Filmmaker Hyejin "Grace" Park has such incredible range as an indie filmmaker: she's directed everything from sci-fi to gangster films and made them her own in a way that's utterly enchanting and unique. Her Vimeo page is a testament to her range as a filmmaker.

I talk with five of the most daring and ambitious filmmakers out there — 2004 Straight 8 winners. This is from a live podcast episode recorded on July 24, 2024.

If you like filmmaking with film, “slice of life”/character studies, and 1980s camp party films, you’re welcome to join our club. In today’s episode, I talk with filmmaker Will Mustin about all these things and his new film currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, WHILE THE SUN SHINES.

After listening to all five finalists of the Bloomberg Green Docs, be honest -- there's no way you can tell who won. They are all that good. Listen to all five here and see who won the $25,000.

This week is all about the Bloomberg Green Docs festival, held in Seattle on July 12, 2024. Thanks to Bloomberg Climate, especially Emily Anton and Courtney J. Boland, I interviewed most of the judges and all of the five finalists.

Part 2 will be released on Friday, July 26th, with the five finalists.

Independent cinema won't save itself. People have to go to local art house theaters and support the films they are showing if they want them to survive. And by them, I mean the theaters and the filmmakers

The good news is: we have a day coming up where you can do just that. Art House Theater Day is July 25th, 2024, and my guest, Kate Markham, managing director of Art House Convergence, is here to talk about it.

There's not been another episode like it. And maybe that's because I've never had a Brazilian filmmaker on the show. But that changes with Pedro Freire, director of Sundance favorite MALU.

Have you ever heard of a Western from a female perspective? I haven’t. Neither have filmmakers Avery Warsaw & Chloe Fontenot — they set out to make one. What a wild story.

In this re-release from season one, I talk with Scott Monahan, director of ANCHORAGE. It’s one of the most comprehensive and fun episodes about releasing an indie feature film and what that process is like…with one of the most generous directors in independent film.

I talk with filmmaker Corey Deshon. He calls DAUGHTER (2022) a calling card for his filmmaking. This episode is the calling card for the podcast -- remarkable insight and breakdown of how he accomplished what so many dream to do.

Indian cinema is the largest national film industry in terms of the number of films produced, with 2,446 feature films produced annually as of 2019. But until today...I haven't talked about it for the podcast. That changes with the extraordinary story of Rohini Jadhav, who recently filmed her debut short ANOKHI.

Love letter to New York City? Check. A humble, kind, smart filmmaker? Check. A bold name and a bold film on Kickstarter? Check, check, check. In this episode, I talk with filmmaker Louis Momméja about his new film, REFUCTORING.

In a first for the First Time Go podcast, I talk with a filmmaker in person -- Ibrahim Nash'at, the multi-award winning Egyptian documentary filmmaker who made HOLLYWOODGATE, which premiered at DC/DOX 2024.

There's been (roughly) 100 episodes of the podcast. So when you hit on topics you haven't talked with anybody about before (IRAs, 401(k)s, faith-based organizations), you know you are in for something special.

In this episode, I talk with filmmaker Kyle Prohaska about all of these things, plus perseverance, resilience, and becoming a jack of all trades in the filmmaking business.

I talk with filmmaker Brennan Hershock about his top 8 win at the Straight 8 competition for TWICE THRICE TOLD. What is the Straight 8 competition? It is absolutely worth learning more about. Brennan’s story is simply astonishing.

I talk with filmmaker Patiparn Boontarig about his debut feature, SOLIDS BY THE SEASHORE, and the podcast’s first theater screening, July 10th, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.

I talk with documentary filmmaker Sierra Urich about her film, JOONAM; how she got her start; the takeaways from premiering at the Sundance Film Festival; the state of documentary filmmaking; and what’s next for Sierra.

I talk with filmmaker Anne Thorens about making the film SHE wanted to make, which turned into the most watched on Short of the Week. If you ever needed a pod episode as an indie filmmaker to help you trust yourself, this is it.

I talk with filmmaker Morgan Chen about his amazing life story -- from Oregon to Atlanta, and now about an upcoming documentary -- SCHOOL OF THE OPEN -- in New Hampshire. It's a journey you won't want to miss.

I talk with Joshua Caldwell, director of MENDING THE LINE, which hit number one on Netflix upon its streaming release in March, 2024. This conversation was recorded in September, 2023, but maintains its relevancy through Josh’s truth-telling about independent filmmaking.