Blog

Filmmaker siblings Ravi and Geeta Patel of Meet the Patels
Interviews

December 23, 2016

For Filmmakers Geeta and Ravi Patel, Love Is a Family Affair

Craig Phillips in Interviews

It was a long and winding road for sibling filmmakers Geeta Patel and her brother Ravi in the making of their film Meet the Patels — including not just the initial…...

Interviews

July 27, 2016

In the Ring with the USA’s First Women’s Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist

Craig Phillips in Interviews

Zackary Canepari and Drea Cooper's film T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold tells the story of Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, who at the 2012 London Olympics became the first American woman to win…...

Filmmaker Abigail Disney sits down with Lucy McBath for the film Armor of Light
Behind the Films

May 09, 2016

Abigail Disney Wields the Power of Dialogue with The Armor of Light

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Abigail Disney (her grandfather was Roy O. Disney, Walt's brother and co-founder of the Walt Disney Company, just to get that out of the way) has long been a producer…...

Peace Officer filmmakers Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber (l-r)
Interviews

May 06, 2016

Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber Capture a Man on a Mission

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Utah-based filmmakers Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber found a supremely compelling story right in their own backyard for their film Peace Officer. The film is several things at once: a personal…...

My Nazi Legacy filmmaker David Evans
Behind the Films

April 27, 2016

Downton Abbey Director David Evans Talks About Nazi Legacy Doc

Craig Phillips in Interviews

Award-winning English director David Evans helmed the feature film Fever Pitch (the original, superior British version about soccer, starring Colin Firth, for which Nick Hornby adapted his best-selling book of the…...

Behind the Films

March 31, 2016

“Leith” Filmmakers Michael Beach Nichols and Christopher K. Walker Capture a Town in a Powderkeg

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Michael Beach Nichols and Christopher K. Walker have produced eye-popping, gritty fare before, including an acclaimed film about street dancing, Flex Is Kings, and the HBO film Hard Times: Lost in Long Island…...

James
Interviews

March 23, 2016

Tyler Measom and Justin Weinstein Unlock the Mystery of James “The Amazing” Randi

Craig Phillips in Interviews

As famous a skeptic as he is a magician, James "The Amazing" Randi has led a life full of magic and mystery, as much off the stage as on it,…...

Saeed Shariff Torres drives through the streets of Pittsburgh.
Interviews

February 23, 2016

Lyric Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe Capture an FBI Informant

Craig Phillips in Interviews

To do a film about an undercover FBI anti-terror sting is already tricky territory to navigate, but filmmakers Lyric Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe infiltrated even deeper. In (T)ERROR, they gained unprecedented…...

Black Panthers exiting building armed with rifles.
Interviews

February 11, 2016

Stanley Nelson Reveals the Real Black Panther Party

Craig Phillips in Interviews

Filmmaker Stanley Nelson, who won an Emmy for the PBS documentary The Murder of Emmett Till, three Emmys for Freedom Riders, and made an acclaimed film about Marcus Garvey, has for years…...

Interviews

February 06, 2016

Nelson George Captures the Poise of Misty Copeland to Tell a Ballerina’s Tale

Independent Lens in Behind the Films

Author, filmmaker, television producer, and critic Nelson George may have worn a lot of hats in his long career, but his love for music has been  constant throughout. He's published numerous non-fiction…...

East of Salinas filmmakers Laura Pacheco and Jackie Mow (l-r), in front of a sea-themed mural.
Interviews

December 26, 2015

Laura Pacheco and Jackie Mow Tell the Story of a Farmworker’s Studious Son

Craig Phillips in Interviews

Not just a filmmaker but a trained anthropologist, Laura Pacheco has traveled the world to tell the stories of people overcoming the odds of their rough circumstances, including for the Emmy…...

Mimi and Dona filmmaker Sophie Sartain
Interviews

November 20, 2015

Sophie Sartain Finds Resonance in Her Family’s Caregiving Story

Craig Phillips in Interviews

Longtime documentary film writer, editor, and fundraiser Sophie Sartain decided to go personal for her directorial debut. Her film Mimi and Dona enters the world of Sophie's grandmother and developmentally disabled aunt, who after…...