SXSW 2024 - We Strangers and Birdeater

This episode brings you an interview and a memorable red carpet experience for a SXSW film that we had so much fun watching! I Don't Understand You is a narrative film that follows an American couple on the verge of adopting a baby as they find themselves stranded in rural Italy without transportation or language skills. And of course, chaos ensues. Our first interview is with producers Jessamine Burgum and Kara Durrett from Pinky Promise Films. We get into starting a production company during the heart of the pandemic, their decision making process for new films, how being a young company is an advantage in an ever changing industry, and what a difference it makes to work with really cool people.We cap off this episode at the red carpet premiere for the film, where we were joined by co-directors/co-writers David Joseph Craig and Brian Crano,  and actors Nick Kroll, Andrew Rannells, Morgan Spector, and Eleonora Romandini. We talk about everything  from parenting fears and horse sausage, to fake Italian accents and big clit energy! In short, it was a good time.Follow Pink Promise Films on IGFollow producer Jessamine Burgum on IGFollow producer Kara Durrett on IGFollow director/writer David Joseph Craig on IGFollow director/writer Brian Crano on IGFollow actor Nick Kroll on IGFollow actor Andrew Rannells on IGFollow actor Morgan Spector on IGFollow actor Eleonora Romandini on IGBuy tickets and join us at the first ever POC Food and Wine Festival HERE!Audio engineering by Jeff Hunt from Storied: San FranciscoSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

This is a special episode because we loved this SXSW documentary so much, we're covering it with two separate interviews!Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story is a heart-warming film about the love between a man and a wild otter, set in the remote Scottish islands of Shetland. We are first joined by director Charlie Hamilton James and producer Jeff Wilson who share how they met Billy and Molly, the concept behind the incredible cinematography, and why they wanted to make a film that made people feel good.Our second interview is with the film's main subjects, Billy and Susan Mail, who explain why they wanted to share their story, how Susan felt about being chosen to narrate the film,  and how this film (and their relationship with Molly, which is still going strong!) has changed their lives.Follow director Charlie Hamilton James on IGFollow producer Jeff Wilson on IGFollow subject Billy Mail on IGBuy tickets and join us at the first ever POC Food and Wine Festival HERE!Audio engineering by Jeff Hunt from Storied: San FranciscoSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

We've been wanting Gina Mariko Rosales on the show for a long time, and when you give this episode a listen, you'll see why! She gets into her origin story (born and raised in Daly City), and how working in the corporate world led her to start Make it Mariko, a Bay Area creative events agency led by women of color. Then we dive into the impact that Undiscovered SF has had on the Filipino community in the Bay, and why she was inspired to create the first annual all inclusive POC Food and Wine Festival (running May 2-5, 2024). This is a fun one, enjoy!Purchase tickets to the POC Food and Wine Fest here (we'll see you there!)Follow Gina Mariko Rosales on IGEpisode recorded live at The Battery Support the showThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

This episode explores two SXSW Film Festival documentaries that are very dick-heavy (literally and figuratively).A House Is Not A Disco captures a year in the life of the world's most iconic homo-normative community: Fire Island Pines. Director Brian J. Smith and producer Jeremy Truong share the difficulty of staying focused while you're being offered margaritas during filming, how climate change became an important part of the story, and the concept behind "food for bottoms".Dickweed tells the true story of a heist-gone-wrong that resulted in two people getting kidnapped, one man losing his dick, and no one getting paid. Director Jonathan Ignatius Green joins us to share how he got the green light to tell this story, sharing the narrative from the point of view of the convict as well as the victims, and his interest in true crimes involving everyday people who one day cross the line.Follow A House Is Not A Disco on IGFollow director Brian J. Smith on IGFollow producer Jeremy Truong on IGFollow director Jonathan Ignatius Green on IGAudio engineering by Jeff Hunt from Storied: San FranciscoSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

In this episode we're discussing two SXSW Film Festival narrative films that center around being lost and searching for something.In We're All Gonna Die, an alien spike has materialized onto the earth's atmosphere, and a struggling beekeeper and a grieving EMT are forced to join forces on a roadtrip after the spike has mysteriously caused the teleportation of his car and her bees. Co-directors/co-writers Freddie Wong and Matthew Arnold join us to discuss their decision to set  the apocalypse in our regular world, expressing honesty through lies, and the funny story behind the main character's calf fetish.Desert Road is a horror/sci-fi about a woman who crashes her car in the middle of the desert and walks down the road for help - only to realize no matter which way she walks, she ends up back at her crashed car. Director/writer Shannon Triplett shares the true story this film is based on, the brilliance of her lead actress who carries the film, Kristine Froseth, and the importance of casting (including heavyweights Beau Bridges and Frances Fisher), and how the success of the shoot was centered on the full moon. Follow director/writer Freddie Wong on IGFollow director/writer Matthew Arnold on IGFollow director/writer Shannon Triplett on IGAudio engineering by Jeff Hunt from Storied: San FranciscoSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

In this episode we discuss two beautiful SXSW Film Festival documentaries about processing loss and grief.Songs From The Hole is a documentary/visual album that follows JJ'88, a prisoner struggling with being both a perpetrator and victim of violence, through hip-hop and soul. We are joined by director Contessa Gayles, producer Richie Reseda, and writer/co-producer JJ'88 as they share why this project evolved from an album to a visual album/film, how they joined forces to create this film, and the importance of forgiveness.The In Between follows filmmaker Robie Flores as she returns home after the passing of her brother to reflect on her childhood, and what coming of age on the US/Mexico border looks like. Director Robie Flores and her brother/producer Alejandro Flores explain how the entire film was a family affair, their joy in working with sound producer/film composer Camilo Lara,  looking within to process grief, and their frustration at the common misrepresentation of life on a border town. Follow Songs From The Hole on IGFollow director Contessa Gayless on IGFollow producer Richie Reseda on IGFollow producer/musician JJ'88 on IGFollow director Robie Flores on IGFollow producer Alejandro Flores on IGAudio engineering by Jeff Hunt from Storied: San FranciscoSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

This episode brings you two SXSW Film Festival documentaries that will introduce you to two amazing women that should already be household names.The World According to Allee Willis shares the story of one of the most successful singer/songwriter/artists of our time, Allee Willis, from her strict upbringing to her creative successes (despite struggling to fit in with sexual and gender norms), and eventually, her path to love. We are joined by director Alexis Spraic, producer Nicholas Coles, and EP/participant Prudence Fenton, who share the finding of hidden gems in Allee's archival footage, if there is potential for this to become a series (yes, please!), and how they are continuing Allee's legacy through the Willis Wonderland Foundation.Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, follows the life of one of music's first Black trans performers, and how she made it to the edge of stardom before disappearing. Directors Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee describe how they thankfully were able to find Jackie before her sudden death, the importance of the timing of the film's release, and telling the story of a trans woman's life that was filled with joy.Listen to Allee Willis' Child Star album hereFollow EP/participant Prudence Fenton on IGFind Jackie Shane's music hereFollow Any Other Way on IGFollow director Michael Mabbott on IGFollow director Lucah Rosenberg-Lee on IGAudio engineering by Jeff Hunt from Storied: San FranciscoSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

Today we're bringing you two SXSW films (a documentary and a narrative) that deal with the search for family.She Looks Like Me is a documentary about a baby born without legs who was abandoned by her parents, and finds out that the gymnast she idolized, Dominique Moceanu, is her long lost sister. We were extremely excited to be joined by gold medal gymnast Dominique Moceanu, who shares why she knew it was the right time to make this film, her history of trauma and forgiving her dad, how she looks back on being a part of the '96 Olympic gymnastics team,  speaking out against abuse, and how she is working to change the sport for the better.Bob Trevino Like It is a narrative feature that is inspired by the real life friendship that writer/director Tracie Laymon found with a stranger while searching for her father on social media.  Tracie discusses how acts of kindness  can create a butterfly effect, getting to work with incredible actors like Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo, and letting go of the people who hurt you to make room for those who want to love you.Follow gold medal gymnast Dominique Moceanu on IGFollow writer/director Tracie Laymon on IGAudio engineering by Jeff Hunt from Storied: San FranciscoSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

We're bringing you two documentaries from the SXSW Film Festival that tell stories of sexual assault, a broken justice system, and women finding their voice.An Army of Women follows a group of women in Austin, TX, who join forces to challenge the broken system that allowed their rapists to walk free. Director Julie Lunde Lillesæter and one of the film's subjects, Marina Garrett, join us to share the anger that initially fueled this project, the beautiful community of survivors that lift each other up, and how they hope this story proves that you can fight the system. Roleplay follows college students as they confront sexual assault on their campus through a transformative theater process. Director Katie Mathews shares how she got connected with the students and this project, the difference it makes when the students are in charge of telling their own stories, her hopes for the future of this project, and the moment she knew she had an important film. Follow An Army of Women on IGFollow Roleplay on IGFollow director Katie Mathews on IGSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

Our SXSW Film Festival coverage is in full swing with two narrative films that deal with lies and finding out the truth.We Strangers follows a commercial cleaner as she tells a lie (that she can speak to the dead) that spirals out of control. We chat with director/writer Anu Valia about how she created the uncomfortable/anxious tone for the film, interweaving themes of race, power, and assimilation, and how she hopes this film sparks a greater conversation afterwards.Birdeater is a thriller that follows a bride-to-be as she joins her fiance at his bachelor party in the Australian outback. It was a packed house as we were joined by lead actors Shabana Azeez and Mackenzie Fearnley, and co-director/writer Jack Clark and co-director Jim Weir. We get into the environmental and logistical drama that happened off camera, the importance and impact of working with an intimacy coordinator, and the details behind a horrible game we learn about in the film (that's apparently popular in Australia?) called Paranoia.Follow director Anu Valia on IGFollow Birdeater on IGFollow director/writer Jack Clark on IGFollow director Jim Weir on IGFollow actor Shabana Azeez on IGFollow actor Mackenzie Fearnley on IGAudio engineering by Jeff Hunt from Storied: San FranciscoSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, recorded 700+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM