Live from the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Anna Smith is joined on stage by an international panel of inspiring industry figures. Prolific power-house Christine Vachon chats about how it feels to have produced over 100 films, and the job of using “disruption for opportunity”. She also has valuable advice for would-be producers. Friend of Girls On Film Dutch film critic Dana Linssen co-curated the Critics’ Choice selection at IFFR for the ninth year running. She joins Anna to speak about her love for this year’s female-directed films in the strand, Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun and Nafiss Nia’s That Afternoon (or Die middag). In That Afternoon, which received its world premiere this year at the festival, director Nafiss Nia takes us with refugee Roya, played by Hoda Niku, as her life intersects with Nassim, played by Alin Wishka, one afternoon. Nafiss Nia joins Anna and Dana on-stage to give insight into her film, and the importance in her filmmaking of language in her “father tongue” Dutch, as a poet and native Persian speaker. 
Anna is also joined by Superposition director Karoline Lyngbye and one of the film’s stars, Marie Bach Hansen, who plays Stine. Superposition follows writer Stine and her partner, podcaster Teit (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) as they retreat off-grid for a year with their son Nemo to save their relationship, until … well, that’s all we can say without spoilers! Karoline and Marie speak about their experience of working in Denmark in film, television and theatre and the discussions they had about gender while making the film.

2023 International Film Festival Rotterdam is taking place from the 25th January 2023 to the 5th February 2023. For all information go to: 
https://iffr.com/en 
Hear Vanja Kaludjercic, director of IFFR, talk more about the festival and programme on episode 137 of Girls On Film: https://pod.fo/e/15b92a 

Films mentioned in this episode include: 
The Woman King, Gina Prince-Bythewood, 2022
The Wonder, Sebastián Lelio, 2022
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Sophie Hyde, 2022
Aftersun, Charlotte Wells, 2022
That Afternoon (aka Die middag), Nafiss Nia, 2023
Past Lives, Celine Song, 2023
Zola, Janicza Bravo, 2020
Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes, 2022
The Notorious Bettie Page, Mary Harron, 2005
She Came to Me, Rebecca Miller, 2023 (Starring Anne Hathaway, Marisa Tomei, Peter Dinklage, Joanna Kulig, Brian d'Arcy James)
The Blair Witch Project, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, 1999
Superposition, Karoline Lyngbye, 2023
The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers, 2019

Television mentioned in this episode include: 
Dansegarderoben, 2023

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: 
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 

Follow us on socials: 
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ 
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod 
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA production. 

Host: Anna Smith. 
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio Producer: Emma Butt
Intern: Eleanor Hardy

House band: MX Tyrants

Principal Partners: Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer.
This episode is in partnership with International Film Festival Rotterdam

Credit: Sony Pictures for Zola clip.

Ep 140: Christine Vachon, Dana Linssen and more, live from International Film Festival Rotterdam

Sara Dosa, the director and co-writer of documentary Fire of Love joins Anna Smith in London for a live Q&A following a screening of her film. The extraordinary documentary, from National Geographic Documentary Films, mines the extensive film and image archive of intrepid French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft. The fascinating couple died as explosively as they lived, whilst doing what they loved best: exploring their greatest passion, volcanoes, whilst simultaneously capturing the most spectacular volcano imagery ever recorded.

Fire of Love has been nominated for a 2023 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, a 2023 BAFTA for Best Documentary, and a Girls On Film Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film won many awards in 2022, including a Black Film Critics Circle Awards.

You can watch Fire of Love now on Disney+

Other films mentioned in this episode include: 
Me and You and Everyone We Know, Miranda July, 2005
The Seer and the Unseen, Sara Dosa, 2019

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: 
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 

Follow us on socials: 
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ 
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod 
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA production. 

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Sound Recordist and Audio Producer: Cam Griffiths
Intern: Eleanor Hardy

House band: MX Tyrants

This episode is in partnership with National Geographic Documentary Films

Ep 142: Fire of Love’s Sara Dosa on her Oscar & BAFTA nominated documentary

Welcome to the climax of the Girls On Film Awards 2023! This third in a three-part episode was recorded at The Garden Cinema in London on 23 February 2023, with an intimate audience of nominees, film critics and industry supporters. Hosts Anna Smith and Hedda Archbold reveal the winners of the following categories: 

Best Publicity Campaign
Diversity Badge of Honour 
Feminist Superhero
Best Female Orgasm sponsored by Intimacy on Set

We hear from writer-director of She Will, Charlotte Colbert; previous winner and director of the BFI Film Fund, Mia Bays, intimacy co-ordinator Ita O’Brien, and writer Katy Brand. We also hear from women including broadcaster Rhianna Dhillon and nominees Ashanti Omkar, Emma Butt and Akua Gyamfi, who share their thoughts on diversity in the wake of the BAFTA Film Awards.

Films and TV mentioned in this episode: 

Aftersun - streaming on MUBI now
Don’t Worry Darling - digital download
Girl Picture aka Girls Girls Girls (Tytöt tytöt tytöt) - BFI Player and digital download
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Netflix
Good Luck to you, Leo Grande - Prime Video and digital
Lady Chatterley’s Lover - Netflix
Piggy - digital download
The Silent Twins  - digital download
Till -  digital download including Sky Store, Apple TV, Chili
Triangle of Sadness  - digital download 
The Woman King - digital download
The Wonder - Netflix
 
Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here:

www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast
Follow us on socials:
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno
Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA production.
Host: Anna Smith.
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Audio Producer: Michelle Tofi
Intern: Eleanor Hardy
House band: MX Tyrants

This episode is in partnership with Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer.

With special thanks to The Garden Cinema for hosting the awards, to our category sponsors EON Productions, IMDb, Intimacy on Set and Netflix, to our reception sponsor Head Gear Films, and to our media partners, British Cinematographer magazine, Deadline, Scala and Time Out.

Ep 147: Girls On Film Awards Ceremony 2023: the climax! (3 of 3)

Rachel Weisz joins Girls On Film to talk about playing twin sisters in the new Prime Video series Dead Ringers, along with writer Alice Birch. Both women executive produced the series and tell host Anna Smith about the collaboration that brought the show to the screen. 
Rachel tells how her love of the 1988 film inspired the idea of a gender flip of the central two characters, and explains the intricacies of playing twins. She and Alice discuss establishing the show’s unique tone, and share behind-the-scenes stories. The pair then take questions from the audience, who are members of Women in Film and TV (UK).

Find out more about Women in Film and TV (UK) here: https://www.wftv.org.uk/

Watch Dead Ringers on Prime Video now

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: 
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 

Follow us on socials: 
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ 
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod 
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA Production
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Audio editor: Cam Griffiths
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy
Principal Partners Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer
House band: MX Tyrants

Ep 150: Rachel Weisz and Alice Birch on the series Dead Ringers

Today Anna Smith talks to Director Tina Satter about her gripping debut feature, Reality. The story was originally a play directed by Satter in 2019, Is This a Room, and in this episode Anna talks to the director about the progression to cinema, both of the story and of her as a director, and what compelled her to make this her debut. Reality is based on the incredible true story of a young woman called Reality Winner, played by Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus, Sharp Objects), who stirred up a media storm when she leaked a classified report about Russian interference in U.S. elections. The film uses transcripts of the real conversations Reality Winner had with government agents as its dialogue, creating a sense of both absolute honesty in the storytelling, as well as gripping tension.

Fellow film critic Linda Marric also joins Anna to give her insight into the film, and what makes it her “favourite film of 2023”. Anna and Linda discuss how Tina Satter's directorial choices inform the audience's experience of a true story on screen, and their thoughts on Sydney Sweeney’s central performance. 

Reality - In UK & Irish cinemas 2nd June

Other films mentioned in this episode include: 
The Arbor, Clio Barnard, 2010
The Assistant, Kitty Green, 2019

Television mentioned in this episode include::
Sharp Objects, Jean-Marc Vallée, 2018
Euphoria, 2019

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: 
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 

Follow us on socials: 
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ 
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod 
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA production. 

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio Producer: Emma Butt
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy

House band: MX Tyrants

This episode is in partnership with Vertigo Releasing.

Ep 153: Tina Satter on her debut Reality + Linda Marric on why it's her favourite film of 2023

Let us transport you to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2023, where Girls On Film recorded an episode with an audience of festival goers. Host Anna Smith is joined by critics and filmmakers who are full of film recommendations, as well as thought-provoking and poignant conversation.  

First to join Anna are critics Wendy Ide and Marya E Gates, who speak about which films they’ve loved, and the strong array of female-focused films playing at KVIFF. They review La Chimera, starring Josh O'Connor and Isabella Rossellini. Marya talks about Georgian film Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, and both of them discuss the ‘hot-topic’ Past Lives, that has been capturing the attention of film lovers since its debut in Sundance earlier this year.

Next, Anna welcomes Myriam Sassine, producer of Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano, a Lebanese documentary that tells the story of a film crew navigating making a feature in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion in August 2020. Myriam discusses the challenges she faced whilst producing the film, as well as explaining the connections she established with the survivors in the filmmaking process.

Our last guests are producer Elaheh Nobakht and director Negin Ahmadi, whose film Dream’s Gate tells the personal journey of Negin as she enters the war zone in North Syria, along with a group of young women who are determined to fight back. Elaheh, who translates for Negin, explains the importance of portraying women’s stories in her films and how this personal reflection highlights the moments of joy within the conflict. Elaheh also speaks about her experience as an independent Iranian producer.

This episode is sponsored by Magnum.

Films mentioned in this episode include:

La Chimera
Past Lives (UK release 8 September 2023)
The Girls Are Alright
Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry
My Happy Family
A Room of My Own (available to stream on Klassiki)
The Mother of all Lies
Slow
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano
Costa Brava, Lebanon (available on Netflix)
Dream’s Gate
Inside the Yellow Cocoon
Anatomy of a Fall
In Camera

Find out more about KVIFF here: www.kviff.com

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: 
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 

Follow us on socials: 
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ 
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod 
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z
Girls On Film is an HLA production. 

Host: Anna Smith. 
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Audio Producer: Emma Butt
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy
House band: MX Tyrants

Ep 155: Must-see movies and docs - Girls On Film live at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

With us this episode are filmmaker Janis Pugh & actor, director & writer Tilda Cobham-Hervey - just two of the brilliant women showcased at the Edinburgh Festivals 2023. Anna Smith also gives top tips of other female-led highlights of the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh International Book Festival, and - of course -  Edinburgh International Film Festival. 

Our first guest is Janis Pugh, writer/director of Chuck Chuck Baby which will receive its World Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival on 20th August. The feature is a musical comedy drama that celebrates female working class friendship and love in Wales. Helen, played by Louise Brealey (Sherlock, Smack the Pony) is stuck packing chickens by night and by day cares for a dying mother figure. Her life takes an unexpected turn with the return of Joanne, played by Annabel Scholey (Being Human, Walking on Sunshine). Janis Pugh joins Anna for a lively chat about her personal experiences of working in a chicken factory in Wales, and talks about the camaraderie she saw that inspired the film. She also explains why love is at the heart of the film, and talks about the fragile male character of Gary, played by Celyn Jones.

We also chat with actor, director & writer Tilda Cobham-Hervey who, as well as working in film and TV, also works in live art and is bringing her intimate audio adventure Two Strangers Walk Into A Bar… to the Fringe. Tilda chats about her journey to making the production, and her love of immersive live experience, as well as the effects that the piece has on the two-strong audience. Anna Smith will be sharing her reaction to the piece as she updates live from the festivals, so stay tuned on the socials below. 

Find out more about Edinburgh Festivals and book tickets at www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/

Chuck Chuck Baby will have its World Premiere on 20th August, follow Girls On Film for info on its wider release https://www.eif.co.uk/events/eiff-chuck-chuck-baby 

Two Strangers Walk Into A Bar… is playing at House of Oz from 4th to 27th August https://www.houseofoz.co.uk/2023/two-strangers 

Anoushka Shankar will be appearing in Edinburgh International Festival on 27th August https://www.eif.co.uk/events/anoushka-shankar 

Festival highlights: 

Edinburgh International Film Festival - details at www.eif.co.uk/edinburgh-international-film-festival
Your Fat Friend, Jeanie Finlay
Past Lives, Celine Song
Showing Up, Kelly Reichardt 
Scrapper, Charlotte Regan
Is There Anybody Out There?, Ella Glendinining
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Hope Dickson Leach 

Edinburgh International Book Festival - at  www.edbookfest.co.uk
What I Run Towards Will Strengthen Me, Sarah Polley 

Edinburgh Festival Fringe - all at https://tickets.edfringe.com/
Work in Progress, Rose Matafeo
Composition, Leila Navabi
Dugzi Dayz, Sabrina Ali
Unforgettable Girl, Elisabeth Gunawan
MEAT, Elle Dillon-Reams

Other films mentioned in this episode include: 
House, Janis Pugh
52 Tuesdays, Sophie Hyde, 2013

Other TV mentioned in this episode include: 
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Glendyn Ivin, 2023

Other theatre mentioned in this episode includes: 
Funeral, Ontroerend Goed (tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/funeral)

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: 
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 

Follow us on socials: 
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ 
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod 
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z
Girls On Film is an HLA production. 

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio Producer: Emma Butt
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy
House band: MX Tyrants
This episode is in partnership with Festivals Edinburgh

Ep 157: Edinburgh Festivals Special: film, theatre and more with Janis Pugh and Tilda Cobham-Hervey

Is the film industry still a man’s world, or are women now leading the way? How will AI affect films? These are just some of the questions addressed by a panel of four leading women working in film, who joined Anna Smith at this year’s Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival (EMIFF). They also talked about the creative and business side of the industry, and their work-life balance.


The 12th edition of EMIFF was produced with her usual flair and creativity by festival director Sandra Seeling, who invited Girls On Film back for another panel featuring four high profile panellists, to join Anna Smith on stage at the Sala Rivoli in Palma on 21 October 2023. 

In this recording of that event, listen to our guests talk about how they got started in the industry, the importance of mentorship, and how to lead well. 

Anna is joined, first off, by Nurhan Sekerci-Porst, Germany-based producer of films including In The Fade and Rheingold. From the USA, she welcomes Nicol Paone, the writer, director and producer whose film The Kill Room, which stars Uma Thurman and Samuel L Jackson, played at the festival. She is joined by her fiancé Nicole Weis, Head Of Theatrical Distribution at IFC Films. And finally she is joined by Rosie Fellner, actress, producer and owner of Rosebud Productions.

This international panel gave some riveting insight into working in the industry. The conversation takes some surprising turns and is inspiring and funny. 


Films mentioned in this episode: 
In The Fade, dir Fatih Akin, prod Nurhan Şekerci Porst
Rheingold, Fatih Akin, prod Nurhan Şekerci Porst
Friendsgiving, dir Nicol Paone
The Kill Room, dir Nicol Paone
Everything Everywhere All At Once, dir Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
The Disappearance of Shere Hite, dir Nicole Newnham
The Uninvited, Dir Nadia Conners 
F For Fake, dir Orson Welles
Ladybird, dir Greta 
Barbie, dir Greta Gerwig
Past Lives, dir Celine Song

TV series mentioned in this episode:
Funny Or Die

Plays mentioned in this episode:
Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Find out more about Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival here: https://www.evolutionfilmfestival.com/

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: 
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 

Follow us on socials: 
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ 
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod 
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z
Girls On Film is an HLA production. 

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Audio Editing: Nic Wassell
Intern: Charlotte Matheson

This episode is in partnership with Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival.

Ep 158: Women And Leadership At Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival 2023

With Anna Smith for this episode is writer and director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren who talks about her debut feature 20,000 Species of Bees, and film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh to further discuss all that is explored in the beautiful and sensitive coming of age tale.  

The tender, heartfelt drama centres on actor Sofía Otero, who won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at 2022’s Berlin Film Festival for her depiction of a transgender eight-year-old girl during a family holiday in the Basque Country. The return to her mother’s hometown throws up questions of identity and belonging for not only our protagonist, but also the family that surrounds her with their own complexities and crises. 

First Anna Smith talks to fellow female film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, discussing the characterisation of identity and the skilful handling of a complex issue through a lightness of touch. The film features stunning central performances not only by the young star Sofía Otero but also Patricia López Arnaiz who plays the distracted but loving mother and a further brilliant ensemble. Anna is then joined by writer and director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren who gives us further insight into the inspiration for the work, and the impact of place in the symbolism of the film.

You can watch 20,000 Species of Bees from the 27th of October in UK cinemas or at home with Curzon Home Cinema.

Other films mentioned in this episode include: 
Cuerdas, 2022, Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: 
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 

Follow us on socials: 
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ 
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod 
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA production. 

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio editor: Emma Butt
Intern: Charlotte Matheson
House band: MX Tyrants

This episode is in partnership with Curzon Film.

Ep 159: Discussing gender identity, family and more with the director of 20,000 Species of Bees

Returning to the pod is director Susanna Fogel to talk to Anna Smith about her riveting new feature Cat Person starring the brilliant Emilia Jones, best known for her lead role in Oscar-winning film CODA. Emilia plays Margot - a young, single, and seemingly self-possessed woman who meets Robert, played by Succession’s Nicholas Braun. The film, inspired by Kristen Roupenian’s viral New Yorker short story of the same name, explores issues around dating and consent as we follow Margot in her fledgling relationship with Robert. Susanna Fogel shares how the team brought the story to the big screen, and how she hopes it will provoke discussion around issues such as consent and dating.

Also returning to the pod in this episode is Ellen E Jones, film critic, broadcaster and writer who offers her insight into Cat Person and the cinematic language used in the film. Anna and Ellen delve into the representation and perspectives of both Margot and Robert, but also Margot’s mother Kelly (Hope Davis) and Margot’s lecturer and mentor played by Isabella Rossellini. Ellen’s new book 'Screen Deep: How film and TV can solve racism and save the world' is out in February 2024. 

CAT PERSON is in UK & Ireland cinemas from Friday 27th October 2023

Other films mentioned in this episode include: 
Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power, Nina Menkes 2022
Blade Runner, Ridley Scott 1982
Winner, Susanna Fogel tbc
Star Wars, 1977–2019
Barbie, Greta Gerwig 2023
Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki 2001
Zola, Janicza Bravo 2020
How to Have Sex, Molly Manning Walker 2023
Booksmart, Olivia Wilde 2019

Television mentioned in this episode include: 
Succession, 2018–2023

You can hear Emilia Jones on CODA in Girls On Film episodes 90 and 108, and Susanna Fogel on her film A Small Light in Girls On Film episode 154.

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: 
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 

Follow us on socials: 
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ 
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod 
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA production. 

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio editor: Emma Butt
Intern: Charlotte Matheson
House band: MX Tyrants

This episode is in partnership with STUDIOCANAL.

© HLA Agency

Ep 160: Talking modern romance, consent and character with Susanna Fogel, director of Cat Person

Today Anna Smith talks to Oscar-nominated director Maite Alberdi about her new documentary The Eternal Memory, which follows a Chilean couple as they navigate the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease together. She then talks to Ella Glendining about her BIFA-nominated documentary, Is There Anybody Out There? which charts her search for individuals with the same rare disability as herself.

Journalist Augusto Góngora and actor Paulina Urrutia are the subject of The Eternal Memory, a touching testimony of the couple’s bond in the face of Augusto’s worsening dementia. ‘La Pauli,’ as Augosto referred to his partner, took care of him after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 62. Maite recalls how the couple had a unique approach to the disease where they saw ‘Alzeimher’s as a challenge, not a tragedy’. The film uses a mix of archive footage from Augusto’s broadcast days and new material as the couple go about their daily lives, noticing the sensory experience of the everyday and how it interacts with Augosto’s condition. The Eternal Memory offers a unique and refreshing perspective on dementia, ageing and coupledom. 

Next, Anna Smith talks to Ella Glendining about the making of and motivation behind her documentary Is There Anybody Out There?. The film is personal, one woman’s search to find someone else born with no hip joints and short femurs, but it is also deeply political, laying bare the ethics of  medical intervention, exploring the impacts of ableism and documenting disabled joy. Ella talks about the inspiration behind the film, the challenges and surprises she faced while making it, and she reveals the projects she is most looking forward to seeing next!

You can watch The Eternal Memory in select cinemas from the 10th November 2023. Visit www.theeternalmemory.film to find out more and book tickets

Is There Anybody Out There? is in cinemas and on demand 17th November 2023. Screenings and information at conic.film/anybody
 
Other films mentioned in this episode include: 
The Mole Agent, Maite Alberdi, 2020
Dick Johnson Is Dead, Kirsten Johnson 2020
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Original title: Savvusanna sõsarad), Anna Hints, 2023

Television mentioned in this episode include: 
We Might Regret This, Kyla Harris

Reviews mentioned in this episode: 
https://www.timeout.com/movies/smoke-sauna-sisterhood-2023 

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: 
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 

Follow us on socials: 
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ 
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast 
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod 
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA production. 

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio editor: Emma Butt
Intern: Charlotte Matheson

House band: MX Tyrants

This episode is in partnership with Dogwoof and Conic Films.

© HLA Agency

Ep 161: Docs and disability with the directors of The Eternal Memory & Is There Anybody Out There?

In this episode of Girls On Film, Anna Smith talks to Director Paul Sng and Producer Jen Corcoran about their new feature documentary Tish, which tells the story of working-class photographer Patricia ‘Tish’ Murtha who worked to document life in Northeast England in the 1970s and 1980s. Anna then talks to Production Designer Sarah Greenwood and Set Decorator Katie Spencer, who worked together to create the distinctive world of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. 

Tish was the Opening Night Film of Sheffield Doc Fest 2023 and it is a celebration of a life devoted to exposing social inequality through art. The feature documentary is told from the perspective of Ella Murtha, both as daughter and custodian of the Tish Murtha archive. She retraces her mother’s relationship with the photographic medium, from finding her first camera in a local skip, to earning a reputation as the ‘demon snapper’ and beyond. Anna talks to Paul and Jen about the inspiration behind the project, the power of having working-class stories told from the inside, and asks about their favourite photographs in the Tish archive. 

Next on Girls On Film, Anna has a lively conversation with Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, whose long time collaboration has resulted in multiple Academy Award and BAFTA nominations, and, most recently, the weird, wonderful and instantly recognisable world of Barbie. Sarah and Katie talk about working with Greta Gerwig in the early design stages of the project, following visual prompts like ‘think Gaudí in a blender’ when creating Weird Barbie’s house, and the film’s many and varied visual inspirations. 

Tish by Paul Sng is being released by Modern Films in UK and Irish cinemas on 17 November 2023. On demand information: Virtual cinema 22 Dec, TVOD 5 Feb (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play). 

Barbie is available on 4K, Blu-Ray™, DVD & Digital Download now

Other films mentioned in this episode include: 
Singin’ in the Rain, Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen, 1952
Grease, Randal Kleiser, 1978
Playtime, Jacques Tati, 1967
The Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming, 1939
Psycho, Alfred Hitchock, 1960
Jaws, Steven Spielberg, 1975

Books mentioned; 
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee, 1960

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Girls On Film is an HLA production. 

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio editor: Elliana Jay Hamer
Intern: Charlotte Matheson

House band: MX Tyrants

This episode is in partnership with Margaret London and Women in Film and TV (UK) with huge thanks to our principal partners Peter Brewer and Vanessa Smith. 

With thanks to Sophia Hammond and Kate Riddell.

© HLA Agency

Ep 162: From the streets of Newcastle to the set of Barbie Land: the craft behind Tish & Barbie

Girls On Film is a film review podcast from a female perspective, hosted by film critic and broadcaster Anna Smith and produced by co-founder Hedda Archbold at HLA Agency

New tracks tagged #femaledirector