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PODCAST

First Time Go

Benjamin Duchek

A weekly podcast highlighting the creators of independent film and the business behind it. Hosted by Ben Duchek.

tv & film film interviews

All Episodes

40:42

Brook Linder

First Time Go ·

2025/08/12

Let’s put it down right now: Brook Linder has the branded content hit of the year, with his weekly promos for Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney. Vimeo put it out as its own thing, and once you turn on the compilation of promos, you can’t turn it off. It’ll be running on repeat in your head. I warned you.We go deep in this episode in getting banned from Springfield, Missouri high schools, not just for his film crew but every film crew afterwards, early Kickstarter, what it’s like making branded

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3:28

Indie Film Highlight: KAJAKI (2014)

First Time Go ·

2025/08/10

Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: KAJAKI (2014).Director: Paul KatisWriter: Tom WilliamsCast: David Elliot; Mark Stanley; Scott Kyle; Ali CookSYNOPSISHelmand Province in Afghanistan, 2006. A company of young British soldiers encounter an unexpected, terrifying enemy: a dried-out river bed, and with every step the possibility of an anti-personnel mine that could kill.Subscribe to our

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33:52

Ali Cook

First Time Go ·

2025/08/08

You’d expect comedy out of a comedian turned actor and then director, right? Think again. My guest, filmmaker Ali Cook, turns what you’d expect upside down. So far, he’s written two short films, directed one, and is working now on his first few features. He acted in a truly phenomenal Afghanistan war film, KAJAKI (2014), sometimes known as Kilo Two Bravo, and he’s got more insight than we could possibly cover in 30 minutes. I tried to keep my laughter to a minimum, but come on. Go watch his films

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40:29

Charles Hood

First Time Go ·

2025/08/05

Watch This Episode On YouTubeI feel like this would be a good plotline for a gonzo Mission Impossible movie: make romcoms and comedy dramas relevant again. In one sentence, my guest, director and podcaster Charles Hood, declared “comedies and comedy dramas are dead, sadly” but also came back in the next few sentences with the announcement, I’m releasing a romcom feature later this year. This sounds exactly like a challenge, if you choose to accept it, for one of the co-hosts of the official Mission

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1:08

Indie Film Highlight: PEOPLE PLACES THINGS (2015)

First Time Go ·

2025/08/03

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: PEOPLE PLACES THINGS (2015). Director: James C. StrouseScreenplay: James C. StrouseCast: Jermaine Clement; Regina Hall; Stephanie AllynneSYNOPSISA graphic novelist /professor (Jemaine Clement) tries to navigate the unfamiliar waters of single fatherhood and dating.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on InstagramFollow us on XFollow us on

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22:58

Ebs Burnough

First Time Go ·

2025/08/01

This is still an indie film podcast, don’t misunderstand, but if I had to do one conversation with somebody who made a studio film, it would be with my guest Ebs Burnough. I’d argue no other person understands the indie film market like he does, especially now with the release of KEROUAC’S ROAD: THE BEAT OF A NATION (2025). The film examines how Jack Kerouac’s iconic novel “On the Road” resonates in contemporary America. Ebs has a career that hardly seems repeatable — working for the White House to

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32:21

Imani Davis

First Time Go ·

2025/07/30

I don’t know if we’ve ever had such fire practical advice from a film festival programmer who — I know this is shocking — actually cares about indie filmmakers than the pod does today with my guest, Imani Davis. From how the PROOF Film Festival got started to the advice she gives directors to take notes and cut your short films, this is absolutely the pod for you if you want to make it in indie film today. I’m so excited for you to hear from such an innovative voice in the industry. Imani and I talk

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1:28

Indie Film Highlight: COME AS YOU ARE (2019)

First Time Go ·

2025/07/27

Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: COME AS YOU ARE (2019).Director: Richard WongScreenplay: Erik LinthorstCast: Grant Rosenmeyer; Hayden Szeto; Ravi PatelSYNOPSISA travelling nurse takes three disabled men on a road trip to Montreal so they can lose their virginity at a brothel.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on InstagramFollow us on XFollow us on

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28:37

Xavier Encinas

First Time Go ·

2025/07/25

“Creative director, curator, publisher, collector” and founder of Sixteen World Xavier Encinas joins me on the podcast for this episode. I’d argue you could also add great podcast guest because he pushes back against this idea that France is a great haven for independent film. As part of his Sixteen artistic venture, he curates the Sixteen Film Institute, with a new film weekly, mostly from around the world, not France. Let’s not misstate his argument — he has nothing against French cinema, he lives

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39:28

Amanda Sthers

First Time Go ·

2025/07/22

There’s no more exciting place to be in independent film than the intersection of France and the United States, or as a filmmaker in either of these locations. In France, cinemas are packed and the Cannes Film Festival often sets the tone for what’s considered the best films of the year. So if the goal is understanding France’s role in global cinema, there is no better person than my guest, Amanda Sthers, who has released three feature films that star globally known actors and help explain, in each

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21:05

Nicolai Schumann

First Time Go ·

2025/07/18

Bottle films, films made predominately in one location, are like playing with fire. There’s not a lot of room to make a good film if you don’t cast well, for instance, or if the location of your bottle isn’t fantastic. My guest, director Nicolai Schumann, understood all this….because he watched a bunch of the previous bottle films…and went ahead with THE LONELY MUSKETEER (2024) anyway. And I’m so glad that he did. The film tells the story of “the psychological downfall of a man who is highly

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27:41

Jennie Butler

First Time Go ·

2025/07/15

Watch This Episode On YouTubeThis is way easier said than done but when you’re making a short film, you need a couple things to exceptionally stand out. Whether it’s the writing, cinematography, subject…something. Otherwise, you’re lost in a sea of submissions. The money is almost irrelevant if you don’t have the goods. For my guest Jennie Butler and her film, GEORGIE (2024), it’s piecing out a theme of his life from an interview and then making an extraordinary film from that thread. Jennie calls

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26:05

Blake Jarvis

First Time Go ·

2025/06/24

An upcoming wedding, a film that made it into Tribeca -- filmmaker Blake Jarvis is having himself a summer. IN JEFF WE TRUST (2025)'s logline is "two mentally ill girls regret joining a cult...but is it too late?" It is a hilarious short film produced and starring comedy duo Sydney Heller and Olivia DeLaurentis. Other than finding out if he has a band or a DJ, we go pretty deep into this guy's amazing summer for this episode.Blake and I talk about:how did he find out his film made

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30:23

Stephen Gerard Kelly

First Time Go ·

2025/06/17

Watch This Episode On YouTubeIf you watch IN THE SHADOW OF BEIRUT (2023), you might get an idea about the director, and guess he has a cinematographer's eye for visuals and a humanist's approach to connecting with people. This episode proves that assessment right about director Stephen Gerard Kelly.IN THE SHADOW OF BEIRUT is described as "a portrait of modern-day Lebanon as seen through the eyes of four families living in the backdrop of an infamous massacre in 1982." It's

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32:22

Rick Stanton

First Time Go ·

2025/06/13

Watch This Episode On YouTube The film, SPECTRUM (2024), directed by my guest, Rick Stanton, is a true triumph for art and sticking to one's own vision. As he said, “it’s a very honest take on what life is like as an adult with autism.” Rick's path into filmmaking is unconventional and instead of paying endless amount of festival fees, he's forging a different path.In this episode, Rick and I talk about:what you should expect to see when you watch SPECTRUM -- "very honest take on

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31:41

Sky Sitney

First Time Go ·

2025/06/10

DC/DOX is about to celebrate its third year, and I chat with co-founder Sky Sitney about its origin story, celebrity documentary, AI in docs, the financial plight of doc filmmakers, and more.Befitting a powerhouse in the doc filmmaking world, Sky took on the most challenging questions and gave thought-provoking answers. It's no surprise with her leadership DC/DOX has become an international stop in the world of documentary in three quick years.In this episode, Sky and I discuss:the origin story

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23:09

Aoife Kelleher

First Time Go ·

2025/06/03

Watch This Episode On YouTubeWith the baritones of Bono and U2 as the soundtrack, the globe-trotting world of Mary Robinson requires an epic film to depict her life, and thankfully, they found the director that can deliver just that in Irish filmmaker Aoife Kelleher.Aoife gave us the brilliant film MRS ROBINSON (2024), still on its festival run. MRS ROBINSON tells the inspirational life story of change-maker Mary Robinson: Ireland’s first female President, a pioneering UN High Commissioner for Human

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1:19

Indie Film Highlight: BEFORE/DURING/AFTER (2020)

First Time Go ·

2025/06/01

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: BEFORE/DURING/AFTER (2020)Director: Stephen Kunken; Jack LewarsScreenplay: Finnerty SteevesCast: Finnerty Steeves; Jeremy Davidson; John Pankow; John Ellison ConleeSYNOPSISThis sharp-witted dramedy studies a middle-aged NYC theatre actress suddenly forced to figure out the kind of person she wants to portray in real life when her marriage comes to an end after she catches her

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26:31

Sasha Wortzel

First Time Go ·

2025/05/30

Watch This Episode On YouTubeAs soon as RIVER OF GRASS (2025) starts, the viewer is given an astonishing sense of place, and according to my guest, director Sasha Wortzel, this is most certainly by design. The film -- "an ode to the Florida Everglades past and present" -- is an amazing piece of artwork that elevates its subject to a character all of its own. Wherever you watch the film -- perhaps at DC/DOX on June 14th, 2025 -- you are going to feel like you are in Florida.I’m not sure

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1:34

Indie Film Highlight: UNTOGETHER (2018)

First Time Go ·

2025/05/25

Watch This Episode On YouTubeEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: UNTOGETHER (2018).Director: Emma ForrestWritten By: Emma ForrestCast: Jamie Dornan; Ben Mendelsohn; Jemima Kirke; Lola Kirke; Billy CrystalSYNOPSISOnce considered a teen prodigy, a recovering addict sobers up and tries to get her writing career back on track. She begins a relationship with a rising author known for his wartime memoirs.Watch This

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282 results

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