KUCI: Film School

My So-Called High School Rank / FIlm School Radio interview with Co-directors Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg

MY SO-CALLED HIGH SCHOOL RANK goes deep into the lives of high school students in three radically disparate communities as they navigate the pressures around college while staging a musical, until seismic events upend their dreams and expectations. Months before the college admissions scandal made headlines in 2019, students in Sacramento, CA were busy creating a new musical that drew from their own experiences as talented but very anxious students – all focused on getting into the same top schools. RANKED, the musical, premiered just weeks before Federal charges were levied against Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the college bribing scandal the FBI dubbed Varsity Blues. As word about the musical spread, schools around the country reached out to stage it with their students. The film features the “Ranked” creators Kyle Holmes and David Taylor Gomes, as well as students, parents and staff of Granite Bay High School and Cupertino High School in California, Fordham High School for the Arts in New York City, and Ripley High School in West Virginia. Co-directors New York filmmakers Ricki Stern (The Devil Came on Horseback, Surviving Jeffrey Epstein) and Annie Sundberg (Reversing Roe, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work), join us on how they went about capturing this generation’s shared, hopeful fortitude across America’s many divides.
Streaming on hbo.com starting 11/29 - My So-Called High School Rank
Is now available on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
More on the films of Ricki & Annie: breakthrufilms.org

Sam Now . FIlm School Radio interview with Director Reed Harkness & Producer Jason Reid

Reed Harkness’ hauntingly emotional debut feature documentary SAM NOW poses the question, “What happens when a boy and his brother go on a road trip in search of their missing mom?” Filmed over an expanse of 25 years, two brothers go on a 2,000-mile road trip to solve a family mystery. Shooting on nearly every camera format imaginable, from hand-developed Super-8 film to Arri 4K, Sam Harkness and his older half-brother Reed use their creative world of fiction filmmaking to dive headfirst into dealing with the issue at hand: Sam’s mom is missing. Sam’s wetsuit and mask wearing alter ego, the Blue Panther, bounds into frame with youthful energy and a heroic spirit of adventure. But can the Blue Panther save the day? And are these fun-loving brothers actually ready for what lies ahead? Cracking the case of Sam's mom's disappearance is only the beginning  of their story. As Sam grows up, the optimistic boy with his heart set on finding his mom becomes a man whose new hope is to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma. Director / Producer / Cinematographer Reed Harkness and Producer / Editor Jason Reid join us for a conversation on how they both became filmmakers, a friendship dating back to childhood, how and when Reed realized that his archive of family footage and film collaborations with his brother Sam became the emotional subtext in a search for their mom who walked out of their lives in order to save her own.
For more go to: samnowmovie.com

My Garden of a Thousand Bees / FIlm School Radio interview with Director Martin Dohrn

The natural world is upfront and riveting in acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn’s MY GARDEN OF A THOUSAND BEES. Dohrn sets out to record all the bee species in his tiny urban garden in Bristol, England. Filming with one-of-a-kind lenses he forged at his kitchen table, he catalogs more than 60 different species, from Britain’s largest bumblebees to scissor bees the size of a mosquito. Over long months, Dohrn observes how differences in behavior set different species apart. He eventually gets so close to the bees he can identify individuals by sight, documenting life at their level as we have never seen it before. Among the many amazing moments captured in My Garden of a Thousand Bees, are bees laying tiny eggs preparing for the next generation, green-fanged spiders feasting on male flower bees and a female yellow-faced bee attacking a Gasteruption wasp to protect her nest. Other fascinating behavior featured in the film includes two male bees fighting each other over a female, different species of bees competing over territory and one busy bee building a nest with a shell and hundreds of sticks. Intrigued by the intelligence of one particular wood-carving leafcutter bee, Dohrn dubs her “Nicky” and sees life at her level as she leaves a lasting legacy in the garden. Director and narrator Martin Dohrn (Age of Big Cats, Tera Mater) joins us for a conversation on his own fascination with bees, what inspired into this deep dive into their world and the fundamental importance of these inspiring creatures in sustaining human life.
For more go to: mygardenofathousandbees.org 
Stream MY GARDEN OF A THOUSAND BEES for free on PBS, visit  mygardenofathousandbees.org.
Winner of Behavior, Editing, Producer and Director at the 2022 Golden Panda Film Festival, which honors the best international wildlife film of the year

The Computer Accent / Film School Radio interview with Co-directors Sebastian Pardo and Riel Roch-Decter

Co-directors Sebastian Pardo and Riel Roch-Decter latest documentary, THE COMPUTER ACCENT, is a documentary following the boundary-pushing pop group YACHT as they try something terrifying and new: handing over the reins of their entire creative process to ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. Working with technologists and leading AI researchers, YACHT uses cutting-edge data analysis tools, machine learning, neural networks, sci-fi instruments, and generative composition strategies to create a new kind of human-machine album—music, lyrics, artwork, videos, and all. Putting AI to the test in the name of art, YACHT are guides through the brave new world of machine intelligence. Along the way, they’ll question their own roles in a future where software anticipates, generates, and synthesizes human work. Co-directors Sebastian Pardo (ACTRESS, ALL LIGHT, EVERYWHERE, ANOTHER EVIL) and Riel Roch-Decter (RAT FILM, FRAUD, DAVID) join us to talk about working with the leading edge group of artists who make up YACHT, their willingness to embrace the possibility of failure, and exploring the benefits, pitfalls and inevitability of Artificial Intelligence in our daily lives.
For more go to: memory.is

Calendar Girls / Film School Radio interview with Co-Directors Maria Loohufvud and Love Martinsen

The love of dance and glitter bonds an unlikely group of 60-plus women in Southwest Florida – the CALENDAR GIRLS. But under the veil of fake lashes and unicorn horns lurks the deeper truths of what aging women face within society. Sisterhood, love, loss – all come into play in this uplifting film about trying to age on your own terms and refusal to become invisible. Directors Maria Loohufvud and Love Martinsen craft a life-affirming, feel-good documentary that shakes up the outdated image of what it means to be an “old lady”. It’s a call for everyone to dance their heart out, while you still can. Directed and produced by Maria Loohufvud and Love Martinsen, CALENDAR GIRLS has screened at over 40 film festivals including 2022 Sundance Film Festival while bringing joy to all who watch the film. It has also won numerous awards during its festival run. Co-directors Maria Loohufvud and Love Martinsen stop by to talk about this lyrical look at women that are determined to face down agism, sexism and thrilled to live their lives while relishing the opportunity to entertain, young and old.
For more go to: calendargirlsfilm.com
Released through Pink Dolphin, the film will open at the Laemmle Town Center Encino in Los Angeles on Nov 18.

There There / Film School Radio interview with Director Andrew Bujalski

In THERE THERE acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Bujalski (Support the Girls, Computer Chess) explores the precarious nature of human connection in a round robin of emotional two-character vignettes in which seven people reach out and bond momentarily, setting the scene for the next encounter. A pair of new lovers, an alcoholic and her AA sponsor, a teacher and a parent, a lawyer and his client, and more move from scene to scene, revealing intimate details as they forge connections. Via a groundbreaking shooting process, Bujalski plays with ideas of isolation and perception by filming each actor individually in separate locations, only joining them to their partner’s performance in the edit. An extraordinary cast including Jason Schwartzman, Lennie James, Lili Taylor and Molly Gordon sensitively captures the humor and heartbreaking fragility of life and love in the 2020s. Director Andrew Bujalski (Beeswax, Support the Girls, Results, Funny Ha Ha) stops by for a conversation on how the daunting challenge of making a film in the age of COVID that mirrored the unstable zeitgeist of a film about seven people rattling through life trying to re-connect with a recognizable humanity.
For more go to: magpictures.com/therethere

Retrograde / Film School Radio interview with Director Matthew Heineman

Matthew Heineman’s RETROGRADE captures the final nine months of America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan from multiple perspectives: one of the last U.S. Special Forces units deployed there, a young Afghan general and his corps fighting to defend their homeland against all odds, and the civilians desperately attempting to flee as the country collapses and the Taliban take over. From rarely seen operational control rooms to the frontlines of battle to the chaotic Kabul airport during the final U.S. withdrawal, Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman’s latest film offers a cinematic and historic window onto the end of America’s longest war, and the costs endured for those most intimately involved. Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, City of Ghosts, The First Wave) joins us for a conversation on why he was determined to eschew the macro politics of the 20-year old war and boar in on the human cost, tribulations and vanishing compassion facing so many innocent people desperately looking for a way out of unfathomable chaos and the level of risk he and his crew the risk had to navigate.
For more go to: nationalgeographic.com/retrograde
For more on Matthew Heineman go to: Our Time Projects
Opens in Los Angeles on November 18 at AMC Sunset 5 and Laemmle NoHo
Also Streaming on: National Geographic, Thursday, December 8th - Disney+ Friday, December 9th - Hulu Sunday, December 11th

2nd Chance -/ Film School Radio interview with Director Ramin Bahrani

Ramin Bahrani’s debut feature documentary, 2nd Chance takes an in-depth look at a former pizzeria owner, Richard Davis, the man who invented the modern-day bulletproof vest. To prove that it worked, he shot himself — point blank — 192 times. Davis then launched Second Chance, which became one of the largest body armor companies in the world. Charming and brash, he directed sensational marketing films, earning him celebrity status among police and gun owners across the country. But the death of a police officer wearing a Second Chance vest catalyzes Davis’ fall, and reveals a man full of contradictions cultivated over decades of reckless behavior. Equally as questionable as he was captivating, Davis saved thousands of lives while endangering exponentially more. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ramin Bahrani (Chop Shop, 99 Homes, White Tiger) continues his fascination with the perilous pursuit of the American Dream as seen through a uniquely individual lens. The film shrewdly juxtaposes Richard Davis’ actions with those of his righteous right-hand man, Aaron Westrick. Unwilling to passively present questionable truths, Bahrani instead lays bare the complexities of one man’s supposed virtue while speaking to the nature of power and impunity in America. Director and producer Ramin Bahrani joins us for a conversation on making the leap into feature documentary, his fascination with Richard Davis and his penchant for self mythology, gun culture and the invaluable opportunity for redemption and reconciliation.
For theatrical release go to: bleeckerstreetmedia.com/2nd-chance
For at home release go to: showtime.com
Watch at Virtual Platform at: docnyc.net/film/2nd-chance

The Return of Tanya Tucker featuring Brandi Carlile / FIlm School Radio interview with Director Kathlyn Horan

THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER follows Brandie Carlile and trailblazing, hell-raising country music legend Tanya Tucker, a woman who defied the standards of how a woman in country music was supposed to behave. Decades after Tanya slipped from the spotlight, rising Americana music star Brandi Carlile takes it upon herself to write an entire album for her hero based on Tanya’s extraordinary life, spurring the greatest comeback in country music history. THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER follows Tanya’s richly creative, utterly captivating, bumpy ride back to the top as Brandi encourages her to push past her fears to create a new sound and reach a new audience. The writing, the experimenting, and refining of this new music mixes with all that came before – using rare archival footage and photographs to delve into Tanya’s history, beginning in a single wide trailer in Seminole, Texas. Taking stock of the past while remaining vitally alive in the present and keeping an eye on the future, THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER is a rousing exploration of an unexpected friendship built on the joy of a perfectly timed creative collaboration. Director Kathlyn Horan (Breaking 2, Past Due, Religion of Sports) joins us for a conversation on the pure joy and anxiety that were intertwined throughout the remarkable journey to document the return of Americana / Country Western legend Tanya Tucker to a Brandi Carlile produced recording project and eventually a concert tour, as well as the friendship that develops between the two women and the importance of Day One in the trajectory of this magical film.
For more go to: sonyclassics.com/thereturnoftanyatucker

A House Made of Splinters / FIlm School Radio interview with Director Simon Lereng Wilmont

Award-winning filmmaker Simon Lereng Wilmont (THE DISTANT BARKING OF DOGS) brings his intimate and empathetic touch to a rundown halfway house in Eastern Ukraine that houses some of the country’s most vulnerable - dozens of children cramped between an unstable and chaotic home life and the over-burdened foster care system. Wilmont’s A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS documents the fast-disappearing childhoods of these vulnerable young people amidst ever-worsening political strife with adroit warmth and unfettered access. As the film records how children suffer and survive violence and abandonment, the “orphanage” becomes a metaphor for a home, a country and a world where people entrusted with leadership fail to rise up to their responsibilities. Director, producer Simon Lereng Wilmont joins us for a conversation on the trove of love and hope that he found amongst the dysfunction and despair that has pushed so many children into institutional living, the spark of youth that refuses to be extinguished and the caring staff that do the best they can in a corner of the world that is imploding.
For more go to: cinephil.com/a-house-made-of-splinters