The following questions and answers are excerpted from a conversation that followed the NBR screening of The Way I See It. This film really seemed to hit at the perfect time. Can you talk about the genesis of the project? Jayme Lemons: My partner Laura Dern and I were big fans of Pete’s in general, having […]
Can you discuss the archival material you have in this film? It’s incredibly comprehensive.
Daniel Geller: One of the things, I think, that came later in the process…Leonard began to understand what Dayna and I were trying to do with the movie.
When you’re talking with Cillian about that and how you’re going to essentially be inside of his head for a lot of the film, what do you discuss about him embodying this man?
Christopher Nolan: I think the first and most important conversation was the one where we both agreed that we were not interested in some kind of impersonation.
Let’s start from the beginning. Where did this come from?
Boots Riley: I knew I wanted to write something that happened in the world of telemarketing.
What was the process of making this film?
Meryl Streep: It came together very quickly because Steven Spielberg was making another film with everything ready to go in Italy, except the lead wasn’t cast yet.
I want to start out by talking about how you got the idea to do this. How do you collaborate to come up with this incredible work that we just saw?
Meredith Bragg: We’re not entirely sure where we first learned that pinball was illegal in many cities…
The following questions and answers are excerpted from a conversation that followed the NBR screening of A Hero. What was your writing process like, as this idea has been with you for a while? Asghar Farhadi: When I was developing the concept of this idea in my head as a student, I was never thinking about […]
Can you talk about the evolution of Caesar’s character from Rise of the Planet of the Apes to this film?
The approach to the role for me has always been to think of Caesar as having a human mind within an ape’s body.
Can you each talk about your first impression of the painting that inspired this film?
Mbatha-Raw: I first saw a postcard reproduction of it that I bought in a gift shop.
You did almost all of the work on this film— what was that experience like?
Jessica Kingdon: I did have a close cinematographer, Nathan Truesdell, and we shot it together. But, yeah, it was very much a film that was coming out of my own mind.
Your relationship with Akira Kurosawa dates back to the beginning of your career. Can you share how you first encountered Kurosawa’s work and what drew you to reimagine it?
Spike Lee: People always assume that this film is a remake of Kurosawa’s High and Low, but it actually began with Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom.
I understand this film is based on a story that really resonated with you?
Sergey Loznitsa: The film is based on a story by Georgy Demidov, who was arrested in 1938 and spent nearly fourteen years in prison camps.
Let’s start with the script, because it’s so beautifully rendered. It’s co-written, and I don’t believe the short film this grew out of was co-written. Can you talk about that?
Rashad Frett: This was during COVID, 2020. Lin Que Ayoung was a classmate at NYU, a year ahead of me, and she became the co-writer.
What made Michael the perfect director for this film?
I’ve been a longtime fan of Michael’s, and as a matter of fact, early on in the process I reached out to him in hopes that he might be able to get involved from the very beginning.
The following questions and answers are excerpted from a conversation that followed the NBR screening of Primetime. This is an incredible, confident film. You come from a strong documentary tradition. Why did you choose this to be your first narrative feature?Lance Oppenheim: Well, it’s funny. I grew up To Catch a Predator, and I discovered it […]