The YVR Screen Scene Podcast

Sabrina Furminger

Vancouver is one of the busiest film and television production centres on the planet. But who powers this thriving local industry? The YVR Screen Scene Podcast seeks to answer that question. Award-winning film and television journalist Sabrina Furminger conducts revealing interviews with the actors, filmmakers, and other talented artists who power the Vancouver film and television industry in this eye-opening twice-weekly podcast.

  1. Episode 367: Jennifer Spence returns

    May 29

    Episode 367: Jennifer Spence returns

    Genre-hopping actress Jennifer Spence returns to the pod to discuss the third season of Canada’s spiciest workplace comedy, The Trades. Set in a blue-collar community where the high stress of working in a refinery is balanced by the comedic antics of its plant workers, The Trades centres around general foreman Todd Stool (Robb Wells), and his sister and roommate, Audrey (Anastasia Phillips), who follows in her big brother’s footsteps pursuing a career in the trades. Jennifer shines as Chelsea, an ambitious young executive from head office who arrived in the first season and worked damn hard to become an essential part of the family. The third season premiered in early spring and in the season finale, Chelsea and Conch Industries as a whole are (no spoilers!) poised for real change. The Trades airs on Crave and is currently in the running for a whopping eight trophies at this week’s Canadian Screen Awards. On the eve of the CSAs, Jennifer (who was recently nominated for a Leo Award for her work as Chelsea) joins us to reflect on her adventures in television comedy, how her adventures in Chelsea’s shoes have impacted her adventures through this exceptionally f****d up world, and her adventures singing “Born to Be Wild” in a very special third season episode. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

    51 min
  2. Episode 366: Are vertical dramas the next frontier for indie filmmakers?

    Apr 21

    Episode 366: Are vertical dramas the next frontier for indie filmmakers?

    Vertical dramas originated in China in the late 2010s, and they’ve only grown in popularly since then: in 2024, revenue from vertical dramas in China surpassed traditional Chinese film box office receipts. Worldwide, they’re an $11 billion dollar industry, and the industry is only growing. Shot in 9:16 (specifically for phones) for apps like ReelShort and DramaShort, episodes of these serialised dramas are one to two minutes long and pay-as-you-go; in order to get to the end, viewers need to buy credits. The stories themselves rely on very specific genre tropes, including werewolves, forbidden love affairs, and secret identities, and have titles like Found a Homeless Billionaire Husband for Christmas, Fated to my Forbidden Alpha, and Married for Green Card, Stayed for Love (which are all real titles). Vancouver has become a go-to destination for the filming of these vertical dramas. However, even though vertical productions employ many of the same artists who work on independent film productions, content-wise, there isn’t a lot of crossover between the two. Is it even possible for indie filmmakers to leverage the vertical space to tell their stories?  According to Julie Bruns, there is indeed space for indie filmmakers in the world of vertical dramas. Julie is an award-winning indie filmmaker and actress (including Ada, about 19th-century genius mathematician Ada Byron King), a veteran of 25 vertical dramas, and the force behind Beneath Crimson Sails, which recently premiered on the vertical streamer Muvpix. Beneath Crimson Sails is a fully independent fantasy pirate vertical series filled with treasure, magic, sword fights, ships, stunts, and nary a trope in sight. In this fascinating and informative interview, Julie speaks with Sabrina about the world of vertical dramas, and what a project like Beneath Crimson Sails tells us about what’s actually possible in that space.  Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

    38 min
  3. Episode 365: Nat Boltt returns

    Apr 16

    Episode 365: Nat Boltt returns

    Actress and filmmaker Nat Boltt (Penelope Blossom on Riverdale) returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to discuss Holy Days, her feature film directorial debut that screened at the venerable Toronto International Film Festival and is currently wowing crowds around the world. Based on the acclaimed novel by Dame Joy Cowley, Holy Days is a joyful adventure about faith, friendship, and the courage to take one last leap of belief. Three unconventional nuns embark on a last-ditch road trip across New Zealand on a journey to fight for their independence. Along the way, they form an unlikely bond with a young Māori boy on a deeply personal mission of his own. Holy Days was written and directed by the Vancouver-based Nat and stars a trio of legends: Academy Award nominee and Emmy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA winner Judy Davis, BAFTA winner Miriam Margolyes, and two-time Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver; the young Māori boy is portrayed with stunning depth by rising star Elijah Tamati. Holy Days is moving, whimsical, funny, wildly entertaining, and beautiful. Recently, Holy Days has enjoyed screenings across North America (and will return to Vancouver’s Park Theatre on April 25), and will soon be available on VOD. In this fascinating and episode, Nat Boltt reflects on the wild ride to bring this rollicking feature film directorial debut to the screen. It’s a fun one! Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

    41 min
  4. Episode 364: Susin Nielsen

    Mar 25

    Episode 364: Susin Nielsen

    Next week, Family Law takes its final bow after four critically acclaimed seasons on Global Television and Stack TV. The Lark Productions comedy-drama series – which follows a group of flawed family members who reluctantly work together at their father's law firm in Downtown Vancouver – was the brainchild of showrunner and award-winning author Susin Nielsen. Susin is an exceptionally gifted storyteller, and she’s got the awards, accolades, and stats to back it up: more than one hundred hours of television; author of seven best-selling young adult novels, some of which have won the Governor General’s Literary Award, the UKLA award, and over a dozen young readers’ choice awards; recipient of the Writers’ Trust Vicky Metcalf Award for her body of work, which now includes a book for adults, Snap (about three people who meet in a court-mandated anger management class).   In this compelling conversation with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Susin discusses what she learned about storytelling and this crazy biz in her four years at the helm of Family Law, the time Family Law star Jewel Staite gave her the middle finger for real, and turning real-life rage into comedy gold in Snap – and she also takes the time to say goodbye to Family Law’s viewers, crew, and cast.  Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

    1h 2m
  5. Episode 363: Corey Payette

    Mar 21

    Episode 363: Corey Payette

    Filmmaker Corey Payette swings by the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to talk about Starwalker, his critically acclaimed movie musical about drag queens in East Vancouver. Starwalker is the story of Star, an Indigi-Queer Two-Spirit call boy, who becomes entranced by the House of Borealis, a popular drag house in East Van. Blending drag performance with their grounded cultural spirit, a new, powerful persona emerges on stage: Starwalker.  Corey – a renowned writer, lyricist, composer, producer, interdisciplinary storyteller, and director in theatre and film – is the force behind the critically acclaimed stage musical Children of God, about the echoes of residential schools. On the film front, he directed film festival favourites Stories That Transform Us, Guide My Way, and Les Filles du Roi. Corey’s next stage project is On Native Land, and it has its world premiere in April at the York Theatre – but not before Starwalker screens seven times in Vancouver at the Vancity Culture Lab.  Corey’s work is searing, life-affirming, and abundant with soul-stirring indigeneity and what the Hollywood Reporter once described as “joyful rebellion.” In this wonderfully entertaining episode, Corey and avowed “musical theatre girlie” Sabrina riff on joyful rebellion, musical theatre as a vehicle for social change, their admiration for previous podcast guest Andrea Menard, and all things Starwalker. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

    53 min
  6. Episode 362: Sachin Sahel and Dhirendra

    Mar 16

    Episode 362: Sachin Sahel and Dhirendra

    Sachin Sahel and Dhirendra return to the #YVRScreenScenePodcast for a raucous chat anchored in A Nice Indian Boy, the 2025 American romantic comedy film directed by Roshan Sethi and based on Madhuri Shekar's play of the same name. The film follows Naveen, an Indian-American doctor, who brings his fiancé, Jay Kurundkar, a white man adopted by Indian parents, to meet his traditional family. It stars Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, and Harish Patel. Sachin plays Manish, an orthopaedic surgeon who marries Naveen’s sister – he’s the first nice Indian boy we meet in the film – and Dhirendra plays a very capable but utterly terrifying wedding planner.  Not only is A Nice Indian Boy everything we love in a rom-com, but it builds on the genre, bringing Queer and Indian stories into that well-established North American rom-com space, and with nary a cliché in sight. Some of the best moments in A Nice Indian Boy are those that take place around the dinner table; thus, for this episode, Sabrina invites Sachin and Dhirendra to join her at the YVR Screen Scene table to raise a glass, break some bread, and talk about A Nice Indian Boy, our industry, and how they choose to stay joyful during challenging times. Also: what it’s really like to work with Jonathan Groff (spoiler: he’s a delight); chasing ghosts at Riverview; disco cobblers. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

    1h 14m
  7. Episode 361: Supinder Wraich

    Mar 11

    Episode 361: Supinder Wraich

    Supinder Wraich returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to chat all things Allegiance, the wildly popular CBC crime procedural that is both filmed and set in Surrey, British Columbia. Supinder is Sabrina Sohal, a brilliant and empathetic detective in the serious crimes unit of the CFPC who is simultaneously a bright light in her department and a serious threat to anyone who traffics in corruption. There’s a lot to love about Allegiance. It’s a showcase for Vancouver actors, from veterans like Vincent Gale to Stephen Lobo, to emerging talents like Hudson Williams (yes, Shane Hollander of Heated Rivalry fame). It explores pressing issues like mental illness, addiction, income inequality, xenophobia, and the impact of gang violence on communities and families, without being preachy about any of it. It centres beautifully diverse Surrey as a main character in its own right. Its foundation stone is an intelligent and compassionate women of colour who is at once vulnerable and extremely capable. In short, Allegiance shows us what’s possible when we centre hyper-local stories and Canadian talent.  Allegiance’s third season kicked off in January, and has already served up heart-pounding episodes that touch on drug cartels, serial killers targeting marginalised women, domestic violence, and migrant workers. In this funny and fascinating interview with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Supinder reflects on Sabrina Sohal’s journey to date, and also heads down some roads we haven’t gone in our previous episodes, namely: the shows that raised us (remember Passions?), what she remembers about working with Hudson Williams in one of his first television roles, and where Sabrina Sohal ends and Supinder Wraich begins.  Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

    34 min
  8. Episode 360: Zach Lipovsky

    Jan 23

    Episode 360: Zach Lipovsky

    Filmmaker Zach Lipovsky visits the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to reflect on his past, present, and future. His past includes placing fifth out of 12,000 on Steven Spielberg's filmmaking competition show On the Lot; collaborating with Adam Stein on the 2018 genre hit Freaks, numerous episodes of genre television, and 2025’s Final Destination Bloodlines, the last of which was the first Final Destination movie to cross $100 million in domestic earnings and gross more than $315 million worldwide. As for his present and future, there’s Gremlins 3 – which Zach and Adam are currently co-writing with Chris Columbus (the iconic director of Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire who also wrote the original Gremlins) – and the sequel to Freaks. Beyond the writing, directing, and producing, Zach has and continues to mentor emerging and aspiring filmmakers through organisations like Crazy8s and the British Columbia District Council of the Directors Guild of Canada (AKA DGC BC).  This weekend, the DGC BC will recognise Zach’s many contributions to the film and television scene when it honours him with the Industry Builder Award at its annual Spotlight BC Directors Conference. On the eve of the conference, Zach sits down with Sabrina Rani Furminger to talk filmmaking, his love for Vancouver cast and crews, Final Destination Bloodlines, Mogwai, his longtime collaboration with Adam Stein, how he helped save Vancouver’s Park Theatre, and what it means to be an industry builder. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

    51 min
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5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Vancouver is one of the busiest film and television production centres on the planet. But who powers this thriving local industry? The YVR Screen Scene Podcast seeks to answer that question. Award-winning film and television journalist Sabrina Furminger conducts revealing interviews with the actors, filmmakers, and other talented artists who power the Vancouver film and television industry in this eye-opening twice-weekly podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Sabrina Furminger
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    285
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Fish Flight Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.
  • Show Website
    The YVR Screen Scene Podcast

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