The filmmaker John Sayles (“Eight Men Out”, “The Brother From Another Planet”) returns for his 3rd visit. In addition to the 18 feature films he has written and directed, he is also a longtime author of novels. His latest, “Crucible” is now available where books are sold. From the Oscar-nominated filmmaker comes a complex and sweeping historical novel about Henry Ford — the Elon Musk of his day —...
My guests are documentary filmmaker Robert Stone and NASA Scientist and Science Fiction author Gentry Lee. Lee is the central subject of Stone’s new documentary “Starman” which is in theaters as of Friday, February 6. In this intergalactic biopic, we follow Gentry Lee, Chief Engineer for Planetary Exploration at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and sci-fi writer, on his journey to space and on...
Filmmaker Ondi Timoner (“We Live in Public”, “Last Flight Home”) returns to the podcast to discuss her latest work of non-fiction, “All The Walls Came Down”. I also welcome back one of the film’s subjects, Heavenly Hughes, who is a founder of the organization My Tribe Rise. The film had its world premiere at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2025. It was shortlisted for the Best...
The filmmaker Dan Mirvish (“18 1/2”, “Bernard & Huey”) is back on Filmwax to discuss his latest project, “Atomic Fondue”. He has launched a Kickstarter campaign which is currently raising initial funds to get the film off the ground and to begin spreading the word. An elevated Cold War thriller/comedy, “Atomic Fondue” is an upcoming American independent fiction feature film from me – award...
Author Joseph McBride returns once again to the podcast. He brings a new book, the result of a long interview by film critic and friend Danny Peary. The book, published by Sticking Place Books, is called “I Loved Movies, But…” which is a deep exploration into the life and career of McBride. Now available wherever books are sold.
Palestinian American actor and filmmaker Cherien Debis (“Amreka”, “May in the Summer”) returns to the podcast with her latest film, “All That’s Left of You” which is currently in theaters. A deeply moving, multigenerational drama, “All That’s Left of You” follows a Palestinian teenager who gets swept into a protest in the Occupied West Bank and experiences a moment of violence that rocks his...
Marshall Curry (“Street Fight”, “Racing Dreams”) returns to the podcast after a number of years. Curry was one of Filmwax’s first guests.,having appeared on Episode 6 back in 2011 around the time his documentary “If a Tree Falls” came out. Curry’s latest work is “The New Yorker at 100” which is currently streaming exclusively on Netflix. The New Yorker’s centennial reveals behind-the-scenes...
Returning to the podcast after seven years, the filmmaker Gus Van Sant (“Drug Store Cowboy”, Good Will Hunting”) with a new film called “Dead Man’s Wire”. Based on a true story, the 1977 kidnapping of a prominent banker grips the nation and turns the abductor into an outlaw folk hero. As the media frenzy peaks, the standoff becomes a spectacle of desperation, defiance and blurred justice, which...
The filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (“Why We Fight”, “The Trials of Henry Kissinger”) returns to the podcast with his latest, perhaps most controversial film. Too much of a hot button to get distribution? We’ll have to wait and see. Julian Assange. WikiLeaks. Truth on trial… Eugene Jarecki’s groundbreaking Cannes film “The Six Billion Dollar Man” confronts the cost of truth in a world where those in...
The filmmaker Amos Poe was a guest on the podcast on two memorable occasions. The first time we sat was in a podcast studio in the East Village; Episode 385 in the Fall of 2016. For Amos’ second appearance, we sat in the downstairs lobby of the Roxy Hotel in Tribeca outside the screening room; that was Episode 520 in the Fall of 2018. Poe was a major influence in the underground filmmaking scene...
A conversation with the Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti (“Ajami”). Copti’s new film “Happy Holidays” is currently having theatrical engagements in the U.S. including at Film Forum in NYC. From the Film Movement website: While celebrating Purim at her university in Jerusalem, Fifi, a young Palestinian woman is hospitalized following a car accident. Though her injuries are minor, she fears her...
The Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan (“The Crying Game”, “Interview with The Vampire”) is also an author of several novels. Jordan has recently released an autobiographical work called “Amnesiac: A Memoir” (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024) which is currently available where books are sold. In this vivid, moving and strange memoir, Neil Jordan – the author of classic fiction like “The Past”, “Sunrise with...
Jonah Feingold (“Dating and New York”) returns to the podcast to discuss his latest film “31 Candles” currently in theaters. When a Jewish film director who makes Christmas movies in New York City decides to have his Bar Mitzvah at the age of 31, he must navigate situationships, exes, and family to complete his Mitzvah project and impress his childhood camp crush. Inspired by Jonah Feingold’s...
The non-fiction filmmaker Lynne Sachs returns to Filmwax for another memorable visit. Lynne has a new film, “Every Contract Leaves a Trace”, which is to have its world premiere at IDFA in Amsterdam on November 17th: Synopsis (from IDFA website): Since 1990, filmmaker Lynne Sachs has collected 600 business cards—from a hairdresser, a therapist, a textile artist. Together they form an archive of...
The world premiere of Filmwax friend the filmmaker Alan Berliner‘s “Benita” will take place at DOC NYC. “Benita” is about experimental documentary filmmaker Benita Raphan who died by suicide during the loneliness of the COVID-19 shutdowns. DOC NYC 2024 Lifetime Achievement filmmaker Alan Berliner, who was her friend and creative advisor, creates a kind of posthumous collaboration with Benita on...