The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

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.