The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Director Asghar Farhadi discusses his new film, The Salesman, with fellow director Victoria Hochberg. The film follows a young couple as they rent a new apartment from a fellow performer in a local production of Death of a Salesman, unaware that the previous tenant allegedly pursued a career in prostitution. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film of 2017.

Director Mike Mills discusses his new film, 20th Century Women, with Marc Webb. Loosely based on his own childhood, the film follows Dorothea, a single mother raising her adolescent son in Santa Barbara, CA during the cultural revolution of late 1970s. To help steer him through the chaos, Dorothea calls on the help of a punk photographer, a mellow handyman, and her son's best friend to serve as role models.

Director Peter Berg discusses his new film, Patriots Day, with Edward Zwick. The film tells the story of the Boston Marathon bombings of April 15, 2013. The film weaves together the stories of the heroic first responders and investigators who raced against the clock to hunt down the bombers before they could strike again.

Director John Lee Hancock discusses his new film, The Founder, with Jonathan Mostow. The film tells the story of Ray Kroc, a floundering Illinois salesman, who connects with Mac and Dick McDonald, two brothers running a burger operation in southern California in the 1950s. When Kroc realizes the franchise possibilities, he maneuvers himself into a position to buy them out and create a fast-food empire which would eventually become McDonald's.

Director Garth Davis discusses his new film, Lion, with James Ponsoldt. Based on the nonfiction book A Long Way Home, Lion tells the incredible story of Saroo Brierly, a five-year-old boy who gets lost on a train hundreds of miles away from his family. After surviving on the streets of Calcutta, he is eventually adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty-five years later, Saroo uses Google Earth to reunite with his family in India. Mr. Davis was nominated for the DGA Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for Feature Film, as well as, Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director for directing this film.

Director Theodore Melfi discusses his new film, Hidden Figures, with John Patrick Shanley. Based on the nonfiction book of the same name, the film tells the story of Katharine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan, three African-American female mathematicians who were the brains behind the launch that sent astronaut John Glenn into orbit around the Earth and safely back home.

Director Martin Scorsese discusses his new film, Silence, with Alexander Payne. Based on a novel by Shusaku Endo, the film follows two Jesuit missionaries who travel to Japan, where Christianity is outlawed, in search of their missing mentor.

Director Taylor Hackford discusses his new film, The Comedian, with fellow director David O. Russell. The film stars Robert De Niro as Jackie Burke, a comedian on the downside of his career whose efforts at reinvention are stymied because his fans only want to see him as the television character he once played. After an incident with an audience members gets him sentenced to community service, he finds inspiration in the daughter of a sleazy Florida real estate mogul.

Director Damien Chazelle discusses his new film, La La Land, with fellow director Jon Favreau. Set in modern-day Los Angeles, the film tells the story of an aspiring actress and a jazz musician who embark on a whirlwind romance as they struggle to make ends meet and find success in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Mr. Chazelle was nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film in 2016 for directing this film.

Director Stephen Gaghan discusses his new film, Gold, with fellow director Sam Esmail. Based on true events, the film tells the story of a businessman who teams up with a geologist to search for gold deep in the uncharted jungles of Indonesia. After making the find of the century, their operation draws the unwanted attention of both the FBI and the Indonesian military.

Director Gareth Edwards discusses his new film and the latest installment in the Star Wars saga, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The film takes place just before the first Star Wars film (Episode IV: A New Hope), and tells the story of a small group of rebel soldiers and their desperate gambit to capture the plans for the under-construction Death Star.

Famed Spanish Director Pedro Almodóvar discusses his newest film, Julieta. The film tells the story of a middle-aged woman who tries to reconnect with her estranged daughter who deserted her 12 years earlier after the death of their respective husband and father. Almodóvar’s 20th feature explores the complexity of fate, guilt, the mystery that leads us to erase people we love from our lives as if they had never existed, and a mother’s struggle to survive uncertainty. The director speaks in English and Spanish, with a translator.

Director Warren Beatty discusses his new film, Rules Don't Apply, with Robert Benjamin. Set during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the film tells the story a young, aspiring actress under contract by Howard Hughes who develops an attraction for her driver. Their mutual attraction violates Hughes' rule that no employee may have a relationship with a contract actress.

Director Ang Lee discusses his new film, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, with Robert Weide. The film tells the story of Billy Lynn, a 19-year-old Army Private who is hailed as a hero in the US after a battle in Iraq. Brought home for a victory tour culminating in a spectacular halftime show at the Thanksgiving Day football game, Lynn experiences a series of flashbacks that reveal what really happened to his squad.

Director Tom Ford discusses his new film, Nocturnal Animals, with Lee Daniels. A Los Angeles art dealer whose seemingly idyllic life is disturbed by the arrival of a manuscript written and dedicated to her by her ex-husband. As Susan reads and is drawn deeper into the story, its themes force her to examine her past and confront disturbing truths about her present.

Director John Madden discusses his new film, Miss Sloane, with Jeremy Kagan. Elizabeth Sloane, a brilliant and ruthless lobbyist, is put to the test when she comes against one of the most influential powers in Washington D.C.

Director Denzel Washington discusses his new film, Fences, with Bennett Miller. Set in the 1950s, Fences follows the story of a former baseball player who struggles to come to grips with his current situation and hold his family together when events threaten to tear it apart.

Director Ben Younger discusses his new film, Bleed for This, with Tod Williams. Based on a true story, the film stars Miles Teller as Vinny Pazienza, a junior champion boxer forced to relinquish his title after breaking his neck in a serious accident. Determined to regain his crown, he and his trainer defied medical orders to make a return to the sport he loved.

Director Jeff Nichols discusses his new film, Loving, with James Gray. The film tells the true story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple who marry in Washington, D.C. in the late 1950s. When they are arrested and imprisoned in their hometown in Virginia, where their marriage was illegal at the time, they pursue a civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, which is ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Director Pablo Larraín discusses his new film, Neruda, with Victoria Hochberg. The film tells the story of the 1948 manhunt for the poet and politician Pablo Neruda, who is forced underground and into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with an ambitious police inspector when Communism is outlawed in Chile. The film is Chile's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Director Kenneth Lonergan discusses his new film, Manchester by the Sea, with Bob Balaban. The film tells the story of a Boston janitor who becomes the sole guardian of his 16-year-old nephew after the sudden death of his brother. He reluctantly returns to his hometown and attempts to deal with the life and family he had left behind. Mr. Lonergan was nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2016 for directing this film.

Director Barbara Kopple discusses her new film, Miss Sharon Jones!, with Shari Springer Berman. The film follows the R&B and soul singer Sharon Jones during the most challenging year of her life when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just before the release of her album, Give the People What They Want.

Director Mel Gibson discusses his new film, Hacksaw Ridge, with John Polson. The film follows the remarkable story of Desmond T. Doss, a World War II army medic, who saved 75 soldiers from the front lines of Battle of Okinawa without ever firing a single shot.

Director Ewan McGregor discusses his new film, American Pastoral, with Mike Mills. Based on the 1997 novel by Phillip Roth, the film centers on Seymour "Swede" Levov, a successful businessman who lives an idyllic life with his wife and daughter. When a stunning act of violence is blamed on Swede's missing daughter, he must confront the consequences of her political activism as he searches for her.

Director Nate Parker discusses his new film, The Birth of a Nation, with Jeffrey Byrd. The film tells the true story of Nat Turner: a literate slave living on a Virginia plantation in the early 1800s who is forced to preach obedience to other slaves. When Turner witnesses atrocities committed against other slaves, he orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom. Mr. Parker was nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director for 2016 for directing this film.

Director Robert Kenner discusses his new film, Command and Control, with Chuck Workman. The film chronicles the nine-hour ordeal that occurred at an Arkansas missile complex in September 1980. After a worker drops a socket and accidentally punctures the fuel tank of an intercontinental ballistic missile, drastic measures must be taken to avoid a deadly nuclear explosion.

Director Mick Jackson discusses his new film, Denial, with Jeremy Kagan. Based on the book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, the film follows Deborah Lipstadt's court battle against David Irving, who sues her for libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier.

Director Kristi Jacobson discusses her new documentary, Solitary, with Nanette Burstein. With unprecedented access, the film takes a disturbing look at one of the most controversial aspects of America’s modern prison-industrial-complex: solitary confinement.

Director Rosemary Rodriguez discusses her new film, Silver Skies, with director Arthur Allan Seidelman. The film follows a group of eccentric retirees who find their lives turned upside down when they learn that their beloved apartment complex is being converted to condominiums.

Director Heidi Ewing discusses her new film with Rachel Grady, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, with Director Chuck Workman and its subject Norman Lear. The documentary paints a dynamic portrait of the influential creator, writer, and producer, exploring his work and achievements through shows such as All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons.

Director Peter Berg discusses his new film, Deepwater Horizon, with Director Nick Cassevetes. The film follows the true events around the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20, 2010.

Director Mira Nair discusses her new film, Queen of Katwe, with Director Ava DuVernay. The film tells the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a young woman who overcomes her impoverished circumstance to become an international chess champion.

Director Justin Lin discusses his new film, Star Trek Beyond, with Director Joe Russo. The film finds the crew of the Starship Enterprise crash-landed on an unknown planet with a formidable foe seeking to destroy them and much more.

Director Roger Ross Williams discusses his new film, Life, Animated, with Director Robert Weide. The film follows the coming of age story of Owen Suskind, who was unable to speak for years as a child. Owen and his family eventually discovered a way to communicate using the classic Disney animated movies Owen loved to watch.

Director Colin Hanks discusses his new film, All Things Must Pass, with Director Jeremy Kagan. The film charts the rise and fall of Tower Records, founded by Russ Solomon. From humble beginnings, Tower Records grew to become one of the music industry's most iconic retail stores.

Director David O. Russell engages in an in-depth discussion with Jeremy Kagan about his filmography, including Three Kings, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle. Topics include thinking of a film's structure in terms of "waves" (10:00), auditioning Christian Bale for the role played by Spike Jonze in Three Kings (18:00), beginning every day on a shoot with a team "huddle" (35:00), and rehearsing a fight scene from The Fighter with Amy Adams at a Whole Foods at 10 o'clock at night (53:00).

Director Rebecca Miller discusses her new film, Maggie's Plan, with Director Robert Benton. The film follows the story of a young woman, whose plan to raise her child as a single mother gets derailed when she falls for a married anthropologist. Though after she marries him, she eventually falls out of love and decides to reunite him with his former wife.

Director Rodrigo García discusses his new film, Last Days in the Desert, with Director Scott Derrickson. The film tells the story of Jesus' struggle against the Devil over the fate of a family in crisis.

Director Garry Marshall discusses his new film, Mother's Day, with Director Robert B. Weide. The film features a star-studded ensemble in a set of intertwining stories about motherhood.

Director Jodie Foster discusses her new film, Money Monster, with Director Michael Apted. The film follows the explosive situation that develops when an irate investor hijacks the live studio broadcast of a Wall Street Guru's television show after losing everything on a stock tip.

Director and Sitcom Legend James Burrows discusses his life and career in highlights pulled from his DGA Visual History interview. Topics include growing up as the son of Broadway writer/director Abe Burrows (Guys & Dolls), training on The Bob Newhart Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (10:00), his role as the Director on pilot episodes including Will & Grace (19:00), the development and casting of Cheers (24:00), and how he works with actors through the week of making a new episode of a show (39:00).

Director Liza Johnson discusses her new film, Elvis & Nixon, with Director Bette Gordon. The film gives a fictionalized account of what might have happened in an unusual meeting between Elvis Presley and President Richard Nixon in the White House, forever immortalized in an iconic photograph in the National Archives.

Director Jon Favreau discusses his new film, The Jungle Book, with Director Donald Petrie. The film retells the classic Rudyard Kipling tale about a boy named Mowgli, who is raised by wolves in an Indian jungle.

Director Marc Abraham discusses his new film, I Saw the Light, with Director Peyton Reed. The film tells the story of legendary country-western singer and songwriter Hank Williams, played by Tom Hiddleston. Despite Williams' singular talent, fame and addiction have a tragic effect on his life and personal relationships.

Director Karyn Kusama discusses her new film, The Invitation, with Director Gil Kenan. The film tells the story of an estranged couple who reunite at a dinner party following the death of their son. As the party continues, it becomes clear that something mysterious and terrifying may be going on.

Director Miloš Forman discusses his life and early career in highlights pulled from his Visual History interview. Topics include his early life and attending film school in Prague (6:00), the Soviet government's banning of his satire The Fireman's Ball (12:00), the DGA's role in his avoiding deportation back to the Eastern block (18:00), the "hooks" in many of his films that inspired his directorial approach (23:00), the importance of casting in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (26:00), and creating the musical sequences in Amadeus (41:00).

Director Jeff Nichols discusses his new film, Midnight Special, with Director Jonathan Levine. The film tells the story of a father and his young son who are forced to go on the run after the world learns that the boy possesses mysterious powers.

Director Deniz Gamze Ergüven discusses her new film, Mustang, with Director John Krokidas. The film follows five teenaged Turkish sisters whose lives are changed after an afternoon of innocent beach play with some male classmates is reported as illicit by a neighbor.

Director Tom Hooper discusses his latest film, The Danish Girl, with Director Michael Apted. The film follows Lili Elbe and her journey as a transgender pioneer during the early 20th century.

Jeremy Kagan moderates the 25th Annual DGA Meet the Nominees: Feature Film Symposium featuring Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Tom McCarthy, Adam McKay, George Miller, and Ridley Scott on their nominated films. Topics for part three include how the nominees staged particularly complicated scenes and discoveries they made during the editorial process.