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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

1:46

Indie Film Highlight: JIMMY AND CAROLYN (2022)

First Time Go ·

2025/11/02

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: JIMMY AND CAROLYN (2022)Director: James Andrew WalshWriter: James Andrew WalshCast: Alberto Bonilla; Mark H Dold; Gregory HarrisonSYNOPSISAn emotional crisis threatens to destroy James and William's 20-year relationship.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on InstagramFollow us on XFollow us on FacebookFollow us on

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29:23

Daniel Foster

First Time Go ·

2025/10/31

Is there a better titled film in the history of the medium than DID YOU REMEMBER THE CAT (2025)? I'd argue no. It gives you an idea of what it's about -- remembering a cat. The title suggests comedy (it's a mix of comedy, drama, and horror). And it's something you'll never forget as a film title. Perfection.That's the kind of thought process my guest, filmmaker Daniel Foster, has put into all of his films, and he has such fantastic advice on filmmaking, festivals,

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3:03

Indie Film Highlight: FRAY (2012)

First Time Go ·

2025/10/19

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: FRAY (2012)Director: Geoff RyanWriter: Geoff RyanCast: Bryan Kaplan; Marisa Costa; Catherine JohnsonSYNOPSISJust back from combat, a young Marine veteran faces a new battle to find purpose in the mundane existence of civilian life while struggling through a shattered economy while burdened by the physical and emotional scars of war.Subscribe to our

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53:20

Tristan Holmes

First Time Go ·

2025/10/17

It takes a brilliant insight to get a question added to the podcast, but my guest, South African filmmaker Tristan Holmes, achieved that. Do you actually like your movie? It stunned me when he said he wonders if his debut feature was better off as an idea and we got to the real truth of it in the podcast.What exists on screen of THE FRAGILE KING (2023) is award-winning — it tells the story of a 15 year old sent to live with his grandfather who he doesn’t know after his mom dies — but what Tristan

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1:36

Indie Film Highlight: INHERITANCE (2024)

First Time Go ·

2025/10/12

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: INHERITANCE (2024).Director: Emily Moss WilsonWriter: Rachel Noll James; Austin Highsmith GarcesCast: Austin Highsmith Garces; Rachel Noll James; Wes BrownSYNOPSISEstranged sisters Lucy and Paige reunite to bury their father, becoming entangled in the complicated web of their past as they realize that they have inherited more from their father than

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1:19

Indie Film Highlight: BLACKBIRD (2020)

First Time Go ·

2025/10/05

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: BLACKBIRD (2020).Director: Roger MichellWriter: Christian TorpeCast: Sam Neill; Susan Sarandon; Anson BoonSYNOPSISA terminally ill mother arranges to bring her family together one last time before she dies. A remake of the 2014 Danish film 'Silent Heart'.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on InstagramFollow us

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1:41

Indie Film Highlight: THE FRAGILE KING (2022)

First Time Go ·

2025/09/28

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: THE FRAGILE KING (2022).Director: Cédric KlapischWriters: Cédric Klapisch; Santiago Amigorena; Jean-Marc RoulotCast: Pio Marmaï; Ana Girardot; François CivilSYNOPSISAfter a ten year absence, Jean returns to his hometown when his father falls ill. Reuniting with his sister Juliette and his brother Jérémie, they have to rebuild their relationship and

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40:45

Jake Ringsell

First Time Go ·

2025/09/19

They say "write what you know" to start your filmmaking career. In this episode, my guest, Jake Ringsell, makes the case to create films about subjects you don't know. If it works, that's great, but if it doesn't, he concludes, then you've learned something.This is advanced, gutsy filmmaking, and I'm here for it with director-editor-musician Jake Ringsell. His new film, now streaming on YouTube, is called THE RALLY (2024). The tagline for the film is, "mortality is

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1:42

Indie Film Highlight: ADAM THE FIRST (2024)

First Time Go ·

2025/09/14

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: ADAM THE FIRST (2024). Director: Irving FrancoWriter: Irving FrancoCast: Oakes Fegley; David Duchovny; T.R. KnightSYNOPSISAfter finding a list of names and addresses, 14-year-old Adam sets out across the country to meet a series of men who could be his father.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on InstagramFollow us on XFollow us on FacebookFollow

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2:04

Indie Film Highlight: RUNNING ON EMPTY (2024)

First Time Go ·

2025/08/24

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: RUNNING ON EMPTY (2024).Director: Daniel AndreScreenplay: Daniel AndreCast: Lucy Hale; Keir GilchristSYNOPSISMort discovers he has less than a year to live. After his fiancé leaves him, he meets Kate on a dating service that matches people by their death dates, all while being stalked by a crazy pimp.Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on

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1:42

Indie Film Highlight: HELLO I MUST BE GOING (2012)

First Time Go ·

2025/08/17

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: HELLO I MUST BE GOING (2012).Director: Todd LouisoWriter: Sarah KoskoffCast: Melanie Lynskey; Christopher Abbott; Blythe DannerSYNOPSISA divorcee (Melanie Lynskey) moves back in with her parents and begins a clandestine affair with a 19-year-old suitor (Christopher Abbott).Subscribe to our YouTube channelFollow us on LetterboxdFollow us on

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38:45

Bonnie Timmermann

First Time Go ·

2025/08/15

Watch BONNIE (2022) NowThere’s so few people involved in the film industry that can be referred to by just their first name, but in the case of my guest, Bonnie Timmermann, she is one who achieved that honor. If I asked you to pick 20 films out of the last 25 years, I would bet around 5 would have been cast by Bonnie. The documentary, now available for streaming, BONNIE (2022), is a must-watch.We go beyond the doc to talk about what she wish was covered, representation in casting, how directors and

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1:22

Indie Film Highlight: I LIKE MOVIES (2022)

First Time Go ·

2025/07/20

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: I LIKE MOVIES (2022).Director: Chandler LevackScreenplay: Chandler LevackCast: Isaiah Lehtinen; Percy Hynes White; Veronika SlowikowskaSYNOPSISSocially awkward 17-year-old cinephile Lawrence Kweller takes a part-time job at Sequels video store, where he forms a complicated friendship with his older store manager, Alana. Lawrence hopes to earn enough money to achieve his dream

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1:31

Indie Film Highlight: NIGHT OWLS (2015)

First Time Go ·

2025/07/13

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: NIGHT OWLS (2015). Director: Charles HoodScreenplay: Charles Hood; Seth GoldsmithCast: Rosa Salazar; Adam Pally; Peter KrauseSYNOPSISKevin goes home with Madeline for a drunken one-night stand and is horrified to learn she is his boss's ex-mistress. After he catches her taking a box of sleeping pills, they slowly start to fall in love as he

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26:37

Christian Swegal

First Time Go ·

2025/07/12

Watch This Episode On YouTubeWatch SOVEREIGN NowSOVEREIGN (2025) is a filmmakers’ thriller and the story behind its director, my guest, Christian Swegal, is one of the best in independent film this year. The reason that so many investors are reluctant to back a new director for their first feature is one of skepticism — they think the director won’t be able to handle the responsibility. And when you add in powerhouse actors like Nick Offerman and Dennis Quaid, it’s fair to expect a watered-down mush

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1:31

Indie Film Highlight: MARJORIE PRIME (2017)

First Time Go ·

2025/07/06

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: MARJORIE PRIME (2017). Director: Michael AlmereydaWriters: Michael Almereyda; Jordan HarrisonCast: Geena Davis; Hannah Gross; Jon HammSYNOPSISEighty-six-year-old Marjorie spends her final, ailing days with a computerized version of her deceased husband. With the intent to recount their life together, Marjorie's Prime relies on the information from her and her kin to develop

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31:14

Nathaniel Lezra

First Time Go ·

2025/07/04

Happy 2nd anniversary to the pod, and I can’t think of a more vital filmmaker for our time and for this episode than Nathaniel Lezra. His film ROADS OF FIRE (2025), winner of the Best Feature Documentary at the 2025 ‪@officialSBIFF‬ interweaves the lives of a human smuggler navigating the treacherous Darién Gap (the only land bridge between North and South America), an asylum seeker rebuilding her life in New York City, and volunteers working on the frontlines of a growing humanitarian emergency.It

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1:50

Indie Film Highlight: YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (2000)

First Time Go ·

2025/06/29

Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (2000).Director: Kenneth LonerganScreenplay: Kenneth LonerganCast: Laura Linney; Kenneth Lonergan; Mark Ruffalo; Matthew BroderickSYNOPSISSammy is a single mother who is extremely protective of her 8-year old son. She is satisfied with living in the small town she grew up in and working in a local bank. When her brother Terry visits he fits the void in the

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35:16

Antonio Harper & Abby Burton

First Time Go ·

2025/06/27

Watch FORWARD THINKING (2025) NowI’m not sure if the pod has ever gotten a bigger honor than what Antonio Harper & Abby Burton gave it in this episode — sure, they said, listeners can watch our short, currently on its festival run. FORWARD THINKING (2025) is a “surreal short film about a young black man who is attempting to trademark his likeness in the event that he's murdered by the police.” And to me, that sells it short. It’s a film about race that goes further than any other film I’ve

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1:25

Indie Film Highlight: HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS BEFORE...

First Time Go ·

2025/06/22

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: HOW TO MAKE MILLIONS BEFORE GRANDMA DIES (2024)Director: Pat BoonnitipatWriters: Pat Boonnitipat; Thodsapon ThiptinnakornCast: Putthipong Assaratanakul; Usha Seamkhum; Sanya KunakornSYNOPSISA man, driven by his desire for a multi-million dollar inheritance, begins to care for his terminally ill grandmother. However, winning her favor will not be an

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61 results

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