Emma Smith, Director of East Midlands Film Office: 3 Movies That Changed Your Life: All Eight Harry Potter Films, Y tu mamá también & Romeo + Juliet

In this episode of 3 Movies That Changed Your Life screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with Director of East Midlands Film Office Emma Smith about: All Eight Harry Potter Films, Y tu mamá también, and Romeo + Juliet. Discover how these films shaped her screenwriting journey, personal growth, and understanding of cinema’s power. Plus, Emma Smith discusses the aims and ambitions of the East Midlands Film Office. Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about the the East Midlands Film Office and the lasting impact of cinema on Emma Smith’s life with Stuart Wright on his movie podcast.   [1:20] the East Midlands Film Office 3 Movies That Changed Your Life [18:21] All Eight Harry Potter Films (2001-2011): Great to be a part of the communal analysis about whether the books translated accurately to what you imagined in your head [29:20] Y tu mamá también (2001): A movie not watched for over two decades but left an indelible mark. [34:35] Romeo + Juliet (1996): Went to watch it because of Claire Danes and Leonardo Dicaprio. Completely blind to the visceral experience this tragedy would put her through.   Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth.  The aims and ambitions of the East Midlands Film Office and how to get in touch. Understand cinema’s transformative power through All Eight Harry Potter Films (2001-2011), Y tu mamá también (2001), Romeo + Juliet (1996) Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast About my Guest:   Emma Smith is the founder of Spin Off Studios and Director of the East Midlands Film Office, Attracting and supporting high-profile film, TV and commercial productions to the region. Overseeing everything from location scouting, permissions and casting to working with local authorities and crew, ensuring world-class filming experiences while showcasing the East Midlands’ unique talent and locations. For more information or how to get in touch see https://eastmidlandsfilm.com/ Credits:   Written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright for [Britflicks.com](https://www.britflicks.com/britflicks-podcast/)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of 3 Movies That Changed Your Life screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with TV director George Kane about: Back To The Future, Monkey Business, and Faces. Discover how these films shaped his screenwriting journey, personal growth, and understanding of cinema’s power. Plus, George Kane talks about archiving his personal photographs and videos. Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about why George Kane archives his photographs and videos and the lasting impact of cinema on George Kane’s life with Stuart Wright on his movie podcast.   [1:20] Archiving your photographs and video 3 Movies That Changed Your Life [15:08] Back To The Future (1985): this film is in his DNA [20:20] Monkey Business (1931): Joke for joke is funnier than the more popular Duck Soup [25:27] Faces (1968): Inspired a short film that was pivotal in his directing career   Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth.  Learn about the benefits and delights of archiving personal photographs and videos. Understand cinema’s transformative power through Back To The Future (1985), Monkey Business (1931), Faces (1968) Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast About my Guest:   George Kane directed episodes 1, 2 & 3 of season 2 of Ludwig. He is also known for Timewasters (2017), Flack (2019) and Crashing (2016). For Ludwig season 2 see BBC iplayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0022wvz/ludwig  Credits:   Written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright for [Britflicks.com](https://www.britflicks.com/britflicks-podcast/)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of 3 Movies That Changed Your Life screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with journalist and author David Nolan about: The Street Fighter, Society, and Samsara. Discover how these films shaped his screenwriting journey, personal growth, and understanding of cinema’s power. Plus, David Nolan introduces the world to CULT MANCHESTER. Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about why David Nolan created CULT MANCHESTER and the lasting impact of cinema on David Nolan’s life with Stuart Wright on his movie podcast.   [1:20] What is CULT MANCHESTER 3 Movies That Changed Your Life [12:45] The Street Fighter aka Hard Times (1975): Saw this at the cinema aged 10 but got in because his dad insisted he was 14, short for his age and was embarrassed to talk about it [19:10] Society (1989): Saw this for the first time at a cinema in Ashton-under-Lyne as part of a Black Nights Film Festival [25:32] Samsara (2023): A surprise cinematic experience like no other   Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth.  Learn what is CULT MANCHESTER and where to find it Understand cinema’s transformative power through The Street Fighter (1975), Society (1989), Samsara (2023) Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast About my Guest:   David Nolan is a journalist, author and founder of CULT MANCHESTER For all your CULT MANCHESTER needs go to https://www.cultmanchester.co.uk/ and follow their activities on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cult_manchester/ Credits:   Written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright for [Britflicks.com](https://www.britflicks.com/britflicks-podcast/)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of 3 Movies That Changed Your Life screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with screenwriter Helen Tompson about: You've Got Mail, The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things, and The Truman Show. Discover how these films shaped her screenwriting journey, personal growth, and understanding of cinema’s power. Plus, Helen Tompson discusses why she chooses to share screenwriting scheme/assignment rejections and how it has aided her personal development as a writer. Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about why she chooses to share screenwriting scheme/assignment rejections can aid your personal development as a writer and the lasting impact of cinema on Helen Tompson’s life with Stuart Wright on his movie podcast.   [1:20] Mentoring 3 Movies That Changed Your Life [23:20] You’ve Got Mail (1998): This is not a romcom [29:20] The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things (2021): Such an underrated film [34:35] The Truman Show (1998): The allegory of the cave   Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth.  Sharing and discussing screenwriting scheme/assignment rejections can aid your personal development as a writer. Understand cinema’s transformative power through You've Got Mail (1998), The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things (2021), The Truman Show (1998) Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast About my Guest:   Helen Tompson is a screenwriter You can find Helen’s posts about rejection and other aspects of screenwriting on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-tompson/ Credits:   Written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright for [Britflicks.com](https://www.britflicks.com/britflicks-podcast/)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of 3 Movies That Changed Your Life screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with legendary screenwriter Steven E De Souza (DIE HARD, RUNNING MAN) about: The Treasure Of Sierra Madre, North By North West, and Citizen Kane. Discover how these films shaped his filmmaking journey, personal growth, and understanding of cinema’s power. Plus Steven E De Souza discusses how he wrote the iconic eighties action movie COMMANDO (1985) for Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about how Steven E De Souza wrote the iconic eighties action movie COMMANDO; and the lasting impact of cinema on his life with Stuart Wright on this movie podcast.   [1:20] How Steven E De Souza wrote the Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie COMMANDO (1985) 3 Movies That Changed Your Life [44:45] The Treasure Of Sierra Madre (1948): Saw this movie when it was re-released in 1955 [49:50] North By North West (1959): The first movie Steven could not second guess where the story was heading [55:10] Citizen Kane (1941): Cemented Steven's desire to be a filmmaker Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth.  How Steven E De Souza wrote the Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie COMMANDO (1985) Rewriting someone else’s screenplay Understand cinema’s transformative power through The Treasure Of Sierra Madre (1948), North By North West (1959), Citizen Kane (1941) Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast About my Guest:   Steven E De Souza is a screenwriter known for COMMANDO, RUNNING MAN, DIE HARD and much more. Find him on Twitter at https://x.com/StevenEdeSouza  Credits:   3 Movies That Changed Your Life Podcast is written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright see https://linktr.ee/stuartwright  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of 3 Movies That Changed Your Life screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with actor/filmmaker Cameron Francis about: Persona, Barton Fink, and Halloween. Discover how these films shaped his filmmaking journey, personal growth, and understanding of cinema’s power. Plus Cameron Francis discusses the making of his neo-noir micro budget thriller COVER.  Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about how Cameron Francis made his neo-noir micro budget thriller COVER; and the lasting impact of cinema on his life with Stuart Wright on this movie podcast.   [1:20] BLOOD SECRET World Premiere at Frightfest 2026 [2:20] The making of Cameron Francis’s neo-noir micro budget thriller COVER 3 Movies That Changed Your Life [19:30] Persona (1966): Watched, restarted it and watched it again. It just hit so hard. [27:15] Barton Fink (1991): The creepy beach in Blood Secret was influenced by the beach scene at the end of Barton Fink [32:15] Halloween (1978): As a person trying make stuff with little money, there’s indelibly images in this movie that are so inspiring. Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth.  How Cameron Francis made his neo-noir micro budget thriller COVER Understand cinema’s transformative power through Persona (1966), Barton Fink (1991), Halloween (1978) Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast About my Guest:   Cameron Francis is an actor and filmmaker known for Cover (2025) and Blood Secret (2026); and his work in "Never Back Down" (2008), "Frank v. God" (2012), and the Kevin Smith film "Killroy Was Here.” COVER is out now on TUBI. https://tubitv.com/en-gb/movies/100052894/cover  For more behind the scenes discussion follow Cameron Francis on instagram https://www.instagram.com/cameronfrancis5/?hl=en  The world premiere of BLOOD SECRET is at Frightfest 2026, Thursday 27 August at 10:45pm see website for details https://frightfest.co.uk/LondoN2026/blood-secret.html  Credits:   3 Movies That Changed Your Life Podcast is written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright see https://linktr.ee/stuartwright  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of 3 Movies That Changed Your Life screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with Stay Safe screenwriter Rolando Viñas about: Misery, Shawshank Redemption, and Pulp Fiction. Discover how these films shaped his screenwriting journey, personal growth, and understanding of cinema’s power. Plus Rolando Viñas discusses how, as a writer for hire, he wrote the sci-fi horror STAY SAFE.  Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about how Rolando Viñas wrote the sci-fi horror STAY SAFE; and the lasting impact of cinema on his life with Stuart Wright on this movie podcast.   [1:20] Writing STAY SAFE 3 Movies That Changed Your Life [13:40] Misery (1991): Fortunate to be a teenager in the 1990s [19:35] Shawshank Redemption (1994): It is a perfect film [27:30] Pulp Fiction (1994): A breath of fresh air to see this movie Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth.  How Rolando Viñas wrote the sci-fi horror STAY SAFE How to be a writer for hire Understand cinema’s transformative power through Misery (1991), Shawshank Redemption (1994), Pulp Fiction (1994) Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast About my Guest:   Rolando Viñas is known for Investigation 13 (2019), Stay Safe (2025) and Arcana STAY SAFE is out now on TUBI. https://tubitv.com/en-gb/movies/100053997/stay-safe  Credits:   3 Movies That Changed Your Life Podcast is written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright see https://linktr.ee/stuartwright  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of 3 Movies That Changed Your Life screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with Balagan Productions film & commercials producer Jonathan Weissler about: Aliens, JFK, and Fight Club. Discover how these films shaped his screenwriting journey, personal growth, and understanding of cinema’s power. Plus Jonathan Weissler discusses the state of indie film financing in the age of the streamers and how to navigate post-production deals.  Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about the state of indie film financing in the age of the streamers and how to navigate post-production deals; and the lasting impact of cinema on Jonathan Weissler’s life with Stuart Wright on his movie podcast.   [1:20] Indie film financing in the age of the streamer [7:00] What are the challenges of post-production deals and how can filmmakers navigate them to get the best outcomes? [16:00] The importance of knowing how to make film… Seems obvious, right?  3 Movies That Changed Your Life [24:13] Aliens (1986): One of the most exciting movies ever put on film [29:30] JFK (1991): Part of my filmmaking culture [35:15] Fight Club (1999): It spoke to me.    Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth.  The state of indie film financing in the age of the streamers. How to navigate a post-production deal Understand cinema’s transformative power through Aliens (1986), JFK (1991), Fight Club (1999) Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast About my Guest:   Jonathan Weissler is film and commercials producer at Balagan Productions https://www.balagan.biz/  Notes for the interview In reference to my comments about THE SNOWMAN production issues. Here’s the news story as reported by Indiewire - https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-snowman-director-explains-movie-terrible-tomas-alfredson-1201888133/  Credits:   Written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright for [Britflicks.com](https://www.britflicks.com/britflicks-podcast/)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of 3 Movies That Changed Your Life screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with ex-Fall drummer and co-host of The Fall podcast OH! BROTHER Paul Hanley about: The Likely Lads, The Silence Of The Lambs, and Withnail And I. Discover how these films shaped his life. Plus, Paul Hanley talks about The Fall, surprising discoveries about The Fall via the Oh! Brother guests and playing in the band House Of All Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about surprising discoveries about The Fall via Oh! Brother guests, playing in the band House Of All and the lasting impact of cinema on Paul Hanley’s life.   [1:20] The Fall, surprising discoveries about The Fall via the Oh! Brother guests and playing in the band House Of All 3 Movies That Changed Your Life [19:41] The Likely Lads (1976): Improved on the sitcom [25:00] The Silence Of The Lambs (1991): Seeing your name on end credits [30:20] Withnail And I (1987): Film Paul’s watched the most   Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth.  How Paul Hanley first came across The Fall Surprising discoveries about The Fall via Oh! Brother guest Playing in the band - House Of All Understand cinema’s transformative power through The Likely Lads (1976), The Silence Of The Lambs (1991), Withnail And I (1987) Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast About my Guest:   Paul Hanley co-hosts The Fall podcast Oh! Brother with his brother Stephen Hanley For the best tales from one of Britains most influential post-punk bands - The Fall, listen to OH! BROTHER https://linktr.ee/Ohbrothershow      Credits:   Written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright for [Britflicks.com](https://www.britflicks.com/britflicks-podcast/)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of 3 Movies That Changed Your Life screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with Special Effects Supervisor Alex Gunn about: Metropolis, Aliens, and Zulu. Discover how these films shaped his screenwriting journey, personal growth, and understanding of cinema’s power. Plus, Alex Gunn shares three tales from the set: how he created one of the loudest explosions on film for Rambo (2008); how he convinced Tom Cruise to let him blow up a table for Valkyrie (2008); and how they pulled together that crazy farmhouse shoot out for Gangs Of London s1, ep5 (2020) Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about what a Special Effects Supervisor does and how they safely make your films positively explosive and the lasting impact of cinema on Alex Gunn’s life.   Three explosive stories from Alex Gunn’s 40+ year career: [1:20] how he created one of the loudest explosions on film for Rambo (2008) [9:30] how he convinced Tom Cruise to let him blow up a table for Valkyrie (2008)  [17:30] how they pulled together that crazy farmhouse shoot out for Gangs Of London s1, ep5 (2020) 3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life Metropolis (1992): Uses every type of SFX [27:40] Alex Gunn says Metropolis employs every type of special effects there is and every type of optical gag, miniatures, mechanical rigs, huge engineering processes for the flooding sequence and the robot transformation. Even today SFX experts are still not sure how they did it. Aliens (1992): No CGI [32:40] Alex Gunn says Aliens is a CGI free zone, Made 40 years ago, never bettered and at no point, was someone at a laptop needed to improve it. Zulu (1997): Passion project   [38:40] According to his autobiography, Zulu was a passion project for director Si Enfield and leading man Stan Baker. 60+ years on and it still stands up to scrutiny. It visceral and it’s gutsy. Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth.  The art of loud explosions on film - Rambo (2008) Why Bryan Singer and Tom Cruise to let Alex Gunn blow up a table on Valkyrie (2008) How thinking in bullet time helped Alex Gunn pull together that crazy farmhouse shoot out for Gangs Of London s1, ep5 (2020). Learn what a Special Effects Supervisor does and how they collaborate with the rest of the cast and crew to make your films explosive (and safe). Understand cinema’s transformative power through Metropolis (1927), Aliens (1986), Zulu (1964) Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast About my Guest:   Alex Gunn is Special Effects Supervisor with over 40 years' experience in practical, physical, pyrotechnic and miniature effects for films, television shows, pop videos and commercials. He has an almost unrivalled wealth of experience across the genres. From war films to food shows, historical dramas to documentaries, specialty set design and construction, gimbals and other rigs, there's pretty much nothing that I haven't catered for.  For more see https://www.arcadiasfx.com/     Credits:   Written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright for [Britflicks.com](https://www.britflicks.com/britflicks-podcast/)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices