Episode 39 - Marion Schmidt - “Freedom”
Photo Credit: Dox Box
[Image Description: B&W photo. Marion is a white woman with curly shoulder-length hair. She is pictured from the chest up. She wears a necklace and a top with spaghetti straps. She smiles.]
In this episode, I speak with doc industry professional, Marion Schmidt. During our conversation, we chat about how she got into docs, her time in Egpyt during the Arab Spring, and her founding of Dox Box and the initiative, the International Documentary Convention. We also chat about the organization she co-founded with past guest Brigid O’Shea, the Documentary Association of Europe. Because the Documentary Association of Europe is about opening doors and breaking chains, this epsode’’s song is Freedom by Andreya Triana, Our conversation was recorded in January 2022.
Episode 34 - Mostafa Youssef - “Hello Sunshine”
Photo Credit: Fatma Abed
[Image Description: Mostafa is pictured from the torso up. He sits at a table with a blue and pink patterned table cloth and a roll of paper towels. He has his elbows on the table and looks to the left with one hand underneath his chin. He wears a brown sweater. He is sitting in an open courtyard that is painted in blue and white. To his left is a graffiti drawing of a cat.]
In this episode, I speak with the film director & co-founder of Seen Films, Mostafa Youssef. We chat about his near lifelong love of film, the entertainment industry in Egypt and its impact throughout the Arab-speaking world, and the unique challenges of filmmakers on the Continent. We also get into the many artist development programs and resources that are under the Seen Films umbrella including a free-to-use opensource post-production unit and their magazine, Terr.so, the only online magazine and portal on cinema, audiovisual media, film criticism, and filmmaking in Arabic. Mostafa is also the producer of Homemade Stories which will have its world premiere at IDFA 2021. Mostafa is a Bruce Springsteen fan, so this week’s song is “Hello Sunshine.”
Episode 32 - Mirjam Wiekenkamp - “Abusey Junction”
Photo Credit: Delphine Millet
[Image Description: Mirjam, a white woman with shoulder-length red hair, sits inside in front of a dark background with white marks. Her head is turned slightly to the side and she wears a white buttoned-up top with a collar.]
In this episode, I speak with the publicist and one of the founders of NOISE Film PR, Mirjam Wiekenkamp. During our conversation, we get into her publicist origin story, some of the differences between PR firms in the US and Europe, the unique ways a publicist can position documentary films in the European documentary festival landscape, and how publicist and impact producers can often build upon and support one another’s work on behalf of a filmmaker. Mirjam and NOISE Film PR are representing several films at DOKLeipzig and IDFA that are part of the Steps’ Generation Africa program. To celebrate these young filmmakers from the Continent, this week’s song is Kokoroko’s “Abusey Junction.” KOKOROKO (meaning 'be strong' in Urhobo), are a collective of young musicians brought together by a love for Afrobeat led by trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey. They specialize in a soul-shaking, horn fuelled sound with West African roots and inner London hues. “Abusey Junction” is a ballad written by guitarist Oscar Jerome. It was written on the roof of a compound in Gambia where the band spent time last year immersing themselves in the soundscapes of the region.
Episode 24 - Abby Sun - “I Want to Break Free”
Photo Credit: the DocYard, Leah Astore
[Image Description: B&W photo. Abby stands on stage holding a microphone and book in front of an audience of onlookers in an auditorium. She wears dark shoes and a dark dress. There are two chairs and a screen behind her.]
In this episode, I speak with curator, Abby Sun about her work with the DocYard, an award-winning film and discussion series at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge. We also chat about her work with Distribution Advocates, an organization committed to demystifying and transparency in distribution with the goal of creating a more ethical and equitable framework. Because ethical and equitable practices are rooted in liberation and require us to take actions that break us from the things that seem safe and stable, this episode’s song is Queen’s “I Want to Break Free.”
Episode 17 - Rüzgâr Buşki - “İstikrarlı Hayal Hakikattir/Consistent Fantasy is Reality”
Photo Credit: Sibel Özen
[image Description: Rüzgâr stands by a large rosebush and leans their head into a large flower. Behind them is a high fence with flowering vines. The wear a multicolored shirt beneath a red jacket.]
In this episode, I speak with artist and filmmaker Rüzgâr Buşki. In our conversation, we talk about immigrating from Instanbul, where to get great Turkish food in Berlin, discrimination in Germany, and their current project, I’ve Got the Power. Because I’ve Got the Power explores how imagination and fantasy can be used as tool to process and heal grief and be basis for creating a new reality, this episode’s song is Gaye Su Akyol’s “İstikrarlı Hayal Hakikattir/Consistent Fantasy is Reality.”
Episode 11 - Brigid O’Shea - “Down Under”
Photo Credit: Susan Jennichen
[Image Description: Brigid, a white woman with long brown hair swept to one side, is pictured from the torso up. She wears a white t-shirt and black coat. She smiles at the camera. The dark colored brick background is slightly out of focus.]
In this episode, I speak with the Head of Dok Industry Programme at Dok Leipzig and founder of the Documentary Association of Europe (DEA), Brigid O’Shea about what brought the Australian transplant to Germany and the upcoming festival, the oldest documentary festival in the world. Because she is an Aussie, this week’s song is Men at Work’s “Down Under.”