456: From Standing Ovations to Side-Eyes: BGN Breaks Down TIFF 2025

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds Podcast, we chat with multi-hyphenate Teyana Taylor about her critically-acclaimed work in the Paul Thomas Anderson film One Battle After Another. In One Battle After Another, Teyana Taylor delivers a raw, commanding performance as Perfidia, a woman fighting to hold her life together while the world keeps throwing punches. Taylor channels her signature intensity into a character who is both fierce and deeply vulnerable someone navigating personal trauma, fractured relationships, and the quiet battles no one sees. Host: Jamie Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome music artist East-O of Truth Teller Productions. The new EP, The Kush, from TTP was released on April 20, 2025 worldwide. The Kush was solely written and produced by East-O (Chris Herbie Holland). Host: Jamie Music by: TruthTeller Productions/East-O and Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome actor Taylor Polidore Williams, best known for her role in the hit Netflix series Beauty In Black. Born in Texas and the daughter of an engineer and educator, Taylor grew up surrounded by the arts in the Houston area. She is a proud alumna of HBCU Clark Atlanta University where she studied Mass Media Arts with a concentration in Film. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She stars in Netflix’s hit series She stars in Netflix’s hit series Beauty In Black, as the series lead. Her character Kimmie begins the series as a victim of human trafficking, and perseveres to become the leader of the Beauty in Black empire. Host: Jamie Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome director RT Thorne making his feature film debut with his movie 40 Acres. Making its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, 40 Acres is now available on Demand and DVD. After a series of plagues and wars leaves society in ruins, the Freemans are surviving — even thriving — on a farm in the middle of nowhere... so long as they repel the occasional raiding party. Former soldier Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) and her partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes) fled the collapse along with their children, training them to fight (and, yes, kill). But now Hailey’s eldest Emanuel (Kataem O’Connor) is a young man, and when he meets a young woman (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) in the forest beyond the fence, his need for human contact could place the whole family in jeopardy. Host: Jamie Broadnax Edited by: Jamie Broadnax Music by: Sammus

BGN breaks down the films screened at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, which celebrated its 50th year.  Jamie and Chalice cover the majority of the films they screened at the festival from the good to ones that gave us some major side-eye. Hosts: Jamie Broadnax and Chalice Williams Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome filmmaker Zamo Mkhwanazi. Making her feature debut, her movie Laundry will premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival under the Discovery selection. Filmmaker Zamo Mkhwanazi’s quietly powerful debut Laundry crafts an intimate portrait of a Black family navigating the uneasy privileges and hidden costs of exemption within the violently unequal system of apartheid South Africa. The film is set in 1968, the same year that negative international opinion against apartheid fomented during the Summer Olympics but 26 years before the end of the institution. Host: Jamie Broadnax Edited by: Jamie Broadnax Music by: Sammus For more information on when and where to screen Laundry go here. The 2025 Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept 4-14th.

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we chat with Amina Mucciolo, the founder of Cloudland and Studio Mucci. She's also the author of the book "A Rainbow In Your Cloud". Amina is a self-described “unicorn, creative visionary, digital influencer” and the woman behind the decor company, Studio Mucci.  Host: Jamie Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we chat with actor, writer and director Nnamdi Asomugha about his new film The Knife. Construction worker Chris (Nnamdi Asomugha) is prepared to do whatever he can to build a solid life for his family, yet his plans are thrown into disarray after a mysterious woman appears in their new home late one night. By the time police arrive, the intruder is lying on the kitchen floor unconscious, a knife in her hand, and it falls to steadfast Detective Carlsen (Melissa Leo) to uncover the truth about what happened. Under questioning, Chris, his wife Alex (Aja Naomi King) and their young daughters Ryley (Aiden Price) and Kendra (Amari Price) close ranks, hoping to safeguard one another’s secrets—but the choices they make lead to consequences graver than they could ever imagine. The Knife opens in theaters August 15th. Host: Jamie Edited by: Jamie Broadnax Music by: Sammus Photo credit: Alex Reside

On this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast we chat with 'Alien: Earth' Series Creator Noah Hawley and Alex Lawther. Alien: Earth is FX's upcoming sci-fi horror series created by Noah Hawley, expanding the iconic Alien franchise with a grounded, serialized story set on Earth for the first time. Taking place in the year 2120—30 years before Ripley’s story begins—the series explores a near-future where Earth is dominated by rival biotech corporations like Weyland-Yutani and Prodigy. When a deep-space research vessel crash-lands on Earth carrying something inhuman, chaos unfolds.  Host: Jamie Edited by: Jamie Broadnax 'Alien: Earth' premieres Aug 12th on FX

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we interview Sonia Denis of Marvel TV's 'Ironheart'. Sonia Denis plays "Clown", the crew’s unpredictable pyrotechnics specialist. Sonia is an Emmy-nominated writer and rising actor whose credits include High Maintenance, BoJack Horseman, and A Black Lady Sketch Show. In Ironheart, she brings chaotic humor and magnetic energy to the underground world. Host: Jamie Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax