Your life in film

Ted Bennett

Each week I invite a guest to talk about their life in film. Your Life in Film is a thought-provoking podcast that dives deep into the personal stories, emotions, and memories behind the movies that define us. Each episode features filmmakers, actors, writers, and passionate movie lovers sharing how specific films have influenced their lives, inspired their creativity, and shaped their worldview. Hosted with warmth, humor, and cinematic insight, Your Life in Film isn’t just about what’s on screen — it’s about the connection between film and identity. From cult classics and blockbuster hits to indie gems and forgotten favorites, this podcast celebrates the power of storytelling and the universal language of cinema. Whether you’re a casual movie fan or a die-hard cinephile, Your Life in Film invites you to revisit the films that made you laugh, cry, and dream. With questions including,  What was the first film you saw at the cinema?What film did you watch over and over again as a kid?What was the first 18-rated film you saw and how old were you?What was the first film you watched that you considered grown up?What film holds a special place in your heart?What’s your controversial opinion on a famous film?What have you been watching recently?

  1. 2d ago

    Rebel Minx - Clarissa Jacobson and Shayna Weber - Screenwriters, filmmakers

    Joining me this week, Clarissa Jacobson and Shayna Weber Screenwriters, filmmakers,, and good pals, Clarissa and Shayna create thought-provoking, smart genre content that is unique, fun, has heart, is pro-woman AND pro-man, and is oftentimes f****n' irreverent. Clarissa is the writer, producer, and creator of the multi-award-winning horror/comedy short, Lunch Ladies, based on her feature.  The film was in more than one hundred festivals including France's Clermont-Ferrand, garnered forty-six wins, and gold standard distribution all over the world.  She also created and starred in the follow-up short, A Very Important Film, and directed the doc Butts with Shayna.  In addition, she is a voiceover artist, and her book - I Made A Short Film Now WTF Do I Do With It (a guide to film festivals, promotion, and surviving the ride) - is available in bookstores and on her website. An Indonesian translation can also be purchased via DM at Minikino Hotline.  Shayna is a screenwriter, producer and director originally from Bend, Oregon.  Shayna started out working in casting and talent management before settling into a career as a producer, during the rise of unscripted television, where she developed, produced and directed a number of projects.  Her roster of shows includes: “So You Think You Can Dance,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Weakest Link,” VH1’s “Band’s Reunited,” “Brew Dogs,” “She’s Got The Look,” Disney’s “Code 9,” and the Miss Universe Pageants.  She has worked for NBC, Fox, Disney, MTV, VH1, Travel Channel, Discovery and Bravo. Shayna also produced the award-winning, horror/comedy, Lunch Ladies, and directed, A Very Important Film and Butts which is currently on the film circuit. Rebel Minx Instagram My letterboxd: My film Reel Terror: Support the show

    Rebel Minx - Clarissa Jacobson and Shayna Weber - Screenwriters, filmmakers
  2. Jul 21

    James Cleave - Writer-Director

    Joining me this week, James Cleave James is a London-based Writer-Director and Associate Member of Directors UK, whose work explores human connection through realistic, dialogue-driven drama, often with a sharp thread of humour running through the discomfort. His short films have collectively earned 21 awards, 30 nominations, and 31 Official Selections across national and international film festivals. His debut sci-fi drama Sometime Else, which screened at the BAFTA Cymru-qualifying Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, was described by UK Film Review as sitting "amongst any of Charlie Brooker's best and darkest [Black Mirror] episodes." His BIFA-Qualified comedy-drama MAFIA was praised by Film Carnage for its "clean edge" and "intimate and focused" directorial style. His latest BIFA-Qualified comedy SELF+TAPE, is currently on its festival run following its premiere at BIFA-qualifying Unrestricted View Film Festival. A third-culture kid born in the UK and raised in Limassol, Cyprus, James has over 15 years of industry experience across 86 productions within the AD department, including serving as Kenneth Branagh's on-set Director's Assistant on A Haunting In Venice and on-set Cast Assistant on A Thomas Crown Affair, with further credits on Cinderella, RED 2, Black Mirror, and the BAFTA-winning Pride, to name a few. Outside of his AD career, he has produced close to 100 non-broadcast productions, managing end-to-end delivery across animation, post-production, and multi-language packages, writing and directing a number of them, earning 24 international awards including the WorldMediaFestival's intermedia-globe Grand Award. He is currently developing his first feature film. James' Instagram James' Website My letterboxd: My film Reel Terror: Support the show

    James Cleave - Writer-Director

About

Each week I invite a guest to talk about their life in film. Your Life in Film is a thought-provoking podcast that dives deep into the personal stories, emotions, and memories behind the movies that define us. Each episode features filmmakers, actors, writers, and passionate movie lovers sharing how specific films have influenced their lives, inspired their creativity, and shaped their worldview. Hosted with warmth, humor, and cinematic insight, Your Life in Film isn’t just about what’s on screen — it’s about the connection between film and identity. From cult classics and blockbuster hits to indie gems and forgotten favorites, this podcast celebrates the power of storytelling and the universal language of cinema. Whether you’re a casual movie fan or a die-hard cinephile, Your Life in Film invites you to revisit the films that made you laugh, cry, and dream. With questions including,  What was the first film you saw at the cinema?What film did you watch over and over again as a kid?What was the first 18-rated film you saw and how old were you?What was the first film you watched that you considered grown up?What film holds a special place in your heart?What’s your controversial opinion on a famous film?What have you been watching recently?