After almost two years playing festivals, Northern Virginia director Joe Carabeo is releasing his “genre-bending cyberpunk noir revenge film” called Kira Vs Everyone. There will be a live YouTube watch party on November 18 at 7pm. Joe will be joined by gaffer Brian Sarvis and actor Ulysses Campbell and they discuss:
– Why the thugs have color names
– How Ulysses got cast
– Shooting in a parking deck
– Why there are red and blue lights
– The implied or out of focus violence
– Working with a fight director
– Where the series will go next
– The YouTube viewing party

LINKS
The teaser/trailer
To watch it live visit either of these sites:
joecarabeo.com
astrayproductions.com

OTHER LINKS
station 33
Previous podcast with Joe
Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival

Longtime Richmond actor/filmmaker Kahil Dotay wrote, directed and starred in his long-awaited film VAMPIRES IN VIRGINIA. Our discussion includes:
– My name in the credits
– What inspired him to set it in Virginia
– Why it took almost 10 years to complete
– How Tim Russ almost ended up directing
– Challenges to directing yourself
– Gun safety on set
– Shooting the nude scenes
– Special upcoming screening
Kahil has also has been in more than 200 movies and TV shows. This interview will continue in a few weeks, so he can tell us some of his stories as an actor.

LINKS
James River Short Film Showcase
Vampires in Virginia
Click here for event details
The special cast/crew screening is 11/16, 2:30pm with location to be announced.
Listeners and fans of TVJerry can get get tickets for 50% off for a limited time. These are only based on availability and are subject to selling out. Email: ticket@vampiresinvirginia.com and mention that you want the TVJerry 50% off discount.

This is the first of 3 interviews featuring films at this year’s Richmond International Film Festival (Sep 24 – 29).

Nelson Tracey wrote and directed Breakup Season, about a couple whose relationship ends on a Christmas family visit. The boyfriend is played by Chandler Riggs (best known as the son on The Walking Dead) and his girlfriend was played by Samantha Isler (Teen Molly in Molly’s Game and one of the daughters in Captain Fantastic). My interview is with Nelson, as well as the 2 actors who played Chandler’s siblings, Carly Stewart and Jacob Wysocki. Since they provide much of the comedy in this drama, their interview is lots of fun, including:
– The fascination with La Grande, Oregon (NOT La Grange)
– Inspiration for trains, vegetarianism & hatchet throwing
– Chandler and Samantha’s “love scene”
– Creating the Tik Tok dance
– Those Christmas PJs

LINKS:
Richmond International Film Festival
The Ashland Theatre
My Ashland Theatre podcast

TyRuben Ellingson was a conceptual designer on Avatar, Jurassic Park, Star Wars: A New Hope and numerous other impressive credits. Currently, he’s an Associate Professor in VCU’s Communition Arts and the Program Director of VCU’s Cinema program. Here are some of the things we discuss:
– The origin of his unique first name
– Discovering cinema and special effects
– How he got his job at ILM
– Designing for Avatar
– A Pacific Rim disappointment
– His early VR design, including his father’s paintings
– The future of effects using CGI and AI
– Teaching at VCU

LINKS
TyRuben’s website
Light & Magic, the Disney doc on ILM

AI art websites
Mid Journey
Dall-e 2
Stable Diffusion

Shows we discussed
Reservation Dogs
Our Flag Means Death
What We Do in the Shadows

This week’s show is a double feature!

First is a look at the American Civil War Museum’s new orientation film “A People’s Contest: America’s Civil War and Emancipation” with Dr. Rob Havers, the CEO of the Museum, and John Murphy, the writer/director behind the movie and Executive Creative Director of Solid Light. We discuss:
– Why the Museum decided to create a new film
– The unique double screen technique
– Recording the actors and creating the graphics

After that is a trip to the Maggie L. Walker National Historical Site, where they’ve created two new videos for students. Junior Ranger was produced for 1st graders and Maggie Walker Explains Jim Crow is for 4th graders. Topics include:
– The need for the videos
– Producing them both in 2 days
– Working with child actors
– How they videos will be used

LINKS:
The American Civil War Museum
The webpage for the movie itself
Solid Light

Both videos from the Maggie L. Walker National Historical Site
MAM Productions

Longtime local actor Bridget Gethins has a juicy part as the obnoxious neighbor on the new Freeve Covid comedy Sprung. We talk about:
– How she transitioned from stage to screen
– Her experience on Sprung
– Being chosen by Robert Redford for A Walk in the Woods
– Playing the court reporter on Loving
– Improvising on Game Change & getting mentioned in 2 national reviews
– The Theresa Pollak Project
– Her husband’s Tour de France fame

LINKS:
Sprung on Freeve
Bridget’s site
Greg’s site

Grace Whiteside was a contestant on the 3rd season of Netflix’s hit glass blowing competition Blown Away. They were raised in Virginia and attended VCU before moving to New York. We discuss:
– Their unique clothes on the show
– Their mullet and what it means as a non-binary person
– Their experience at VCU
– The combo of glass production and performance art
– The experience of making Blown Away
– The reality show that their dad & brother were on

LINKS:
Grace’s website
Sticky Glass (the production line)

The Rehearsal (on HBOMax)

THE GOOD ROAD is getting ready for its 3rd season on PBS, so co-hosts Craig Martin and Earl Bridges came on Sifter to discuss:
– Their childhood in Thailand
– How the show came about
– Why Greg calls their guests “Batman, not Superman”
– Earl’s definition of a philanthropologist
– How they find the people to highlight
– What they learned from Season 1 & 2 that helped in Season 3
– Featuring the U.S. Space Force
– Earl’s transformation into a punk rocker

LINKS
https://www.goodroad.tv/
PBS passport site for previous seasons
Philanthropy Journal (their digital publication)

Bob Spencer has been working as a set lighting technician in this area for many years, with numerous TV shows, commercials and movies to his credit. This second installment in the on-set vocabulary series covers these:
– Greens
– C-47s
– Film Loader vs DIT
– A honeywagon
– COVID protocols
– Unions in our right to work state
– The history of video assist
– Script supervison
– Continuity
– Set decorators and lead man
In case you missed Part One of this vocab lesson, here’s the link.

In addition, Michael Plumb from the Va Museum of History and Culture will be here to tell us about the new Created Equal Film Series.
LINKS
Created Equal Film Series
Mending Walls podcast

Bob Spencer has been working as a set lighting technican in this area for many years, having garned numerous TV shows, commercials and movies to his credit. Today he uses his own experiences and historical context to explain the jobs of numerous people on a set, including:
– DP
– Key Grip
– Chief Lighting Technician or Gaffer
– Best Boy
– Different names different coasts (titles and gear)
– Showrunner, Executive Producer,  Line Producer
– UPM (Unit Production Manager) and POC (Production Coordinator)
– 1st and 2nd ADs
– Second Unit
– How Bob got into the biz

The Passing On is a documentary about an undertaker at one of the remaining Black funeral homes in the US. It was created by my RVA filmmakers Nathan Clarke & Tyler Trumbo. We’ll talk about:
– The inspiration for the project
– How they found the right undertaker
– Shooting in Texas over 3 years
– Working in an embalming room
– Film festivals during Covid
– The challenges of being Caucasian in the predominately Black setting

LINKS
Movie website
Forth Line Films
THE PASSING ON (on Tubi)

My reviews of the shows we discussed:
Peacemaker
The Boys
Severance

Damian King & Malorie Mackey King had their first kiss in a play at Atlee High School in Mechanicsville, VA. Since then, they’ve had a successful career in LA making movies, TV shows and books. We cover lots:
– Their first kiss in a high school play
– His unique South American marriage proposal
– The book she wrote about her experiences at Playboy
– He produced and she acted in The Baby Pact
– The judge with a dog puppet
– Her Weird World Adventures
– His Christmas cat book
– Her prize from Andrew Lloyd Weber

LINKS
The Wedding Pact 2: The Baby Pact
Fantasy Forge Films (Their Production Company)
Malorie’s book “My Playboy Story: Hopping from Richmond to Hollywood”
Damian’s Book “The Christmas Monster”
Malorie’s video for Andrew Lloyd Webber (She’s the 6th one dressed like a cat)
Malorie’s TV Show/Travel Brand “Weird World Adventures”

THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE is a new 8-part cooking competition that was produced in Ruther Glen, VA by our local public broadcast station, VPM. Steve Humble, Chief Content Officer at VPM, takes us behind the camera to learn about:
– Steve’s background in advertising
– What sets this cooking competition apart
– How they found the cooks and judges
– The shooting schedule for the crew and cooks
– The cookbook

LINKS:
The Great American Recipe website
VPM
The cookbook and other merch
My review of The Offer (and The Man Who Fell to Earth)

Alex Martin is founder and CEO of Digital Video Group, an industry leading supplier and system integrator of broadcast and production systems. Our lively discussion includes:
– How he ended up in the biz
– His band and where they played
– What exactly DVG does
– How big is the company
– Some of the coolest installations in LA, NYC and DC
– How tech has changed the business
– Getting involved with Shockoe Records and Shockoe Sessions

LINKS
Digital Video Group
Shockoe Records
Shockoe Sessions Live
This Room Sounds Great (Shockoe Sessions Live Podcast)
RVA Documentary Group

THIS IS GWAR is a documentary about Richmond-based notorious heavy-metal art-concept band GWAR. Texas-based filmmaker Scott Barber directed and we discuss:
– How he first encountered GWAR
– His inspiration for this doc
– Gathering and reviewing so much footage
– The comic book design for animation
– Getting famous people on board, including: Weird Al Yankovich, Thomas Lennon, Alex Winter, Ethan Embry, Bam Magera
– Issues with bitterness among band members

The second interview features Taylor Renn, who’s created her own film screening events as L.C. Cinema. She tells us:
– Where she got the idea
– Her purpose for the films
– The past event at the Branch Museum
– Upcoming events

LINKS:
The premiere at the Byrd (6:30pm Sunday, July 17)
Shudder streaming of the movie (drops July 21)
The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story on Hulu
L.C. Cinema
The Dirtwoman Documentary
The Boys (Amazon Prime Video) (I never got around to reviewing it)

Chris Leary is a Norfolk native who attended VCU Theatre before heading to NYC, where he is currently a dresser on Hamilton and Saturday Night Live. On this second part:
– Chris gets deeper into SNL (including COVID)
– His drag persona Tequila Mockingbird
– The latest RuPaul’s Drag Race
– His favorite creations for the show (below)

LINKS
Open casting call for speaking roles for several upcoming projects
Extras casting for Swagger
Flight Attendant (I watched the first season, but never liked it enuff to review, so this is a link to the show)
Hacks

Chris Leary is a Norfolk native who attended VCU in theatre before heading to NYC, where he eventually landed a job as a dresser on Hamilton and now on Saturday Night Live. We talk about:
– Getting from VCU to NYC
– How he got on Hamilton
– Behind the scenes at the Tony Awards
– Working on Spielberg’s West Side Story
– Dressing on SNL (including Bowen Yang)

NOTE: Since Chris was so much fun and so informative, his interview will continue next week with Part 2 (more on SNL plus RuPaul’s Drag Race).

Speaking of drag, here’s another Tequila Mockingbird.

Rex Miller was the co-director of CITIZEN ASHE, a documentary that looks at Richmond native Arthur Ashe. Our discussion covers:
– His first experience with Ashe at age 6
– The inspiration behind the title
– Working with Ashe’s widow
– Bringing on Sam Pollard as co-director
– Shooting scenes in RVA
– The coincidental release of King Richard

LINKS:
The movie on CNN
Miller’s Althea Gibson doc on Amazon Prime
Kevin Wilmott interview on SIFTER

NOTE: The premiere at VMFA Jun 25, which features Miller for Q&A, is sold out for both shows.

Praheme was born and raised in Richmond, where he discovered his love for directing. His first feature, Troop 491: The Adventures of the Muddy Lions, was shot here using mostly local talent and ran at Movieland for 5 weeks. Since then, he’s moved to LA, where he’s planning for his next film. We talk about:
– Where his name came from
– How he got inspired to make movies
– The success of Muddy Lions
– The work he’s done since then
– Managing a cannabis business in LA
– His next feature project

LINKS:
My SIFTER feature on his first movie
Troop 491: The Adventures of the Muddy Lions (now free on YouTube)
Stuck
Burning Sands
Praheme’s GoFundMe page for the new project

My reviews of Praheme’s current faves:
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Emergency
Yellowjackets
The Man Who Fell to Earth

Anne Chapman has been a Casting Director for film, TV and commercials for more than 30 years. Recent projects include Lincoln, Loving and Harriet, plus more than 100 student films. We cover so much in this interview, including:
– The difference between a Casting Director and an Agent
– Her first gig, which was a popular thriller
– Audition suggestions for actors
– What to expect as an extra
– Her London connections
– Considering an Oscar for Casting Directors
– Her involvement with VCUarts Cinema, including working on Macbeth Unhinged with Angus Macfadyen

LINKS:

Anne Chapman Casting
VCUarts Cinema
My review of The Great

This is the 2nd SIFTER that features filmmakers showing at this year’s Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF).

Mix Tape Trilogy director Kathleen Ermitage talks about:
– How she came to direct this doc
– How she found the 3 musician/fan relationships
– The biggest challenges of this project
– The COVID Coda

The discussion of Oleg features Joan Borsten Vidov (Oleg’s widow and producer of the film) and Nadia Tass, the director:
– How they got Brian Cox to narrate
– The incredible legacy of Oleg Vidov
– Directing a scene in Slovenia from Austrailia
– Oleg’s distribution of Russian animation
– Meeting his fans all over the world

LINKS:

Mixtape Trilogy: Stories of the Power of Music
Sun. 6/12, 6:00 at The Byrd Theatre

Oleg
Sun. 6/12, 4:45 at Movieland

Richmond International Film Festival

This is the SIFTER for the Ear that revolves around the Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF). It spotlights 2 of the narrative features that will be showing.

Princess: Swiss director Peter Luisi talks about:
– His education in the US
– The inspiration for Princess
– Shooting in Ukraine
– The 4-year-old actor who plays Nina

Esme, My Love: Director Cory Choy discusses:
– His background in sound
– The inspirations for the film, including the farm where it was shot
– The all female cast and mostly female crew
– The challenges of shooting it in the woods with a child

LINKS:
Princess
Sat. 6/11, 4:15 at Movieland

Esme, My Love
Sat. 6/11, 6:15 at Movieland

Richmond International Film Festival

This year, the Virginia legislature will vote on extending the incentives that the state offers to lure film and TV productions. Steve Taylor, Chair of the Richmond chapter of the Virginia Production Alliance (VPA) & Matt Benedetti (government relations) discuss the issue from the production community’s POV. Then, Andy Edmunds (Director of the Virginia Film Office) explains how incentives fuel the local industry.

LINKS:
The Virginia Production Alliance
The VPA’s Legislative Action page
The Virginia Film Office

Spots produced by visiting productions to promote Virginia.
Claire Danes, star of Showtime’s Homeland
AMC’s Turn
AMC’s The Walking Dead: The World Beyond

Sasha Waters Freyer produced Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable, a doc about the famed photographer, which won an special jury award at South By Southwest and aired on the PBS series American Masters.
Michele Poulos produced A Late Style of Fire: Larry Levis, American Poet, which examines the life and work of this noted poet, who died while he was teaching at VCU.
They talk about the challenges and rewards of creating their docs.

LINKS:
A Late Style of Fire: Larry Levis, American Poet
Michele Poulos website
Tanakh (Michele’s band)
Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable
Sasha Waters Freyer website

New docs recommended by Sasha:
After Sherman
Fire of Love

Forth Line (the local production company that held meetings of documentary filmmakers)

Mike Taylor started his career as a producer in LA, but ended up back on the East Coast, where he started his own production company. Eventually, he ended up back in Richmond, where he decided to write and direct his first feature, There Is a Monster. We’ll discuss:
– Working “swing gang” for a Steven Segal film
– What he did for Disney
– The award-winning shorts he produced for Showtime
– When he decided to create his own feature
– Finding the locations
– Creating the visual effects for the “monster”

LINKS
Mike Taylor’s website
There is a Monster website
804 Day

NOTE: I said 804 Day is is Saturday, but it’s Friday 8/2.

Tracy Smith is a set designer for movies and TV shows. His latest work was for the new Starz series Gaslit, which revists the 70s Watergate scandal from the POV of Margaret & John Mitchell (played by Julia Roberts and Sean Penn). We talk about:
– How he started in LA working on shows like Rosanne, That 70s Show & 3rd Rock from the Sun
– Creating the 70s for Gaslit
– Getting praise for his Watergate set from Julia Roberts
– Designing more than sets for S.W.A.T. and CSI
– Working on other shows including Outer Banks, Grease Live, AJ and the Queen, Santa Clarita Diet

LINKS
D. Tracy Smith’s website
Gaslit on Starz

Local actor Irene Ziegler plays Lou Hoover, the wife of president Herbert Hoover, on the new Showtime series The First Lady. It stars Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt (in the scenes with Irene from Episode 2). We talk about:
– Her experience on The First Lady
– Working with Gillain Anderson
– Getting yelled at by Anne Bancroft
– Being on The Walking Dead
– Being the voice of GPS before Siri

LINKS:
Irene’s website

Gigi Rios New is one of the writers on The Garcias, which was just released on HBOMax. It features the characters from the Nickelodeon teen sitcom The Brothers Garcia, which ran from 2000 to 2004 and was the first English language comedy with an all Latin cast and creative team (including Gigi) . We talk about:
– Getting from VCU to LA
– Why she left acting
– Her first screenplay
– Working on The Brothers Garcia
– The TV series that almost got made with a big star
– Writing for the characters and being on location for The Garcias

LINKS:
The Garcias website
The Garcias on HBOMax

Reviews of shows we discussed:
Julia
Hacks
Ted Lasso
The Sex Lives of College Girls
The Outlaws
Severance

After 22 years as an anchor at WRIC, Juan Conde has moved on to a new opportunity. I chat with him and his new business partner Chris Francoise about:
– How he got to RVA
– Some of the most cherished moments at RIC
– Why he’s getting into real estate now
– Their new venture, Titan Property Advisors
– What Juan will miss about being on TV
– His fiancée

The Titan Property Advisors website is not up yet, but you can contact them at 804-49-Lease (495.3273)

Cryptozoo is a Sundance Award Winning animated film that was created right here in Richmond by Jane Samborski & Dash Shaw. We talk about:
– Their RVA background
– Why they moved to New York, then back to Richmond
– Getting stars as voice actors
– Details of creating Cryptozoo

LINKS
Dash’s Vimeo Page
Cryptozoo website (Includes rental options)
Cryptozoo on Hulu (Also available on other paid sites)
My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea (Amazon Prime Video rental)
Windsor McKay’s 1921 animated film, The Centaurs

David Crank is a production designer and art director who’s also a Richmond native. His resume includes design from films including Hannibal, The New World, John Adams, There Will be Blood, Knives Out and News of the World, for which he was Nominated for an Oscar for Best Production Design. We talk about:
– His experience at last year’s Oscars
– How he feels about his category getting minimized this year
– How he got into designing for film
– His work on:
The New World
John Adams
Knives Out
Greyhound
News of the World
– Plus surprise drop in Jack Fisk, a 2-time Oscar nominee for design

LINKS:
David’s website
David’s art

BONUS: If you want to watch my entire interview with Jamie Lee Curtis from 1983 during the junket for Trading Places, click here.

Note: This is just a one-camera version. The other angles were in the finished edit, which this is not. (6:34)

Kevin Willmott is best known as the screenwriter for Spike Lee’s Chi Raq, Da 5 Bloods and BlackkKlansman (for which he shared an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay). He also wrote and directed C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, a satirical documentary that imagines our country if the South had won and slavery was still legal.

We’ll talk about:
– How he got into film
– How Monument Avenue reflects the nation
– Virginia’s historical part in his doc
– Working with Spike Lee
– Insights into the 4 movies listed above
– The screenplay he’s written about Arthur Ashe

Kevin will be in town on April 3 for this year’s James River Film Festival (March 31 – April 3):
C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America at 1:30pm
BlackkKlansman at 4 & 7pm

The big Saturday nite film at this year’s French Film Festival will feature the first Native American Rock Opera, entitled Something Inside is Broken. Jack Kohler, the creator of the film and the musical behind it will talk about:
– The history behind the story
– Mounting the musical
– Creating the film version
– Challenges still facing Native Americans today
– Why it’s at the French Film Festival

LINKS:

Something Inside Is Broken trailer

Something Inside Is Broken Facebook

The French Film Festival

The Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival

Plan 9 from Outer Space is considered by many to be the worst movie ever made (and a fun watch). Katharine Coldiron wrote a monograph about the movie. She’ll also be at Plan 9 Records for a book signing. Then, guest reviewer Victor Koressel joins me to discuss OSCAR SNUBS.

Katharine talks about:
– Her connection with the record store
– Why write a book about this movie
– What’s a monograph
– Why bad movies are good
– Some of her unique insights into the film

Victor Koressel and I discuss:
– How the Oscar broadcast will be different this year
– What movies got snubbed for Best Picture
– Our picks for faves of the year

LINKS:
Katharine’s book signing on Sunday 3/20 at Plan 9 Records

To order her book:
Amazon
E book (much cheaper)
Katharine’s website
Her email (if you want a signed copy)

James River Film Festival

REVIEWS OF THE MOVIES WE DISCUSSED:
tick…tick…BOOM!
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Titane
Matrix Resurrections
The Sparks Brothers
Annette
The Green Knight
The Trip
In and Of Itself
Bo Burnham Inside
Mass (I didn’t review so this is the IMDB link)

In this podcast, Hamilton Glass, Matt Lively & Pam Hervey discuss creating Mending Walls: The Documentary, including:
– How the concept came about
– How conversations between Matt & Hamilton changed their perspectives
– How Pam got involved in producing the documentary
– How the project grew to 16 murals
– The mural that Ham and Matt created
– The challenges of creating the doc
– Push back from the community
– Ham & Matt sing!

LINKS

Mending Walls: The Documentary

Fuel Creative / 19RED

Hamilton Glass

Matt Lively

This two-parter features Brandon and Brandi:

Part One:
Brandon Adams is the host of the Emmy award-winning series The Life Of A Musician on PBS Appalachia. It features small house concerts and interview with acoustic musicians. We’ll talk about:
– Where the idea come from
– How he finds artists
– Deciding between concerts and interviews
– The short history of year-old PBS Appalachia
– Selecting the venue and crowds
– Attending the Emmy ceremony

Part Two:
Calvin Fields is also know by his drag name, Brandi. This Emporia VA native had a small part in the new film National Anthem (my review). He discusses:
– When he started doing drag
– How he get cast
– Working with Charlie Plummer
– The dress and makeup

LINKS
The Life of a Musician (Brandon’s website)
The Life of a Musician (PBS site)
Calvin “Brandi” Fields on Facebook

We meet part of the team for the new VPM News Focal Point:
– Angie Miles explains the origin of the show
– How it’s different from the previous show, Virginia Currents
– The subject of the first show
– Keyris Manzanares spotlights Virginians who have made an impact
– Roberta Oster explains the scope of the show

Michael Perry is a Production Designer in LA. We discuss:
– The diff between a Production Designer and an Art Director
– His Virginia connection
– Shooting in Bulgaria for the new Netflix release Texas Chainsaw Massacre
– Highlighting Atlanta for the new Amazon rom-com I Want You Back
– Designing Promising Young Woman
– Going to Cannes for Under the Silver Lake

LINKS:

VPM News FOCAL POINT

Michael Perry’s website

His IMDB

My review of I Want You Back

My review of Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Shoniqua Shandai is one of the stars of HARLEM, an Amazon Prime series that has been called the Black Sex and the City (here’s my review titled Is Sex Better Uptown?). Shoniqua was also raised in Richmond. We talk about:
– Her character on the show and how it echoes her personality
– Meeting Whoopi Goldberg (who’s also on the show)
– Getting to be on Broadway (sort of)
– Growing up in Richmond and acting at Henrico HS
– What’s next for her
– A surprise guest!

LINKS

Harlem

Shoniqua’s YouTube

THE REAL DIRTY DANCING is a new dance competition that celebrates the iconic film’s 35th anniversary, much of which was shot in Virginia’s Mountain Lake Lodge. Heidi Stone (from MLL) and Daniel Martin (series showrunner) discuss:
– How the show started in Austrailia
– Events to celebrate the movie at MLL
– How the contestants work to re-create the movie’s classic scenes
– The biggest challenges of producing the show during a busy tourist season
– Surprises in upcoming episodes

To hear about the RVA ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL we meet 5 people involved:
– Tamara Smith talks about the festival’s history
– Nick Garnhart discusses her short about birds in RVA
– Winners of the 1st place prize: Justin Black & Will Gemma talk about Headwaters Down, their movie about their 250-mile trip down the James River

LINKS:
The Real Dirty Dancing
Mountain Lake Lodge
RVA Environmental Film Festival (All screenings are free but registration is required)
Headwaters Down

This show features 2 local film events with a Charlottesville background. First is the producer/director of a new indie, then the 2 UVA grads who are mounting a shorts festival.

Ty Cooper talks about his new film AMANDA, which screens at Movieland on 2/5:
– How he moved from promoting concerts to become a filmmaker
– Why he chose Richmond to shoot
– How Miss Virginia got involved

The creators of Sly Dog Creative, Phineas Alexander & Graham Barbour, tell us about THE LOOK CLOSER FESTIVAL:
– The plans for the festival
– Why they decided to do it
– How they went from UVA grads to a production company

LINKS:

Amanda 2/5 at Movieland

The Inaugural Look Closer Film Festival 2/16 at the Byrd

After 40 years at NBC12, Jim Duncan retired last year. We discuss:
– How he got interested in weather
– How he got to RVA
– Stories from the station
– What he’s up to now
– Plus a special guest visitor

Then, Mike Jones updates us on the 27th annual James River Short Film Showcase, VA’s oldest juried film competition. It’s screening Jan 28-30.

Jim Duncan’s website

Link to Jim’s Washington Post article (there is a paywall)

James River Short Film Showcase link

This show features 2 foreign film opportunities:

• Katrina Nousek (Assistant Professor of German Studies, University of Richmond) tells us about the German Film Series that plays at a unique downtown venue.
• Leslie McGuigan (Director of Cultural Arts, Weinstein JCC) fills us in on this year’s Israeli Film Festival
  
• Jonathan Gruber discusses the film at the festival he produced and directed, Upheaval, The Journey of Menachem Begin.

LINKS:
12th Annual Israeli Film Festival.

Here’s a link to the Hotel Greene Series Facebook page. Here’s the link to book for The Blue Angel.

Katrina mentioned Toni Erdmann as a good German comedy (my review will be up tomorrow). Click here for a link to various rental options.

Jai grew up in RVA and now lives in LA, where he’s a staff writer on Superman and Lois. We’ll cover:
– A behind-the-scenes exploration of the writers’ room and how that process works
– His strategy for getting hired in Hollywood
– What inspired him to get into writing and film
– The projects he’s written and/or directed
– What he had for lunch
The 2nd season of Superman and Lois is now on The CW (here’s the link) and streaming on the app. After the season is over,  it’ll be streamed on HBOMax (like the 1st season is now).

Andy’s the Director of the Virginia Film Office. We talk about:
– His 80s music video. Click here to watch it.
– Interesting connections he’s made with filmmakers that keep them coming back to Virginia
– A teaser on what might be coming soon
– And more.

LINKS
My review of:
Dopesick
Unhinged

This first show is just a sample. The weekly show will be 30ish-minutes and starts January 5, 2022.

Deb Freeman is an award-winning writer, specializing in Black foodways throughout America, particularly in Virginia. She also hosts Setting the Table, a critically-acclaimed podcast that explores Black culinary history. Deb is now working on a documentary about famed influential Black chef Edna Lewis. It’s starting as a series of shorts on VPM’s YouTube channel and will evolve into a full-length doc to be released in February. Our topics include:
– Being named a “snailblazer” by Slow Food USA
– How she discovered Edna Lewis
– Being a guest for On Chasing Flavor with Carla Hall
– Preparing a dinner to honor Edna at the Roosevelt
– How the full-length doc will be different from the episodes
– Her article “Vegan is the new Black”

LINKS
The first episode will premiere on the VPM Culture YouTube Channel Friday, July 19
Deb’s website
Chasing Flavor featuring Deb (Ep. 4)
Podcast on Picturing the Obamas with Hannah Ayers
Richmond 48 Hour Film Project

Vivian Owen has been a screenwriter, script supervisor and producer for several years and is currently working on 2 features, both thrillers. We’ll get into some of the specifics of these on-set jobs while looking at her new projects, including:
– Frenchy Waters & Booger Sugar
– The responsibilities of a script supervisor
– Difference between Executive Producer, Producer and Production Manager
– Her job as a Post Production Supervisor
– Producing Saturnalia with Max Fischer
– Her personal project, Occult Detective

LINKS:
Vivian’s IMDB
Frenchy Waters
Trailer for Booger Sugar
Trailer for The Drove (screening at RIFF)
Max’s Gearhead Camera

Saturnalia Instagram: @saturnalia_film

Alan Sader is best known for his 23 years as the spokesperson for Christian Children’s Fund (later renamed ChildFund). He’s also had an extensive career on stage and screen.  We talk about his past adventures and his plans for a future series of staged readings with actors he’s never had an opportunity to work with. It’s titled “A Few More For the Road—Alan Sader’s Bucket List” and will be presented July 20 & 21 at Richmond Triangle Players. Admission is free, but donations are suggested. NOTE: There was some confusion during the interview. Joseph Pabst did the original reading with Alan, but Joe Inscoe is doing one of them at the weekend event. Our discussion includes:
– How he came to own the Tidewater Dinner Theatre
– How he prepped the audition for the Christian Children’s Fund
– Why they were told to stay away from the kids in these countries
– Reactions to the satirical SNL sketch
– Using an ear prompter
– Being the villain on a Christian soap opera
– Auditioning for Barbra Streisand for The Prince of Tides
– Michelle Williams’ negative reaction to him on Dawson’s Creek
– Andy Griffith almost cut him out of Matlock
– How his cancer diagnosis inspired his “Bucket List”

LINKS
Tickets for “A Few More For the Road—Alan Sader’s Bucket List” (free but reservation requested)
Podcast with Mary Sader
Podcast with Irene Ziegler re: The First Lady
Byrd Stories

Remembering Gene Wilder looks at the comic actor’s films, including interviews with Mel Brooks, Alan Alda and Harry Connick, Jr. It played Richmond as part of the Weinstein JCC’s Israeli & Jewish Film Festival last January. Since it just dropped on Netflix, I’m “remembering” my interview with Ron Frank (billed as the director) & Glenn Kirschbaum (writer). Topics include:
– Mel Brooks and his great stories
– Why Harry Connick. Jr.?
– Using Wilder’s own voiceover
– Finding hilarious outtakes from Young Frankenstein
– The Alzheimer’s connection

LINKS
Remembering Gene Wilder (Netflix)
48HR Film Project

Paul Serwitz has made his career as a film buyer, including 25 years for Regal Cinemas and most recently, President and COO of Landmark Theatres. He’s now consulting as a distributor for Roadside Attractions and has lots of interesting insights into the biz of buying and distributing films, including.
– Outlook for 2025 and beyond
– Upcoming films from CinemaCon
– Musical trailers with no music
– Theatrical windows
– The 4-audience quadrants
– How movies are marketed now
– Why horror movies open almost every week
– What is Day and Date releasing
– Attending the Oscars

LINKS
Good 4 Her (film screening)