“A Foray Into the Heart of Different Family Dynamics”: Editor Anouk Deschênes on The Longest Goodbye
The Longest Goodbye. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) While the prospect of traveling on a years-long expedition to Mars might seem like an alien scenario to most, Ido Mizrahy’s documentary The Longest Goodbye argues that we may have more in common…
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“I Wanted To Make Sure the Film Felt Lived In”: Editor Ryan Kendrick on Sometimes I Think About Dying
Sometimes I Think About Dying, courtesy of Sundance Institute. The depressing atmosphere of cubicle culture permeates Sometimes I Think About Dying, Rachel Lambert’s latest directorial effort. At least until a charming new hire begins to break down the defenses of…
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“I Wanted To Take a Closer Look at How People Shut Down”: Veerle Baetens on When It Melts
When It Melts, courtesy of Sundance Institute. It’s somehow been a decade since Veerle Baetens was named best European actress for her incandescent, heart-wrenching turn in The Broken Circle Breakdown. As a bluegrass-loving tattoo artist gradually obliterated by tragedy, Baetens’…
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“In the Desert, There Were Challenges We Couldn’t Foresee”: DP Boaz Freund on The Longest Goodbye
The Longest Goodbye. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) The inherent loneliness of deep space exploration is the foundation of The Longest Goodbye, filmmaker Ido Mizrahy’s latest documentary. Particularly as it concerns NASA’s looming deadline to have a mission blast off to…
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“We Hope That This Film and Its Female Narrative Will Echo the Voice of Iranian Women”: Editor Elika Rezaee on Shayda
Shayda courtesy of Sundance Institute. Elika Rezaee understood that signing on to edit Shayda, the deeply personal narrative debut from writer-director Noora Niasari, would require the utmost sensitivity. The film mines from Niasari’s lived experiences, following the titular character as she…
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“I Opted for a Low-key Chiaroscuro Look”: DP Sherwin Akbarzadeh on Shayda
Shayda courtesy of Sundance Institute. Writer-director Noora Niasari’s debut feature, Shayda, is a deeply personal tale of trauma and tenacity. With a script mining from Niasari’s lived experiences, the film centers on the titular character Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), an…
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“For This Project, I Had a Collection of Over 1000 Images of Penélope Cruz”: DP Gergely Pohárnok on L’Immensità
DP Gergely Pohárnok behind the scenes of L'Immensità. The fifth feature from Emanuele Crialese, L’Immensità, is a semi-autobiographical family drama that takes place amid the backdrop of ’70s Rome. The film premiered earlier this year at the Venice International Film…
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“With This Film, It Came Full Circle”: Editor Ron Patane on The Pod Generation
The Pod Generation. Photo credit: Andrij Parekh, courtesy of Sundance Institute. In The Pod Generation, the third feature film from French-American director Sophie Barthes, the process of pregnancy and birth has been offloaded from human bodies, relegated to artificial pods…
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“The Cinema Gods Smiled Upon Us”: DP Andrij Parekh on The Pod Generation
The Pod Generation. Photo credit: Andrij Parekh, courtesy of Sundance Institute. In the not-so-far-flung future, a New York Couple (played by Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor) manage to snag a spot at the coveted Womb Center, which offers conveniently detachable…
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“A Narrative That Exposes the Horror of Losing One’s Autonomy”: Editor Taylor Mason on birth/rebirth
birth/rebirth, courtesy of Sundance Institute. Photo by Chananun Chotrungroj. Director Laura Moss’s feature debut birth/rebirth is laden with horror references, which was a principal reason for editor Taylor Mason vying for the gig. The film is essentially a modern retelling…
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“The Real Violence and Danger Women Sometimes Go Through When Giving Birth”: DP Chananun Chotrungroj on birth/rebirth
birth/rebirth, courtesy of Sundance Institute. Photo by Chananun Chotrungroj. A modern-day, female-focused retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Laura Moss’s birth/rebirth refuses to flinch when it comes to portraying the bloody viscera of the birthing process. The film follows a maternity…
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“This ‘Space Problem’ Became Our Problem”: Ido Mizrahy on The Longest Goodbye
The Longest Goodbye. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) With NASA under “presidential orders” to land humans on Mars by 2033—and the industry titans of Silicon Valley rushing to make space exploration sexy again (not to mention cash in on that lucrative…
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