The Reel Girls Club – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In today's episode, I'm joined by Desiree Akhavan. Desiree is an Iranian-American Director & Writer.

You may have heard of Desiree from her award-winning film The Miseducation of Cameron Post starring Chloe Moretz or her critcally acclaimed Channel 4 TV series, The Bisexual - where Desiree explores identity & the queer experience.

In this episode, we talk about how her love for playwriting put her on a path towards a career in filmmaking, how music is inspiring her latest project, how she's finding her voice, what inspired her upcoming book 'You're Embarrassing Yourself: Stories of Love, Lust & Movies' & much more.

To pre-order Desiree's new book head to this link:

You're Embarrassing Yourself by Desiree Akhavan: 9780399588501 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

Praise for the memoir: 'I laughed, I cried and then I laughed again' LENA DUNHAM

'The film-maker's memoir is a smart, funny, painfully honest account of a 'loser' finding success.' THE GUARDIAN

GIVEAWAY!

• I'll be giving away one copy of Desiree's new book so follow @reelgirlsclub on Instagram to be in with a chance of winning!

Disclaimer: this episode contains some swearing and some sound issues, but overall very wholesome and inspiring content!

In today's brand new 1ST episode of season 3 of the podcast, I'm joined by Ninna Pálmadóttir.

Ninna, from Iceland, is a Film Director & Writer. Her filmography includes short films Paper Boy, which was the winner of the Edda Award for Best Short Film in 2020, & All Dogs Die. Her debut feature film Solitude, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Solitude is a multilayered and heartfelt story about an old farmer who has to relocate to the city and forms a bond with his local paper boy and neighbor.

In this episode, we chat about Ninna's formative years in Iceland, studying at TISCH in NYU and how she came to direct her first feature and much more!

For more info check out Ninna's IMDb HERE!

In today's episode I'm joined by two guests - Camilla Baier & Rachel Pronger. Camilla is a German Programmer and Curator based in Edinburgh. Rachel is a British curator, writer and producer based in Berlin. ​

Together, they created Invisible Women, an archive activist film collective which champions the work of female filmmakers from the history of cinema. IW was created from their desire to seek out and champion the work of female filmmakers who have been overlooked, un-credited or left out of the history of cinema. By drawing attention to these forgotten stories, IW aims to reinsert female voices into the story of film.

In this episode, we talk all about their initial meeting while studying the same masters degree at the University of Edinburgh, what it was like putting on their first ever IW event and how you can get involved with IW, too.

Check out their website here where you can sign up to their monthly newsletter, follow their Instagram here & everything else here

Follow The Reel Girls Club on Instagram here

For the first episode of series 2 of the podcast, I met up with Natasza Chroscicki - live from the bustling Cannes Film Festival 2022, to chat all things ARRI, cameras, cinema, and much more!

Natasza, who is of Italian Polish heritage, is the CEO of ARRI France & Business Development Director of ARRI Mediterranean. She is also currently a Jury Member of the Cannes Film Festival 'Caméra D'Or' for the festival this year (2022).

After studying architecture in Rome, Natasza worked for a few years as a decorator in cinema and theater in Italy. In 1994, she arrived in Paris to lead Technovision France, in the footsteps of her father, Henryk Chroscicki. The latter having been director of photography, producer, distributor, and manufacturer as well as rental of shooting equipment, she has always been immersed in this wonderful world of cinema. She inherited not only his company but also this artisanal spirit essential to creation.

In 2010 she created ImageWorks, an independent sales and marketing consulting company specializing in the cinema and audiovisual sector.

Currently she is the CEO of ARRI France, Business Development Director of ARRI Mediterranean and was most recently a Jury Member of the Cannes Film Festival 'Caméra D'Or' in May 2022.

Find out more about ARRI here: https://www.arri.com/en

Disclaimer: this was my first ever, in person, live interview and not over Zoom (for once!)...recorded in a slightly noisy hotel restaurant hence the odd clinking noise, or plate clattering, but I like to think this adds some festival atmosphere :) Enjoy!

In this BONUS episode, I'm joined by .Catherine Hardwicke! Catherine is an American Screenwriter, Director & Production designer, most famously known for having directed Thirteen & Twilight!

I feel very lucky and grateful to have interviewed her, even if it was only for 15 minutes! In this short but sweet conversation, Catherine tells me what inspired her to make Thirteen, how she brought her own creative vision toTwilight, what it was like having imposter syndrome when working on Vanilla Sky as a production designer for Tom Cruise plus some advice for aspiring filmmakers.

I've never really interviewed someone so quickly before, in such a rapid-fire style, but I really hope you enjoy it and find the conversation inspiring and helpful.

PS. At the 11.34/35 time mark, Catherine showed me some of her story boarding/photographs for future film projects, incase there's any confusion to what we're referring to! I also think I may ask the same (ish) question twice as I'm clearly quite excited and nervous sorry!

In today's episode, I'm interviewing two guests - Molly Vandermeer & Dr. Parvinder Shergill.

Molly is a British Award winning, London-based Director, Writer & Producer. Since completing an English Literature & History of Art degree, and studying filmmaking and screenwriting, Molly has been working in Drama & Documentaries and has also gained experience working in the Development of both fiction & factual content.

Parvinder is a British South Asian medical doctor within psychiatry for the NHS, a writer, public speaker, podcaster, radio show host, film director, producer, and actress.

Together, they have joined creative forces to make the short film 'Twelve' (2022), written by Vandermeer which is a drama about an Eating Disorder help group, starring Leslie Ash, Parvinder Shergill, Duncan James & Ali Bastian.

We talk all about their career beginnings in filmmaking, why creativity and art is synonymous with healing both mental and physical health, how they chose to portray eating disorders more accurately on screen and much more.

You can see more of Molly's work here and Parvinder's here

Trigger warning: this episode discusses mental health issues and eating disorders.

In today's episode, I'm joined by Laura Torenbeek. Laura is a Dutch filmmaker based in both the Netherlands and the UK. After finishing her BA in Audiovisual Media at the Utrecht School of the Arts, she continued to do her MA in Filmmaking at the Northern Film School in Leeds.

Alongside filmmaking, she is very passionate about the environment and sustainable filmmaking. This is why earlier this year she set up her own company Green Film Productions, which focusses on producing creative content and caring for the earth at the same time.

Through the company she is creating a new web series called Girls with Capes, which consists of short stories up to 7 minutes in length and which are created by different writers and directors in various formats.

She is currently working as a Health and Safety consultant at Creative Safety as well as freelance directing/producing film content.

In this episode, we talk all about sustainable filmmaking including 'planet placement' and how to make productions better for the planet.

Check out Laura's website here

Find out more about albert sustainable productions here

In today's episode, I'm joined by Ruth Pease. Ruth is a British award nominated freelance Makeup, Prosthetics & Hair Artist based in London with over 12 years experience.

Graduating from London College Of Fashion with a BA in Specialist Makeup Design For Film & TV, she threw herself into the industry as an enthusiastic designer and artist.

Working with both custom prosthetic creation and cosmetic makeup has given Ruth the opportunity to enjoy a varied career. Her work has featured on several award winning productions from 'Mystery Files II' - National Geograhic to music promo 'House' - Cool Fun, directed by Prano Bailey-Bond (WINNER - Best Pop Video, Budget at the UK Music Video Awards).

Since then her career has taken her on an exciting journey working with talent including Crispin Glover, Sam Worthington, Hailee Steinfeld, Lily Cole, Niamh Algar and many more.

Her latest work as designer of Prano Bailey Bond’s debut feature film ‘Censor’, was awarded the Méliès d’Argent for Best European Feature Film.

In this episode, we delve into her career beginnings, her experience working on gorey scenes in Censor, her love for horror movies and much more.

Follow Ruth on Instagram @4th_storm and check out Ruth's top 5 Horror Films here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVN-h76qtqq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In today's episode, I'm joined by two guests.

Sarah McCaffrey, from the UK, is an experienced training and development manager in the film and TV industry, a former actor, psychotherapist (MBACP) and a Suicide and Mental Health First Aid Trainer. She combines her psychotherapy training with industry knowledge to create bespoke, relevant courses for creative professionals.

She is the founder of Solas Mind, the go-to mental health company in the film, TV and theatre industry - offering training, counselling and support to productions, studios and freelancers.

Kim Whyte, from the US & of African American heritage, is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia and Virginia, with a M.S. in Counseling and Psychology as well as certifications in Clinical Mental Health Counseling,

Her background includes 20+ years working with diverse populations in military hospitals, outpatient clinics, offices, schools, and most recently, film and TV sets.

Kim Whyte became the on-call, on-set counselor for The Underground Railroad, directed by Barry Jenkins. Kim uses several evidence-based psychotherapies and techniques to support and empower clients in a culturally sensitive setting.

Disclaimer: at around 36:00 mark, mentioning Kim's experience in military hospitals, I wasn't comparing this to the plot of The Underground Railroad, just that it involved dealing with trauma.

If you are dealing with any issues mentioned in the podcast, here are some useful resources:

https://www.mind.org.uk/

https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/mental-health-resources/

https://www.solasmind.com/

https://www.artistwellbeing.co.uk/

https://www.samaritans.org/

In today's episode, I'm joined by Miruna Straut. Miruna, from Romania, is a University of Southampton film graduate, aspiring filmmaker and rising entrepreneur.

Most recently, she has founded Cinefilium, the first video streaming platform dedicated to helping young film students showcase their work. Their goal is to help young artists from all corners of the world be seen and heard, by offering them a platform through which their shorts can reach a film-loving audience.

At the same time, she is working on her own creative projects, such as turning her artwork into custom t-shirts, writing a digital comic book or developing her very first feature film. Her works have always been about the pursuit of truth, blending elements of nostalgia, dream logic, 1960s film aesthetics, pop culture, and themes of existentialism; as she draws most of her inspiration from one of her greatest cinematic influences: the French New Wave.

She is very much connected with her characters, and has made herself responsible for telling their stories because, in many ways, their story is her story, as well as that of anyone else’s.

In this episode, we talk about what motivated her to study film, her cinematic influences, that time she saw Jodie Foster in Cannes, her advice to women wanting to work in film and much more!

Disclaimer: this interview was recorded on Zoom therefore apologies in advance for any glitches in the sound quality/editing. Also sorry not sorry for the appearance (audibly at least!) of Miruna's dog Anakin.

Miruna's portfolio: https://mirunastraut.carrd.co

Cinefilium: http://cinefilium.com/