Guttridge. Thomas and Nic were joined by award-winning documentary director Sophie Robinson to discuss the making of gripping true crime ITV feature documentary 'The Real Vanishing Act — Missing Millionairess'. They shared a great insight into how they used story mapping to create the documentary's structure and narrative, the importance of trust-building when gaining access to contributors and how they blended archive content with current events to create the tone and pace of the documentary. We hope you enjoy this deep dive into the craft of feature documentary making! (Image credit: Fremantle)

As part of our In Conversation season, James Hawes sat down with fellow director Jessica Hobbs to discuss his theatrical feature debut One Life, the true story of Sir Nicholas 'Nicky' Winton, a young London broker who rescued 669 children from the Nazis in the months leading up to World War II. James and Jessica had a brilliant deep dive into James’ approach to his craft, discussing shooting on location in Prague, collaborating with key creatives to create a particular visual tone and establish an authentic period setting, and preparing the cast and crew for filming some of the film’s most sensitive scenes. James also touched on the responsibility he felt when showing the final edit to Nicholas Winton’s family, and the complexities of representing real people on screen. (Image credit: Hollie Forson)

This episode of the Directors UK podcast was recorded at our masterclass with Emmy-nominated director Peter Hoar, who gave us insight into his critically acclaimed episode of HBO's The Last of Us. Peter was joined by fellow director and his Directors UK Inspire mentee Stephen Gallacher for a deep dive into the making of Episode 3, 'Long, Long Time', discussing the importance of collaboration with everyone on set and breaking down key scenes to explore Peter's approach to his craft. A lively conversation between mentee and mentor, Peter and Stephen also explored tackling imposter syndrome and understanding your responsibility as a director. In this episode of the Directors UK podcast, Peter and Stephen discussed three scenes from The Last of Us, Episode 3 'Long, Long Time', with a brief overview of two of these scenes included in the podcast. The third and final scene discussed by Peter and Stephen appears approximately an hour and 10 minutes into the episode and takes us through to the final shot of ‘Long, Long Time’. Please note: this podcast contains some strong language. (Image credit: Sky/HBO)

Welcome to the latest episode of the Directors UK podcast! As part of our In Conversation season, director and cinematographer Molly Manning Walker sat down with fellow director Michael Pearce to discuss her debut feature film How to Have Sex. Recorded at one of our member events, Molly discussed shifting from cinematography to directing, her approach to working with actors, and the challenges involved with directing hundreds of extras for How to Have Sex's clubbing scenes. We hope you enjoy the episode! (Image credit: Christopher Andreou)

Welcome to the latest episode of the Directors UK podcast! As part of our In Conversation season, we were joined by Zach Braff for a deep dive into A Good Person. Speaking to BFI programmer Rowan Woods via Zoom, Zach explores his approach to his craft and working with actors, his visual language as a director, and how he creates the tone for his films with his cinematographers and Heads of Department in pre-production. This was a fantastic conversation, with brilliant insight into Zach's work as a director — we hope you enjoy the episode! Please note: this podcast includes some strong language.

Welcome to the latest episode of the Directors UK podcast! Our In Conversation season continues, with Charlotte Regan joining us for a Directors UK member event to chat about directing her first feature film, Scrapper. In Conversation with Observer film critic Wendy Ide, Charlotte discusses working with young people, including first-time actor Lola Campbell, and how she made sure that the environment on set allowed her to shine, as well as how she created moments of magical realism on screen. A brilliant, lively conversation — we hope you enjoy the episode! (Please note; this podcast contains some strong language) (Image credit: Christopher Andreou)

Welcome to the latest episode of the Directors UK podcast! This new episode comes from the first Directors UK In Conversation member event for 2023, where Barbie director and Academy Award nominee Greta Gerwig joined us In Conversation with fellow director Academy Award-winner Alfonso Cuarón. Tune in and join us in Barbie Land, where Greta explores her approach to her craft and her influences, how she created and executed her specific vision for the film, and the language of filmmaking. Photo: Christopher Andreou (Please note; this podcast contains some strong language).

This episode comes from our members’ masterclass with acclaimed director Anthony Byrne and director of photography Mathieu Plainfossé, discussing their work on the sixth and final series of Peaky Blinders. Moderated by Directors UK member William McGregor, in this episode Anthony and Mathieu cover everything from preparation, lighting and lenses, to the importance of discussing ideas collaboratively. We hope you enjoy the podcast! Just a note; there is some strong language in this podcast! Music: Loyalty Freak

Welcome to the Directors UK Podcast! This episode comes from our member event with Frank Berry, director of Aisha, which stars Letitia Wright and Josh O'Connor. Frank spoke to fellow director Kim Longinotto about his career path, choosing his collaborators, and why listening is the key component to his filmmaking. We hope you enjoy the show!

Welcome to the Directors UK Podcast! This episode comes from our member event with Alex Pritz, director of the acclaimed documentary The Territory. Alex spoke to fellow director Jenny Ash all about building bonds with his contributors, the importance of honesty in the making of the film, and the value of sound design. We hope you enjoy the podcast!