Past Present Feature is a film appreciation podcast hosted by Emmy-winning director Marcus Mizelle, showcasing today’s filmmakers, their latest release, and the past cinema that inspired them.
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Filmmaker Freedom is a new kind of filmmaking podcast. It's handcrafted it for those of us who like to think outside the box, to experiment, to walk our own path instead of doing things the way they've always been done. If you want to make make films you're proud of and make a living from it, this is the show for you. It's full of clear, focused, and actionable advice to help you succeed as an indie filmmaker in a constantly changing world.
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E19 • Directing Your Destiny • VINCENT GRASHAW, dir. of ‘Bang Bang’ at Deauville Film Festival + Locarno
47:39
Today’s episode features Vincent Grashaw and his new film 'Bang Bang', screening this week at the Deauville Film Festival following Locarno and Tribeca. Past inspiration includes ‘The Wrestler’, and we share an appreciation for Spike Lee’s ‘He Got Game’. Vincent talks about his connection to boxing, his casting techniques, shooting on ultra-wide le…
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E18 • Exploring Inner Emotions Through Body Horror • DƯƠNG DIỆU LINH, dir. of ‘Don’t Cry, Butterfly’ at Venice Critics Week followed by TIFF
40:12
In this conversation, filmmaker Dương Dược Linh discusses her journey into filmmaking and her fascination with the body horror genre, ahead of her feature debut, ‘Don't Cry Butterfly’, which is premiering at Venice Critics Week followed by the Toronto International Film Festival. Being inspired by such past body horrors ‘Possession’, directed by An…
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E17 • Sharing Work, Seizing Opportunities • FREDDY MACDONALD, dir. of ‘Sew Torn’ at the Locarno Film Festival following SXSW
41:32
Marcus speaks with Freddy Macdonald about his debut feature film 'Sew Torn', just screened at Locarno, following a World premiere at South by Southwest. Drawing inspiration from the 1998 German film ‘Run Lola Run’ as well as ‘No Country For Old Men’ (2007), Freddy speaks on the great fortune of sitting down with one of the directors of the latter f…
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E16 • Challenging The System • BÁLINT SZIMLER, dir. of ‘Lesson Learned’ at the Locarno Film Festival
49:33
Marcus speaks with Bálint Szimler about his feature film ‘Lesson Learned’, which just premiered at the Locarno Fim Festival. The discussion also touches on the films that most inspired him - 'Play' by Ruben Östlund and 'Family Nest' by Béla Tarr. Bálint dives in to the inspiration behind his film, and the challenges of the Hungarian educational sys…
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E15 • Writing Your Own Narrative • ELLIE FOUMBI , dir. of ‘Our Father the Devil’, Now on Criterion following the Venice Int. Film Festival
40:34
Today I speak with my friend and exceptional filmmaker Ellie Foumbi, about her Independent Spirt Award-nominated 'Our Father The Devil,' which is now on the Criterion Channel following a premiere at last year’s Venice International Film Festival. We also discuss the influence of Andrea Arnold’s film 'Red Road' (2006) on her work. We reminisce about…
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E14 • The Power of the Underdog • NIKHIL NAGESH BHAT , dir. of ‘Kill’, Now in Theaters following TIFF + Tribeca
36:15
Today I speak with Mumbai-based director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat about his kick-ass action film ‘Kill’, which premiered at TIFF last year and is now globally distributed by Lionsgate. We discuss Nikhil’s journey into the film industry, from watching Indian action films on television as a child, and his love for James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’. He shares his ex…
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E13 • Taking the Long Shots • ZHENGFAN YANG , dir. of ‘Stranger’, Grand Prix Winner at KVIFF
38:29
In this episode, I speak with Zhengfan Yang about his film 'Stranger’, which just won the Grand Prix prize in the Proxima Competition at Karlovy Vary. We also discuss his past cinema inspiration, ‘A One and a Two’, the 2000 film by Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang. Zhengfan talks about the challenges of shooting his film in 7 total shots, each in a …
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E12 • The Importance of Not Knowing • PAOLO TIZÓN , dir. of ‘Night Has Come’, Special Jury Award + FIPRESCI Winner at KVIFF
44:28
This episode features Paolo Tizón and his documentary “Night Has Come”, which just won the Special Jury Award and the FIPRESCI (Critic) Award at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. His main inspiration for the film: ‘Beau Travail’ (1999) by Claire Denis. We discuss cinematic techniques used in documentaries, the importance of not kno…
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E11 • The Beauty of Change • IVANA GLORIA, dir. of ‘Chlorophyll’ at the Rome Film Fest + KVIFF
39:28
Ivana Gloria, the director of ‘Chlorophyll’, which World Premiered at the Rome International Film Festival, followed by a warm reception at Karlovy Vary, shares her journey and challenges as a filmmaker, having been heavily inspired by the 2018 Swedish film ‘Border’ from director Ali Abbasi. The conversation also revolves around Ivana’s film ‘Chlor…
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E10 • Sharpening a Film Into Success • NELICIA LOW, dir. of ‘Pierce’ - BEST DIRECTOR Winner at the Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival
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In this episode, filmmaker Nelicia Low discusses her film 'Pierce', which she just won the Best Director award for at Karlovy Vary. She talks about her past cinema inspirations which include Ang Lee’s ‘Lust, Caution’, and her experiences studying at Columbia University. The conversation highlights the value of editing and music in her film, her dir…
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E9 • The Passage of Time • BRUNO ANKOVIĆ, dir. of ‘Celebration’ at the Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival
53:00
On today’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Bruno Anković about his new film ‘Celebration’, which premiered at this years Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Crystal Globe competition. We dive into the themes and storytelling techniques used in ‘Celebration’, which explores the cyclical nature of history and the challenges o…
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E8 • Keeping It Real • PAVEL G. VESNAKOV, dir. of 'Windless' at the Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival
48:56
Bulgarian filmmaker Pavel Vesnakov discusses his journey in the film industry and his film 'Windless'. He talks about the importance of World Premiering at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - a significant milestone for him. He shares his early influences, including the films 'Taste of Cherry' by Abbas Kiarostami and '3 Iron' by Kim Ki-d…
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E7 • Living The Dream • ANJA KREIS, dir. of 'The Alienated' at the Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival
52:46
On this week's episode, Marcus speaks with Russian filmmaker Anja Kreis, who shares her perspectives on Russia, the global allure of Hollywood, and the process of making her latest film 'The Alienated', which is World premiering at Karlovy Vary on July 2nd. With its themes of mortality, dreams, and sisterhood, 'The Alienated' draws inspiration from…
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E6 • Seek Your Truth • GEORGE SIKHARULIDZE, dir. of 'Panopticon' at the Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival
59:54
Filmmaker George Sikharulidze joins Marcus from Tbilisi, Georgia to discuss his feature film debut 'Panopticon', which is World Premiering at the prestigious 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on June 30th at The Grand Hall, and competing for the festival's top prize: the Crystal Globe. A variety of topics include the influence of Franco…
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E5 • Trust The Silence • JEAN-COSME DELALOYE, dir. of 'Desire: The Carl Craig Story' at the Tribeca Film Festival
42:07
In this week’s episode, we have Swedish-born, Brooklyn-based Jean-Cosme Delaloye, who shares his early days as a reporter and his transition into documentary filmmaking, having been inspired by the 2016 film ‘Tempestad’ and most recently, Oscar-winning short doc ‘The Last Repair Shop’. He talks about how his experiences covering sad stories led him…
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E4 • Strength in Simplicity • CARLOS VARGAS, dir. of 'Hidden Era' at the Tribeca Film Festival
55:57
Marcus interviews Carlos Vargas from Berlin, who is premiering his film “Hidden Era” at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 9th at the Village East. They discuss Carlos’s previous experience at Tribeca, his expectations for this year's festival, and the importance of the New York film scene. They also talk about his film, Hidden Era, and its similari…
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Marcus speaks with Beirut-born Mira Shaib about her film "Arze", a Lebanese production that explores universal themes of family, abandonment, and societal issues. Mira discusses the World Premiere of the film at the Beijing International Film Festival, the upcoming North American premiere at Tribeca on June 11th (Village East) followed by Cairo Int…
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E2 • The Power of Documentary • SANTIAGO MAZA, dir. of 'State of Silence' at Tribeca + Sheffield DocFest
50:56
Marcus speaks with Mexico City filmmaker Santiago Maza, who shares his insights on documentary filmmaking and his inspired appreciation for the doc "Collective". Santiago's latest film "State of Silence", Executive Produced by Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal, World Premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10th and is followed by Sheffield D…
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Marcus Mizelle interviews Los Angeles-based filmmaker Roxy Shih about her journey in the film industry, what past films most inspired her ("The Umbrellas of Cherbourg", "The Shining"), and her latest film "Beacon" ahead of its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. They discuss the challenges of being a filmmaker in the current Hollywood land…
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Welcome to Past Present Feature, a filmmaker appreciation podcast showcasing new festival releases and the past films that inspired them. As a filmmaker myself, I started this podcast to build community while talking shop, and to show love to past cinema that sparked a new wave of filmmakers to create the films of the future. Let's roll it! Marcus …
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Naomi McDougall Jones
2:10:31
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2:10:31
If you haven't seen The Joyful Vampire Tour of America doc-series yet, it's amazing and insightful. Watch it here. And you can stay up to date with all of Naomi's projects and workshops and such from her website.Por Rob Hardy
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Zander & Elliot Weaver | Cosmos
1:56:40
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1:56:40
My favorite indie film conversation of 2020. Hands down.Por Rob Hardy
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Marcus Mizelle | A Life In Micro-Budget Features
2:26:53
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2:26:53
Today on Filmmaker Freedom, a super in-depth interview with Marcus Mizelle. Marcus is a multi-talented filmmaker with three micro-budget features under his belt, and that's alongside a prolific career directing music videos, working in the grip department, and being a writer/producer. And pretty soon, he's launching an entirely new kind of film fes…
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So, you’ve chosen the perfect niche for your films. And you’ve done the research to ensure it can support you financially. Now what? Well, one option is to just start making films and marketing yourself. Just taking those two prerequisite steps—finding and validating your niche—puts you ahead of 95% of other indie filmmakers in terms of building a …
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In the Art of War, Sun Tzu tells us, “victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." If your goal is to earn a living from your films, this is wisdom to live by. I mean, what if you could virtually guarantee your film would be profitable before you ever wrote a word or shot a frame? …
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How to Choose the Perfect Niche for Your Films
1:16:43
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This episode is long. Quite long. In fact, when it comes to choosing a profitable niche audience for your micro-budget films, you’re about to listen to the most comprehensive guide on the internet. Make no mistake, if you want to succeed as an indie film entrepreneur, targeting profitable niches is the single most important skill for you to learn a…
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Today on Filmmaker Freedom, the only sustainable way for micro-budget filmmakers to win the brutal war for audience attention. This is a war being dominated right now by the likes of Netflix, Disney, YouTube, Facebook, and plenty of others. You might not think you have much chance of competing against companies like this, with their multibillion do…
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Today on Filmmaker Freedom, how to approach building an audience for your films, and do it in a way that leads to sustainable revenue with minimal work. That might sound like a hyperbolic promise, but I guarantee you it's not. There are two foundational missteps that entrepreneurial filmmakers tend to make when building audiences, and these strateg…
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Jason Zink | Horror Stories from the Trenches of Micro-Budget Distribution
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1:16:32
Today on Filmmaker Freedom, an interview with Jason Zink. Jason's directed several micro-budget, DIY features, all in the realm of horror and punk rock. His latest is called Straight Edge Kegger, which looks awesome. He's also experienced first hand just how predatory some traditional distribution deals can be. So in our wide-ranging conversation, …
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Mike Dion | The Pioneer of DIY Distribution
1:12:02
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Today on Filmmaker Freedom, an in-depth interview with Mike Dion. Now, Mike's not a household name in the film community, but to my mind, he's one of the real pioneers of indie film entrepreneurship. In fact, since 2010 Mike's put out a handful of features that appeal to an extremely small, niche audience. But despite the size of the niche, Mike's …
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Today on Filmmaker Freedom, we’re going to kill one of the sacred cows of indie filmmaking culture. Film festivals. We’re going to dissect, point by point, why festivals aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, especially if your goal is to make money with your work. In fact, by the time we get to the end of this episode, you might just be convinced, a…
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Coat of Arms | Running a Successful Studio & the Pursuit of Meaningful Work
1:54:02
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Today on Filmmaker Freedom, an in-depth interview with Clara Lehmann and Jonathan Lacocque. Clara and Jonathan are the co-founders of Coat of Arms, a full service production and post studio that's created work for some of the biggest companies on earth. Think Google, Microsoft, Land Rover, Marriott, WebMD, and way more. They also take their passion…
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Today on Filmmaker Freedom, the three types of audiences you’ll need to understand if you want to make a living selling directly to your fans. We’ll also dig into one of the biggest mistakes I see again and again from indie filmmakers who want to create content, reach people online, and sell their films. Problem is, they do it in the most ineffecti…
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Liz Manashil | Finding Success With Micro-Budget Films
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Liz Manashil is pretty prolific when it comes to writing and directing micro-budget features. I actually found out about Liz a few years ago after her first feature, Bread and Butter, recouped its budget, and she wrote a great article for MovieMaker transparently sharing those numbers and revenue streams. These days, Liz just finished her second fe…
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Today on Filmmaker Freedom, a crash course in what it really means to build an audience, and how to approach this process in a way that will lead you to a profitable, fulfilling business selling your films directly to fans. Trust me, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about audience building, and it's easy to spend months or years going do…
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