Claim OwnershipThe Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast
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Brought to you by the Directors Guild of America, ”The Director’s Cut” will bring you the behind-the-scenes stories of today’s most talked about films. Each episode features a different director interviewed by one of their peers, leading to revealing conversations about the grueling, but rewarding process of bringing their films to life.
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Director Nisha Ganatra discusses her new film, Freakier Friday, with fellow Director Adele Lim in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses the uniquely complex rehearsal process involved in a body swap comedy, giving background characters prominent scenes so that every character is memorable, and filming in LA to utilize locations across the city while keeping production local.
The follow-up to 2003’s Freaky Friday finds Tess and her daughter Anna navigating a shift in family dynamics with Anna’s daughter and stepdaughter. However, they soon discover that lightning might indeed strike twice.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/october2025/freakierfriday_qna_0825
Director Spike Lee discusses his new film, Highest 2 Lowest, with fellow Director Jim Jarmusch in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses working with his longtime collaborator Denzel Washington and trusting him with his process, packing the film’s mis-en-scene with references to African American artists, and the utilization of his trademark double dolly shot in this film in comparison to his other films.
This reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low follows music titan David King as he works to save his flagging business. But when he's targeted by a ransom plot which might jeopardize everything, he must make a high stakes decision that could have dire consequences.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/october2025/highest2lowest_qna_0825
Director Nick Rowland discusses his new film, She Rides Shotgun, with fellow Director Michael Mohan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses deliberately casting a younger Actor in the role of the father to shape the narrative around coming into parenthood, his process for Directing the lead child Actor in the film to get the right performances, and aiming for an aesthetic style reminiscent of 70s cinema.
The film tells the story of Nathan McClusky, a former convict who makes enemies with a powerful criminal gang after getting out of prison. When the gang retaliates by putting out a hit on his family, Nate must transform his shy eleven-year-old daughter into a force to be reckoned with.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/october2025/sheridesshotgun_qna_0825
Director Matt Shakman discusses his new film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, with fellow Director Edward Zwick in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses favoring practical and 60’s-style effects to align with the retro futuristic style of the film, working with his storyboard artist for inspiration to come up with playful concepts for scenes, and starting with the family element as the core of the story and building a superhero narrative around it.
The film follows the team of heroes - Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and The Thing - as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their family lives with their roles as heroes, they must defend Earth from the ravenous space god, Galactus, and his enigmatic herald, the Silver Surfer.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/september2025/thefantasticfourfirst-steps_0825
Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady discusses their new film, Folktales, with fellow Director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they discuss the logistics of filming in the unpredictable daylight and wilderness of Norway, creating scenes by finding inspiration in the nature around them, and forging trust as well as capturing formative moments with their teen subjects.
Screened as part of the DGA’s Documentary Series, the film follows a class of teenagers who take a gap year to learn wilderness survival and dog sledding in the frozen Norwegian landscape. Guided by their teachers and a pack of Alaskan huskies, they discover their own potential and develop deep relationships with the land, animals and humans around them.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/september2025/docseries_folktales-073125
Director Derick Halliman discusses his new film, Life of Mike, with fellow Director Christine Swanson in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses finding depth in a complex and disillusioned main character, favoring small casts and sets for tight control of his environment, and serving multiple roles as the Director, Co-Producer, Writer and Cinematographer of the film.
The film tells the story of Mike Smith, a thriving real estate tycoon, who lives a life devoid of close friends or family. As his birthday unfolds, his wife makes a heartfelt attempt to show him love, setting off a chain of events that make him confront the reality of who genuinely cares for him and who doesn’t.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/september2025/lifeofmike_qna_0725
Director Ari Aster discusses his new film, Eddington, with fellow Director Tim Blake Nelson in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses finding inspiration for the film in the information spheres of Twitter, interviewing residents of New Mexico on their perspectives of events during the Covid-19 pandemic, and gradually progressing the sense of paranoia in the film until the line between reality and perception is blurred.
The film takes us back to May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when a clash over lockdowns and mask mandates polarizes the town of Eddington, New Mexico. When Sheriff Joe Cross gets fed up with the increasing political tensions, he decides to run for Mayor in what ends up being a tense, turbulent and eventually violent mayoral campaign.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/september2025/eddington_qna_0725
Director Gabriel Mascaro discusses his new film, O Último Azul, with fellow Director Lily Mariye in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses crafting a dystopian future that speculates on change in societal practices over technological advancement, finding real-life inspiration for the film in his grandparents’ life, and the rigorous attention to detail that went into the film’s sound design.
The film tells the story of 77-year-old Tereza, who has lived her whole life in a small industrial town in Brazil. When she receives an official government order to relocate to a senior housing colony, Tereza decides to take a journey that will fulfill one last wish before her freedom is taken away.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/august2025/gcs_o-ultimo-azul_0625
Director Dean DeBlois discusses his new film, How to Train Your Dragon, with fellow Director Phil Lord in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses taking lessons from his background in animation to give his characters defining appearances, utilizing puppeteers to give life to the on-set dragon for stronger performances, and using the remake as an opportunity to flesh out more detail in the characters and setting.
This live action remake of the animated hit tells the story of an inventive young Viking named Hiccup, who must face a test and fight his village’s deadly draconic nemesis. But instead of battling the dragon, Hiccup befriends it, and their bond becomes the key to forging a new future as an ancient threat endangers them all.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/august2025/how2trainyourdragon_qna_0625
Director Joseph Kosinski discusses his new film, F1 The Movie, with fellow Director Dan Gilroy in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses traveling the world for coverage of the real F1 race tracks, consulting with drivers to capture a faithful perspective during the racing sequences, and working with Composer Hans Zimmer for a soundtrack that could work in unison with the volume of an F1 event.
The film tells the story of Sonny Hayes, a once promising driver who was sidelined after an accident decades ago. Coaxed out of retirement to mentor the hotshot rookie prodigy of a struggling F1 team, Sonny rides his road to redemption.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/august2025/f1-themovie_qna_0625
Director James Madigan discusses his new film, Fight or Flight, with fellow Director Rawson Marshall Thurber in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses aiming for the right tonal mixture in action-violence and comedy, working with Actor Josh Hartnett on stunt choreography within a limited rehearsal period, and casting supporting Actors by feeling out their connection to their roles.
The film tells the story of disgraced American operative Lucas Reyes offered one last shot at redemption: locate and ID an elusive target known as “The Ghost” on a flight from Bangkok to San Francisco. But when he finds the plane is filled with elite assassins who have orders to eliminate them both, Reyes and his target must team up to protect themselves.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/august2025/fightorflight_qna_0625
Director Celine Song discusses her new film, Materialists, with fellow Director Mona Fastvold in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, she discusses how the film was inspired by her own time as a matchmaker, the differences in dating culture values across countries that contributed to crafting the narrative, and how the process of casting the right Actors for her roles mirrored the matchmaker theme of the film.
The film tells the story of Lucy, a successful New York City matchmaker who maintains that she will only marry a wealthy man. But when she becomes entangled in a romantic triangle with Harry, a charming billionaire, and her ex-boyfriend John, she finds her plans are not so clear cut.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/august2025/materialists_qna_0625
Director Daniel Minahan discusses his new film, On Swift Horses, with fellow Director Mary Harron in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses establishing the 1950s time period while avoiding tropes from other films set in the 50s, utilizing gambling as a metaphor for queerness within the film’s language, and the choreography and rehearsal that went into creating the intimacy scenes.
The film tells the story of Muriel and Lee, who leave their Kansas home to start a family and a new life in San Diego. But their plans are upended by the arrival of Lee’s brother Julius, a wayward gambler with a secret past who draws Muriel down a new and dangerous path.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/june2025/onswifthorses_qna_0525
Director Jon Avnet discusses his new film, The Last Rodeo, with fellow Director Jason Reitman in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses giving his Actors space to find their characters in emotionally-charged scenes, working with his Cinematographer and Editor to create captivating rodeo action scenes, and the logistics and stunt work that went into the bull riding sequences.
The film tells the story of Joe, a retired rodeo star who enters a high-stakes bull-riding competition to save his grandson. Along the way, he reconciles with his estranged daughter and proves that true courage is found in the fight for family.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/june2025/thelastrodeo_qna_0525
Director Rachel Feldman discusses her new film, Lilly, with fellow Director Amber Sealey in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses consulting the real Lilly Ledbetter in order to find the focuses of the film, utilizing archival footage to ground the story alongside the real events, and how her own filmmaking journey aligned with Lilly’s struggles in the film.
Based on the true story of Lilly Ledbetter, the film follows a factory worker who discovers her company has been paying her half of what her male collegues receive. Seeking justice, she begins a long and historic fight for equality spanning all the way to Washington DC.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/july2025/lilly_qna_0525
Directors Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim, accompanied by DiMarco’s interpreter Grey Van Pelt, discusses their new film, Deaf President Now!, with fellow Director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they discuss expressing the sensory content of the film with both a Deaf and hearing audience in mind, interviewing subjects in one-on-one dialogues to pull out individual sentiments surrounding the event, and working with a wealth of archival materials to gain an understanding of how the days of protest unfolded.
Screened as part of the DGA’s Documentary Series, the film recounts eight tumultuous days during which students from the world’s only liberal arts school serving the deaf and hard-of-hearing lead an angry protest to change the course of history. When Gallaudet University’s board of trustees appoints a hearing president who doesn’t know American Sign Language over several qualified Deaf candidates, the students take to the streets to speak out.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/june2025/docseries_deafpresidentnow-0525
Director Ryan Coogler discusses his new film, Sinners, with fellow Director Rachel Morrison in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses employing historical consultants to find authenticity in every niche of the film, how he collaborated with Composer and Executive Producer Ludwig Göransson to elevate the film with a distinct musicality, and how he came to the conclusion of using 70mm film to accentuate the sprawling, flat and isolating aspects of the southern setting.
In this fusion of gothic horror and 1930s Mississippi history, the film follows twins Smoke and Stack, who plan to open a new juke joint in their hometown. But as the pieces come together and their opening night begins, they find themselves confronted not only by the dangers of Jim Crow-era southern life but also a lurking undead menace.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/june2025/sinners_qna_0525
Director Andrew Ahn discusses his new film, The Wedding Banquet, with fellow Director Daniel Kwan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses working with the Screenwriter of the original film, updating the story to reflect contemporary LGBTQ+ attitudes while staying faithful to the original plot, and how he and his Actors utilized inventive techniques for discovering their characters on set.
This remake of the 1993 film tells the story of Min, a gay man hoping to stay in the country and avoid being dragged into his family business. Proposing a green card marriage to his lesbian friend Angela, things soon get complicated when his grandmother surprises them with plans for an extravagant Korean wedding banquet.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/june2025/theweddingbanquet_qna_0425
Directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden discusses their new film, Freaky Tales, with fellow Director Shaz Bennett in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they discuss the real-life events that influenced the stories, using distinct visual styles and camera aspect ratios to differentiate each story chapter, and utilizing real locations and cameos from Oakland-born figures to cement the authenticity of the work.
The film weaves together the seemingly disparate sagas of an NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teenage punks, neo-Nazis and a debt collector as they embark on a collision course in 1987 Oakland, California.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/june2025/freakytales_qna_0425
Director Gavin O’Connor discusses his new film, The Accountant 2, with fellow Director Dan Gilroy in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses working with his Actors to find more opportunities for humor, building out the scope of the film to expand on the world within the story, and aiming for an entirely different look and tone to create a fresh experience separate from the first installment.
The film tells the story of Christian Wolff, hired again to use his brilliant mind and highly lethal skillset to solve the puzzling murder of a Treasury Chief. Though a danger in his own right, this time he enlists the help of his equally lethal estranged brother as they uncover a deadly conspiracy full of ruthless killers and buried secrets.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/june2025/accountant2_qna_0425
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I can't believe that the host cut off Steven Spielberg on that last question.
documentary? did we watch the same movie?
this conversation is so awkward but so rich
derekscottcarlisle-A DGA Podcast-TheDirectorsCut
Thank you so much for doing this!