Girls On Film Anna Smith

Today Anna Smith talks to Director Tina Satter about her gripping debut feature, Reality. The story was originally a play directed by Satter in 2019, Is This a Room, and in this episode Anna talks to the director about the progression to cinema, both of the story and of her as a director, and what compelled her to make this her debut. Reality is based on the incredible true story of a young woman called Reality Winner, played by Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus, Sharp Objects), who stirred up a media storm when she leaked a classified report about Russian interference in U.S. elections. The film uses transcripts of the real conversations Reality Winner had with government agents as its dialogue, creating a sense of both absolute honesty in the storytelling, as well as gripping tension.

Fellow film critic Linda Marric also joins Anna to give her insight into the film, and what makes it her “favourite film of 2023”. Anna and Linda discuss how Tina Satter's directorial choices inform the audience's experience of a true story on screen, and their thoughts on Sydney Sweeney’s central performance.

Reality - In UK & Irish cinemas 2nd June

Other films mentioned in this episode include:
The Arbor, Clio Barnard, 2010
The Assistant, Kitty Green, 2019

Television mentioned in this episode include::
Sharp Objects, Jean-Marc Vallée, 2018
Euphoria, 2019

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Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA production.

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio Producer: Emma Butt
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy

House band: MX Tyrants

This episode is in partnership with Vertigo Releasing.

Bonjour from Cannes! This week Anna Smith gives us a taste of the French Riviera live from the Festival de Cannes, catching some friends of Girls On Film out and about at the festival.

Anna is joined by fellow critics Wendy Mitchell and Karen Krizanovich who give you their hot tips for films coming out of this year's Cannes, from international indies to big blockbusters. They chat about Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s ground-breaking character in the newest instalment of Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. They also discuss the welcome increase in female-led films in the festival this year. Malaysian director Amanda Nell Eu’s Tiger Stripes is also delved into, alongside other international films from Turkey, Argentina, Belgium, Finland, Mongolia, Italy…

Anna also speaks with journalist and critic Valerie Complex, a year after her controversial Deadline article ‘Valerie Complex On Being Black At Cannes: How Microaggressions Marred My Festival Experience’. You can read the article here:
https://deadline.com/2022/06/black-at-cannes-deadline-critic-valerie-complex-microaggressions-marred-her-festival-experience-1235037273/

Finally, Anna caught up with See-Saw films’ Head of TV and Film for Australia, Liz Watts, for a chat about the business of Cannes, and how it informs the year ahead for the film industry.

Films mentioned in this episode include:
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, James Mangold, 2023
In Flames, Zarrar Kahn, 2023
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed, Joanna Arnow, 2023
It’s Raining in the House, Paloma Sermon-Dai, 2022
If Only I Could Hibernate (Baavgai Bolohson), Zoljargal Purevdash, 2023
Tiger Stripes, Amanda Nell Eu, 2023
The Return or Homecoming (Le retour), Catherine Corsini, 2023
The Delinquents (Los delincuentes), Rodrigo Moreno, 2023
Nine Queens, Fabián Bielinsky, 2000
The Aura (El aura), Fabián Bielinsky, 2005
How to Have Sex, Molly Manning Walker, 2023
About Dry Grasses, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2023
The Old Oak, Ken Loach, 2023
La Chimera, Alice Rohrwacher, 2023
The Piano, Jane Campion, 1993
Titane, Julia Ducournau, 2021
Rosalie, Stéphanie Di Giusto, 2023
Fallen Leaves (Kuolleet Lehdet), Aki Kaurismäki, 2023
The Royal Hotel, Kitty Green, 2023
The New Boy, Warwick Thornton, 2023
Club Zero, Jessica Hausner, 2023

Television mentioned in this episode include:
Succession, 2018–2023

Also mentioned in this episode:
BFI partners with Diversity in Cannes to celebrate Black women filmmakers during the Cannes Film Festival: https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/bfi-diversity-cannes-black-women-filmmakers
The Palm Dog Awards: https://www.palmdog.com/

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here:
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast

Follow us on socials:
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA production.

Host: Anna Smith
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio Producer: Benjamin Cook
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy
Principal Partners: Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer

House band: MX Tyrants

Thank you also to our Patreon Supporters and to Campari Lounge.

Some listeners may be activated by this episode, which contains some references to sexual assault.

This episode of Girls On Film is a special on the powerful documentary feature, Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power, by director Nina Menkes. This film taps into so many important subjects relating to film and feminism. It has the power to open eyes, and change the way we think and shoot films.

Anna Smith talked to Nina Menkes at a special preview screening held on 9 May 2023 by Girls On Film in association with BFI Distribution.

Nina talks about the way in which the all-pervasive male gaze in filmmaking. Most films depict the man as an active subject, and the woman as a passive, fragmented object. She describes how this works, and the effect it has on our wider culture and on the behaviours of women and men.

She also explains why queer cinema may be able to challenge this cinematic vocabulary more than others, and she talks about the responses she has had to the film, from audiences and film critics alike.

Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power is in UK cinemas now.

The BFI has scheduled a special season of Nina Menkes’ films, entitled CINEMATIC SORCERESS: THE FILMS OF NINA MENKES. It’s at the BFI Southbank from 6 to 31 May 2023


Other films discussed:

Blade Runner
The Cabbage Fairy
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
Metropolis
Portrait of a Lady On Fire
Vagabond

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here:
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast

Follow us on socials:
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Brought to you by Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Audio editor: Benjamin Cook
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy
Principal Partners Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer
House band: MX Tyrants
This episode is in partnership with Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer.

Rachel Weisz joins Girls On Film to talk about playing twin sisters in the new Prime Video series Dead Ringers, along with writer Alice Birch. Both women executive produced the series and tell host Anna Smith about the collaboration that brought the show to the screen.
Rachel tells how her love of the 1988 film inspired the idea of a gender flip of the central two characters, and explains the intricacies of playing twins. She and Alice discuss establishing the show’s unique tone, and share behind-the-scenes stories. The pair then take questions from the audience, who are members of Women in Film and TV (UK).

Find out more about Women in Film and TV (UK) here: https://www.wftv.org.uk/

Watch Dead Ringers on Prime Video now

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here:
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast

Follow us on socials:
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Girls On Film is an HLA Production
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Audio editor: Cam Griffiths
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy
Principal Partners Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer
House band: MX Tyrants

Oscar-nominated actress Emily Watson joins Anna Smith to talk about her new film, God’s Creatures. First up, Wendy Lloyd and Holly Tarquini tell us about their new podcasts. Wendy’s Open To Criticism talks about representation in film criticism; while Holly’s The F-Rated Podcast features discussions with remarkable women in film. They speak about the reasons they launched podcasts, and both give their recommendations for films you can watch now.

Emily Watson then makes her Girls On Film debut to talk about the challenging drama God’s Creatures, and the way it looks at gender and patriarchal society. She discusses the joys of working with two female directors, and her co-star Paul Mescal. She and Anna also look back on some of the highlights of her long and varied career so far, and talk about the industry as a whole. This segment contains discussion of sexual assault.

God’s Creatures is in UK cinemas now.

Other films and TV discussed:

Rye Lane
Blue Jean
A Good Person
Loving Highsmith
Champions
God’s Creatures
Punch-drunk Love
A Royal Night Out
The Third Day
Apple Tree Yard
Chernobyl
Breaking The Waves
Hilary and Jackie
Normal People
The Fits
Dune


You can also hear Anna Smith on the latest episode of Open To Criticism.

Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here:
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast

Follow us on socials:
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z

Brought to you by Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio editor: Benjamin Cook
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy
Principal Partners Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer
House band: MX Tyrants

Actors Sally Phillips, Ronni Ancona and Sophia Myles join host Anna Smith on stage at Cinemagic’s On The Pulse short film festival, for an episode recorded with an audience of young filmmakers on 25 March 2023. From the Queen’s Film Theatre in Belfast, Sophia Myles discusses entering the industry at the age of 15 and reuniting with her Mansfield Park co-star Lindsay Duncan. She also gives her advice to those hoping to make short films, shares her plans for a documentary and speaks frankly about her experiences in big budget films like Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Comedy performers and writers Sally Phillips and Ronni Ancona next join the conversation, to talk about their company Captain Dolly, their working relationship and how the comedy scene has changed for women. Sally speaks about Smack the Pony, representation on screen and their plans for a romcom with Down’s Syndrome stars. And of course, Ronni Ancona treats us to her famed Olivia Colman impression.

Members of the audience have fascinating questions for all three guests and more fun, feminist chat follows.

Other films and TV mentioned:

Doctor Who
Outlander
November 1st
The Big Impression
I’m Alan Partridge
The Fast Show
Mean Machine
The Monk, The Mermaid & Molise
Transformers: Age of Extinction


Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here:
www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast

Follow us on socials:
www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/
www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast
www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod
www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno

Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z
Girls On Film is an HLA production.

Host: Anna Smith.
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Producer: Lydia Scott
Audio Producer: Emma Butt
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy
House band: MX Tyrants
Principal Partners: Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer.
This episode is in partnership with Cinemagic

Image:
MT Hurson Stills Photography