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 33 - Raven Two Feathers - “Burn Your Village to the Ground”
Photo Credit: Adam Sings in The Timber
[Image Description: Raven wears a black and white patterned shirt as they smile into the camera. Their hair is short and they wear glasses. They are pictured from the chest up. They wear a small button that reads, “Be a good ancestor.”]
In this episode, I speak with friend and writer, director, co-producer, Raven Two Feathers. During our conversation, we chat about when we first met and my struggle with the Seattle hills, the 4th World Media Lab, their VR project, “A Drive to Top Surgery,” which screened at ImagiNative this year. their zine “Qualifications of Being,” and their new production company, Raven and Relatives. Raven is unapologetically Cherokee, Seneca, Cayuga, Comanche and because American Thanksgiving is just right around the corner, Raven selected the Halluci Nation’s (formerly known as A Tribe Called Red) “Burn Your Village to the Ground.” The band themselves delivered the following message about the holiday:On this fourth Thursday of November, you might ask yourself: do Indians celebrate Thanksgiving? Well… Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday for Native people. In a way, each day is a day of thanksgiving to the Creator for the original people of Turtle Island. This doesn't mean that we don't enjoy turkey, pie, and family as much as the next person, but at the same time, the Thanksgiving myth largely shared in mainstream culture perpetuates a one-sided view of a complicated history surrounding this holiday.