In the documentary Paikar, Dutch-Afghan filmmaker Dawood Hilmandi returns to confront his estranged father, a former mujahideen fighter turned imam, writer, and poet, in a poetic and deeply human search for love, forgiveness, and understanding. Paikar moves between Afghanistan, Iran, and the Netherlands, exploring the invisible inheritance of war and silence that shapes generations. Through this intimate father-son encounter, Hilmandi invites us to look beyond politics and history, and to rediscover the tenderness that endures within even the most hardened souls. I was able to have a great conversation with Dawood about his documentary. Here is the conversation:
I was able to have a conversation with Michael Woloson who Co-Directed and was the cinematographer on the film Littermates which opens November 6th. The movie was a selection at Fantastic Fest 2026. Here is that interview:
Set
against the backdrop of a mysterious war, Littermates follows two
disoriented survivors who take refuge at an isolated cottage in the
English countryside. After Liam (Joey Bader) and Mel (Kaylee McGregor)
arrive bloodied, speechless, and unable to fully understand what has
happened to them, they are taken in by Chester (Oliver Woolf), an
enigmatic caretaker who bathes, feeds, and teaches them how to speak
again.
As
sirens, smoke, and distant threats press closer, Liam and Mel go about
their days relearning the simplest tasks inside Chester’s carefully
controlled world, while earning “nifties” for good behavior that can be
traded for small comforts like karaoke, hot tub time, dance parties, and
favorite meals. However, unlike Liam, Mel is far less willing to accept
the boundaries of the cottage, growing increasingly drawn to the woods,
the locked gate, and the larger world Chester insists is too dangerous
to enter.
When
Mel's curiosity pushes past Chester’s rules, the fragile order of the
cottage is tested; exposing the fear, loyalty, and unanswered questions
holding their makeshift family together.
Michael Woloson
is a writer, director, cinematographer, and producer from Las Vegas,
based in Los Angeles. His work combines precise visual storytelling with
intimate, character-driven narratives, often exploring the complexity
of memory and time. A SXSW alum, he served as cinematographer and
producer on Scott Tinkham’s "24 Hours After Reading Tuesdays with
Morrie," which premiered at SXSW in 2025. His latest directorial work,
"Broken Branches," was produced under Haley Nicole Johnson’s Under The
Shell banner, and is set to begin its festival run in 2027. He will
serve as a producer on Tinkham’s upcoming feature "Good Life," also
under Under The Shell.
Blood Money is a short narrative video exposing the money and greed that fuels “the largest mass deportation in U.S. history”. Congress has appropriated hundreds of billions of dollars to sustain a private prison network indefinitely. The companies receiving billions are rewarded for filling beds with as many immigrants ICE can grab, while spending as little as possible to run the facilities. These companies are also building new revenue streams in surveillance, monitoring, and incarceration — infrastructure that will outlast this moment and could be turned on Americans for decades to come. Here is the film:
I recently was able to have a conversation with activist, filmmaker and writer Ellen Gavin about her latest movie Blood Money, her friendship with Dolores Huerta as well as a far-ranging conversation about the state of the United States of America, ICE, detention centers, the upcoming midterm elections and paths forward for justice, immigration, labor reform, pressuring the people we elect to have the political will to indeed do the right thing moving forward. Here is that conversation:
Prior to the film Sheepwell premiere at the Austin Film Festival I was able to sit down over zoom and have a conversation with Producer Co-Writer Danielle DeMatteo Producer and Actor Lauren Elizabeth Harris Actor Mark Ryan Anderson.
We spoke about the complexity of the characters who inhabit the story of Sheepwell as well as how the film came to made. Sheepwell marks the first feature film form SheNYC and produced with Pathway Pictures.
Our conversation also talked about the challenges that faced production such as the two tornadoes that happened during filming in Alabama and the exquisite cinematography and costume design that enhanced the story.
Prior to The Darkest Light premiering at DOC NYC on November 15, 2026 I was able to sit down over zoom and have a conversation with Director Simon Mendes about his first feature documentary that chronicles Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach's legacy. His music that transformed and celebrated Jewish faith and the allegations of sexual abuse that surfaced after Lilith magazine in the Spring issue in 1998 published allegations of sexual assault. Resounding silence followed. With the rise of the #metoo movement so too did the allegations resurface about Shlomo Carlebach. Here is our conversation:
In two decades of conducting interviews with filmmakers last week I did something I had never done before. I partnered with U.S. History teacher Dr, Sarah Mitchell and we had her Junior classes pose questions to filmmaker John B. Beritz and historian Andrew Carroll about their documentary. As we had a conversation about the film I asked the questions students had written. I also conducted the interview from the classroom. Behind The Lines follows Carroll who has spent over three decades collecting war correspondence.
Sick is the debut feature film from writer and director Agata Trzebuchowska. It was a much talked about movie after it's world premiere last month at Fantastic Fest. The movie is rooted in some dark themes seldom talked about in cinema. The film is anchored by the strong performances of it's two young lead actors, Konrad Kakol and Katarzyna Lubik. I was able to speak with Agata about the film, their writing process as well as the performances and the cinematography of the film as well as what the current film scene is like in Poland.
