Inside Leads: How Bryan Poyser, Heather Kafka & Justin Arnold Turned Instinct Into a Tribeca Hit
Description
When writer-director Bryan Poyser decided to make a feature over winter break—with no finished script and a team of students—he had no idea it would premiere at Tribeca Film Festival.
In this episode of In the Room, host John Williams sits down with Poyser and actors Heather Kafka (The Leftovers, Friday Night Lights) and Justin Arnold (Spike Jonze’s Scenes from the Suburbs) to unpack how Leads came to life through collaboration, improvisation, and creative trust.
They discuss:
Building a feature film without a script
Balancing creative ambition with real life and financial limits
The power of collaboration between directors, actors, and students
Finding purpose and joy in the process—not just the result
An inspiring, candid conversation about risk, artistic integrity, and rediscovering love for the craft.
🎬 Leads premiered at Tribeca 2025 and screens next at the Hollywood Park Film Festival and Austin Film Festival.
United States
