INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE with Greg Laemmle & Raphael Sbarge

How do you capture the emotional intensity of being seventeen without making a conventional coming-of-age movie? With MOUSE, Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson—the filmmakers behind the acclaimed GHOSTLIGHT—return to the complicated territory of friendship, identity, and growing up. Set in North Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2002, and drawing on O'Sullivan's own adolescence, the film features a remarkable ensemble led by Katherine Mallen Kupferer and Academy Award nominee Sophie Okonedo, alongside Tara Mallen, Chloe Coleman, Iman Vellani, and David Hyde Pierce. The filmmaking is equally fascinating. O'Sullivan and Thompson bring an intimate, collaborative approach to their work, finding humor and heartbreak in the most unexpected places. For MOUSE, they drew visual inspiration from films as unlikely as THE THIN RED LINE and PHANTOM THREAD, bringing a distinctive cinematic richness to this deeply personal story. Now nominated for Best Feature at the 2026 Gotham Film Awards, MOUSE is another remarkable chapter in their creative partnership. We welcomed Kelly and Alex to INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE to discuss MOUSE, the experiences that shaped it, and the art of telling stories that feel wonderfully, sometimes painfully, true to life. Watch our full conversation on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to MOUSE 01:46 Meet Kelly O'Sullivan & Alex Thompson — From GHOSTLIGHT to MOUSE 05:24 Why Theater Reveals Who We Are 07:30 Sophie Okonedo and the Complicated Stage Mother 10:28 MOUSE — Official Trailer 12:24 The Film's R Rating and Finding Humor 13:15 Casting Katherine Mallen Kupferer 13:50 Why MOUSE Almost Never Got Made 14:52 How GHOSTLIGHT Changed Everything 17:21 Directing Actors and Staying True to the Script 21:37 Tara Mallen and the Complexity of Motherhood 25:36 Why MOUSE Is Set in 2002 27:47 John Hughes and the Teenage Experience 30:59 The Influence of PHANTOM THREAD and THE THIN RED LINE 32:30 Theatrical Release and Final Thoughts MOUSE opens in theaters November 6, with a wider release beginning November 13. Distributed by Independent Film Company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche and newly nominated Gotham Award performer Tom Courtenay star in QUEEN AT SEA, a deeply moving and morally complex new film from writer-director Lance Hammer, returning to feature filmmaking 18 years after his acclaimed Sundance-winning debut, BALLAST. What happens when the person you've spent your life with begins to disappear right in front of you? And when protecting someone you love means making decisions for them, how do you know what is right? Binoche plays Amanda, a woman who returns to London to be near her mother, Leslie (Anna Calder-Marshall), who is living with advanced dementia. There, she finds herself in a painful conflict with her stepfather, Martin (Courtenay), over questions of love, consent, and responsibility. Courtenay has just received a 2026 Gotham Film Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Performance for his role in the film. In this episode of INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, Raphael Sbarge and Greg Laemmle welcome Lance Hammer for a thoughtful conversation about the personal experiences that inspired the story, the extraordinary cast, and the intensive rehearsal and improvisation process that helped bring the film to life. Hammer also shares the remarkable story of how Tom Courtenay helped cast Anna Calder-Marshall, why real police and medical professionals became part of the production, and what he discovered about collaboration and creative freedom after nearly two decades away from feature filmmaking. QUEEN AT SEA is a film that refuses easy answers, inviting audiences to consider the complicated choices families make when love, dignity, and personal freedom come into conflict. Opening October 30 at the Angelika Film Center in New York, with a nationwide theatrical release to follow. Distributed by Greenwich Entertainment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito—and a New York that's disappearing before our eyes. In THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK, writer-director Noah Segan brings us a funny, suspenseful, and unexpectedly moving story about an aging thief whose particular skills—and the city he once knew—are becoming obsolete. In this conversation with INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE hosts Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge, Segan shares the remarkable story of how John Turturro came aboard the film, including the moment his longtime friend and producer Rian Johnson insisted he get on a plane to New York to meet the actor. Segan also discusses the classic crime films that inspired him, returning to the New York neighborhoods of his childhood, working with an extraordinary ensemble, and the wonderfully unexpected dance sequence that began with a video Turturro sent from his home office. Along the way, he takes us inside his filmmaking process—from using vintage lenses to creating a collaborative environment where, as he puts it, the best idea in the room wins. Featuring Tatiana Maslany, Will Price, Victoria Moroles, and Jamie Lee Curtis, THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK is both a love letter to an earlier New York and a celebration of the wonderfully imperfect people who inhabit it. Produced by Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman's T-Street and distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. In New York and Los Angeles theaters October 23, nationwide October 30. INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE — The people, films, and ideas keeping independent cinema alive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when a thirteen-year-old Jewish boy preparing for his bar mitzvah decides he might actually be Catholic? Actor Joshua Malina (The West Wing, Scandal) joins Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge to discuss ETHAN BLOOM, a warm, funny, and unexpectedly moving coming-of-age film about religion, grief, first love, and the complicated relationship between fathers and sons. Malina plays Gary, a widowed father trying to understand his son, Ethan, whose search for spiritual comfort leads him from his Jewish upbringing toward the Catholic Church. Directed by Herschel Faber, the film approaches some of life's biggest questions with humor, compassion, and a welcome sense of curiosity. A conversation about acting, family, faith, and the beautiful messiness of growing up. Find the film and screenings: https://www.menemshafilms.com/ethan-bloom INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE is hosted by Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge, celebrating the filmmakers and films at the heart of independent cinema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it mean to spend your working life entering strangers’ homes, photographing their private spaces — and then moving on? Writer-director Paula González-Nasser joins Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge to discuss THE SCOUT, her acclaimed feature debut starring Mimi Davila as a New York location scout whose unusual job offers fleeting glimpses into the lives of strangers. Drawing from González-Nasser’s own years scouting productions including Russian Doll, Search Party, High Maintenance and Never Rarely Sometimes Always, the film becomes something much larger: a funny, quietly moving exploration of creative work, loneliness, urban life, and the people whose labor makes movies possible. Paula talks about finding a movie inside an invisible job, the influence of filmmakers like Chantal Akerman and Michelangelo Antonioni, learning to trust the film’s slower rhythm, shaping Sofia with Mimi Davila, and the very real anxiety of stepping behind the camera for the first time. A New York Times Critic’s Pick, THE SCOUT is now in theaters from Greenwich Entertainment. 00:00 — THE SCOUT01:10 — Finding a Film in an Invisible Job03:40 — Location Scouting After COVID04:51 — The Films That Shaped THE SCOUT07:27 — Film Clip: Inside a Stranger’s Home09:20 — Trusting the Film’s Slow Burn11:42 — Why Sofia Stays at the Edge of the Frame12:36 — Editing: When to Enter and Leave a Scene14:27 — Becoming a Director — and Imposter Syndrome17:31 — The Voicemails: A Greek Chorus20:00 — The Real Cost of New York Locations20:24 — THE SCOUT Trailer22:31 — Why the Story Is Just a Day in the Life24:05 — Creating Sofia with Mimi Davila25:58 — Antonioni, French New Wave & Visual References27:12 — How Audiences Are Responding28:59 — Finding Humor in New York Loneliness30:54 — Closing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE LAST FIRST: WINTER K2 | Amir Bar-Lev There are mountains people climb because they can. And then there is K2. The second-highest mountain on Earth, and one of its deadliest, had never been climbed in winter. For decades, mountaineers called it the last great first. In 2021, teams from around the world converged on its slopes to claim it. Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story, My Kid Could Paint That, Happy Valley) joins Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge to discuss The Last First: Winter K2, his account of that season and what it revealed: the commercialization of extreme mountaineering, the pressure of cameras and social media, national pride, the economics of expedition climbing, and the long question of who gets credit for the risks taken at altitude. At the film's center are Icelandic climber John Snorri Sigurjónsson, Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara and his son Sajid, and the Nepali climbers determined to make history on their own terms. Their paths expose fault lines of class, nationality and opportunity running through the traditional hierarchy of Himalayan climbing. Bar-Lev also talks about building a documentary from competing accounts, archival footage and survivors who don't agree on what happened, and why he chose to preserve that uncertainty rather than resolve it. What does it mean to be first? Who gets remembered? And when ambition, money, national identity and filmmaking itself enter a place where one decision can mean life or death, who pays the price for glory? The Last First: Winter K2 premieres October 2 on Apple TV. Film clips, trailer material and production imagery courtesy of Apple Original Films. Hosted by Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge. Subscribe to Inside the Arthouse on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwB-ioi_dD-Lr8PUjdkBWyw?sub_confirmation=1 Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/insidethearthouse.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sundance-winning director Josef Kubota Wladyka joins INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE to discuss HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY!, his joyous, deeply personal new film starring Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi. Kikuchi plays Haru, a woman whose life in Tokyo has revolved around ballroom dancing with her husband, Luis. When tragedy suddenly upends that world, Haru retreats from life — until family, friendship, desire and dance begin pulling her back toward it. Wladyka talks about the deeply personal inspiration he found in his Japanese mother, and how that connection helped shape a story about grief, resilience, aging, identity and the complicated ways people begin again. He also discusses collaborating with Kikuchi, building a character who is allowed to be messy and contradictory, and using dance as an emotional language when words are no longer enough. The conversation explores the film's balance of humor, tenderness and magical realism; the challenge of moving between sorrow and joy without sentimentalizing either; and the importance of allowing older characters to retain desire, unpredictability and agency. Wladyka also reflects on the film's journey to Sundance, where his direction was honored, and on the larger idea at the heart of HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY!: that grief and joy are not opposites, and that sometimes the act of moving forward begins quite literally by moving your body. A warm, funny and surprisingly moving conversation about loss, love, desire — and why we should never stop dancing. 00:00 — Introduction: HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY!01:32 — Meet Director Josef Kubota Wladyka03:45 — Finding Joy in a Story About Grief06:25 — The Personal Story Behind the Film09:15 — Rinko Kikuchi and Creating Haru12:10 — When Life Gets Messy15:25 — Dance as an Emotional Language18:35 — Grief, Desire and Starting Over21:45 — Humor, Fantasy and Magical Realism24:45 — Japan, Family and Cultural Identity27:30 — Sundance and Trusting the Film30:05 — Why We Should Never Stop Dancing INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE is dedicated to the people, films and ideas keeping independent cinema alive. If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, watch the full episode on YouTube, and join us each week for new conversations with the filmmakers behind the movies worth seeing on the big screen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE WEIGHT director Padraic McKinley joins INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE to discuss Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, and the making of his gripping Depression-era wilderness thriller. Set in Oregon in 1933, THE WEIGHT stars Hawke as Samuel Murphy, a father separated from his daughter and sentenced to a brutal work camp. When Warden Clancy, played by Crowe, offers him early release in exchange for transporting stolen gold across treacherous wilderness, Murphy accepts—but suspicion, betrayal, and desperation soon begin to fracture the group. McKinley traces the unusual path that led to his feature directorial debut. After years as an editor and television director, he formed a creative partnership with Hawke while making THE GOOD LORD BIRD. That relationship helped transform THE WEIGHT into a deeply personal story about a father determined to return to his daughter. He also takes us inside the film’s creative DNA, from SORCERER, DELIVERANCE, THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, and SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION to the patient, character-driven American filmmaking of the 1970s. McKinley explains how editing shaped his approach to directing and how vintage lenses, restrained coverage, long takes, and an episodic structure created the film’s distinctive rhythm. The director also recounts the punishing production in the Bavarian forest—including freezing water, unforgiving terrain, heavy packs, ticks, temperamental period automobiles, and an injury sustained by Hawke. Finally, he shares what it was like directing Hawke and Crowe together—and why, when two actors of that caliber sit across from one another, sometimes the director’s most important job is simply to make sure the camera is running. THE WEIGHT also stars Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Alec Newman, and Sam Hazeldine. The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, and opens in U.S. theaters September 18 from Vertical. Hosted by Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge. Please follow INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE and share the episode with someone who loves independent cinema. Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you listen. 00:00 Directing Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe 00:22 Introducing THE WEIGHT 01:51 Director Padraic McKinley joins the show 02:12 From editing to directing 04:43 Meeting Ethan Hawke 08:02 The origins of THE WEIGHT 10:19 Rebuilding the screenplay 12:35 THE WEIGHT trailer 14:51 The classic films that inspired THE WEIGHT 18:42 Returning to patient, character-driven storytelling 21:27 Creating the look of a 1970s thriller 22:55 Filmmaking in an age of shrinking attention spans 27:10 The emotional meaning of the teddy bear 28:25 Surviving the Bavarian forest 31:19 Shooting in unforgiving terrain 33:15 Working with Ethan Hawke 34:48 Directing Russell Crowe 37:24 Two great actors face one another 40:14 Why THE WEIGHT belongs in theaters 41:26 Closing If you value the work we do and would like to help us continue supporting independent cinema, visit:https://buymeacoffee.com/insidethearthouse.com The people, films, and ideas keeping independent cinema alive. #TheWeight #EthanHawke #RussellCrowe #PadraicMcKinley #IndependentFilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel joins INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE to discuss THE CYCLE OF LOVE, the extraordinary true story of PK Mahanandia and his nearly 6,000-mile bicycle journey from India to Sweden for love. In 1977, PK, a young street artist from Delhi born into a poor Dalit family, set out on a secondhand bicycle with a handful of paintbrushes and almost no money. His destination was Sweden, where he hoped to reunite with Lotta, the woman he loved and believed fate had promised him. Von Einsiedel discusses discovering PK and Lotta’s story through their children and the six-year journey required to bring it to the screen. He explains how limited archival footage led the filmmakers to combine personal archives, dramatic reconstruction, vérité documentary, and unscripted encounters with people along PK’s original route. The conversation also explores the caste discrimination that shaped PK’s childhood, his struggle to believe himself worthy of love, and the strangers whose kindness transformed his understanding of himself. THE CYCLE OF LOVE is an inventive, deeply moving, and unabashedly hopeful reminder that love can cross borders, challenge the divisions society creates, and change the stories we believe about ourselves. Watch INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE on YouTube and subscribe for more conversations with the filmmakers shaping independent, international, and arthouse cinema: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwB-ioi_dD-Lr8PUjdkBWyw?sub_confirmation=1 If you value the work we do and would like to help us continue supporting independent cinema: https://buymeacoffee.com/insidethearthouse.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE celebrates two years of filmmaker conversations with Jim Jarmusch, Mark Cousins, Embeth Davidtz, Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni, and Alexandre O. Philippe. What began with the hope that someone might watch has grown into more than 100 episodes, nearly half a million subscribers, and over four million views. To mark our second anniversary, we’re returning to five of the conversations you watched—and shared—the most. Director and film historian Mark Cousins explores the mind and movies of Alfred Hitchcock through MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK. Actor and filmmaker Embeth Davidtz discusses her deeply personal directorial debut, DON’T LET’S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT, adapted from Alexandra Fuller’s memoir about a childhood shaped by family, memory, and the final years of colonial Rhodesia. Jim Jarmusch reflects on his creative life, his distinctive approach to filmmaking, and FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER. Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni take us inside CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS, their extraordinary documentary about Sara Shahverdi, the first elected councilwoman in her rural Iranian village—and her fight to create a different future for its girls. Director Alexandre O. Philippe discusses CHAINED REACTIONS, his documentary exploring the lasting cultural and artistic impact of Tobe Hooper’s THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. These films could hardly be more different, but each reflects what brought us here in the first place: a belief that movies matter—and that thoughtful conversations with the people who make them can deepen the way we see their work. Thank you to every filmmaker who has joined us, and to everyone who has watched, listened, subscribed, commented, and shared over these first two years. We truly could not have done it without you. Chapters 00:00 Two years of INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE 01:19 Mark Cousins on MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK 07:48 Embeth Davidtz on DON’T LET’S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT 13:14 Jim Jarmusch on FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER 19:01 Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni on CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS 24:41 Alexandre O. Philippe on CHAINED REACTIONS Watch INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE on YouTube and subscribe for more in-depth conversations with the filmmakers shaping independent, international, and arthouse cinema: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwB-ioi_dD-Lr8PUjdkBWyw?sub_confirmation=1 If you value the work we do and would like to help us continue supporting independent cinema, please consider making a small contribution: https://buymeacoffee.com/insidethearthouse.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices