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PODCAST

The Oscar Project Podcast

Jonathan Ytreberg

A discussion of all the films nominated for Oscars, starting in 1929, plus interviews with filmmakers and authors writing about the film industry.

tv & film film history

All Episodes

27:07

3.43-Filmmaker Interview with Ida Melum and Laura...

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/05/27

Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Ida Melum and Laura Jayne Tunbridge, the director and writer of the animated short film "Ovary-Acting," a look at the complex decision of whether or not to have children facing many people in the world today. Listen to hear about the personal inspiration for the story, the importance of finding humor even in the darkest moment in life, and the ambitious musical number that pops up in the middle of the film that has to be seen and heard to be beli...

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41:43

3.42-The Broadway Melody with Kevin Pettit

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/05/23

Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1929 film The Broadway Melody. My friend Kevin Pettit from the See You at the Movies newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about whether the film was there just to support the music being played, the degree to which this film is was considered scandalous at the time, and whether or not the film earns the love triangle (quadrangle?) that serves as the centerpiece to the "action." You can watch The Broadway Melody o...

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30:44

3.41-Filmmaker Interview with Sarah Goeke and Julia...

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/05/20

Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Sarah Goeke and Julia Sears, the writer and director of the web series "Forked," a story of a woman recovering from the purity culture of the Bible Belt through sobriety and dragon fantasy erotica. Listen to hear about Sarah trusting her director on the shoot for And Through the Portal We Go, keeping the cast of "Forked" very much in the family, and finding humor in some of life's most serious moments. Books mentioned in this episode include: Th...

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44:07

3.40-In Old Arizona with Joanne Thornborough

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/05/16

Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1928 film In Old Arizona. My friend Joanne Thornborough from the POP! Goes My Brain newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about how some traditional western stereotypes are turned on their heads in this film, the ingenious uses of sound in the film at the dawn of the talkie, and yet another love triangle in late 1920s film. You can watch In Old Arizona on YouTube or purchase a copy for your collection and be sure...

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18:05

3.39-Filmmaker Interview with Jessica J. Rowlands

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/05/13

Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Jessica J. Rowlands, the director of the short film "Rise," a heartwarming story of resilience and determination set in Zimbabwe. The film will make its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this June. Listen to hear about the individual who inspired the film, the importance of using local talent both in front of and behind the camera to tell the story, and how the film uses local music to help establish an authentic local identity. Books ...

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36:04

3.38-A Woman of Affairs with Amanda Kusek

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/05/09

Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1928 film A Woman of Affairs. My friend Amanda Kusek from the The 90-Minute Movie newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about a complex web of love triangles, the expressive, over-the-top performance of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as Jeffry, and whether or not the source material truly was as scandalous as history has made it out to be. You can watch A Woman of Affairs on YouTube or purchase a copy for your collection...

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30:03

3.37-Filmmaker Interview with Madison Hatfield

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/05/06

Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Madison Hatfield, the director and star of the short film "I Could Dom," a laugh a minute sex comedy about a young woman trying to figure out what exactly she wants in a relationship. Listen to hear about how the film was a bit of self discovery for Madison when it came to her people-pleasing personality, the importance of getting her male lead just right, and how important it is to help other artists whenever possible as we are all on our own jo...

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46:13

3.36-White Shadows in the South Seas with Matthew Brady

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/05/02

Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1928 film White Shadows in the South Seas. My friend Matthew Brady from the Warren Peace newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about why this film was almost a shoe in for winning Best Cinematography at the 2nd Academy Awards, how interesting it was to be able to see some aspects of indigenous life on the South Pacific islands of around 100 years ago, and the cautionary tale that is this film. You can watch White Shad...

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25:34

3.35-Filmmaker Interview with Allison Moy Hayhurst...

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/04/29

Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Allison Moy Hayhurst and Mike Hayhurst, the producer and director of the film And Through the Portal We Go. The film is a genre-bending time loop story that takes an earnest look at faith, friendship, and the search for belonging. Listen to hear about the some of the research that was required for the film (and the dubious online searches that entailed), the level of detail required to keep everything straight in a time loop film, and how blooper...

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43:36

3.34-Our Dancing Daughters with Vicki Lesley

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/04/25

Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1928 film Our Dancing Daughters. My friend Vicki Lesly from the Meandering Over the Pebbles newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about some incredible cinematography choices that absolutely merited a nomination in that category at the 2nd Academy Awards, how this film began Joan Crawford's rise to stardom, and subsequent films that have been influenced by Our Dancing Daughters. You can watch Our Dancing Daughters ...

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24:19

3.33-Filmmaker Interview with Lauren Melinda

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/04/22

Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Lauren Melinda, the director of the short film "Before You." The film tells the story of a young couple dealing with the loss of a pregnancy while simultaneously expressing joy about an upcoming birth. Listen to hear about the film's basis in Lauren's own experience of loss, the importance of looking back on difficult memories while also looking for the positives in life, and how she and her crew went about putting together some incredible practi...

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33:41

3.32-Glorious Betsy with Enrico Banson

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/04/18

Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1928 film Glorious Betsy. My friend Enrico Banson from the Director's Notes newsletter joins me to discuss the film and we talk about how the viewing experience would be substantially different with the partial talkie segments that are now missing, Conrad Nagle's involvement in the creation of the Academy Awards, and where Glorious Betsy fits in with other films of the era that were experimenting with sound. I also have an unexpected...

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21:18

3.31-Filmmaker Interview with Emily Sheskin

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/04/15

Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Emily Sheskin, the director of the short documentary "Livestreams with GrandmaPuzzles." The film focuses on the unlikely pairing of Twitch with jigsaw puzzles and premiered at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival last fall. Listen to hear about the incredible community around jigsaw puzzling that continues to grow around the world, the importance of representation in the puzzle world, and how we would all benefit from reinforcing community c...

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40:42

3.30 Street Angel & Skyscraper with Beth Lisogorsky

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/04/11

Send us a text Today's episode is my conversation about the 1928 films Street Angel and Skyscraper. My friend Beth Lisogorsky from Beth's TV & Film Recommendations joins me to discuss the films and we talk about some of the visual touches in Street Angel, how vertigo inducing some of the images in Skyscraper are, and a wonderful relationship between to two leads in Skyscraper. Check out the previous episode where Beth and I first covered Street Angel. You can watch Street Angel and Skys...

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21:00

3.29 Movie Chat with Chris Etrata, winner of the 2025...

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/04/08

Send us a text In today's episode, I am joined by Chris Etrata, the winner of the 2025 Oscar prediction contest on The Oscar Project. We talk about our reactions to the 97th Academy Awards, some movies from 2025 so far, and what we're looking forward to in the rest of 2025. Books mentioned in this episode include: Mickey 7 by Edward AshtonFilms mentioned in this episode include: Wicked directed by Jon M. ChuAnora directed by Sean BakerConclave directed by Edward BergerA Complete Unknow...

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32:59

3.28 The Return of the Oscars and Lost Nominees of...

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/04/04

Send us a text Today's episode is the beginning of my conversations about the films nominated at the 2nd Academy Awards. I'm joined by Lewis Beer who writes the Slow Moving Pictures newsletter and we break down some of the history of the 2nd Academy Awards, all of the nominees, and take some time to discuss some of the missing or hard to find films that won't be covered in individual episodes this season. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get all the news episodes delivered to your devic...

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17:34

3.27 Filmmaker Interview with John Kelly

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/04/01

Send us a text In today's episode, I interview John Kelly, the director of the short film "Retirement Plan," an animated short that follows a man as he dreams about what he will do in his retirement years. The film won the Grand Jury and Audience Awards at SXSW. Listen to hear about the inspiration for the story, the importance being nimble with style when creating over 100 animated shots, and the joy of getting to work with one of Ireland's leading actors of the moment. Books mentioned in t...

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26:30

3.26 Filmmaker Interview with Paul Kowalski

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/03/25

Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Paul Kowalski, the director of the short film "Sardinia," a dark look at what a world without humor could be like. The film screened at IndieShorts and won the Best Director Grand Prize at Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival in 2024. Listen to hear about the real world inspiration for the film, casting a group of strong actors that could each bring their own interpretation to the characters, and a set of book recommendations that sh...

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20:23

3.25 Filmmaker Interview with Jonathan Hammond

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/03/18

Send us a text In today's episode, I interview Jonathan Hammond, the director of the short film "Fireflies in the Dusk," a clever genre bending comedy that brings the Victorian Age into the present day with hilarious results. Listen to hear about some of the films that inspired Jonathan's concept for the film, how he got his actors to buy into the absurd situations their characters would encounter, and what happens when an actor getting food poisoning in the middle of busy L.A. traffic. Book...

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27:01

3.24 Movie Chat with Luiz Mendez, winner of the 2025...

The Oscar Project Podcast ·

2025/03/11

Send us a text In today's episode, I am joined by Luis Mendez, the winner of the 2025 Oscar prediction contest on The Oscar Project. We talk about our reactions to the 97th Academy Awards, some movies from 2025 so far, and what we're looking forward to in the rest of 2025. Books mentioned in this episode include: Mickey 7 by Edward AshtonOpposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever by Matt SingerOscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears by Michael ...

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229 results

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