Ben Russell delves into the concept of observational cinema, sharing insights on his latest co-directing effort “Direct Action” (with Guillaume Cailleau), which portrays a radical activist community in France. It debuted at Berinale and just screened at the New York Film Festival. Past films discussed include Kirsten Johnson’s “Cameraperson” and th…

In this conversation, Egil Pedersen reflects on his experiences growing up in a small Norwegian village and how he transitioned from short films to his first feature film, “My Father's Daughter,” the first-ever Sámi-language premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. His cinema inspirations include David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” and “Show Me …

In this conversation, Erik Poppe - the director of “Quisling - The Final Days”, which just premiered at TIFF following the Norwegian Film Festival, discusses his journey from photojournalism to filmmaking, emphasizing the role of art in raising questions and engaging audiences. He reflects on his influences, including Francois Truffaut’s 1970 film …

In this episode, Afolabi Olalekan discusses the vibrant Nigerian film industry, dubbed Nollywood, and his latest film, Freedom Way, which premiered at the Toronto Int. Film Festival. His past inspirations include Cary Fukunaga’s ‘Beasts of No Nation’ and ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’, directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Afolabi shares the challenges h…

Mumbai-based director Subhadra Mahajan discusses her debut feature film ‘Second Chance’ which just had its Hollywood premiere at AFI, following a World premiere at Karlovy Vary earlier this year. Past inspirations include her love for the Iranian New Wave and Andrea Arnold’s ‘Fish Tank’. She speaks on her filmmaking journey, influenced by classic H…

Today’s episode features Devon Delmar, Jason Jacobs, and their feature film, “Carissa”, which just enjoyed its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival and was nominated for the Venice Horizon’s Award for Best Film. They are also joined by Producer Deidré Jantjies. Past inspirations include Benh Zeitlin’s ’Beasts of the Southern Wild’. Th…

Vojtĕch Strakatý, director of ‘After Party’, which just premiered at the Venice Film Festival, speaks on how real-life experiences can inspire unique storytelling. His past cinema inspirations include the Brazilian films ‘Neighboring Sounds’ and ‘Aquarius’, by Kleber Mendonça Filho. He discusses the emotional core of his film, inspired by real-life…

In this conversation, Valerio Mastandrea discusses his film 'Feeling Better', which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The film thematically explores love, emotional awakening, and authenticity within the creative process. Past cinema inspirations include Sofia Coppola’s ‘Lost in Translation’. Valerio reflects on his transition from acting to d…

In this conversation, Oscar-nominated Scandar Copti discusses his latest film 'Happy Holidays', which just won the Orizontti Award for Best Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival. His past inspiration includes Alexander Nanau’s 2014 Docu-drama ‘Toto and His Sisters’ and Brazilian doc ‘Bus 174’. Scandar shares the creative process behind his film an…

In this conversation, Peter Kerekes, Slovakian director of the Venice-bound documentary ‘Wishing On a Star’, shares valuable insights and inspirations, including Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Losses to Be Expected’ and Italian comedies from the 1970s. Peter shares his journey into poetic documentary filmmaking, the influence of his filmmaker father's experiences…

In this conversation, Deepak Rauniyar - director of ‘Pooja, Sir’, which just premiered at the Venice Film Festival - shares how he found inspiration in Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Stray Dog’, and the 2019 French film ‘Les Misérables’ by Ladj Ly. Deepak discusses his journey from journalism to filmmaking, inspired by personal experiences and the socio-politic…

In this conversation, Nathan Tape shares his experiences making ‘Off Ramp’, now in cinemas after its World premiere at the prestigious Polish genre festival Splat!FilmFest, followed by the New Orleans Film Festival. Nate’s biggest inspiration: David Lynch’s 1990 film ‘Wild at Heart’ starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. Nathan dives into the making…

On today’s episode, Elliott Lester talks about his latest film ‘The Thicket’, starring Peter Dinklage and Juliette Lewis, and shares his inspirations from movies like 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', 'Midnight Cowboy', and the works of Martin Scorsese. He also discusses his experience working with global stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jaso…

Today’s episode features Vincent Grashaw and his new film 'Bang Bang', screening this week at the Deauville Film Festival following Locarno and Tribeca. Past inspiration includes ‘The Wrestler’, and we share an appreciation for Spike Lee’s ‘He Got Game’. Vincent talks about his connection to boxing, his casting techniques, shooting on ultra-wide le…

In this conversation, filmmaker Dương Dược Linh discusses her journey into filmmaking and her fascination with the body horror genre, ahead of her feature debut, ‘Don't Cry Butterfly’, which is premiering at Venice Critics Week followed by the Toronto International Film Festival. Being inspired by such past body horrors ‘Possession’, directed by An…

Marcus speaks with Freddy Macdonald about his debut feature film 'Sew Torn', just screened at Locarno, following a World premiere at South by Southwest. Drawing inspiration from the 1998 German film ‘Run Lola Run’ as well as ‘No Country For Old Men’ (2007), Freddy speaks on the great fortune of sitting down with one of the directors of the latter f…

Marcus speaks with Bálint Szimler about his feature film ‘Lesson Learned’, which just premiered at the Locarno Fim Festival. The discussion also touches on the films that most inspired him - 'Play' by Ruben Östlund and 'Family Nest' by Béla Tarr. Bálint dives in to the inspiration behind his film, and the challenges of the Hungarian educational sys…

Today I speak with my friend and exceptional filmmaker Ellie Foumbi, about her Independent Spirt Award-nominated 'Our Father The Devil,' which is now on the Criterion Channel following a premiere at last year’s Venice International Film Festival. We also discuss the influence of Andrea Arnold’s film 'Red Road' (2006) on her work. We reminisce about…

Today I speak with Mumbai-based director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat about his kick-ass action film ‘Kill’, which premiered at TIFF last year and is now globally distributed by Lionsgate. We discuss Nikhil’s journey into the film industry, from watching Indian action films on television as a child, and his love for James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’. He shares his ex…

In this episode, I speak with Zhengfan Yang about his film 'Stranger’, which just won the Grand Prix prize in the Proxima Competition at Karlovy Vary. We also discuss his past cinema inspiration, ‘A One and a Two’, the 2000 film by Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang. Zhengfan talks about the challenges of shooting his film in 7 total shots, each in a …

This episode features Paolo Tizón and his documentary “Night Has Come”, which just won the Special Jury Award and the FIPRESCI (Critic) Award at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. His main inspiration for the film: ‘Beau Travail’ (1999) by Claire Denis. We discuss cinematic techniques used in documentaries, the importance of not kno…

Ivana Gloria, the director of ‘Chlorophyll’, which World Premiered at the Rome International Film Festival, followed by a warm reception at Karlovy Vary, shares her journey and challenges as a filmmaker, having been heavily inspired by the 2018 Swedish film ‘Border’ from director Ali Abbasi. The conversation also revolves around Ivana’s film ‘Chlor…

In this episode, filmmaker Nelicia Low discusses her film 'Pierce', which she just won the Best Director award for at Karlovy Vary. She talks about her past cinema inspirations which include Ang Lee’s ‘Lust, Caution’, and her experiences studying at Columbia University. The conversation highlights the value of editing and music in her film, her dir…

On today’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Bruno Anković about his new film ‘Celebration’, which premiered at this years Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Crystal Globe competition. We dive into the themes and storytelling techniques used in ‘Celebration’, which explores the cyclical nature of history and the challenges o…

Bulgarian filmmaker Pavel Vesnakov discusses his journey in the film industry and his film 'Windless'. He talks about the importance of World Premiering at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - a significant milestone for him. He shares his early influences, including the films 'Taste of Cherry' by Abbas Kiarostami and '3 Iron' by Kim Ki-d…

On this week's episode, Marcus speaks with Russian filmmaker Anja Kreis, who shares her perspectives on Russia, the global allure of Hollywood, and the process of making her latest film 'The Alienated', which is World premiering at Karlovy Vary on July 2nd. With its themes of mortality, dreams, and sisterhood, 'The Alienated' draws inspiration from…

Filmmaker George Sikharulidze joins Marcus from Tbilisi, Georgia to discuss his feature film debut 'Panopticon', which is World Premiering at the prestigious 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on June 30th at The Grand Hall, and competing for the festival's top prize: the Crystal Globe. A variety of topics include the influence of Franco…

In this week’s episode, we have Swedish-born, Brooklyn-based Jean-Cosme Delaloye, who shares his early days as a reporter and his transition into documentary filmmaking, having been inspired by the 2016 film ‘Tempestad’ and most recently, Oscar-winning short doc ‘The Last Repair Shop’. He talks about how his experiences covering sad stories led him…

Marcus interviews Carlos Vargas from Berlin, who is premiering his film “Hidden Era” at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 9th at the Village East. They discuss Carlos’s previous experience at Tribeca, his expectations for this year's festival, and the importance of the New York film scene. They also talk about his film, Hidden Era, and its similari…

Marcus speaks with Beirut-born Mira Shaib about her film "Arze", a Lebanese production that explores universal themes of family, abandonment, and societal issues. Mira discusses the World Premiere of the film at the Beijing International Film Festival, the upcoming North American premiere at Tribeca on June 11th (Village East) followed by Cairo Int…

Marcus speaks with Mexico City filmmaker Santiago Maza, who shares his insights on documentary filmmaking and his inspired appreciation for the doc "Collective". Santiago's latest film "State of Silence", Executive Produced by Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal, World Premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10th and is followed by Sheffield D…

Marcus Mizelle interviews Los Angeles-based filmmaker Roxy Shih about her journey in the film industry, what past films most inspired her ("The Umbrellas of Cherbourg", "The Shining"), and her latest film "Beacon" ahead of its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. They discuss the challenges of being a filmmaker in the current Hollywood land…

Welcome to Past Present Feature, a filmmaker appreciation podcast showcasing new festival releases and the past films that inspired them. As a filmmaker myself, I started this podcast to build community while talking shop, and to show love to past cinema that sparked a new wave of filmmakers to create the films of the future. Let's roll it! Marcus …