First Time Go

Benjamin Duchek
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Film Interviews
  • Updated weekly

A weekly podcast highlighting the creators of independent film and the business behind it. Hosted by Ben Duchek.

DIRECTOR'S CLUB

Get exclusive access to the archives of every show

$3,99/month or $22,99/year

  1. 1 day ago

    War Zones And Walks To Legendary Romances: Orlando von Einsiedel, director of THE CYCLE OF LOVE (2025)

    One of the most fascinating things I've learned about in conducting interviews are how top awards can end up meaning -- nothing. Think back -- can you name who won the Oscar for best documentary short five years ago? Two years ago? So often, it doesn't show a noticeable trajectory change in the filmmakers' careers. That's not true of my guest today, Orlando von Einsiedel, whose film, THE CYCLE OF LOVE (2025) opened in New York on August 28th and later in September for the rest of the country, has continually built on his success through taking on larger projects. In the last 16 years, he's directed or produced at least 31 shows and series, an incredible workflow that speaks both to his work ethic and the value of awards (maybe?). It's hard to tell whether the latter part mattered. What we can say is his filmmaking is sincerely moving, and I'm so glad to see him tackle evermore ambitious topics like THE CYCLE OF LOVE. In this episode, Orlando and I talk about: he's won Oscars and opened at top festivals; is there's an achievement out there that he's aiming for in filmmaking?;his description of THE CYCLE OF LOVE;the decision to incorporate mostly reenactments into the film and where he drew the line between "how it feels" and what actually happened;how EVELYN (2018) helped make THE CYCLE OF LOVE happen the way it did;how he went from snowboarding into filmmakingthe ways in which awards enabled his climb and how documentary filmmakers should view them;the role of EPs for documentary filmmakers;the value proposition of his production company, Grain Media, and how he'll use crowdfunding if it's the path for a particular film;the theatrical prospects for this film and the landscape for documentary filmmakers;what's next for him. Memorable Quotes: " Every story, every film we make, I just want people, audiences to connect with it." " The challenge was there was very little archive footage from PK's journey, and and normally that is what kills a documentary in its tracks." " I don't think anyone should start a film project thinking about awards." " It doesn't matter how experienced you are, it doesn't matter how many awards you've won, every project needs a different path." Links: Follow Orlando On Instagram Grain Media's Website

    War Zones And Walks To Legendary Romances: Orlando von Einsiedel, director of THE CYCLE OF LOVE (2025)

  2. 3 days ago

    Indie Film Highlight: EVELYN (2018)

    Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: EVELYN (2018). Director: Orlando von Einsiedel SYNOPSIS When a 22-year-old kills himself, his three siblings try to bury their pain. Ten years later, they go on a hiking trip and seek out the places he liked to walk in the English countryside, allowing them to contemplate their brother's life. Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us on Letterboxd Follow us on Instagram Follow us on X Follow us on Facebook Follow us on TikTok Follow us on LinkedIn

    Indie Film Highlight: EVELYN (2018)

  3. 5 days ago

    Shooting A Coming Of Age Story From A Child's Perspective: Ang Geck Geck Priscilla, dir. of AH GIRL (2026)

    Watch This Episode On YouTube If you are staying up till 1030 pm to talk with me from Milan, Italy, well, I'm going to be grateful no matter what. But even better if your film is truly exceptional. My guest, Ang Geck Geck Priscilla, director of AH GIRL (2026), which premiered at Rotterdam and now screens at the Toronto International Film Festival next month, made a fantastic coming of age story from a child's perspective, cinematically. She wrote a semi-autobiographical story -- 70-80% true -- that her parents haven't even seen. And she's a Singaporean filmmaker making waves at huge festivals in ways that, if we're being blunt, we don't usually see. But she didn't want to play the comparison game; she doesn't care about all that. She wants to tell her own story. I'm absolutely here for it, and if you're at TIFF, you should be there, too. What a great talent in director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla. Ang and I talk about: how she describes the film and how much is true to life (70-80%);a coming of age story that she hasn't even shown her parents!;why she cast good looking people as her parents;shooting the film from a child's perspective;how she knew she'd become a filmmaker;why she cut the film to 99 minutes, including a wedding scene that I really want to see!;the genre of films that are tackling this coming of age, especially from an Asian perspective (e.g. LEFT-HANDED GIRL; A GIRL UNKNOWN);her thoughts on distribution;filmmaking in Singapore and the lack of theatrical opportunities;expectations coming out of screening at TIFF;what's next for her. Ang's Indie Film Highlights: WE ARE ALL STRANGERS (2026) dir. by Anthony Chen (a fellow Singaporean and also playing at TIFF); THE VIOLINIST (2026) dir. by Ervin Han & Raul Garcia Memorable Quotes: " The small part that is not real is actually the message that I want to tell my parents." " My producer would tell me about this film, and then they will start comparing. I honestly, I don't really care." " I'm really happy to be able to tell a Singapore story because I think as Singaporean, a lot of people always say we don't have our own identity." " I'm writing a psychological horror film next. I love horror." Links: Follow Ang Geck Geck Priscilla On Instagram Follow AH GIRL On Instagram

    Shooting A Coming Of Age Story From A Child's Perspective: Ang Geck Geck Priscilla, dir. of AH GIRL (2026)

  4. 25 Aug

    TWO UGLY PEOPLE (2025), One Exceptional Director: Peter Skinner

    It always fascinates me when people with other artistic backgrounds settle on making films. They end up creating an art form that is noticeably different than their peers. My guest, Australian director Peter Skinner, spent five years as a sculptor, and then with the precision that art form requires, turned his focus into making astonishing films like his most recent, TWO UGLY PEOPLE (2025). It's a hard film to describe but a beautiful one to watch. The impetus for the story of TWO UGLY PEOPLE came in the form of a question: " how do I tell a story about two people who want be together, but the only way they can be together is by being strangers?" and Peter actualized that here, in a work worthy of a sculptor. In this episode, Peter and I talk about: the Letterboxd comment of " Peter Skinner is one of Australia's most exciting emerging filmmaking talents";how he got involved in filmmaking and the path of his classmates;sculpture's role in telling stories, directing, and cinematography;what he learned from making four shorts before his feature;how he describes TWO UGLY PEOPLE;the title!;the role of feedback for a film that is pushing boundaries of what people normally see on screen;the cinematography and production design of the film;how they found a space six hours away from Sydney;the festival and release strategy for the film -- and the crazy "pre-selection" process for Venice (is this common?!);the distribution process for the film;what's next for him. Peter's Indie Film Highlight: BABYTEETH (2019) dir. by Shannon Murphy Memorable Quotes: "I made figurative sculptures and that were based on myths and obviously very, narrative-based. But a sculpture is a, a physical object that sits in a space that if it's a static object, doesn't do anything other than sit there. So you have to tell a story as economically as possible, but also as much as you can in the static frame. So then when you look at filmmaking, filmmaking is just that 24 times a second over an hour and a half of a film."  " Imagine you're a painter and you have to buy all the materials and you have to paint all the thing, and you've never painted a big painting before, but it's gonna cost you a million dollars, and then people have to really like it. It's almost a fool's errand." "I wanted to make a film I've never seen before." " It's like these places that hold every room is its own story, and I'm just telling you the story of these two people in these two rooms." Links: Follow Seymour Pictures On Instagram

    TWO UGLY PEOPLE (2025), One Exceptional Director: Peter Skinner

  5. 23 Aug

    Indie Film Highlight: MOON (2009)

    Watch This Episode On YouTube Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: MOON (2009) Director: Duncan Jones Cast: Sam Rockwell; Kevin Spacey; Dominique McElligott; Kaya Scodelario SYNOPSIS Astronaut Sam Bell's (Sam Rockwell) three-year shift at a lunar mine is finally coming to an end, and he's looking forward to his reunion with his wife (Dominique McElligott) and young daughter. Suddenly, Sam's health takes a drastic turn for the worse. He suffers painful headaches and hallucinations, and almost has a fatal accident. He meets what appears to be a younger version of himself, possibly a clone. With time running out, Sam must solve the mystery before the company crew arrives. Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us on Letterboxd Follow us on Instagram Follow us on X Follow us on Facebook Follow us on TikTok Follow us on LinkedIn

    Indie Film Highlight: MOON (2009)

  6. 21 Aug

    The Best Film I've Watched All Year (Part 2): Cinematographer Tom Ford of URCHINS (2026

    At the risk of sounding corny (and real in a world of AI slop podcast descriptions), let me add a fourth F: Ford. As in Tom Ford. No, not that one -- the cinematographer Tom Ford, who made my favorite film of the year absolutely shine through his work years ago. What do I mean by that? As we talk about, much of what I love about URCHINS is its lighting, and that came from enduring relationships that Tom built over the years that he brought on for this film. There's a huge lesson in that and Tom's career; you can have all the talent in the world, but if you aren't a team player, the big brands and great films won't call you. That's not this Tom Ford's problem. Just the opposite. Film Independent Spirit Awards, are you listening? URCHINS should win awards for its visually stunning canvas, and I'm so glad to be joined by the person who made it happen. Tom and I talk about: how he got to be such a great shooter for top brands and films like URCHINS;learning vs. innate understanding of cinematography;why he's been so successful working with brands like Nike and top fashion;how freeing it was to have a director that kept him separated from clients' demands;advice for people wanting to work with top brands;whether he wants to direct and how to properly manage that relationship;the general state of cinematography in independent film and how it relates to URCHINS;how a guy from the United Kingdom shoot a love letter to Florida;the importance of the team Tom Ford has assembled throughout the years;his favorite shot in the film;avoiding cliches in URCHINS;his advice for aspiring filmmakers;what's next for him;working on short films;where cinematographers can go wrong. Tom's Indie Film Highlight: SOME RAIN MUST FALL (2024) dir. by Qiu Yang Memorable Quotes: " Framing's always been more instinctive versus yeah, rule of thirds." " it's all about just building connections with other people who have an interest in that kind of work." " I grew up in a kinda small town in England where it has some similarities to Florida." " Adam also offered back ends to everyone." " Sometimes we can try and always show the face too much, and sometimes it's interesting to withhold a bit from the audience so they can put two and two together themselves or come up with their own meaning." " Yeah, I definitely wouldn't put loads of money into a short. I think it's worth doing a short as a proof of concept, but even if it's a proof of concept, you don't need everything to be perfect as long as the storytelling's good." " If it's just white walls and a camera, it's like you can have the nicest lenses in the world, but it's not gonna do as much for the story as a proper like decked out place." Links: Follow Tom On Instagram Listen To Part One With URCHINS Director Adam Rioux

    The Best Film I've Watched All Year (Part 2): Cinematographer Tom Ford of URCHINS (2026

  7. 18 Aug

    The Best Film I've Watched All Year (Part 1): Director Adam Rioux of URCHINS (2026)

    The story behind URCHINS (2026), a coming of age tale set in the waterways of Florida, distills what is best and what is worst about the modern state of independent film. URCHINS is a dazzling display of cinematography and storytelling at its most compelling: it shows Florida like you've never seen before and the story is told in a very unconventional way without the tropes of the genre. But: it never made it into a festival. Distributors wondered why it didn't cost more. A Black List critic gave its script a 4. The film doesn't fit neatly into the boxes of what people think will sell. Those people are wrong. The film has premiered to sold-out shows around the country; has a substantial social media following versus competitors; and resonates with people who actually watch it. So what we have with URCHINS is a fantastic prism for the state of the industry and even if I didn't love the film so much, it would make for a great podcast. I'll be back on Friday with my conversation with cinematographer Tom Ford, and just letting you know in advance, there might be other URCHINS episodes. It's that good. In this episode, Adam and I talk about: why we both love the film -- Adam says it's "his love letter to Florida";how he got involved in filmmaking;the ways in which his storytelling and resilience set him apart;breaking with screenwriting conventions for this film;the subtlety of the romance tropes in this film;the quick run time of 70 minutes;the insanely great lighting and cinematography of the film;his advice for filmmakers in developing a visual language like he did for Florida;casting for a coming-of-age story by himself;the financial aspects of making this film;the response from festivals for URCHINS;theaters v. streaming and whether you can do both;what's next for him. Adam's Indie Film Highlight: POOLS (2024) dir. by Sam Hayes Memorable Quotes: " What sets it apart, especially in the coming-of-age genre, is that it does, like you were saying, subvert kind of the tropes of the genre and...not in an aggressive way, but in a way that to me felt very refreshing." " My parents were very much like pushing the standard path of get a good job, be able to pay the bills." " And he was like, "if you only make one film for the rest of your life, if you only get one chance to cash in on this, what is that film?" And at that point, it was just like it had to be URCHINS." " I hate being too heavy-handed, and that's maybe sometimes a criticism of my work is that sometimes it's a bit too subtle at times." "It doesn't really have the traditional, like beats in that way or structure, and that is why The Black List hated the script." " Sometimes people love a film just for a singular character, not even about what they did." " I remember early on in when I first started doing just video work, I realized I was like, I'm really good at movement and I'm really good at like kinetic energy in a project, but I never felt like I could do still frames." " It was the best moment of my life probably to just hear everybody just responding to these jokes and feeling the feels." Links: Follow Adam On Instagram Follow URCHINS On Instagram

    The Best Film I've Watched All Year (Part 1): Director Adam Rioux of URCHINS (2026)

  8. 16 Aug

    Indie Film Highlight: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011)

    Every Sunday, I'll post a quick video -- and podcast -- about an indie film from at least a year ago. Today's film: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011) Director: David Gelb Cast: Jiro Ono; Masuhiro Yamamoto; Daisuke Nakazama; Harutaki Takahashi SYNOPSIS A documentary about an octogenarian sushi master, his two sons, and the tiny restaurant in which they tirelessly work. Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us on Letterboxd Follow us on Instagram Follow us on X Follow us on Facebook Follow us on TikTok Follow us on LinkedIn

    Indie Film Highlight: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011)
See All (194)

About

A weekly podcast highlighting the creators of independent film and the business behind it. Hosted by Ben Duchek.

Information

  • Creator
    Benjamin Duchek
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    194
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Benjamin Duchek 2023
  • Show Website
    First Time Go
  • Provider
    Benjamin Duchek

You Might Also Like