VHopeful Conversations

Vanessa Hope

VHopeful Conversations is a video interview series where director Vanessa Hope sits down with bold, visionary filmmakers whose work confronts conflict, power, and injustice while still making space for nuance, empathy, and hope. Each episode offers an intimate, craft-focused conversation that goes beyond loglines and headlines, inviting listeners into the creative process and the ethical, political, and emotional questions behind urgent films. Expect thoughtful, unhurried dialogues that challenge easy narratives, foreground cinema’s potential to shift public imagination, and leave you with a deeper understanding of both the movies and the world they’re responding to. It is also available on Ted Hope's Hope for Film Substack, and Vanessa's Dream of a Better World Substack.

Episodes

  1. 21 JAN

    VHopeful Conversation w Sasha Molochnikov, Director of the Oscar-shortlisted short film 'Extremist'

    In this conversation with Vanessa Hope, Sasha Molochnikov discusses his Oscar‑shortlisted short film 'Extremist,' which dramatizes the real‑life case of Russian artist and political prisoner Sasha Skochilenko, jailed for replacing supermarket price tags with anti‑war messages about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He reflects on shooting in exile in Riga for safety, portraying the absurd brutality of “extremism” and “fake news” laws, and exploring everyday complicity through the neighbor who reports the protagonist. Sasha also talks about working closely with his lead actor on the risky courtroom speech, the love story between the two women as a vivid counterpoint to state oppression, and how omnipresent propaganda shapes characters’ lives. Finally, he touches on the film’s surreal ending, the support of executive producer Ben Stiller, and his plans for an expanded feature weaving together multiple stories of Russian political prisoners and dissent.

    28 min
  • 1 Episode

About

VHopeful Conversations is a video interview series where director Vanessa Hope sits down with bold, visionary filmmakers whose work confronts conflict, power, and injustice while still making space for nuance, empathy, and hope. Each episode offers an intimate, craft-focused conversation that goes beyond loglines and headlines, inviting listeners into the creative process and the ethical, political, and emotional questions behind urgent films. Expect thoughtful, unhurried dialogues that challenge easy narratives, foreground cinema’s potential to shift public imagination, and leave you with a deeper understanding of both the movies and the world they’re responding to. It is also available on Ted Hope's Hope for Film Substack, and Vanessa's Dream of a Better World Substack.

Information

  • Creator
    Vanessa Hope
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Vanessa Hope
  • Show Website
    VHopeful Conversations
  • Provider