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PODCAST

We Need to Talk About Oscar

We Need to Talk About Oscar offers in-depth interviews with filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals. Although inspired by titles you expect to be represented at the Oscars, our conversations extend to buzzy indie projects and TV shows, exploring both the technical aspects of filmmaking and the personal stories behind them.

tv & film social sciences

All Episodes

27:29

Sook-Yin Lee revisits a shared past in ‘Paying for It’

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2026/01/30

Director Sook-Yin Lee joins us to discuss ‘Paying for It,’ her adaptation of Chester Brown’s graphic novel about their former relationship. The film represents a unique creative challenge: adapting a graphic novel that was already based on their shared life together.Sook-Yin reflects on how she came to collaborate with Chester on the project and how the three layers (the lived experience, the graphic novel, and the film) compare and diverge from one another. She walks us through translating the

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18:39

We Need to Talk About Sundance #5: Georgia Bernstein...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2026/01/27

Writer-director Georgia Bernstein joins us to discuss 'Night Nurse,' her feature directorial debut that premiered in the NEXT section at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Georgia traces the birth of the film's idea and how she ventured into the realm of psycho-sexual thrillers while maintaining its foundation in elderly care and caregiving, creating an unsettling blend of intimacy and menace.Our conversation explores Georgia's long-spanning friendship and collaboration with actress Cemre Paksoy,

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20:26

We Need to Talk About Sundance #4: Family as canvas,...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2026/01/24

Director William D. Caballero joins us to discuss ‘They Dream,’ his deeply personal film premiering in the NEXT section at Sundance. Blending documentary with multiple forms of animation, the film explores his family’s story through an intimate collaboration with his mother.William shares what drew him to build a film from such personal material and the dynamics of working creatively with his mom. The film employs a striking mix of animation techniques including 2D, 3D, miniatures, and rotoscoping,

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39:57

Nurturing a vision into being, with the director and...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2026/01/20

Writer-director Constance Tsang and producers Tony Yang, Sally Sujin Oh and Eli Raskin join us to discuss ‘Blue Sun Palace,’ their Spirit Award nominated feature. With nominations celebrating the film’s achievement, the team reflects on the journey from conception to completion.Constance and the producers open up about the very birth of the story and what it took to produce and manage a film like this in today’s independent landscape. We explore how the logistics and creative storytelling relate to

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31:01

Mascha Schilinski and Fabian Gamper peer through time...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2026/01/13

Writer-director Mascha Schilinski and cinematographer Fabian Gamper join us to discuss ‘Sound of Falling,’ their ambitious sophomore feature that won the Jury Prize at Cannes and has been selected as Germany’s entry for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards.Mascha and Fabian open up about how they structured the film to connect the four girls across time beyond just their shared location, exploring their approach to continuity on multiple levels as they wove the separate timelines into a

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22:37

Albert Birney merges pixels and reality in 'OBEX'

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2026/01/06

Filmmaker Albert Birney joins us to discuss 'OBEX,' his black and white science fiction film set in pre-internet 1987 Baltimore that premiered at Sundance. Albert opens up about the origin of the film, tracing its roots to his own video game creation 'Tux and Fanny' and his experience getting a dog in 2021, both of which became foundational inspirations for this story of isolation and obsession.Our conversation explores Albert's relationship to video games and how he translated that into a

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18:10

Not falling too fast, with ‘The Baltimorons’ actress...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/12/30

This week, actress Liz Larsen joins us to talk about her Indie Spirit nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance in ‘The Baltimorons.’ With decades of stage and screen work behind her, she reflects on what it means to be recognized in this category at this point in her career.Liz shares how she first connected with director Jay Duplass and how the film’s low budget, guerrilla shooting style positively impacted her performance and the atmosphere on set. We also explore one of the trickiest aspects

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21:29

Submerged storytelling, with ‘The Plague’ director...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/12/23

Today, we sit down with writer-director Charlie Polinger and cinematographer Steven Breckon to talk about ‘The Plague.’ They share the origins of their creative partnership and how Charlie’s personal experiences shaped the story’s themes.We dig into the technical challenge of underwater cinematography and what it brought to the film’s visual storytelling. Our conversation also explores working with child actors on such heavy material from both their perspectives as director and cinematographer.At

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23:53

Julia Jackman and Xenia Patricia build a world of...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/12/19

Writer-director Julia Jackman and cinematographer Xenia Patricia join us to discuss '100 Nights of Hero,' their adaptation of Isabel Greenberg's graphic novel that premiered at Venice Film Festival. Julia and Xenia open up about the challenges of translating a graphic novel's visual language onto the screen, finding cinematic equivalents for the book's distinctive illustrative style while creating something uniquely filmic.Our conversation explores how they built the look and emotional core of this

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23:22

Filming the divine, with ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/12/16

Today, we talk with cinematographer William Rexer about his work on ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’.William shares how he got to this project and the creative collaboration with the likes of writer-director Mona Fastvold, writer Brady Corbet, composer Daniel Blumberg, and choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall.We explore how they approached translating the Shakers’ ecstatic worship onto the big screen while preserving its intimate spirituality, and dig into the weather challenges production faced during the

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18:25

Bringing back the dead, with ‘Influencers’ director...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/12/12

Today, we sit down with writer-director Kurtis David Harder to talk about ‘Influencers,’ the sequel to his 2022 horror hit that was not always part of the plan.Kurtis shares how the sequel came to fruition and the creative challenge of bringing CW back after the first film’s ending. We dig into how he justified her return both narratively for audiences and practically for the cast who thought her story was done.We also explore the process of weaving new characters into an established story while

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20:35

Finding the man behind the lyrics, with ‘Blue Moon’...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/12/05

Today, we talk with writer Robert Kaplow about ‘Blue Moon,’ the Richard Linklater film that took decades to bring to the screen.Robert shares how his long-gestating interest in Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers evolved over the years, and how he looks back on the journey now that it’s become the backbone of a Linklater film. We explore what it was like having his first screenplay made into a film and collaborating with the director and Ethan Hawke.We also dig into the challenge of revealing Larry Hart

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19:47

Shih-Ching Tsou reclaims the devil's hand in...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/11/28

Writer-director Shih-Ching Tsou joins us to discuss 'Left-Handed Girl,' her deeply personal solo directorial debut that premiered at Cannes Critics' Week and has been selected as Taiwan's entry for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards. Shih-Ching reflects on her decades-spanning collaboration with Sean Baker, who co-wrote, produced, and edited the film, and how their creative partnership shaped this intimate family drama.Our conversation explores the remarkable time, patience, and effort

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27:03

Clint Bentley and Adolpho Veloso on collaborating...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/11/21

Director Clint Bentley and cinematographer Adolpho Veloso join us to discuss 'Train Dreams,' their adaptation of the Denis Johnson novella. The filmmakers reflect on the origins of their collaboration and how their partnership shaped the translation of Johnson's spare, evocative prose into visual storytelling from both a writer-director and cinematographer's perspective.Our conversation explores their thoughtful use of inserts as a narrative device, revealing how these moments expand the film's

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14:53

From secrets to sequels: Simon Cellan Jones on 'The...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/11/18

Director Simon Cellan Jones joins us to discuss 'The Family Plan 2,' the second installment of what has become a franchise following the 2023 hit. Simon reflects on the fruition of this sequel and the timeline between making the two films, revealing how quickly they moved from the first film's success to developing its follow-up.Our conversation explores how the family dynamics have shifted now that Dan's secret past has been uncovered. With everyone in on the truth, Simon discusses the challenge of

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22:30

‘There Was, There Was Not’ director Emily Mkrtichian...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/11/14

Director Emily Mkrtichian joins us to discuss 'There Was, There Was Not,' her documentary that began filming in 2016 and evolved in devastating ways no one could have anticipated. Emily opens up about the mythology embedded in the film's title, a traditional Armenian storytelling phrase, and how the story she set out to tell transformed from hopeful beginnings into a chronicle of war and survival as conflict erupted.Our conversation explores how Emily reckoned with this unpredictable evolution,

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25:59

Seamus McGarvey on reshaping light and vision in 'Die...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/11/11

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey joins us to discuss 'Die My Love,' his latest collaboration with director Lynne Ramsay. Seamus reflects on their decades-spanning friendship and creative partnership, revealing how Ramsay's unique filmmaking style continually reinvents cinema.Our conversation delves into the technical choices that define the film's aesthetic, particularly the decision to shoot on Ektachrome and employ day for night techniques. Seamus explains how these choices serve the narrative's

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22:23

We Need to Talk About Emmy #28: Mike Makowsky on the...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/11/07

This time around we are joined by Mike Makowsky, creator of the limited series ‘Death by Lightning,’ about bringing the story of one of America’s lesser known presidents to the screen.Mike shares how he connected with Candice Millard’s book and what it took to get a 4-episode historical series made in the current TV landscape, where IP recognition often drives decisions.We also dig into comedy’s role in serious and tragic moments, and how humor shapes the way we process historical drama.(Photo

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26:09

Cherien Dabis bears witness across generations in...

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/11/04

Writer-director-actress Cherien Dabis joins us to discuss 'All That's Left of You,' a film following a Palestinian family across three generations of conflict. Cherien opens up about evacuating the production from Palestine to Cyprus, Greece, and Jordan just two weeks before filming began due to escalating violence.Our conversation explores how Cherien balanced writing, directing, and acting while managing this unprecedented crisis. She reveals how these interconnected roles informed one another and

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31:49

John-Michael Powell sculpts violence in 'Violent Ends'

We Need to Talk About Oscar ·

2025/10/31

Writer-director John-Michael Powell joins us to discuss 'Violent Ends,' his southern crime thriller hitting theaters on Halloween. Powell opens up about the leap from his micro-budget debut 'The Send-Off' to this significantly larger production, sharing insights into navigating that scale shift.Our conversation explores John-Michael's extensive editing background and how it shaped his approach to directing. He discusses how his editorial experience allows him to move efficiently on set and make

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147 results

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