Flee: Filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen Mixes Documentary with Animation to Tell a Moving True Story
When Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s film Flee was listed as one of the films selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 2020 (which ended up being cancelled), very few were paying attention to it, and when it finally premiered at Sundance earlier this year, it probably also didn’t have quite the expectations of... »
The Humans: Filmmaker Stephen Karam on Bringing His Tony-Winning Play to the Screen
The Thanksgiving holiday can be a time for reflection, spending time with your family, thinking about the past year and what is to come ahead. It is also a time for movies, from big action films to small awards contenders. Only one feature film this year, The Humans, actually portrays a family coming together... »
Encanto Co-Director Charise Castro Smith on Diving Head First Into Animation
Charise Castro Smith started her career as an actress and playwright at the prestigious Yale School of Drama. After several years putting on plays and acting in bit parts on TV, since 2015 she has transitioned to writing for episodic television including Devious Maids, The Exorcist, Sweetbitter, and The Haunting of Hill House. Now... »
Doc Spotlight: Torn Director Max Lowe Turns His Father’s Story into One about His Entire Family
The death of a parent or other loved one can often throw an entire family into disarray. For filmmaker Max Lowe, the death of his father, renowned mountain climber Alex Lowe, in a 1999 avalanche at Tibet’s Mount Shishapangma, meant huge changes for his mother Jenny, as well as for him and his younger... »
Director Series: Filmmaker Johannes Roberts Reinvents Resident Evil with a Faithful-to-Game Prequel
After directing the shark movies, 47 Meters Down and its sequel, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, filmmaker Johannes Roberts had to figure out what to do next. Although Sony Pictures and Screen Gems had already made six Resident Evil movies with Paul WS Anderson, Roberts came upon a way of rebooting the franchise with the... »
She Paradise Director Maya Cozier Relates The Experiences Of Real Caribbean Women for Debut Film
The women of Trinidad, who use dance as an escape from their lackluster lives at home, are the subject of She Paradise, the debut feature film from Maya Cozier. At the heart of the story is Sparkle, who sees soca dancing as a way out of her dreary existence at home and into a... »
Director Series: Filmmaker Mike Mills Talks about Making C’mon C’mon
Mike Mills might not be the most prolific of filmmakers, but the four feature films he has made have all had a significant impact on indie filmmaking, whether it’s his directorial debut, Thumbsucker, which received an Indie Spirit nomination and festival awards for star, Lou Taylor Pucci. Mills’ second film, 2010’s Beginners, garnered the... »
Director Series: Jason Reitman on Creating Ghostbusters: Afterlife Using Old-School Filmmaking Techniques
Filmmaker Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) has been on quite a long journey before arriving at Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Going back 16 years to his feature debut, Thank You For Smoking, the second-gen director has done just about every kind of movie other than the big-budget comedies his father, Ivan Reitman, made famous... »
Julia Directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West on the Joys of Making a Julia Child Doc
For documentary filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West, it must have been tough to decide what to do as a follow-up to their Oscar-nominated 2018 doc, RBG, about the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Eventually, they came upon another great woman who helped define a generation (or two), and that was chef... »
No Time to Die 2nd Unit Director Alexander Witt ASC, ACC on Shooting James Bond in Action
This will probably be Below the Line’s final bit of coverage for Daniel Craig’s last jaunt as James Bond 007 in No Time to Die, but as they say, we have saved the best for last. Alexander Witt, ASC ACC has been the 2nd Unit Director and 2nd Unit DP for four of the... »