Bonus: Interview with Filmmaker Adell Lashawn

One of the best films of the year is a three-hour-long documentary. You Can See Everything, directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, has people talking about the ways in which this documentary did or did not elevate the genre, as well as other mind-blowing documentaries that people should watch. I've loved these discussions, but I noticed some omissions in these discussions...and a lot of them were documentaries made by women. That's too bad considering this is a genre that welcomed women at the helm before other genres did, and a sizable amount of documentaries continue to be produced and directed by women. In today's special episode of Directora, we will look at a few mind-blowing documentaries. This episode talks about Helen Keller: In Her Own Words, Portrait of Jason, The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir, Harlan County USA, Not a Pretty Picture, Grey Gardens, and Paris is Burning. Do you think I skipped some important documentaries? Don't worry! I'm going to talk about those in next week's episode. That's right - this is a two-parter!Listen to this episode. Follow us on social media to see clips and stills of the films talked about here. Directora was created by Stephanie Weber. She researches, writes, records, hosts, and edits the episodes. Email [email protected] for comments, questions, and compliments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a re-release of the very first episode of Directora! Welcome to Directora! I'm so happy you're here.Host and creator Stephanie Weber introduces herself and the premise of the entire podcast. This podcast celebrates the history of women in film, so it is only fitting that we start with the very beginning of the film industry and the woman believed to be the first female filmmaker in the world.Her name was Alice Guy-Blaché, and she went from being an employee at a camera company in France to the writer, director, and producer of over 1,000 films. Yes, you read that right! She even made films in America in the early 1900s, when her film company set up a second location in the budding East Coast film industry in the United States. Her breakthroughs include the first narrative films, feminist satires, and films featuring the first all-Black casts. This is the astounding story of Alice Guy-Blaché, her contributions to cinema as a whole, and what happened to her towards the end of her life. While many of her films are lost to time, there are several that remain. Please follow us on Instagram (directora_podcast) and TikTok (directorapodcast) to see clips of her films as well as promotional posters and still images.Special thanks to friends Joel Walkowski, John Campogna, Jeff LaPenna, Veronica Hetschinof, Marissa Hansen, Emily Roscoe Jones, Brock Alter, and Alex Van Beek for answering my questions up top. Thank you to Daisy Eagan for editing my script and to Amanda Rossman for the final sound mix. Special thanks to Brock Alter for the art and tech help. It took a village to make this first episode of Directora!Email [email protected] for questions and compliments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our final bonus interview of Halloween season, we talk to Adell Lashawn who writes, produces, and directs horror shorts for an upcoming anthology. Her latest film Don't Open After 3 AM was just released this week and it's the perfect horror short to treat yourself to this Halloween. Adell talks about indie filmmaking, how she got her start learning on-set as an actress and an AD, and what it's like to make movies in Atlanta. She also talks about what's in store for her next! I love talking to indie filmmakers. I always learn something new! Listen to the episode to learn a little something, too. Watch her new film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtwk4O5RxREFollow Directora on Instagram and TikTok. Subscribe here to be up-to-date on new episodes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Directora's 31-for-31 horror movie challenge, we watched several films inspired by myths and urban legends: Cropsey, The Daisy Chain, Mother of Flies, and The Lure. That last one is a mermaid horror, something that my good friend Kate Haley has also made a movie about. Kate joins me from Ireland tot alk about Irish folk horror, mermaids, local legends, and more. We have a great time exchanging local lore from both of our places of origin! Listen to hear more - and watch Kate's film A Fairytale Romance to see the mermaid horror for yourself.This is our final Halloween episode, so the episode ends with a summary of the month and a sneak preview into what's next. Keep following Directora for more updates on Instagram and TikTok. Subscribe to the podcast for new episodes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here's a bonus episode for Halloween week! Five Nights at Freddy's was one of the 31-for-31 horror films this month, featuring horror films directed by women. Derrick McDuff of Underrated Movie Podcast wanted to talk about it, too, so Directora and Underrated joined forces to chat about Five Nights at Freddy's. They talk about the film's strengths and weaknesses, its history, and its legacy, as well as other horror movie topics. Listen to Underrated Movie Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are there so many pregnancy horror films? And horror films where motherhood is made horrific by an evil child? I wanted to delve into domestic horror and why we've seen so many pregnancy horror films in recent years. Actress and producer Deborah Lee Smith joined me to talk about pregnancy fears - both in film and in real life - and the ways that these are reflected in movies. This was a GREAT conversation as we talked about all things pregnancy and motherhood as they relate to horror. I learned some things about reproductive healthcare that I didn't know! Listen to hear more. Follow Directora on Instagram and TikTok. Email [email protected] for questions, comments, and compliments. Directora is created, written, hosted, and edited by Stephanie Weber. Artwork by Brock Alter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the month of October, Directora is all things women in horror - including talking to directors of cool new horror films! We talked to director Alison-Eve Hammersley about her new found footage horror film Erie. She talked about the process of making the film, what inspired it, and trends in horror that she would love to see more of. Erie is currently doing the festival circuit, so check it out if it is coming to a film festival near you! Follow Directora on Instagram and TikTok for clips and stills from episodes. Email [email protected] if you have questions, compliments, and comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of films featuring lesbian vampires? Or gay vampires in general? Where did that come from, and what films depict gay vampires best? This was a GREAT episode. There is a ten-minute history of vampires in film up top, followed by a hilarious and informative conversation with content creator and film lover Butch Noir. This is definitely one to listen to!Directora is created, written, hosted, and edited by Stephanie Weber. Artwork by Brock Alter. Follow Directora on Instagram and TikTok for clips and stills from the episodes. Email [email protected] with suggestions, compliments, and questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 7th film for our 31-for-31 challenge this month, in which we watch a horror film directed by a woman for every day in October, is 1983's A Night to Dismember directed by Doris Wishman. It's a fascinating, low-budget, indie film for a lot of reasons: there are multiple versions, she did everything herself, and Wishman was best known for directing nudie films. While some might dismiss Wishman as being just a sexploitation director, she was actually the most prolific female director in the 20th century. There is so much to know about Wishman, so we were very lucky to chat with producer and director Elizabeth Pauker. Pauker is currently working on a documentary about Doris Wishman, so she sat down to tell us more about Wishman's story and her approach to filmmaking. Listen to this special interview episode. Follow us on social media to watch recaps and reviews of our 31-for-31 films. Directora is brought to you by Stephanie Weber, with artwork by Brock Alter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Musical is a hilarious dark comedy in theaters now. The film stars Will Brill, Rob Lowe, and Gillian Jacobs. When middle school drama teacher Doug (Brill) gets his heart broken by fellow teacher Abigail (Jacobs), he gets petty revenge by writing and directing his students in an outrageous musical. Director Giselle Bonilla talks about the wild making of the film. This is a must-listen for any indie filmmaker out there! Bonilla's movie went through the ringer to get made, and it was well worth it. This film is hilarious! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.