The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast
Brought to you by the Directors Guild of America, ”The Director’s Cut” will bring you the behind-the-scenes stories of today’s most talked about films. Each episode features a different director interviewed by one of their peers, leading to revealing conversations about the grueling, but rewarding process of bringing their films to life.
Episodes

Friday May 13, 2022
The Janes with Tia Lessin & Emma Pildes and Ondi Timoner (Ep. 356)
Friday May 13, 2022
Friday May 13, 2022
Director Tia Lessin & Emma Pildes discuss their new film, The Janes, with fellow director Ondi Timoner in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. They talk about the origin of the project, give more context on the films central characters, share their thoughts on the future of Roe v. Wade.
Screened as part of the DGA’s Documentary Series, the film tells the story of the Jane Collective, a group of women who used code names, blindfolds and safe houses in an underground service for women seeking abortions in the years before the Roe v. Wade decision.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/June2022/THE_JANES_DocSeries_0422.aspx

Friday Apr 29, 2022
Drive My Car with Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Victoria Hochberg (Ep. 355)
Friday Apr 29, 2022
Friday Apr 29, 2022
Director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi discusses his new film, Drive My Car, with fellow director Victoria Hochberg in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. The conversation took place via Zoom and was translated by Aiko Hamaguchi.
The film follows an aging widowed actor who receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya. During the production, he is forced to confront painful truths from his past with the help of the young woman assigned to chauffeur him.
Join Mr. Hamaguchi as he shares his philosophy of what a director is and how he helps actors instinctively understand their characters.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://dga.org/Events/2022/May2022/GCS_DriveMyCar_0422.aspx

Monday Apr 18, 2022
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Directors Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert discuss their new film, Everything Everywhere All at Once, with fellow director Destin Daniel Cretton in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
When struggling laundromat owner Evelyn Wang finds out that only she can save the multiverse, she is swept into a dimension spanning adventure as she explores the other lives she could have led.
Join Mr. Kwan and Mr. Scheinert as they speak about working with Michelle Yeoh, the films that inspired this film (The Matrix and Fight Club), and how twelve people completed the visual effects using After Effects.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/May2022/EverythingEverywhere_QnA_0422.aspx

Monday Apr 11, 2022
Moonfall with Roland Emmerich and Anna Foerster (Ep. 353)
Monday Apr 11, 2022
Monday Apr 11, 2022
Director Roland Emmerich discusses his new film, Moonfall, with fellow director Anna Foerster in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In a world on the brink of annihilation, two former astronauts team up with a conspiracy theorist to save humanity.
Mr. Emmerich shares why Moonfall led him back to directing another disaster film, why production design led him to directing, how he copes with being in the edit.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/April2022/Moonfall_QnA_022219.aspx

Friday Apr 01, 2022
Friday Apr 01, 2022
Paul Thomas Anderson, Kenneth Branagh, Jane Campion, Steven Spielberg, and Denis Villeneuve engage in a conversation with moderator Jeremy Kagan for the 31st Annual DGA Meet the Nominees: Theatrical Feature Film Symposium.
Part two finds the nominees discussing how they help actors find their characters, what they do when the shot just isn't working, and how they deal with fear.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
www.dga.org/Events/2022/April20…eatureFilm2022.aspx

Friday Mar 25, 2022
Friday Mar 25, 2022
Paul Thomas Anderson, Kenneth Branagh, Jane Campion, Steven Spielberg, and Denis Villeneuve engage in a conversation with moderator Jeremy Kagan for the 31st Annual DGA Meet the Nominees: Theatrical Feature Film Symposium.
Part one finds the nominees discussing how they know they've "got the shot," where they like to sit on set, and how they prepare for production.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/April2022/MTN_TheatricalFeatureFilm2022.aspx

Thursday Mar 03, 2022
Jackass Forever with Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze (Ep. 350)
Thursday Mar 03, 2022
Thursday Mar 03, 2022
Director Jeff Tremaine discusses his new film, Jackass Forever, with fellow director Spike Jonze in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. The original Jackass crew return after 11 years to push the envelope with another round of hilarious and absurd displays of comedy.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/April2022/JackAssForever_QnA_0222.aspx

Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Marry Me with Kat Coiro and Gillian Robespierre (Ep. 349)
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Director Kat Coiro discusses her new film, Marry Me, with fellow director Gillian Robespierre in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York.
When pop star Kat Valdez learns that her fiancé has been unfaithful seconds before their wedding in front of a global audience of fans, she decides to marry Charlie, a middle school math teacher and stranger in the crowd, instead.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/April2022/MarryMe_QnA_0222.aspx

Friday Feb 04, 2022
The Tragedy of Macbeth with Joel Coen and Guillermo Del Toro (Ep. 348)
Friday Feb 04, 2022
Friday Feb 04, 2022
Director Joel Coen discusses his new film, The Tragedy of Macbeth, with fellow director Guillermo del Toro in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
Based on the timeless work by William Shakespeare, the film reweaves the tale of the power-hungry Thane of Cawdor, who sets his sights on the Scottish throne.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/February2022/Macbeth_QnA_1221.aspx

Friday Jan 28, 2022
Licorice Pizza with Paul Thomas Anderson and Jeremy Kagan (Ep. 347)
Friday Jan 28, 2022
Friday Jan 28, 2022
Director Paul Thomas Anderson discusses his new film, Licorice Pizza, with fellow director Jeremy Kagan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
Set in the early 1970s, the film follows Gary, a 15-year-old aspiring entrepreneur who falls in love with Alana, a 25-year-old yearbook photographer’s assistant, as they embark on a most unlikely romance in California’s San Fernando Valley.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/February2022/LicoricePizza_QnA_122119.aspx

Monday Jan 24, 2022
Cyrano with Joe Wright and Sam Taylor-Johnson (Ep. 346)
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Director Joe Wright discusses his new film, Cyrano, with fellow director Sam Taylor-Johnson in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
Based on the play by Edmond Rostand, the film adds singing to the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, who can dazzle with a word or a sword but, convinced that his appearance makes such a romance impossible, cannot declare his love for his beautiful friend Roxanne.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/February2022/Cyrano_QnA_1221.aspx

Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
The Unforgivable with Nora Fingscheidt and Suzi Yoonessi (Ep. 345)
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Director Nora Fingscheidt discusses her new film, The Unforgivable, with fellow director Suzi Yoonessi in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
The film tells the story of Ruth Slater, a woman recently released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime. As she attempts to re-enter a society that refuses to forgive her past, her only hope for redemption is finding the estranged younger sister she was forced to leave behind.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/January2022/Unforgivable_QnA_1221.aspx

Thursday Jan 13, 2022
Nightmare Alley with Guillermo del Toro and Tim Blake Nelson (Ep. 344)
Thursday Jan 13, 2022
Thursday Jan 13, 2022
Director Guillermo del Toro discusses his new film, Nightmare Alley, with fellow director Tim Blake Nelson in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York.
Set in 1940s New York, the film weaves the tale of a down-on-his-luck hustler who teams up with a clairvoyant and her mentalist husband to scam the wealthy.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/January2022/NightmareAlley_QnA_1221.aspx

Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Bruised with Halle Berry and David E. Talbert (Ep. 343)
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Director Halle Berry discusses her new film, Bruised, with fellow director David E. Talbert in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
The film tells the story of mixed martial arts contestant Jackie Justice, who has failed at the one thing she's ever been good at - fighting. When the young son she abandoned years ago returns to her doorstep, Jackie must conquer her demons both inside and outside the cage.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/January2022/Bruised_QnA_1221.aspx

Thursday Jan 06, 2022
Belfast with Kenneth Branagh and Christopher Nolan (Ep. 342)
Thursday Jan 06, 2022
Thursday Jan 06, 2022
Director Kenneth Branagh discusses his new film, Belfast, with fellow director Christopher Nolan in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
The semi-autobiographical tale follows a working-class family and their nine-year-old son during the late 1960s in the Northern Ireland capital, where political and religious clashes turn their world upside down and change their lives forever.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/January2022/Belfast_QnA_1221.aspx

Friday Dec 24, 2021
West Side Story with Steven Spielberg and Damien Chazelle (Ep. 341)
Friday Dec 24, 2021
Friday Dec 24, 2021
Director Steven Spielberg discusses his new film, West Side Story, with fellow director Damien Chazelle in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
The film retells the story of Tony and Maria, two teenagers from different ethnic backgrounds and rival gangs who fall in love in 1950s New York City. But tensions between their respective friends set them on a path toward tragedy.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/January2022/WestSideStory_QnA_1221.aspx

Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Being the Ricardos with Aaron Sorkin and David O. Russell (Ep. 340)
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Director Aaron Sorkin discusses his new film, Being the Ricardos, with fellow director David O. Russell in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
The film revisits the story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as their complex relationship is threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear and cultural taboos during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom I Love Lucy.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/January2022/BeingTheRicardos_QnA_1221.aspx

Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Red Rocket with Sean Baker and Lizzie Borden (Ep. 339)
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Director Sean Baker discusses his new film, Red Rocket, with fellow director Lizzie Borden in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
The film follows Mikey, who after failing in his adult film career, comes home to a town that doesn’t want him back and clashes with his estranged wife and her family.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/January2022/RedRocket_QnA_122104.aspx

Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
Ghostbusters: Afterlife with Jason Reitman and Eli Roth (Ep. 338)
Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
Director Jason Reitman discusses his new film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, with fellow director Eli Roth in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles.
Set three decades after the original Ghostbusters, the film tells the story of a single mother and her two children who move to a small town in Oklahoma, where they discover their connection to the Ghostbusters and their grandfather’s secret legacy.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/January2022/GhostbustersAL_QnA_1121.aspx

Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
C’mon C’mon with Mike Mills and Spike Jonze (Ep. 337)
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Director Mike Mills discusses his new film, C'mon C'mon, with fellow director Spike Jonze in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. The film tells the story of a man who forms a bond with his sister's son when they are thrown together on a cross-country trip.
Please note: spoilers are included.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2022/January2022/CmonCmon_QnA_1121.aspx

The Director's Cut
Formed in 1936 to protect the economic and creative rights of Hollywood film Directors, the Directors Guild of America has been committed to upholding those core values ever since. A longstanding tradition of the Guild is for its members to share the knowledge of their craft with future generations, so through The Director’s Cut we bring insights from some of today’s best Directors to you.
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