interview

Race, Representation, and Rotoscoping: Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman on ‘Last Day of Freedom’

The animated documentary short Last Day of Freedom, directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman, tells the story of Bill Babbitt, a man who realizes that his younger brother Manny, a Vietnam vet, has committed a serious crime. Bill grapples with whether or not to turn Manny in; his decision to go to the police ultimately results in Manny’s conviction and execution by the state of California, and Bill is left reeling from the loss of…

Coming of Age in Columbus: Director Alexandra Shiva on ‘How to Dance in Ohio’

Navigating the turbulent transition to adulthood is hard for any teenager. But coming of age as a young person with autism — America’s fastest-growing developmental disorder — is particularly daunting. In How to Dance in Ohio, director Alexandra Shiva (Bombay Eunuch, Stagedoor) follows Marideth, Caroline, and Jessica, three young women on the autism spectrum, as they work with psychologist Dr. Emilio Amigo of Amigo Family Counseling to prepare for a spring formal dance. Through the…

SWAT Raids and Storytelling: Directors Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber on ‘Peace Officer’

In 2008, a Utah man named Brian Wood was shot and killed by a SWAT team, the culmination of an intense and controversial 12-hour standoff. Frustrated by a lack of closure, Wood’s father-in-law, Dub Lawrence — a former sheriff who actually founded the local SWAT team three decades prior — set out to reveal the truth about the shooting. Lawrence assembled a trove of documents, footage, and evidence related to his son-in-law’s case, eventually turning…

French Food and Filmmaking: A Conversation with ‘King Georges’ Director Erika Frankel

In the new documentary King Georges, fiery French chef Georges Perrier struggles against changing culinary tides as he fights to keep his landmark Philadelphia restaurant, Le Bec-Fin, running after 40 years in business. Funny and touching in equal measure, the film transforms the chaos of the kitchen into a tale of passion, mentorship, and letting go. “I don’t really see it as a food film,” director Erika Frankel says. “It’s really the story of a…