filmmaker interviews

Darren Aronofsky Dec 4, 2008

For more than a decade now, director Darren Aronofsky has wanted to make a film about wrestling. The Wrestler, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival this year, has also received rave reviews for its star, Mickey Rourke, who gives a heartbreaking performance as a washed-up old wrestler pounded down by life. The Wrestler, which is set in the down and out world of New Jersey trailer parks, wrestling arenas and strip clubs, is a departure from Aronofsky’s last three, more meditative films, Pi, Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain.
Jody Lambert Nov 25, 2008

I recently had the pleasure of seeing the documentary Of All the Things at the ’08 AFI festival. My friend knew the director, Jody Lambert, and I went along knowing nothing about the film. Turns out it is a charming story about Dennis Lambert, the writer and/or producer of songs such as Nightshift, Baby Come Back, Rhinestone Cowboy and She’s Gone. In 2007, Mr. Lambert, who left show business many years ago, begrudgingly (at least at first) accepted an invitation to the Philippines to perform his songs live.
Danny Boyle Oct 27, 2008

Danny Boyle thinks his first movie, the 1996 hit, Trainspotting, was his best. Twelve years later, after directing half a dozen movies, he says he is simply trying to replicate the sense of freshness that he felt as a novice on his first low-budget feature. With Slumdog Millionaire, he might as well have been a first time director—in India.
Alfredo De Villa Oct 27, 2008

Director Alfredo De Villa’s critically acclaimed 2002 drama, Washington Heights, brought New York’s Dominican American culture to life. In his latest feature, Nothing Like the Holidays, De Villa focuses on a tightly knit Puerto Rican family from Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. Nothing Like the Holidays was very personal to producer Robert Teitel, who ultimately decided to hire De Villa for the job. Teitel, who produced Soul Food and Barbershop, wanted to bring the neighborhood where many of his family grew up, to the big screen.
Gina Prince-Bythewood Oct 21, 2008

It took many years for writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood to commit to making Sue Monk Kidd's best selling novel, The Secret Life of Bees, into a movie. In between she had two boys, directed an HBO feature based on Terry McMillan's book, Disappearing Acts, and produced a film for her husband Reggie Rock Bythewood. When she finally decided to plunge into The Secret Life of Bees, it was a natural and seamless fit.
Charlie Kaufman Oct 21, 2008

Three years after winning an Oscar for his screenplay, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie Kaufman makes his directorial debut by delving into the sad realities of mid-life. Synecdoche, New York deals with missed opportunities, relationships, illness and death—issues that Kaufman has been pondering for the past few years. He says he welcomed the opportunity to direct and found it a relief from the solitary discipline of writing.
Tia Lessin and Carl Deal Oct 20, 2008

Directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal have been life partners for more than 15 years. They now have a production company together and see each other, literally 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week—not even a door separates them in their loft office in New York City. But as Lessin says, they still find “joy” in working with each other. The pair, who formed their documentarian chops working with director Michael Moore on Bowling for Columbine and Farenheit 9/11, have made their directorial debut chronicling the human disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina.
David Gordon Green Oct 20, 2008

Director David Gordon Green has made a career out of character driven dramas, often set in the South, such as the acclaimed George Washington and All the Real Girls. But Gordon Green, who saw his first movie at the tender age of two-weeks, has now crossed over into studio territory with Pineapple Express, a comedy thriller from the team behind Superbad and Knocked Up. The 33-year-old director says he needed to “recharge” his batteries after coming off so many years of intense, often tragic films.
Adam McKay Oct 19, 2008

Writer/Director Adam McKay has enjoyed huge box office success by getting Americans to laugh at themselves. With the star and collaborator of his films, Will Ferrell, McKay has taken on the sexist 1970s culture of local television in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and then the fried-chicken-eatin’-beer-loving NASCAR culture of the South in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. McKay, an alum of Chicago’s famed Second City Improv Company, met Ferrell when they worked on Saturday Night Live together. The long time pals, and versatile actor John C.
Anand Tucker Oct 19, 2008

British director Anand Tucker has explored the depths of mental illness with his acclaimed 1998 film, Hilary and Jackie. He then moved his lens to a lonely sales girl and her relationships in Shopgirl, based on Steve Martin's novel. His latest feature, When Did You Last See Your Father?, takes an unsentimental look at the complicated relationship between a father and son. Adapted from Blake Morrison's novel and starring Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth, When Did You Last See Your Father? delves into the death of a parent and coming to terms with an imperfect relationship.