KUCI: Film School

We Are As Gods - Co-directors David Alvarado & Jason Sussberg

WE ARE AS GODS offers a deep dive into the many sides of Stewart Brand - creator of The Whole Earth Catalog, which Steve Jobs famously called “Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google existed.” an influential member of Ken Kesey’s “The Merry Pranksters,” and founder of the modern environmental movement. Brand’s approach to his work and life influenced many, including Steve Jobs, who have gone on to shape our modern world. Now in his 80’s, he looks to leave a legacy for the long-term future with his efforts to resurrect ecosystems through de-extinction. The man who coined the phrase “we are as gods and might as well get good at it” is now under fire from former allies who believe he’s gone too far, but Brand won’t be easily deterred from a mission he feels is necessary to save the future of the planet. Now in his ninth decade, still committed to long term thinking, he controversially advocates for a new approach to nuclear power and the bio-reengineering of keystone extinct species. Co-directors David Alvarado & Jason Sussberg join us to talk about their own paths into the worlds of Stewart Brand, their admiration for his uncanny ability to be at the center of cultural and technological shifts, as well as getting a glimpse into his life away from the spotlight.
For updates and screenings go to: greenwichentertainment.com/we-are-as-gods
For VOD: APPLE TV AMAZON DVD

The Justice of Bunny King / Film School Radio interview with Director Graysorn Thavat

Bunny King (Essie Davis, THE BABADOOK), a headstrong mother of two with a sketchy past, earns her keep by washing windows at traffic lights. Using her razor-sharp wit to charm money from gridlocked motorists, she saves every cent to get back the custody of her kids. After promising her daughter a birthday party, Bunny must fight the social services and break the rules to keep her word, but in doing so risks losing her children altogether. Accompanied by her niece Tonya (Thomasin McKenzie, LEAVE NO TRACE, LAST NIGHT IN SOHO), a fierce teenager running away from home, Bunny is in a race against the clock and headed towards an epic showdown with the authorities. With her first feature, director Gaysorn Thavat has made a deeply affecting film about a woman refusing to back down from a system that’s stacked against her. At each step of Bunny’s journey, the film grounds itself in her pain and passion, and thanks to Essie Davis’ fearless work, Bunny becomes an indomitable hero. A testament to resilience in the face of adversity, The Justice of Bunny King is served in exquisite fashion. Director and co-story writer Gaysorn Thavat joins us for a conversation on the many challenges of making their first feature film, despite the many years spent in the industry, and the joy of collaborating with two of the finest actors working today, Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie.
For updates and screenings go to: filmrise.com/the-justice-of-bunny-king

Railway Children / FOlm School radio interview with Director Morgan Matthews

Inspired by one of the most beloved British family films of all time, RAILWAY CHILDREN is an enchanting, moving, and heart-warming adventure for a new generation. 1944 – As life in Britain’s cities becomes increasingly perilous, three evacuee children – Lily (Beau Gadsdon), Pattie (Eden Hamilton) and Ted (Zac Cudby) Watts – are sent by their mother from Salford to the Yorkshire village of Oakworth.  There to meet them on the train station platform are Bobbie Waterbury (Jenny Agutter, reprising her iconic role in the original film), her daughter, Annie (Sheridan Smith), and grandson Thomas (Austin Haynes), and with their help the evacuees are soon settling into their new life in the countryside. When the children discover injured American soldier Abe (KJ Aikens), hiding out in the railyard at Oakworth Station, they are thrust into a dangerous quest to assist their new friend who, like them, is a long way from home. Director Morgan Matthews (A Brilliant Young Mind) is our guest for a conversation on the motivation and goals that he had in mind for an updated version a classic film, working with a raw and talented young cast that includes Beau Gadson and KJ Aikens as well as established veterans actors like Jenny Agutter, Sheridan Smith, John Bradley and Tom Courtenay.
To watch go to: bluefoxentertainment.com/railway-children

Let the Little Light Shine / Film School Radio interview with Director Kevin Shaw

Kevin Shaw’s inside look into the politics of race, gentrification, education and community concerns is on full display in his feature documentary LET THE LITTLE LIGHT SHINE. When city planners impose unwanted changes, one person can easily feel helpless - but a group of people with a common cause just might find enough collective strength to fight the power. LET THE LITTLE LIGHT SHINE tells the story of the parents, students, administrators and students of Chicago’s National Teachers Academy, a high-performing public elementary school in an African-American neighborhood, who join forces in an effort to do just that. When the powers that be announce plans to phase out NTA’s current K-8 curriculum and transform it into a high school drawing students from other schools, the community senses gentrification at work and gets organized. Director Kevin Shaw joins us for a conversation on capturing the struggle to save NTA through all its highs and lows - introducing us to charismatic young leaders taking a stand to protect their academic futures.
For updates and screenings go to: lightshinefilm.com

The Story of Film: A New Generation, Director Mark Cousins

A decade after The Story of Film: An Odyssey, an expansive and influential inquiry into the state of moviemaking in the 20th century, filmmaker Mark Cousins returns with an epic and hopeful tale of cinematic innovation from around the globe. In The Story of Film: A New Generation, Cousins turns his sharp, meticulously honed gaze on world cinema from 2010 to 2021, using a surprising range of works—including Frozen, The Babadook, and Cemetery of Splendour—as launchpads to explore recurring themes and emerging motifs, from the evolution of film language, to technology’s role in moviemaking today, to shifting identities in 21st-century world cinema. Touching on everything from Parasite and The Farewell to Black Panther and Lover’s Rock, Cousins seeks out films, filmmakers and communities under-represented in traditional film histories, with a particular emphasis on Asian and Middle Eastern works, as well as boundary-pushing documentaries and films that see gender in new ways. And as the recent pandemic recedes, Cousins ponders what comes next in the streaming age: how have we changed as cinephiles, and how moviegoing will continue to transform in the digital century, to our collective joy and wonder.  Director Mark Cousins stops by for an optimistic conversation on the state of filmmaking in every corner of the world and how that will continue to feed our collective imagination and our eternal desire to tell our stories.
For more: musicboxfilms.com/the-story-of-film-a-new-generation

The Bengali / Film School Radio interview with Director Kavery Kaul

In Kavery Kaul’s deeply personal documentary, THE BENGALI, Fatima Shaik embarks upon an unlikely quest when she travels from New Orleans, the city of her birth, to India, home of her grandfather Shaik Mohamed Musa. An African-American writer whose family has lived in Louisiana for four generations, she travels with Kolkata-born filmmaker Kavery Kaul to a part of India where no African-American has ever gone. Her search for the past is fraught with uncertainty, as she looks for her grandfather’s descendants, the land he claimed to own, and the truth behind the stories she grew up with. Through Fatima’s moving and inspiring personal journey, THE BENGALI, tells the untold story of ties between South Asians and African-Americans in the U.S. In the late nineteenth-century, men from India arrived in the United States and married African-American women. The men were Muslims; the women were Christian. Together, they built families in an America that held them all at arm’s length. THE BENGALI, reaches across seemingly insurmountable cultural divides to shine light on timely issues. Its boldly different story of immigration reclaims timeless themes of family. Award-winning filmmaker Kavery Kaul (Cuban Canvas, Long Way from Home) joins us for an illuminating conversation on this intriguing and little-known story of migration, trials and triumphs of mostly Bengali men who came to America searching for a better life in America
For updates and screenings go to: thebengalifilm.com

From the Hood to the Holler / Film School Radio interview with Director Pat McGee

Running in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Mitch McConnell, Charles Booker attempts one of the biggest upsets in political history by challenging establishment-backed candidate Amy McGrath. FROM THE HOOD TO THE HOLLER follows Booker’s campaign across Kentucky, from the most urban to the most rural settings, with Booker and his team rewriting the campaign playbook. Instead of exploiting divisions, they lean into the idea that average Kentuckians have common bonds, united by their shared day-to-day fight to survive. His message is simple: Whether you are from the city “hood” — like Booker — or the Appalachian “holler,” you are not invisible. Igniting a movement known as FROM THE HOOD TO THE HOLLER, political activist Charles Booker works to unite people of all socioeconomic backgrounds while fighting against big money in politics, voter suppression, and systemic corruption. Filmmakers, director Pat McGee and producers Adam Linkenhelt, Terry Hahin, Gregory Taylor capture a young man finding his voice as a leader and his incredible journey against the odds.
For updates and screenings go to: fromthehoodtothehollerfilm.com
For more about the filmmaker: patmcgeepictures.com

In Silico / FIlm SchoolRadio interview with Director Noah Hutton

In 2010 filmmaker Noah Hutton set out to document the work of visionary, and TED Talk supernova, neuroscientist Henry Markram, as he turns his frustration with his chosen field’s vested interest in maintaining a status quo attitude. With time elapsing and millions of dollars on the line, this compelling and fascinating documentary, IN SILICO, explores an audacious 10-year quest to simulate the entire human brain on supercomputers. Along the way, IN SILICO reveals the profound beauty of tiny mistakes and bold predictions — a controversial space where scientific process meets ego, and where the lines between objectivity and ambition blur. Director, producer, writer, cinematographer, editor and composer Noah Hutton (Lapsis, Crude Independence, Deep Time) joins us for an entertaining conversation on the visionary / foolhardy project to map and replicate the most complex organism / data processor in the known universe as well as Hutton’s own personal and professional determination to chronicle the jagged trajectory of this groundbreaking enterprise.
For updates and screenings go to: insilicofilm.com
For more on the work of Noah Hutton go to: couple3films.com

Murder at the Cottage / Film School Radio interview with Director Jim Sheridan

MURDER AT THE COTTAGE shines a bright light on the events and investigation into the brutal killing of two days before Christmas in 1996 of French TV producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier at her holiday cottage in Schull, West Cork. In 2019, the key suspect, English journalist Ian Bailey – the first reporter on the scene – was found guilty in absentia by the French courts yet was never found guilty in Ireland, owing to a lack of reliable evidence. In the true crime docuseries, MURDER AT THE COTTAGE: THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE FOR SOPHIE, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Jim Sheridan takes viewers on a journey of the unsolved case that has haunted West Cork for almost 25 years. Piecing together original evidence, never-before-seen footage and interviews with those closest to the case, Sheridan tries to make sense of what happened that night. Having successfully fought repeated extradition requests from the French authorities, Bailey still resides in West Cork and maintains his innocence to this day. Six-time Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, The Boxer) joins us for a conversation on the haunting specter Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s savage murder had in motivating him to make this docuseries, the complicated “suspect” that Ian Bailey became over the last two and a half years, the international political and judicial hand grenade that the case presented for France and Ireland, and the role that the local Irish police had in bolloxing the entire investigation into the victim’s unsolved death.
Watch Murder at the Cottage at: topic.com

Our American Family / Film School Radio interview with Hallee Adelman and Sean King O’Grady

Addiction is an all-encompassing force, in not only of the lives of the afflicted, but also those around them. OUR AMERICAN FAMILY provides an honest, unfiltered look at a close-knit Philadelphia family dealing with generational substance abuse. Captured at a pivotal “nothing to lose” moment, for over the course of a year, five family members tired of life with addiction on center stage, each struggle to transcend their crippling histories. What will it take to shift this entrenched, wrenching pattern in their lives? Will they be able to make significant shifts to help their next generation? The members of OUR AMERICAN FAMILY - Nicole, Lynda, Bryan, Chris and Stephen - invite us into their lives to find hope and to explore what’s possible. Though they often falter, their familial loyalty is powerful, demonstrating how through love and dedication people can rise out of the deepest depths. For a touching, eye-opening look into one of America's most pressing crises, look no further. Co-directors Hallee Adelman (Writing with Fire, Us Kids, Truffle Hunters) and Sean King O’Grady (In A World, The Assistant, Dinner in America) join us for a remarkably candid look inside the internal dynamics of a family operating at the edge of viability as well as a dogged determination to not give up.
For screenings and updates go to: ouramericanfamilyfilm.com