Interviews

Interview:  Chinese Students Studying Film in the United States

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China’s film industry is undergoing a recent transformation to a more multicultural “Hollywood” model under the inevitable trend of globalization. In response to the growing demand for cultural diversity, more Chinese students are choosing to study film overseas to become film professionals familiar with both cultures. We invited two international students from China to share… Read more »

Talia Lugacy and Rosario Dawson in Conversation

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Filmmakers Talia Lugacy and Rosario Dawson have been collaborators and friends for nearly twenty years. From their time as students at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute to their most recent collaboration on “This Is Not a War Story,” the two share a singular creative bond that goes beyond the realm of film-making and… Read more »

Image of someone floating to the mook

Making Dreams Real

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Ziqi Wang talks with filmmakers Pierre “Pyaré” Friquet an Ando Shah about their virtual reality projects and how their films create immersive storytelling.

Woman on ground in fluffy dress

Interviews: Laura Sánchez on bringing light from the darkness

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In 2020, Cambridge-based independent flamenco dancer, artist, educator, and now independent filmmaker Laura Sánchez created her first short film, After Dark. In six minutes, the experimental short combines her personal background with her experience during quarantine as a new mother, woman, and immigrant to tell her story. It incorporates elements of flamenco, poetry, visual art,… Read more »

Two women's headshots.

“Shiva Baby” star Rachel Sennott & Writer/Director Emma Seligman Talk to the “Independent”

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The Independent’s staff writer, Kim Costigan, spoke with writer/director Emma Seligman and lead actress Rachel Sennott about their indie comedy Shiva Baby, which won the 2020 Toronto Independent Film Festival’s Best Canadian Feature Film and Outfest’s Best Screenwriting award. During the film’s recent virtual press junket for its wide release, we talked about Shiva Baby’s… Read more »

Portrait of a woman.

Interview: Mar Wolf on Tik Tok and Film

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With COVID-19 restrictions putting production on hold, filmmakers must employ different methods of creating, distributing, and producing content. Filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, Spike Lee, and Sofia Coppola have released films with limited theatrical runs or sent them straight to digital releases. Yet, for independent filmmakers who do not have that Hollywood-sized production budget, the answer… Read more »

Belle and Austin sharing a kiss.

Sharpen Your Axe with Razor Tongue

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The US is not shy to acknowledge its long binging habits, boasting some of the highest consumption rates of digital media within the world. With such notorious patterns, it should come to no surprise that the media has been attributed to teaching us how to interact with and understand reality. The media invites us to… Read more »