FLICKFAIR

Actor and Filmmaker Andrej Dojkic joins us to talk about his exciting multi-award-winning new film The Egg. When a man wakes up in a cave having no recollection of what has happened to him, he comes to realize everything is not as it seems... A conversation not to be missed!

Filmmaker Oliver Ponce joins us to discuss his compelling film LA Rises. In 2020, Los Angelinos took to the streets to protest the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police. Oliver took his camera and ventured out into the streets to capture riveting images from the ground. Certainly a conversation not to be missed!

Filmmaker Ruthie Harrison joins us to talk about her touching and visually enchanting stopmotion animated film Growing Pains. When a little girl receives a mysterious package at the door, her life changes dramatically. We talk about mental illness, the process of creating puppets and breathing life into them on screen, and the magic of animated films. A conversation not to be missed!

Filmmaker Jon Tengs Engebretsen joins us to discuss his short film Regular White. When a young couple comes in to a doctor's office with their little boy, at first all seems well. But lo and behold, they've told their doctor that their little boy has undergone a physical stunning transformation over the course of a week. We get deep into the weeds discussing creating a film that has elements of comedy, satire, and more profound commentary on society as a whole. A conversation not to be missed!

Filmmaker Sonia Sawkar joins us to discuss her comedy series pilot Cray. When Ray walks in on her best friend Cora attempting to take her own life, secrets come to the surface. We take a deep dive into bringing the story to life. A conversation not to be missed!

Filmmaker Stephen Ashwell joins us to talk about his nail-biting edge-of-the-seat action comedy film Wedlock. Just what can go wrong at a wedding? You'll have to see the film over at Flickfair to find out. We pull back the curtain on how Stephen built this tightly paced action packed film and look under the hood to find out what truly makes a great action comedy. Certainly a conversation to tune in for!

Composer and filmmaker Wolfgang Schmiedt joins us to discuss his film Homo Deus. Dance, music and stunning imagery all gel together fluidly in this compelling film. But what is equally compelling is the true life story that inspired Schmiedt to tell this story. He takes us front row in a conversation that is not to be missed!

Filmmaking duo SimonaGun (Virna Hagen Auvergne and Nicolas Simon) join us to discuss their beautiful experimental film Cor. A tribe of stunning dancers set the sky on fire in moving choreography set against the backdrop of beautiful Lanzarote. We talk about the challenges of creating a moving film set to music and movement and telling just the kind of hypnotizing story that SimonaGun have told with this film. Not to be missed!

Filmmaker Terra Eliel joins us to discuss his thrilling short film Aino. War rages in the land. But hope rests in the hands of an unsuspecting heroine. Can a dying soldier that has crashed into her camp persuade her to do what is right? We talk about the story, Finnish folklore and mythology, and the magic of telling a big story with simple means. Not to be missed!

Filmmaker Aurian de Wouters joins us to discuss his stunning film Suave. Heartbreak, intrigue, passion and high stakes all swirl to a fever pitch. And that's just the majestic score of The Marriage of Figaro happening on stage. But it's backstage where two lovers find themselves entangled in a lovers' dilemma. Aurian unpacks this brilliant story for us and reveals how he made the movie magic happen on screen. Not to be missed!

Director Elena Saurel joins us to talk about her insightful, hilarious, and thought-provoking web series Another Time With Paul. Each episode sees her father Paul take centerstage as he gives his own takes on many of today's heavy topics. It makes for delightful cinema and equally engaging discussion. Our conversation with Elena is not one to be missed!

Filmmaker Rafael Altamira joins us to talk about his exciting feature thriller When You Are Gone. Not all is what it seems when it comes to our ill-fated hero. And Rafael breaks down just how he turned a series of clever plot twists into a mind-boggling feature film. Not to be missed!

#BTSD stands for Black Traumatic Stress Disorder. Filmmaker Terry Gingles joins us to discuss his short film of the same name in which the protagonist is pulled over by the police on a grocery run for his fiancé. Definitely a conversation to tune in for. Not to be missed!

Filmmaker Jing Wang joins us to discuss her compelling short documentary A Winter With Delivery Workers. Winter has struck New York and the only souls stirring in the snow are the fearless delivery workers shuttling food deliveries to customers on their nifty ebikes. But lo and behold the ebikes have been banned in the city. Our guest walks us through what two years spent following the activists and immigrant delivery workers fighting to legalize ebikes in New York entailed. Certainly not a conversation to be missed!

Filmmakers Alexandra Kaucher and James Jenkins of Hiss.tv join us to discuss the beautiful and enchanting music video they rendered for the band The Gentlemen Losers. It's certainly a conversation you don't want to miss!

Farmers today face a multitude of challenges. Our guests today, filmmakers Pepijn Robben and Lucas De Man, join us to talk about their eye-opening animated short film that takes a look at the life of a farmer. Not to be missed!

Filmmaker Harry Sanna joins us to talk about what happens when high fashion and the high seas collide in his fashion film Yellow Jack. Certainly a conversation not to be missed!

Filmmaker Murad Abu Eisheh joins us to talk about his stunning film TALA'VISION. A little girl's dreams may go all up in smoke as life or death comes into play. Not to be missed!

Filmmaker Zan Gillies of DeepStructure Productions joins us to talk about his film Last Strike. Lucas is a 12-time lightning strike survivor. But that's only where his story begins... Not to be missed.

Filmmaker William Feagins Jr. joins us to talk about his insightful look into the life of stuntwoman Damita in the film of the same name. Certainly a conversation worth tuning in to! Not to be missed!

Filmmaker Josh Bowman joins us to discuss his dark and equally lovely short film The Night Passenger. Marty finds a bloodied stranger in the trunk of his car. And things only go from bad to worse from there. Not to be missed!

Filmmaker and conservationist Paul North joins us to discuss his stunning film Winter In Antarctica. Both a performance piece featuring elites from the world of Cirque and a captivating look at the magical yet endangered world that is Antarctica, Winter In Antarctica is certainly worth a watch. Not to be missed!

Filmmaker Hicham Hajji joins us to discuss his groundbreaking feature film Redemption Day. U.S. Marine Captain Brad Paxton's wife Kate is kidnapped and held for ransom by terrorists. He must race against the clock to save the love of his life. Not to be missed!

Happy New Year explores a tumultuous relationship between two codependent lovers. Two of the film's three directors, Sabine Thun and Morten Jensen join us to discuss the film and the process it took to make it both beautiful and heartbreaking. Not to be missed!

We're pleased to welcome filmmaker Kelly Joanne Jenkins to The Flickfair Film Festival Official Podcast as the very first guest of the season to discuss her music video (or short film with music). Shores is an enchanting and magical ride through one woman's reliving of a torrid and passionate affair. Not to be missed!

Filmmaker Christopher Baiza joins us to talk about his film Myra. Who is Myra? Well she is the transgender star-crossed lover who finds herself smack dab in the middle of a love triangle with a notorious gang leader. Crime, intrigue, comedy and action all abound. And we dissect it morsel by morsel in the show. Not to be missed!

Bad Robot's Cloverfield Universe teems with stories that will give you goosebumps. And the proof of concept that is the eye-popping film Megan pays homage to those worlds. In the film, Megan Paulson and an elite Delta Force team investigate a mysterious attack in downtown Los Angeles. The film's producer Jean de Meuron joins us to talk about this epic film and all the magic behind the scenes. 

Third Eye Blind embarked on a massive tour, not on the heels of a new album but buoyed from fan dedication and deep cuts from their back catalogue. And in doing so, they crushed attendance records. Filmmaker David Wexler followed them on this journey. And he joins us to talk about it and his film Motorcycle Drive By. 

Crownsville State Mental Hospital in Crownsville, Maryland once teemed with up to 1200 patients. Then one day it was shut down and the horrors that went on behind its doors were ultimately shuttered up. Filmmaker R. Todd Stevens joins us to talk about his film in which he investigated the legacy of the infamous hospital. 

Two friends venture to Ecuador to build a dugout canoe and paddle it through the jungle. More than just an adventure of a lifetime, Dugout is a remarkable look at humanity. Ben Sadd and James Trundle join us to talk about their film.

In Gabriel Valbuena's film If, a mentally distraught man chases after alternate realities to find one where his late daughter had lived a full lifetime. The writer-director joins us to pull the curtain behind all the magic involved in creating his psychological fantasy film. Lots of spellbinding talk about magic, dreams and keeping things simple ensue.

In Brought To You By Satan, a young woman grapples with the supernatural origins of a family dinner. And the writer-director Holly Laurent joins us to unpack the absolutely real story that inspired her knock-you-down-dead creepily hilarious film. Laughs ensue and lots of insider tidbits about filmmaking for the practitioners and equally curious film fans are sprinkled throughout.

A cataclysmic meteor strikes the earth and a lone dinosaur battles to survive. This moving film with vivid imagery is the September winner for Best Animation. And Film Director and VFX artist Andreas Feix joins us to talk about it, craft, dinosaurs and much more! 

Producers Cha Cha Da Vinci and Mariah Inger join us to discuss their moving film Jack. An Army nurse and a war correspondent fall madly in love. What ensues is a story that traverses time. Our guests pull back the curtain on the process of bringing this magical film to life, from script to screen. 

Cookies, Teas, & Spices is the mouth-watering documentary from filmmaker Rath Chun. While food is the centerpiece of this three-chapter short, diaspora is the theme. Chun explores three different culinary experts' stories of finding a place to call home in Paris, France. And on this episode of the podcast we delve deep into his recipe for creating just this kind of delicious documentary.

Kierre Stowes and Jason Alley explore the intricacies of the award-winning animation The Door, directed by Brian Holman.

ABOUT THE FILM: Six siblings go for a hike and come across a door standing in the middle of the trail. (Due to COVID, film was made by having actors in 5 different cities submit their lines without knowing the script or other lines)

Kierre Stowes and Jason Alley explore the intricacies of the award-winning documentary 12th Street, directed by Gregory Lovett & Matthijs Heesemans.

ABOUT THE FILM: Each year 25,000 inmates are released in Huntsville, Texas — one of the largest prison towns in America. Monday through Friday, the glass doors swing open on the front of the Civil War-era, red-brick prison they call The Walls. The inmates' exit and shuffle along the sidewalk, some smiling, some pensive, all shouldering onion sacks full of belongings. With no one to greet them, most stream past the private homes and prison offices toward the Greyhound bus station three blocks away. For hours, until buses have carried them off, there are lines of released prisoners everywhere near the station: a line for bus tickets, a line to cash prison checks, a line to buy new clothes.

This documentary features a number of these newly released prisoners and explores one of the most critical issues in the national debate over criminal justice reform: the flood of prisoners returning to American communities without the guidance and support needed for a successful transition back to society. What awaits them on the outside? How are they prepared to deal with the new world? Where do they go from here?

Mark W. Travis explores the intricacies of the award-winning documentary CITY ON THE HILL, directed by Xavier Underwood.

ABOUT THE FILM: Tech giant Google has pledged $1 billion to build more housing in the Bay Area. The plan includes 15,000 units on its own land, 5,000 additional affordable units over the next decade, and $50 million in grants to help non-profits who are combating homelessness and displacement. The Bay Area currently has the third-largest homeless population in the U.S. at more than 28,000 people.

In City On the Hill, Xavier Underwood & Adam Fleishman (Emmy®-winning Cinematographer ‘Running with Horses’) head west to San Francisco, California to examine the residual effects of the tech boom, what made San Francisco into the great city it is, and what can be done to save it’s increasingly displaced population, interviewing civil rights leaders, politicians, Bay-Area natives, and small business owners. Directed and produced by Underwood, this perceptive film exposés of the realities of gentrification in San Francisco, CA, home to the highest housing costs in the country.

Underwood interviews a variety of insiders, including Secretary Benjamin S. Carson, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development; Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown, long time civil rights activist and president of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP; Miguel Bustos, Senior Director, Center for Social Justice | Glide Foundation; Nancy Conrad, wife of Legendary Astronaut Pete Conrad; Jessica Donig, Executive Director of San Francisco-based Miracle Messages; Bay-Area natives and small-business owners who progressively face harsh realities.

City On the Hill is the second documentary by production house Howard Stirk Holdings, who made the 2015 primetime special A Breath of Fresh Air, which launched Dr. Ben Carson’s 2016 Presidential Campaign. City On the Hill was directed and produced by Xavier Underwood: filmed and edited by Adam Fleishman; executive producer, Armstrong Williams.

Mark W. Travis dives into the making of the award-winning documentary KING OF BEATS, directed by Tomer Almagor & Nadav Harel.

ABOUT THE FILM: Aaron, an American hunter, enters the dark heart of the African bush, on a surreal neocolonial expedition, emulating 1000s of years of an indigenous rite of passage rituals, as he hunts the ultimate trophy - the king of beasts.

Many hunters consider themselves conservationists, and animal lovers. They justify their right to hunt as central to the preservation of the species and defend the benefits of their concession fees.

King of Beasts is an observational portrait that digs deeper, beyond sensationalism and politics, observing the facts and the many shades of the truth on the ground in Africa, in regards to wildlife and lion conservation efforts, amidst the ever declining animal populations.

With intimate access and never before seen footage, the film question man’s very nature, as well as our place in the animal kingdom.