Interviews

Cindy Meehl, director of the new Truly Moving Picture Award-winning documentary Buck, talked with us about the origins of the film and the power that it has to impact audiences. A non-filmmaker, Cindy attended one of Buck’s horse clinics and discovered a deeper, more important story that stretched beyond training horses. In the interview she talks about getting to know Buck, and what it is about him that affects people so profoundly.

Renowned director Werner Herzog took a minute to chat with us about his most recent film, the Truly Moving Picture Award winner Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Herzog has made films, both narrative features and documentaries, all over the world. With this film he transports audiences into the heart of the Chuavet caves in France, which contain the oldest known human cave paintings. Herzog discusses both the breadth and depth of the film, as questions of the human soul arise as his 3D cameras display one of the first incarnations of art ever discovered.

Writer/director Mike Mills started working on the script for Beginners shortly after his own father passed away. As a way of wrestling with his father’s death, Mike began to work through the myriad feelings and turbulence resulting from his mother previously passing away and his own father’s subsequent coming out. In many ways the film became an autobiographical account of Mike’s own thought process. In the interview Mike talks about having a Jack Russell Terrier similar to the one in the film, and how he, too, spoke to it, just like the character Oliver does in the film.

Tom McCarthy, director of the new TMPA winner Win Win, talked to us about his film and what the Award means to him. McCarthy has also directed the TMPA winner The Visitor, making this his second Award. Tom talked about putting together his cast and finding the perfect balance between comedy and drama in making an enjoyable yet meaningful film.

Cary Fukunaga, director of the TMPA-winning adaptation Jane Eyre, joined us for a chat about his film. He discusses updating the literary classic for a new generation, and how some of the gothic elements played a key role in the creation of the tone and atmosphere.

The husband and wife team of Dereck and Beverley Joubert joined us recently for a chat about their Truly Moving Picture Award-winning documentary The Last Lions. They discuss the logistical problems associated with living in the field for seven years, tracking a pride of lions on a daily basis. They also talk about choosing which scenes to include in the film, as some of their footage shows the grisly and brutal side of nature. In addition, they talk about the Big Cat Initiative, which they’ve launched in partnership with National Geographic in order to raise awareness about the plight of big cats around the world.

The director of two Truly Moving Picture Award-winning films, Tom Hooper joined us for a brief chat as he eagerly anticipates Oscar season. Tom had previously directed the TMPA winner Longford, and now with The King’s Speech nominated for twelve Academy Awards, including Tom himself for Best Director, we expect to hear a lot more about him and his film in the coming weeks. Tom discussed his role in directing the film, his cast of seasoned British and Australian actors, and shared some insight into the research that went into the film and how it affected the speech therapy King George VI underwent. Thanks to our audience on Facebook and Twitter for suggesting many of the questions we asked!

British director Nigel Cole talks with us about his Truly Moving Picture Award winner, Made in Dagenham. Nigel discusses the historic moment in civil rights history that his film depicts, a story that has never before been filmed. He also mentions finding desolate factory settings, a result of the current economic situation, in which to shoot his 1960′s factory scenes.