Switchblade Sisters

On today's episode, we're talking about the movie for which the masses have been clamoring. That's right, we've got comedian Emily Heller on to talk about The Mask. Emily is a stand-up comedian, but also an actor and Emmy nominated writer. She's written for 'Crowded', 'People of Earth', and most recently 'Barry.' On this episode, she gives April an inside look of what it is like to be in a writer's room...

This week we are so lucky to have the director of the new film Unlovable, Suzi Yoonessi. Her movie follows Joy, played by Charlene deGuzman, a recovering sex and love addict who finds solace in making music with the gruff brother (John Hawkes) of her sponsor (Melissa Leo). The movie that Suzi has decided to discuss is 2006's Korean monster masterpiece, The Host...

We've got a great episode this week with the director of the new film Lez Bomb, Jenna Laurenzo. While her film is a romantic comedy about a woman attempting to come out to her family on Thanksgiving, the film that Jenna chose to discuss is nothing like that at all! The movie Jenna picked is 2005's The Skeleton Key. While many have probably forgotten about this movie, we certainly haven't. Jenna and April discuss some of the more "delicate" issues that are brought up in the film - e.g...

If you listen to this episode you don't have to go to film school. Our guest this week is Daisy von Scherler Mayer. You may know her best for her "debut tour de force" Party Girl. She is a prolific television director who has worked on everything from Mad Men to Orange Is The New Black. The movie she has chosen to talk about this week is one of her favorite films, Bob Fosse's All That Jazz...

This week we are very lucky to have award winning writer and director Nijla Mu'min on the program. In 2014, she was selected for the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive and her debut feature, Jinn, won the Special Jury Recognition Award for screenwriting at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival. Jinn tells the story of a high school senior whose mother becomes taken by the beliefs and practices of Islam, which sets up a series of trials for the girl as she tries to navigate her own belief systems...

This week we have the director of the new drama Sadie, Seattle's own Megan Griffiths. The genre film that she has chosen to discuss is Terry Gilliam's weirdo time travel movie 12 Monkeys. Megan and April really get into the ins and outs of working in independent cinema; from the casting to achieving control on set. Megan discusses how she and Terry Gilliam have the similarity of not working within the Hollywood system; Gilliam living in London while Megan lives in Seattle...

This week we are very lucky to have the prolific documentary producer Erikka Yancy on the program. The movie she chose to discuss is the beloved 1996 film Matilda. Erikka discusses her documentary career and what is like having to do research for films with such dark subject matter. She goes on to talk about having to go through footage from 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, and how it's still important to offer some hope in even the most depressing of films...

You are looking LIVE on Switchblade Sisters at Fantastic Fest. Recorded at The Highball theater at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas. April welcomes one of the filmmakers from the festival, Amanda Kramer, to discuss the Rainer Werner Fassbinder masterpiece, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. Amanda's film Ladyworld screened right before the recording of this episode...

This week we are so lucky to have actor, writer, and director Jess Weixler on the program. Most people know her from her breakout role in the 2007 film, Teeth. But she has a new movie out called Chained for Life. In it she stars opposite Adam Pearson, who some may remember from Under The Skin. And the movie she chose to discuss is Tod Browning's infamous 1932 film, Freaks. Jess reflects on her own experiences working and living with people with disabilities...

This week we've got the fantastic director of the new film Nancy, Christina Choe. She's on the program to talk about the vampire classic, Let the Right One In. This episode is really gripping because throughout the show Christina slowly realizes the similarities between her film and Tomas Alfredson's: the snowy backdrop, the vampiric characters, the bleak eeriness. Christina elaborates on the the amount of flexibility required to direct a feature...