The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Blaze with Ethan Hawke and John Patrick Shanley (Ep. 156)

Director Ethan Hawke discusses his film, Blaze, with fellow director John Patrick Shanley. Adapted from Sybil Rosen's memoir, Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze, the film tells the story of Blaze Foley, a songwriting legend of the Texas outlaw music movement that spawned superstars like Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2018/Oct2018/Blaze_QnA_0918.aspx

Kin with The Baker Brothers and James Ponsoldt (Ep. 155)

Directors Jonathan Baker and Josh Baker discusses their film, Kin, with fellow director James Ponsoldt. Based on the Baker brothers' 2014 short film Bag Man, the film tells the story of an ex-con named Jimmy and his adopted teenage brother Eli, who are forced to flee their home after Jimmy lands in trouble with a local crime boss.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2018/Oct2018/Kin_QnA_0918.aspx

An LA Minute with Daniel Adams and Bill Fishman (Ep. 154)

Director Daniel Adams discusses his film, An LA Minute, with fellow director Bill Fishman. In a satirical look at fame, the film tells the story of Ted Gold, a former Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who gave up being a serious writer to cash in by penning trashy bestsellers, His world is shaken when he meets Velocity, a young beautiful and homeless performance artist, whose passion and integrity inspires him to follow her example.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2018/Oct2018/AnLAMinute_QnA_0818.aspx

Shock and Awe with Rob Reiner and Jeremy Kagan (Ep. 153)

Director Rob Reiner discusses his film, Shock and Awe, with fellow director Jeremy Kagan. Based on a true story, the film takes us back to the time after 9/11 when the Bush-Cheney administration claimed that then-President of Iraq Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, during their push to ramp up support for the invasion of Iraq. However, journalists at the Knight-Ridder news agency were skeptical of the evidence and stayed in pursuit of the real story while their colleagues mistakenly fed the American people news based on faulty and fabricated intelligence.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2018/Sept2018/ShocknAwe_QnA_0818.aspx

The King with Eugene Jarecki and Marilyn Agrelo (Ep. 152)

Director Eugene Jarecki discusses his film, The King, with fellow director Marilyn Agrelo. The King explores the legacy of Elvis Presley forty years after his death by taking viewers on a musical road trip across America in his 1963 Rolls Royce during the 2016 presidential election.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2018/Sept2018/NYDocSeries_TheKing.aspx

Crazy Rich Asians with Jon M. Chu and Jon Turteltaub (Ep. 151)

Director Jon M. Chu discusses his film, Crazy Rich Asians, with fellow director Jon Turteltaub. Adapted from the bestselling novel by Kevin Kwan, the film tells the story of Rachel, an American-born Chinese professor, who travels to Singapore to accompany her boyfriend Nick to his best friend's wedding. She soon discovers that Nick is from a family so wealthy that he is considered one of the most eligible bachelors in Asia, which puts a target on Rachel's back as she meets his family and attempts to navigate his ultra-rarefied social class.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2018/Oct2018/0818_QnA_CrazyRichAsians.aspx

BlacKkKlansman with Spike Lee and John Singleton (Ep. 150)

Director Spike Lee discusses his film, BlacKkKlansman, with fellow director John Singleton. Set in the early 1970s amid the ongoing struggle for civil rights, the film tells the true story of Ron Stallworth, the first African-American detective on the Colorado Springs Police Department. Ron's arrival is greeted with skepticism and open hostility by the department's rank and file, but he soon makes a name for himself with a dangerous undercover mission to infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2018/Oct2018/BlacKkKlansman_QnA_0818.aspx

Skyscraper with Rawson Marshall Thurber and Joe Carnahan (Ep. 149)

Director Rawson Marshall Thurber discusses his film, Skyscraper, with fellow director Joe Carnahan. The film tells the story of Will Sawyer, a U.S. war veteran who now assesses security for skyscrapers. When the tallest building in the world is set ablaze, Will finds himself framed for the crime of arson. Now he must use all his skills to both clear his name and rescue his family who are trapped inside the burning structure.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2018/Sept2018/Skyscraper_QnA_0718.aspx

Boundaries with Shana Feste and Jake Kasdan (Ep. 148)

Director Shana Feste discusses her film, Boundaries, with fellow director Jake Kasdan. The film tells the story of Laura, a single mother who always puts the needs of others before her own. When her pot-dealing, carefree father Jack is kicked out of yet another nursing home, Laura agrees to drive him to Los Angeles to live with her sister Jojo.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/Events/2018/Aug2018/Boundaries_QnA_0618.aspx

Generation Wealth with Lauren Greenfield and Marina Zenovich (Ep. 147)

Director Lauren Greenfield discusses her film, Generation Wealth, with fellow director Marina Zenovich. The film continues Ms. Greenfield's examination of wealth culture and the pathologies that have created the richest society the world has ever seen by examining materialism, celebrity culture, and social status.

En El Septimo Dia with Jim McKay and Rebecca Miller (Ep. 146)

Director Jim McKay discusses his film with fellow director Rebecca Miller. The film examines the plight of undocumented immigrants by focusing in on a pivotal week in the life of Jose, a delivery man who works long hours six days a week trying to survive and make it in America.

Hal with Amy Scott and Chuck Workman (Ep. 145)

Director Amy Scott discusses her film with fellow director Chuck Workman. Set against the backdrop of "New Hollywood" in the 1970s, the film celebrates the life and work of director Hal Ashby whose filmography includes Coming Home, Harold and Maude, Shampoo, and Being There. Ashby's obsessive genius but uncompromising nature became an archetypal story of art versus industry.

Super Troopers 2 with Jay Chandrasekhar and John Hamburg (Ep. 144)

Director Jay Chandrasekhar discusses his film with fellow director John Hamburg. The long anticipated follow-up to the 2001 cult comedy Super Troopers continues the story of the wacky Vermont Highway Patrol officers who were fired for their shenanigans in the first film.

First Reformed with Paul Schrader and John Patrick Shanley (Ep. 143)

Director Paul Schrader discusses his film with fellow director John Patrick Shanley. The film tells the story of Reverend Ernst Toller, a former military chaplain who is now the parish pastor of a small dutch reform church in upstate New York. Stuggling with the death of his son who he encouraged to enlist in the armed forces, he finds his faith further challenged after a pregnant parishoner asks him to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist who doesn't want to bring a child into a world he believes is doomed.

Outside In with Lynn Shelton and Ava DuVernay (Ep. 142)

Director Lynn Shelton discusses her film with fellow director Ava DuVernay. The film follows Chris, a 38-year-old ex-con who is finally granted parole after twenty years behind bars, largely due to the tireless advocacy and support of his high-school teacher, Carol. After the two are reunited, Carol begins to realize Chris' feelings for her have turned romantic, a situation complicated by the fact she is married with a teenage daughter, who has also befriended the awkward parolee.

A Quiet Place with John Krasinski and Doug Liman (Ep. 141)

Director John Krasinski discusses his film with fellow director Doug Liman. Set in a very near future when most of Earth's population has been eradicated, the film follows a family survivors forced to live in silence as they hide from savage extraterrestrial creatures that hunt exclusively by sound.

Tully with Jason Reitman and Karyn Kusama (Ep. 140)

Director Jason Reitman discusses his film with fellow director Karyn Kusama. The film stars Charlize Theron as a New York suburban mom whose life is slowly being drained away by the challenges of raising two kids and a newborn. When she is sent help in the form of a gifted night nanny named Tully, she is at first hesitant to accept the assistance but comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful and surprising young woman.

An Evening with Director Randal Kleiser (Ep. 139)

Director Randal Kleiser discusses his film Grease along with several others including The Blue Lagoon, White Fang, and Big Top Pee-Wee with moderator Jeremy Kagan. After a special 4k restoration screening of Grease at the DGA theater, Kleiser and speaks in-depth about the film and his career as a director.

All I Wish with Susan Walter and Maria Burton (Ep. 138)

Director Susan Walter discusses her film with fellow director Maria Burton. The film tells the story of Senna, a clothing designer whose life seems to be spiraling out of control until she unexpectedly meets Adam, her perfect match, at her 46th birthday party. Expecting never to meet again, the two serendipitously reunite at her 47th birthday party and Senna's life begins to flourish.

The Miracle Season with Sean McNamara and Helen Hunt (Ep. 137)

Director Sean McNamara discusses his film with fellow director Helen Hunt. Based on a true story, the film follows a high school volleyball team and their coach, who overcome their grief after the sudden death of their star player and band together in hopes of winning the state championship.