Today's guests are Paul Wagner, an Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning independent filmmaker who has produced and directed more than fifty films across a remarkable fifty-year career, and his wife and creative partner, Ellen Casey Wagner.

Together, they directed the outstanding documentary GEORGIA O'KEEFFE: THE BRIGHTNESS OF LIGHT, a fascinating portrait of one of America's most influential artists. We discuss the years of research behind the film, working with Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy, Georgia O'Keeffe's extraordinary integrity and artistic vision, and what it takes to tell the story of such an iconic figure.

And if you're a fan of classic cinema, be sure to stay until the end of the episode, where we dive into two of Paul and Ellen's favorite films, EAST OF EDEN and DAYS OF HEAVEN, and talk about the scenes from those movies that have stayed with them throughout their lives.

Hosted by Zef Cota

Produced by Cole Howard

Brought to you by The Alphaville Foundation

Jonathan Yunger returns to THE FILM SITUATION for an in-person conversation following the Washington, D.C. premiere of his latest film, LUCKY STRIKE.

Jonathan discusses producing the World War II survival thriller starring Scott Eastwood, collaborating once again with director Rod Lurie, and the importance of authenticity in historical filmmaking. He shares behind-the-scenes stories from the production, explains the fascinating real-life origin behind the film's title, and reflects on meeting one of the last surviving veterans of the Battle of the Bulge.

The conversation also explores Jonathan's philosophy on producing, why every filmmaker is ultimately a storyteller and a salesperson, the future of artificial intelligence in cinema through his company Arcana AI, and why he believes AI should empower, not replace...human creativity.

We also dive into the upcoming RAMBO prequel, independent filmmaking, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese's views on AI, and what it truly takes to shepherd a film from script to screen.

A thoughtful conversation with one of the industry's most passionate producers.

Hosted by Zef Cota

Produced by Cole Howard

Recorded in person Washington D.C.

Acclaimed casting director and intimacy coordinator Marci Liroff joins THE FILM SITUATION for a wide-ranging conversation about her extraordinary career working on films including E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, FOOTLOOSE, and FREAKY FRIDAY.

We talk about casting iconic films, working with actors, and her important work as an intimacy coordinator. Marci also shares two of her favorite movie scenes: the heartbreaking goodbye in E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL and the “Tiny Dancer” bus scene from ALMOST FAMOUS.

Hosted by Zef Cota

Produced by Cole Howard

Janek Ambros is a filmmaker, producer, writer, and founder of Assembly Line Entertainment whose work has screened in connection with major festivals including Sundance, Venice, SXSW, and TIFF. As both a producer and director, he has built a career balancing the creative and business sides of independent filmmaking while helping bring a wide range of projects to life.

In this episode, we discuss Janek's unconventional path from studying economics and interning at Morgan Stanley to building his own production company and producing award-winning independent films. We talk about his documentaries IMMINENT THREAT and MONDO HOLLYWOODLAND, the importance of editing as a storytelling tool, and why producing other filmmakers' work helped shape his perspective as a director.

We also dive into the collaborative spirit of the legendary "Film Brat" generation, the influence of filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, and James Cameron, and the current state of independent cinema. Janek shares his thoughts on practical effects versus CGI, the future of moviegoing, why comedy films have become increasingly difficult to make, and the importance of building communities of filmmakers who support one another.

As always, we close the conversation with Janek's two favorite movie scenes and the lessons filmmakers can learn from them.

Hosted by Zef Cota

Produced by Cole Howard

Episode Description

Cannes 2026 just wrapped, and Zef is joined by producer Cole Howard to break down the films, winners, distributors, and festival buzz coming out of the world’s most prestigious film festival.

They discuss this year’s Palme d’Or winner FJORD, Christian Mungiu’s new family drama starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, along with some of the biggest films on their watchlists, including James Gray’s PAPER TIGER, Na Hong-jin’s HOPE, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ALL OF A SUDDEN, Nicolas Winding Refn’s HER PRIVATE HELL, and A24’s buzzy CLUB KID.

Zef also shares stories from attending Cannes in 2014 and 2019, including seeing WINTER SLEEP before it won the Palme d’Or and attending the Cannes premiere of THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL.

The conversation also touches on NEON’s incredible run as a distributor, Cannes standing ovations, Korean cinema, long movies that earn their running time, recent Palme d’Or winners, director commentaries as film school, and why Cannes still matters as the ultimate launchpad for world cinema.

Films discussed include: FJORD, PAPER TIGER, HOPE, ALL OF A SUDDEN, HER PRIVATE HELL, CLUB KID, WINTER SLEEP, THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, TITANE, ANORA, PARASITE, ANATOMY OF A FALL, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS, SHOPLIFTERS, MY COUSIN VINNY, TWO LOVERS, WE OWN THE NIGHT, AD ASTRA, THE WAILING, MEMORIES OF MURDER, CITY OF GOD, and more.

Hosted by Zef Cota & Cole Howard

Alex Braverman is a filmmaker who has directed and produced acclaimed documentaries, including the 2023 film THANK YOU VERY MUCH, a fascinating portrait of the great Andy Kaufman.

I first discovered Alex’s work through THANK YOU VERY MUCH, which is currently on MUBI, and immediately wanted to talk to him about Kaufman, documentary filmmaking, and the strange blurred line between performance, truth, comedy, and reality.

We talked about Alex’s early work as a documentary cameraman, including MAKING MARINES, the making of THANK YOU VERY MUCH, the Safdie brothers coming on as producers, Andy Kaufman’s obsession with confusing and challenging audiences, and why documentary filmmaking is often truly built in the edit.

We also discussed STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT: UNLOCKING THE TRUTH, which Alex produced, the current state of documentary filmmaking, and the importance of cutting material that does not serve the story. Alex also shares two of his favorite movie scenes from THE HEARTBREAK KID and Bennett Miller's THE CRUISE.

Chicago-based director Jared Isaac recently directed his debut feature film AN AUTUMN SUMMER, which releases next month.

A great conversation about the joys of shooting an indie film in the hidden cinematic gem of Northern Michigan. We spoke about the personal nature of this film and how it's based on some of his closest friends...and the fascinating story of how he was able to, against-all-odds, cast Tony Horton as the father. Horton is the founder of the ground breaking, immensely popular, workout program P90X.

We also spoke of a couple of his favorite movie scenes from Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR as well as Matthew Mcconaughey's as Wooderson in Richard Linklater's DAZED & CONFUSED.

Follow AN AUTUMN SUMMER on Instagram @anautumnsummerfilm

Hosted by Zef Cota

Ross Brodar joins The Film Situation for a wide-ranging conversation about filmmaking, New York stories, and the strange overlap between cinema and real life.

Ross has worked as a locations manager on acclaimed films including ANORA, MARTY SUPREME, and projects with directors such as Sean Baker, James Gray, and Josh Safdie. In this episode, Ross breaks down the art and logistics of location scouting, transforming real-world environments into cinematic spaces, and collaborating with visionary directors and production designers.

The conversation also dives deep into Ross’s gripping documentary The Linchpin of Bensonhurst, which chronicles the unbelievable life of Dominic Montiglio, a Vietnam veteran, artist, singer, and former associate of the infamous DeMeo crew tied to the Gambino crime family. Ross shares how he met Dominic by chance, ended up living with him for years, and spent over a decade documenting his life story.

Along the way, Zef and Ross discuss New York in the ‘80s and ‘90s, CBGB’s, Roseland Ballroom, collecting money for Sicilian fish markets, and why some true stories are ultimately stranger than fiction.

Ross also shares one of his favorite movie scenes of all time: the iconic “Tears in Rain” sequence from BLADE RUNNER.

Hosted by Zef Cota

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Website for Ross' documentary:

THE LYNCHPIN OF BENSONHURT: The Dominick Montiglio Story