The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Dark Waters with Todd Haynes and Gus Van Sant (Ep. 236)

Director Todd Haynes discusses his new film, Dark Waters, with fellow director Gus Van Sant. Inspired by true events, the film tells the story of an environmental defense attorney who uncovers a dark secret hidden by one of the world's largest corporations and risks his own career and family to bring justice to a community dangerously exposed for decades to deadly chemicals.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2020/Jan2020/DarkWaters_QnA_1119.aspx

The Report with Scott Z. Burns and David Mackenzie (Ep. 235)

Director Scott Z. Burns discusses his new film, The Report, with fellow director David Mackenzie. The film tells the true story of Senate staffer Daniel Jones, who was tasked by his boss, Senator Dianne Feinstein, to lead an investigation of the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program created in the aftermath of 9/11.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2020/Jan2020/TheReport_QnA_1119.aspx

Marriage Story with Noah Baumbach and Ben Stiller (Ep. 234)

Director Noah Baumbach discusses his new film, Marriage Story, with fellow director Ben Stiller. The film stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a stage director and an actor who are struggling through a coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Dec2019/MarriageStory_QnA_1119.aspx

Honey Boy with Alma Har’el and Boaz Yakin (Ep. 233)

Director Alma Har'el discusses her new film, Honey Boy, with fellow director Boaz Yakin. Starring Shia LaBeouf in a story inspired by his own real-life childhood, the film follows a young actor into early adulthood as he navigates a difficult relationship with his father and struggles to deal with his mental health.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2020/Jan2020/HoneyBoy_AlmaHarel_QnA_1119.aspx

Motherless Brooklyn with Edward Norton and Mike Binder (Ep. 232)

Director Edward Norton discusses his new film, Motherless Brooklyn, with fellow director Mike Binder. Based on the novel by JOnathan Lethem, the film follows Lionel Essrog, a private detective with Tourette's syndrome who uncovers a web of corruption in 1950s New York while investigating the murder of his mentor.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Dec2019/MotherlessBrooklyn_QnA_1119.aspx

Queen & Slim with Melina Matsoukas and M. Night Shyamalan (Ep. 231)

Director Melina Matsoukas discusses her new film, Queen & Slim, with fellow director M. Night Shyamalan. The film follows Queen and Slim, whose first date takes an unexpected turn when they are pulled over for a minor traffic violation. After the situation escalates and Slim shoot the police officers in self-defense, the couple become unwitting outlaws and a viral symbol of trauma, terror and pain for people all over the country.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Dec2019/QueenSlim_QnA_1119.aspx

Citizen K with Alex Gibney and Matthew Heineman (Ep. 230)

Director Alex Gibney discusses his film, Citizen K, with fellow director Matthew Heineman. Photographed on location in the UK, Russia and Germany, the documentary follows Mikhail Khodorkovsky, one of the richest men in Russia who became known as the world-famous dissident "Citizen K" when he was imprisoned after a series of theatrical trials orchestrated by Vladimir Putin.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Dec2019/NYDocSeries_CitizenK.aspx

Little Women with Greta Gerwig and Rian Johnson (Ep. 229)

Director Greta Gerwig discusses her new film, Little Women, with fellow director Rian Johnson. Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, the film follows four sisters in America—Amy, Jo, Beth and Meg—as they come of age in the aftermath of the Civil War.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Dec2019/LittleWomen_QnA_1119.aspx

Jojo Rabbit with Taika Waititi and Paul Downs Colaizzo (Ep. 228)

Director Taika Waititi discusses his new film, Jojo Rabbit, with fellow director Paul Downs Colaizzo. Set during the waning days of World War II, the film tells the story of Jojo, a young boy whose only friend is an imaginary and idiotic projection of Adolf Hitler.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Dec2019/JojoRabbit_QnA_1019.aspx

The King with David Michôd and Neil Burger (Ep. 227)

Director David Michôd discusses his new film, The King, with fellow director Neil Burger. The film stars Timothée Chalamet as Prince Hal, who had turned his back on royal life to live among the people until the death of his tyrannical father. Now, crowned King Henry V, the young ruler is forced to embrace the world he had previously tried to escape.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Dec2019/TheKing_QnA_1019.aspx

The Lighthouse with Robert Eggers and Rian Johnson (Episode 226)

Director Robert Eggers discusses his new film, The Lighthouse, with fellow director Rian Johnson. Set in 1980s New England, the film tells the hallucinatory story of a grizzled veteran seaman and a novice lighthouse keeper who are thrown together on a harsh assignment. As isolation and alcohol being to eat at their sanity, they become threatened by their own nightmares.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Dec2019/Lighthouse_QnA_1019.aspx

Pavarotti with Ron Howard and Ondi Timoner (Episode 225)

Director Ron Howard discusses his new film, Pavarotti, with fellow director Ondi Timoner. The film examines the life and career of famed opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Featuring never-before-seen footage, concert performances and intimate interviews, the film takes an in-depth look at the lasting legacy of the musical icon affectionately dubbed "The People's Tenor."
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Nov2019/LA_DocSeries_Pavarotti1019.aspx

The Irishman with Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee (Episode 224)

Director Martin Scorsese discusses his new film, The Irishman, with fellow director Spike Lee. The film follows Frank Sheeran, a retired WWII veteran and former mob hitman, as he reflects on the moments that defined his career as a figure in organized crime, especially his role in the 1975 disappearance and murder of Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Nov2019/Irishman_QnA_1019.aspx

The Current War - Director’s Cut with Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and Jonathan Mostow(Episode 223)

Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon discusses his new film, The Current War: Director's Cut, with fellow director Jonathan Mostow. The film reveals how electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse engaged in a battle of technology and ideas to determine whether direct current or alternating current would power the modern world.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Nov2019/CurrentWar_QnA_1019.aspx

Blade Runner: The Final Cut with Director Ridley Scott and Jon Favreau (Episode 222)

As part of a special celebration for the grand re-opening of the DGA’s brand new, state-of-the-art theater in Los Angeles, Director Ridley Scott discussed his 1982 sc-fi classic, Blade Runner. Scott’s final cut version of the film was shown with Dolby Vision picture and Dolby Atmos sound.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Nov2019/LA-TheaterReOpeningCelebration_091921.aspx

Joker with Director Todd Phillips and Ivan Reitman (Episode 221)

Director Todd Phillips discusses his new film, Joker, with fellow director Ivan Reitman. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, the film examines the slow descent into madness of the man who would become Batman’s arch nemesis.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Nov2019/Joker_QnA_1019.aspx

Ad Astra with Director James Gray and Damien Chazelle (Episode 220)

Director James Gray discusses his new film, Ad Astra, with fellow director Damien Chazelle (First Man). The film stars Brad Pitt as a near-future astronaut who makes a daring voyage to discover the truth about his father (Tommy Lee Jones) who disappeared on a deep space mission 30 year prior. The journey will unravel a mystery that challenges the nature of human existence and threatens the survival of our planet.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Nov2019/JamesGrayAD_ASTRA_QnA_0919.aspx

Downton Abbey with Director Michael Engler and Ritesh Batra (Episode 219)

Director Michael Engler discusses his film, Downton Abbey, with fellow director Ritesh Batra. The film continues the story from the popular British show, as both the hosts and the help prepare for a royal visit from the King and Queen of England. Scandal, romance and intrigue will leave the future of Downton hanging in the balance.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Nov2019/DowntonAbbey_QnA_0919.aspx

Hustlers with Lorene Scafaria and Adam McKay (Ep. 218)

Director Lorene Scafaria discusses her film, Hustlers, with fellow director Adam McKay. Inspired by a true story, the film stars Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu as two former strip club employees who join forces to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Nov2019/Hustlers_QnA_0919.aspx

Official Secrets with Gavin Hood and Phillip Noyce (Ep. 217)

Director Gavin Hood discusses his film, Official Secrets, with fellow director Phillip Noyce. The film tells the true story of Katharine Gun, a British intelligence specialist who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to collect compromising information on UN members and blackmail them into sanctioning 2003 invasion of Iraq.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Oct2019/GavinHoodDiscussesOfficialSecrets_QnA_0919.aspx