Deep Cut: A Film Podcast

Ben recently attended the 35th Singapore International Film Festival and watched a whole lot of films, and made a few new friends along the way. Listen in on his thoughts about the films, the festival programme’s overarching themes, and how beauty is a trap!! This episode is generally spoiler-free, spoilers are marked with timestamps below! Links DONATE to Singapore Red Cross Fundraising Campaign For Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza / Lebanon (campaign ends 31 Dec 2024) I is another by Sasha Han  A Close Watch of Small Hours of the Night by Aditi Shivaramakrishnan Ray Yeung Interview Neo Sora Interview Emerson Goo’s review of By The Stream  Ben's SGIFF Recap Part 1 , Part 2 Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:05:14) Small Hours of the Night Directed by Daniel Hui (00:15:40) No Other Land Directed by Basel Adra & Hamdan Ballal & Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor (00:21:14) Stars in Broad Daylight directed by Ossama Mohammed (00:25:45) An Unfinished Film directed by Lou Ye (00:30:32) Jafar Panahi Conversation  (00:34:36) Crimson Gold Directed by Jafar Panahi (00:35:37) The Circle Directed by Jafar Panahi (00:36:46) The Circle Spoiler (00:38:10) Spoiler End (00:39:13) Viet and Nam Directed by Truong Minh Quy; + small discussion on co-productions (00:47:52) All Shall Be Well Directed by Ray Yeung (00:50:20) All Shall Be Well Spoiler (00:50:55) Spoiler End (00:53:40) Happyend Directed by Neo Sora (00:58:25) By The Stream Directed by Hong Sang-soo;+ Wilson’s love of Hong (01:05:08) Vive l’amour Directed by Tsai Ming-liang (01:09:27) Stranger Eyes Directed by Yeo Siew Hua (01:13:54) Time to Be Strong Directed by Namkoong Sun (01:17:32) Ben’s Festival Highlights  (01:18:48) Don’t Cry Butterfly Directed by Linh Duong (01:21:19) Universal Language Directed by Matthew Rankin (01:24:28) La Cocina Directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios (01:25:20) Don’t You Let Me Go Directed by Leticia Gorge & Ana Guevara (01:26:40) The Shrouds Directed by David Cronenberg; Our NYFF62 Dispatch episode where Eli watched it (01:27:40) Familiar Touch Directed by Sarah Friedland; plus a very cool fact about the film’s production process (01:30:55) April Directed by Dea Kulumbegashvili (01:31:45) Brief spoiler for Kulumbegashvili’s first film, Beginning (01:31:53) Spoiler end (01:33:05) Closing Thoughts

In this engaging chat with Neo Sora, a talented Japanese-American filmmaker known for his Venice Film Festival premiere, Happyend, he shares insights on his filmmaking journey. He reflects on his admiration for Edward Yang and discusses the balance of friendship and activism within his work. The conversation dives into Japan's multicultural landscape, the impact of colonialism, and his passionate pro-Palestine advocacy during festival appearances. With humor woven into storytelling, Sora emphasizes the importance of connecting personal experiences with larger societal issues.

Join us as we try to piece together Edward Yang’s most puzzling work, Terrorizers (恐怖分子) . Eli describes the harsher and more abrasive Yang in this 1986 film, Wilson recounts the transcendent feeling of watching a crucial sequence set to The Platter’s Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, and Ben makes links between this film’s ending and Godard’s Breathless.  Ben’s Big Face Letterboxd list Wilson’s Smoke Gets In Your Eyes Letterboxd list Ben’s I Can Fix Her Letterboxd list  Vote on our poll to decide the next film we will cover!  Does Eli look like this man?  Terrorize us on our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Join us as we delve deeper into our series on Taiwanese auteur Edward Yang, as we take a step back to explore one of his earliest features, "Taipei Story" (青梅竹馬) from 1985. In this film, Yang collaborates with his compatriot Hou Hsiao-hsien to portray a city undergoing monumental change. Ben explores the social, cultural, and economic uniqueness of this period in East Asia. Eli draws intriguing parallels between this movie and the various renditions of A Star is Born. Wilson raises questions about Yang's choice to incorporate violence as a punctuation to his endings. Conversation with Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edmond Wong about Taipei Story Play ball at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

We hit our white whale and begin our series on one of the greatest directors of all time, Edward Yang, and one of the greatest films of all time, Yi Yi (一一）. Listen to how this genuine masterpiece has affected each of us as we’ve grown with it. Wilson brings nuggets of wisdom from watching the director’s commentary. Eli talks about how this movie has changed for him on this rewatch. Ben draws links from his own life to the Jian family at the center of this story.  Our Patreon post about the podcast’s original format idea: First & LastHop a One and a Two over to our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comP.S. Refreshed cover art design by Justina Yam!!

It’s about time, after 3 and a half years we got a brand spankin’ new trailer. If you’re new to Deep Cut, welcome! If you’re a long-time fan, share this with your friends!  Deep Cut: A Film Podcast is a director-focused film podcast featuring deep-dive discussions about international, art-house, and independent cinema. Each episode we discuss either a director's most popular film or a "Deep Cut Pick": a personal favorite chosen by one of us: Wilson Lai, Benjamin Yap, and Eli Sands. We've covered movies from filmmakers like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Agnes Varda, Éric Rohmer, Kelly Reichardt, Wong Kar-wai, S.S. Rajamouli, Bong Joon-ho, and more! Looking for film recommendations off the beaten path? This is the pod to follow! Available wherever you get your podcasts! Find our FREE patreon, discord server, and all our socials @ http://www.deepcutpod.com

Join us as we reenter the lush and sensual world of Luca Guadagnino and discover “il costo dell'ecstasy” in his 2009 film I Am Love. Wilson savours the intentional mistakes in technique that feel like a part of the world of the film. Eli gives a brief lesson on editing, drawing parallels all the way back to the Eisenstein method of montage. Ben directs attention to the powerful scenes of melodramatic realisation across Guadagnino’s work. Why not dine with us? Become love at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

Our very own Eli attended the 62nd New York Film Festival this autumn as a bona fide member of the press! Sit alongside Wilson and Ben as they salivate over Eli’s descriptions of waiting in line, chatting with fellow critics, and seeing the hottest upcoming films from Earth’s top directors at the legendary Walter Reade Theater. Daniel Craig, Mikey Madison, Vincent Cassel… wow! Can you guess his favorite of the festival? Films discussed: Anora (dir. Sean Baker) Eephus (dir. Carson Lund) The Shrouds (dir. David Cronenberg) Queer (dir. Luca Guadagnino) FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com LIVE IN NEW YORK

Buckle up Deep Cut fans! This week we have a special preview episode as Wilson got to sit down with director Ray Yeung to preview his new Berlinale premiering film All Shall Be Well, which is opening at Film Forum on September 20. Ray discusses his jump from law to filmmaking, and returning to his native Hong Kong to make films about the lives of older gay and lesbian characters in Hong Kong. We dive in deep as we talk about Ray’s two features set in Hong Kong; Suk Suk and All Shall Be Well as well as talking about Ray’s own film influences. Films/Directors Mentioned: Woody Allen Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1998) The Wedding Banquet (1993) Rouge (1987) The Way We Are (2008) Funeral Parade of Roses (1969) All is well at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com

In this final Kiyoshi Kurosawa episode, Wilson brings to the table one of the latest films from the Japanese auteur; the Uzbekistan set To the Ends of the Earth. Ben draws parallels between this film and the work of Kelly Reichardt, and gives us an education on the importance of Atsuko Maeda and idol group AKB48. Eli zeroes in on Kurosawa’s commentary on the camera in this film, as we go behind the scenes of a Japanese travelogue crew abroad. Wilson continues his trend of vibing out with a film as he recounts how this rewatch deeply affected how he felt after losing his wallet. Links:  Natalie’s Letterboxd review of the film (thank you for following me back) Shaun Neo’s My Endless Numbered Days  Find a bramul at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com