The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Director Robin Bissell discusses his film, The Best of Enemies, with fellow director Hart Bochner. The film tells the true story of how civil rights activist Ann Atwater and Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan C.P. Ellis came together to co-chair a community summit on the desegregation of schools in Durham, North Carolina during the summer of 1971, and how the events that unfolded would change their lives forever. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/June2019/BestOfEnemies_QnA_0419.aspx

Directors Anthony & Joe Russo discuss their film, Avengers: Endgame, with fellow director Todd Holland. The film takes place directly after the events of the previous film, Avengers: Infinity War, and follows the superhero team and their allies as they assemble one final time to undo Thanos' destruction and restore their devastated universe. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/June2019/AvengersEG_QnA_0519.aspx

Director Peter Bogdanovich discusses his film, The Great Buster, with fellow director Chuck Workman. The film chronicles the life and works of the influential filmmaker and comedian Buster Keaton. Interspersed with interviews with collaborators, filmmakers, performers and friends, the film examines Keaton's career as the director, writer, producer and star of his own films; as well as the loss of artistic independence and career decline that marked his later years. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/May2019/0419-DocSeries_GreatBuster.aspx

Director John Lee Hancock discusses his film, The Highwaymen, with fellow director Lawrence Kasdan. The film concentrates on the other side of the Bonnie and Clyde saga, telling their true story of Frank Hamer and Maney Gault – former Texas Rangers who are coaxed out of retirement to end the Barrow gang’s murderous run when even the full force of the FBI isn’t enough to capture the nation’s most notorious criminals. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/May2019/Highwaymen_QnA_0419.aspx

Director Beth McCarthy-Miller moderates The Science of Laughter: An Evening with the Directing Team from The Big Bang Theory featuring Director Mark Cendrowski, Director/Line Producer Kristy Cecil, Director/Editor Peter Chakos, Director/Associate Director Gay Linvill, Director/2nd AD Nikki Lorre and Director/1st AD Anthony Rich. The discussion covers a variety of topics including the demands of single vs multi-camera shows, the benefits of working on a show with such a long-running history, and the scenes that terrified the directors when they read the script. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/April2019/BigBangTheory-_Event_0219.aspx

Director Alison Klayman discusses her film, The Brink, with fellow director Kristi Jacobson. The film follows political consultant and former Trump administration chief strategist Steve Bannon on his global mission to spread extreme nationalism, tracking his moves through the 2018 American mid-term elections and shedding light on his efforts to mobilize and unify far right parties around the world. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/May2019/NYDocSeries_TheBrink.aspx

Director J.C. Chandor discusses his film, Triple Frontier, with fellow director Tony Gilroy. The film tells the story of five former Special Forces operatives who reunite to rob a cocaine cartel boss in a sparsely populated multi-border zone of South America. When events take an unexpected turn and threaten to spiral out of control, their skills, their loyalties, and their morals are pushed to a breaking point in an epic battle for survival. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/May2019/TripleFrontier_QnA_0319.aspx

Director Robert Mapplethorpe discusses his film, Mapplethorpe, with fellow director Maria Burton. The film follows iconic photographer Robert Mapplethorpe -- whose portraits, still lifes and chronicles of New York City's underground BDSM scene inspired censorship debates throughout the 1980s and remain touchstones of 20th century photography -- from his rise to fame in the 1970s to his untimely death in 1989. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/April2019/Mapplethorpe_QnA_0319.aspx

Director Stephen Merchant discusses his film, Fighting With My Family, with fellow director Rawson Marshall Thurber. Based on the true story of wrestling superstar Saraya "Paige" Bevis, who grew up in a tight-knit wrestling family that earned their living traveling around England performing. When Paige earns a spot in the highly WWE training program, she must find the courage to leaver her family and face this new world alone. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/April2019/FightingWithMyFamily_QnA_0219.aspx

Director Adam Robitel discusses his film, Escape Room, with fellow director Christopher Landon. Capturing the cultural zeitgeist of puzzle-box escape rooms, the film follows a group of adventurous game players vying to win $10,000 by cracking a series of puzzles in a mysterious building. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/March2019/EscapeRoom_QnA_0119.aspx