People can easily get behind an idea or subject matter that moves them. And, as a parent, what moves us more than our children? I’m not talking about the running around of daily life, pick ups from soccer or band practice, and all that. Today, we’re diving into something that affects everyone in the educational ecosystem – students, teachers, caregivers, administrators and, finally, the parents. Rather than approaching the story through statistics or policy, Unauthorised Absence places audiences directly inside Anna and Thea’s world. Fragmented storytelling, intimate handheld camerawork and immersive sound design reveal their experience through gesture, silence and tone. Everyday sounds, from fluorescent lights and traffic signals to…
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Interview…Sean Gunn on the Shock and Awesomeness of ‘Appofeniacs’
Ever since we saw Appofeniacs at Fantastic Fest last year, the themes and characters have been living in my head rent-free. While some have called this Tarantino-esqe (which isn’t wrong), it does make me think of the beginning of Pulp Fiction. You remember, that captivating scene where Sam Jackson’s Jules asks Yolanda “what’s Fonzie like?” The answer is “he’s cool” which perfectly sums up Sean Gunn‘s Clinto Binto. Now if you were to ask if we have a galactically fun time chatting with Mr. Gunn about his career, the universes he’s visited and playing everything from raccoons to weasels, answer there would be “Correctamundo!“ The man is an actor, a…
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Interview…Aaron Holliday and Jermaine Fowler on the Fun and Prophetic Realism of ‘Appofeniacs’
To some people, movies are not just entertainment. Whether it’s the themes or characters, a great many fans wish that what they are seeing was real. But be careful what you wish for, as some films get closer to being true than we’d want to believe. In the case of Appofeniacs, things get too real thanks to the nefarious use of deep-fake AI. Like a digital pebble in a pond, the ripples created by one person’s actions will never stop spreading. Suffice to say, this prophetic narrative from Chris Marrs Piliero is as serious as cancer. But to keep this from being a heavy-handed tale (think Requiem For A Dream…
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Interview…Jared Michael Fry Combines Classical Compositions and Indigenous Voices for ‘Heart of the Beast’
A film is far more than the sum of its parts. When images and sound combine, the results echo in eternity. We had the absolute thrill speaking with composer Jared Michael Fry about his score to David Ayer’s Heart of the Beast. This film is their third time working together and the duo hit this one way out of the part. To provide an authentic, culturally specific foundation for the score, Fry brought in the award-winning Alaskan Inuit group Pamyua, whose vocalizations, Yup’ik-language singing, chanting, humming and drumming were recorded remotely. He merged these elements with ethereal vocals from the London-based choral ensemble London Voices. “With the music, I was…
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[Fantastic Fest Interview]…James Cullen Bressack Pivots From Action to Anxiety in ‘I Have Proof’
James Cullen Bressack (alias JCB) is a filmmaker full of surprises. His latest effort is one of the many anticipated flicks hitting screens at Fantastic Fest 2026. Whether he’s making a bare-bones thriller staring your favorite ‘80s icons, helping introduce the next generation of action talent, to subverting expectations with a retro-styled psychological horror, Bressack proves he’s a creative Swiss Army knife. In this retro-styled story, we follow Alex, a mentally and spiritually traumatized sibling who faces frightening uncertainty as to whether the monsters and demons he’s hiding from are real or imagined. Let’s just say when this gets real, it gets really real! We have proof this will raise…
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Interview…Composer Stephanie Economou Shines A Light For ‘Lanterns’ on HBOMax
Emotion comes in all forms, and when music is doing what it does best, it can really move you. Even the most obscure sound palette can start the water works. As DC Studios’ Lanterns is not your typical detective procedural, the sound needed to take a similarly unconventional approach. Spoiler: it was the right choice. Stephanie Economou has had her fair share of exciting projects, and ones where adventure and danger abound. The approach on this show is different from past works, and speaks more to the kind of music she loves. Herein, Stephanie dives into some ‘90s and ‘00s era guitar rock and the driving bass riffs literally propel…
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Interview…Creed Bratton and Nathan Edmondson Blaze Trails of Historical Fiction with ‘Buffalos’
If you love getting lost in a good book, one of the best publishers these days is Meridia. Think of them like respectable punk rock of the literary world, and they excel at brining fantastic and captivating yarns to the world. Moreover, the authors in their bullpen are as varied as they are experts in their field – technicians, aviators, directors, musicians, etc. Multi-hyphenates in their own right, each creative brings their profession and passion to the masses via stories about sci-fi soldiers, spies and plenty more not-so-farfetched ideas. Today, we’re happy to share our conversation with Creed Bratton and Nathan Edmondson about their Civil War era story which follows…
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Interview…Casper Kelly on the Warped and Demented Deliciousness of ‘Buddy’
As a film fan, it’s comforting to know that when a director – an auteur if you will – debuts their latest project you know exactly what you’re gonna get. Think of the greats like Jim Jarmusch, David Fincher, even John Carpenter. Today we celebrate one such individual, and when it comes to the wonderfully vivid worlds of Casper Kelly, things are guaranteed to be warped, demented and delicious. Kelly has always imagined what life is really like on the other side of the TV screen. But, once you’re through the looking glass, the sunshine and rainbows we see are actually a mudslide of panic and terror. You’ve heard of “Bayhem“,…
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Interview…Composer Aisling Brouwer on the Heart, Humanity and Historic Instruments of ‘Pompeii: Out of Time’
Aisling Brouwer is a wondrous sonic stringsmith and a truly enjoyable guest to chat with. Her compositions on Pompeii: Out of Time walk the line between documentary, true crime and dramatization yet the wand she weaves puts all the pieces together brilliantly. “Scoring Pompeii: Out of Time meant finding music for a moment we all think we already know and then discovering how much of it we didn’t. I wanted the score to hold space for both the seismic force and scale of Vesuvius, and the intimate, human choices of the people living through it. The Pompeiian Cornu sits at the heart of that search – an instrument reborn from…
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Interview…Rapper ‘Berner’ On Dedication and Work Ethic From Albums/Art to Cookies to the Big Screen
Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr., also known by his musical moniker Berner, is an American rapper and cannabis entrepreneur. He’s a Bay Area pillar and someone who is about as self-made as they come. From a young age, he had his sights set high as he literally burned his first joint to Cypress Hill. From there, Berner knew this was the life he wanted. From the streets of San Fran to collaborating with his idols on plenty of tracks across plenty of albums, Berner is a creative who is always itching to do something. So as the years went on, this would-be California king became a multi-hyphenate as an artist and…
