First Time Go

32:27

"It's Actually A Sunny Day In Ireland" Damian McCann,...

First Time Go ·

2026/10/02

The most Irish friendly film podcast is back with another Irish guest, director Damian McCann, who brings a host of firsts with him -- first Irish language film made in Northern Ireland; first guy to be doing the laundry when he found out that his film, AONTAS (2025), is Ireland's nominee for the 2027 Oscar for Best International Film; and first guy to ask his parents about how to rob a bank and then use that information to make a banger of a heist film.On the last part: maybe. Hopefully. This

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20:07

Paula González-Nasser — Six Years Scouting, One Film:...

First Time Go ·

2026/09/25

Not a pop psychology show, but if it was, I'd explore more with my guest, writer and director Paula González-Nasser of the brilliant film THE SCOUT (2025), how she made her first feature about a job she didn't care for. I can't imagine a scenario where she was working as a location scout, and thought, this is my first feature film.And yet.THE SCOUT works brilliantly as a observational movie about the little seen lives of location scouts, even though their work has an outsized influence

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45:33

Mylissa Fitzsimmons On Running Away And The Making of...

First Time Go ·

2026/09/18

My guest today, director Mylissa Fitzsimmons, previously released two features -- EVERYTHING IN THE END (2021) and THE LONG RUN (2025) -- and never got a premiere. She suffered from burnout of the excruciating process of making these brilliant films. And yet:here she is in 2026 with MACKENZIE (2026), opening at Film Fest Oldenburg this year. What does that say about perseverance? Resilience? A never quit attitude and the ability to keep going on even though this is really, really, fucking really

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32:43

Thrilling sci-fi films, parenthood, and acting in...

First Time Go ·

2026/09/11

Expectations are good in a lot of ways. They hold us to a standard and promote accountability. But they can also be creatively limiting. For actor and executive producer Glen Steele of the film INFINITELY DENSE, who you heard in the intro, he took the shackles off the word expectation and made his art, giving the middle finger to age or any other perceived limitation.INFINITELY DENSE is having its market screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 16th, 2026. If you have the

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52:00

Betting Big On Yourself Through Helping Others: Dylan...

First Time Go ·

2026/09/04

When you normally see a series like HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD, put together by my guest, filmmaker Dylan Mulick (and the team at World Within Studios), the tendency is to brush it off as do-gooders doing good things. Where is the conflict in that? A lot of great documentaries aren't seen because of these assumptions.Dylan turns the usual tropes of the series upside down in so many ways by going there: inner city Chicago; the Bahamas; wherever there is actual conflict for people who are looking to

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16:54

War Zones And Walks To Legendary Romances: Orlando...

First Time Go ·

2026/09/01

One of the most fascinating things I've learned about in conducting interviews are how top awards can end up meaning -- nothing.Think back -- can you name who won the Oscar for best documentary short five years ago? Two years ago?So often, it doesn't show a noticeable trajectory change in the filmmakers' careers. That's not true of my guest today, Orlando von Einsiedel, whose film, THE CYCLE OF LOVE (2025) opened in New York on August 28th and later in September for the rest of the

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1:33

Indie Film Highlight: EVELYN (2018)

First Time Go ·

2026/08/30

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: EVELYN (2018).Director: Orlando von EinsiedelSYNOPSISWhen a 22-year-old kills himself, his three siblings try to bury their pain. Ten years later, they go on a hiking trip and seek out the places he liked to walk in the English countryside, allowing them to contemplate their brother's life.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on InstagramFollow

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34:10

TWO UGLY PEOPLE (2025), One Exceptional Director:...

First Time Go ·

2026/08/25

It always fascinates me when people with other artistic backgrounds settle on making films. They end up creating an art form that is noticeably different than their peers. My guest, Australian director Peter Skinner, spent five years as a sculptor, and then with the precision that art form requires, turned his focus into making astonishing films like his most recent, TWO UGLY PEOPLE (2025).It's a hard film to describe but a beautiful one to watch. The impetus for the story of TWO UGLY PEOPLE

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1:37

Indie Film Highlight: MOON (2009)

First Time Go ·

2026/08/23

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: MOON (2009)Director: Duncan JonesCast: Sam Rockwell; Kevin Spacey; Dominique McElligott; Kaya ScodelarioSYNOPSISAstronaut Sam Bell's (Sam Rockwell) three-year shift at a lunar mine is finally coming to an end, and he's looking forward to his reunion with his wife (Dominique McElligott) and young daughter. Suddenly, Sam's health takes a

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27:29

The Best Film I've Watched All Year (Part 2):...

First Time Go ·

2026/08/21

At the risk of sounding corny (and real in a world of AI slop podcast descriptions), let me add a fourth F: Ford. As in Tom Ford. No, not that one -- the cinematographer Tom Ford, who made my favorite film of the year absolutely shine through his work years ago.What do I mean by that? As we talk about, much of what I love about URCHINS is its lighting, and that came from enduring relationships that Tom built over the years that he brought on for this film. There's a huge lesson in that and

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40:42

The Best Film I've Watched All Year (Part 1):...

First Time Go ·

2026/08/18

The story behind URCHINS (2026), a coming of age tale set in the waterways of Florida, distills what is best and what is worst about the modern state of independent film. URCHINS is a dazzling display of cinematography and storytelling at its most compelling: it shows Florida like you've never seen before and the story is told in a very unconventional way without the tropes of the genre.But: it never made it into a festival. Distributors wondered why it didn't cost more. A Black List critic

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1:37

Indie Film Highlight: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011)

First Time Go ·

2026/08/16

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011)Director: David GelbCast: Jiro Ono; Masuhiro Yamamoto; Daisuke Nakazama; Harutaki TakahashiSYNOPSISA documentary about an octogenarian sushi master, his two sons, and the tiny restaurant in which they tirelessly work.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on InstagramFollow us on XFollow us on FacebookFollow us on

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29:54

Shih-Ching Tsou, dir. of LEFT-HANDED GIRL (2025)

First Time Go ·

2026/08/14

Watch This Episode On YouTubeFrom the looks of it, LEFT-HANDED GIRL (2025) has everything going for it. Fantastic film. Taiwan's 2025 Oscar submission (and widely expected to be a nominee.) Edited and co-written by Sean Baker. A Netflix rollout. But the reality is much more complicated.This was a 20 year labor of love by my guest, director Shih-Ching Tsou, and we talk about everything related to her career, how her perspective of the film changed after its release, the drawbacks of filming this

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21:13

Lee Kirk, dir. of NIMRODS (2025)

First Time Go ·

2026/08/11

I talk to filmmakers all the time who say things like, I'm reviving the romcom. Or my film is a homage to 1950s Westerns. The statements encompass so many genres but the truth is, most of the time they don't work. It ends up being a facsimile of something great, which isn't good at all.This is a long way at getting to the point that NIMRODS, opening in theaters on August 14th, is the absolute real deal: a film that will remind you of the GOONIES, as my guest, director Lee Kirk hints at,

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1:24

Indie Film Highlight: OVERNIGHT (2003)

First Time Go ·

2026/08/09

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: OVERNIGHT (2003)Directors: Tony Montana; Mark Brian SmithCast: Troy Duffy; Harvey Weinstein; Chris BrinkerSYNOPSISThis documentary follows Troy Duffy, a brash, foul-mouthed bartender whose screenplay for an action film called "Boondock Saints" scores him a generous contract to write and direct the film for Harvey Weinstein at Miramax

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21:13

Yiru Deng, dir. of TUNNEL VISION (2026)

First Time Go ·

2026/08/07

I'm always on the lookout for original filmmaking to highlight, so if you just look at the objective facts of my guest Yiru Deng's film, TUNNEL VISION (2026), which premiered at LA Shorts International Film Festival on August 4th, 2026, you'll be impressed:4 minute run time.Animation with just killer transitions that we find out were painful to draw.An excitingly original topic that is made to be shown on a screen.By itself, those are amazing. But then when you hear Yiru speak about what

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29:32

The Funniest (NSFW) Film Of The Year: Elliot Connors...

First Time Go ·

2026/08/04

I couldn't stop laughing during the funniest film of the year, directed by my guest, Elliot Connors. It's called FULL FRONTAL, or if you want to use the full title (and you should), it's I’M GOING FULL FRONTAL FOR MY NYU STUDENT SHORT FILM (2026), streaming today, August 4th, 2026 on NoBudge.I'd argue getting laughs is the hardest thing to do in independent film so that's why comedies are so relatively rare. And to do it in a short film -- that's a tough sell.But Elliot has

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25:16

Writer/Producer Kate Radcliffe Of STILL LIFE (2026)

First Time Go ·

2026/07/28

I imagine there's not a lot of debate out there but here's what I believe: there's nothing worse in the human experience than losing a son or daughter. It violates our understanding of the cycle of life and it forces a unyielding loss amongst the living that can never be taken away.Any experience so intense can, in the right hands, be channeled to create great art, so I am drawn to stories like STILL LIFE (2026), which is an official selection this year of the HollyShorts Film

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1:45

Indie Film Highlight: STRAIGHT TO HELL (1987)

First Time Go ·

2026/06/21

Watch This Episode On YouTubeWatch STRAIGHT TO HELL On Criterion ChannelEvery Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: STRAIGHT TO HELL (1987)Director: Alex CoxWriters: Dick Rude; Alex CoxStars: Joe Strummer; Dick Rude; Courtney LoveSYNOPSISThree bank robbers (Sy Richardson, Joe Strummer, Dick Rude) and a pregnant woman tear up a desert town.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on InstagramFollow

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16:11

Special Tribeca Episode: Elisee Junior St. Preux,...

First Time Go ·

2026/06/19

What a last month or so for Haiti and director Elisee Junior St. Preux's debut feature. Upon its release at the Tribeca Film Festival, THE TROPIC SUN AND HIS EYES (2026) received the Special Jury Mention for Best New Narrative Director alongside rave reviews. It is truly stunning filmmaking, offering both a realistic glimpse of Haiti and an expansive view of fatherhood.Let's count the ways in which his month just aligns perfectly for this film: Haiti playing Brazil in its second World Cup

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