

Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie Filmmaking
Liz Manashil & Alrik Bursell
Liz Manashil and Alrik Bursell discuss independent filmmaking, everything from writing, producing and directing to working as crew. But this is not just a podcast about "making it," it's also about struggling with rejection, self-doubt and everything else that comes with pursuing a career in film. Follow along as we forge our own way through the industry and talk to guests who are also making it happen.
Episodes 238-299 are available at our patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Episodes 238-299 are available at our patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 17, 2025 • 1h 6min
Marc Pilvinsky - Finding the Story for a Documentary Feature!
This week we welcome filmmaker Marc Pilvinsky on the show to talk about directing his latest documentary feature, Weirdo: The story of five eight. After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Mar 10, 2025 • 1h 13min
Bryant Griffin - Quitting the Dream Job for Your First Feature!
This week we welcome filmmaker and VFX artist Bryant Griffin on the show to talk about directing his first feature, Young King and how he left his job, moved to LA and made his first feature length film. After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Mar 7, 2025 • 44min
Riley Stearns - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 367 from September 2022 with Riliey Stearns, who has made multiple studio features, including Dual which is also an action film so I thought this was a good match for Martin Campbell. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Mar 3, 2025 • 55min
Martin Campbell - The Art and Craft of a Working Director!
This week we welcome director of such features as Vertical Limit, The Foreigner, Golden Eye and Casino Royale, Martin Campbell. Martin talks about his filmmaking career, how he pick his projects and how he approached directing his latest feature, Cleaner. After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Feb 27, 2025 • 14min
Travis White - Madison Phillips - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 302 from January 2021 featuring the short film Why Haven’t They Fixed The Cameras Yet by filmmakers Travis White and Madison Phillips who came on the show to talk about the film. I thought this was a great match since we had Travis and Madison on the show talking about their first feature. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Feb 24, 2025 • 1h 5min
Chris Beier - Daniel Wolfman - Travis White - Madison Phillips - Making of The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia!
This week we welcome the team from The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia, including Writer/director Chris Beier, writer/co-producer Daniel Wolfman and producers (and old friends of the show) Travis White and Madison Phillips to talk about the making of the film which premiered at the Austin Film Festival. Our producer extraordinaire Eric Toms conducted this interview from the Omni Hotel in Austin so it’s sure to be a good one. After that we play another round of THE GAME and talk about the current statuses of our projects, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Feb 20, 2025 • 34min
Lena Headey - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 451 from November 2023 with actor turned writer director Lena Heady who was on the show to talk about writing and directing her first feature. I thought Lena was a good match for Julia because they are both established recognizable actors who we had on to talk about jumping into directing after starring in some of the biggest movies/shows. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Feb 17, 2025 • 49min
Julia Stiles - From Starring in Studio Features to Writing and Directing an Indie Feature!
This week we welcome writer, director and actor Julia Stiles on the show to talk about directing her first feature Wish You Were Here and how she managed to get the film made without taking a starring role. After that we chat about our own projects and play another round of the Game, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Feb 13, 2025 • 48min
Christine Weatherup - BONUS Throwback Interview!
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 342 from November 2021 with actor, writer and director, Christine Weatherup who came on the show to talk about making her first feature See You Next Christmas. I thought Christine was a good match for Jules because they are both actors who pulled off making their first features as writers and producers. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952

Feb 11, 2025 • 57min
Jules Bruff - Orchestrating the Production of Your First Feature!
This week we welcome producer, writer and actor Jules Bruff on the show to talk about writing, producing and starring in her first feature, Good Side of Bad and how she got the film made. After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952