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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

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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15:50

Natalie Halla

First Time Go ·

2025/05/20

Watch This Episode On YouTubeNatalie Halla, the award winning Austrian filmmaker of THE LAST AMBASSADOR (2025), among other films, found that her way of making the world a better place is making insightful and incisive films. In her latest, she tells the story of Manizha Bakhtari, who is "risking everything in her fight for the rights of girls and women in Afghanistan."It had its North American premiere at Hot Docs to a standing ovation, and Natalie is here to talk about her journey and her

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1:27

Indie Film Highlight: 12 MONTHS (2022)

First Time Go ·

2025/05/18

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: 12 MONTHS (2022).Director: Clinton CornwellWritten By: Clinton Cornwell; Elizabeth Hirsch-Tauber; Michael James KellyCast: Elizabeth Hirsch-Tauber; Michael James Kelly; Christopher Mychael WatsonSYNOPSISA hyper-realistic diversion from the usual rom-com, 12 Months candidly portrays moments that are commonly experienced but rarely shown as it follows

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13:20

Ben Steinberg

First Time Go ·

2025/05/16

Watch This Episode On YouTubeWriter, filmmaker, actor...and activist Ben Steinberg joins me to talk about his campaign to save the Cinerama Dome and his filmmaking, most recently HIKIKOMORI, a surreal short film you have to see to believe.In this episode, Ben and I talk about:how he got decided to get into film and acting;his campaign to save Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles;why should indie filmmakers care about theaters when most films are streamed?;how he made the surreal short HIKIKOMORI (inspired

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27:41

Grace Chin

First Time Go ·

2025/05/13

Are you familiar with the Crazy8s competition in British Columbia?Thanks to today’s guest, executive director of the Crazy8s Film Society, Grace Chin, you are now.The event is held in March annually and if you’re able to participate next year, go for it. But as Grace talks about, not everybody gets in. This conversation offers your best roadmap to get crazy in Vancouver next year. In this episode, Grace and I discuss:what is the Crazy8s? "it's still the eight crazy days -- they shoot for 3

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33:57

Daniel Lombroso

First Time Go ·

2025/05/09

Watch This Episode On YouTubeIt’s hard to say what’s been the biggest achievement for Daniel over the past few weeks — starting his own studio, Outerboro Films, getting selected as a 2025 Film Independent Documentary Story Lab Fellow, or telling the white supremacist Nick Fuentes that he’s an asshole.Daniel said it’s the latter, but I’m guessing as we look back, it’ll be the first two, as he releases more of his critically acclaimed docs under his own banner. Daniel has made truly extraordinary

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18:49

Jenny Lee-Gilmore

First Time Go ·

2025/05/06

Watch LITTLE MISS SLEEPY On YouTubeWatch This Episode On YouTubeAt 21, Jenny Lee-Gilmore was diagnosed with narcolepsy. In her film LITTLE MISS SLEEPY, she explores what it's like to live with a neurological disorder that's misunderstood and often misdiagnosed.In this conversation, we explore how she made that decision to turn one of her most personal life stories into a documentary and what advice she has for other filmmakers.The film recently screened at GEMFest 2025 in Vancouver.In this

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33:26

Roshan Sethi

First Time Go ·

2025/05/02

Watch This Episode On YouTubeI can't give this title out often before it becomes meaningless, but the best film I've seen this year is A NICE INDIAN BOY (2024), by director Roshan Sethi. And with SINNERS (2025), it's the hottest story in film right now. Let's talk about why that is with one of the most intelligent and analytic minds in filmmaking: Roshan Sethi.In this episode, Roshan and I talk about:the overwhelming positive response to the film and what that says about the state of

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20:08

Peter McDowell

First Time Go ·

2025/04/29

Buy Tickets Now For JIMMY IN SAIGON In NYC Through May 1stWatch The Trailer For JIMMY IN SAIGONWatch This Episode On YouTube"Polite persistence" -- that's the story of filmmaker Peter McDowell in so many ways, and it's how he brought the film JIMMY IN SAIGON to movie theaters, through May 1st, 2025 in NYC, and then beyond. He's been at work on the film since 2010, and it throws on its head what you might expect from a Vietnam War documentary.In this episode, we discuss:how he got

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1:30

Indie Film Highlight: MOBILE HOMES (2017)

First Time Go ·

2025/04/27

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: MOBILE HOMES (2017).Director: Vladimir de FontenayWritten By: Vladimir de Fontenay; Danielle LessovitzCast: Imogen Poots; Callum Turner; Frank OultonSYNOPSISA young mother drifts from one motel to the next with her dangerously intoxicating boyfriend and her 8-year-old son. When a crisis tears them apart, the mother finds a mobile home community that

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213 results

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