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Cheer: The delicate task of storytelling without traditional scripts

June 1, 2022

After standing with arms akimbo, Maddy Brum brings one fist up in triumph. It’s beautiful. Anyone watching Netflix’s Cheer can identify her with aspirations and her desire to win. In between all the acrobatic and physical skills, there is a soul capt...

Rising through the Ranks: Writer Eleni Rivera-Colon on digging deep to reach the top

June 1, 2022

Photo courtesy of Eleni Rivera-Colon Eleni Rivera-Colon’s social profile reads: “Small, nerdy, Puerto Rican sci-fi writer/director.” While that may sum her up on the page, in real life she’s got an energetic vibe that’s easy and engaging… with an edg...

Sins of the father run deep in Cannes critical darling 'A Chiara'

June 1, 2022

Fifteen-year-old Chiara watches with envy as her father Claudio dances with her older sister. Grecia is celebrating her eighteenth birthday in their family home, nestled right in the middle of the pristine village of Calabria. The guests enjoy wine a...

All My Puny Sorrows' writer-director-producer discusses mental health

June 1, 2022

All My Puny Sorrows, a heart-wrenching drama written, produced, and directed by Michael McGowan, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Miriam Toews, examines both the lightness and darkness that comes with depression.

Conversations with Friends' writer-director distills the novel for TV

May 31, 2022

When it comes to adapting a novel to the screen, Conversations with Friends director and writer Lenny Abrahamson says, “I have to be fascinated by the characters. You can have an amazing and exciting story that’s a real pleasure to read but unless I ...

Write On with 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' writer-EP Joby Harold

May 25, 2022

Disney+ is taking us back to a galaxy far, far away with its upcoming limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi, with Ewan McGregor reprising the titular role alongside Hayden Christiansen's Darth Vader. Star Wars superfan Joby Harold explains what drew him to w...

From NYU to destroying worlds: 2021 Big Break Winner Matthew Manson

May 25, 2022

Photo courtesy of Matthew Manson Gaby Guffner: Destroyer of Worlds writer Matthew Manson celebrated his Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest® win with his family — and a bottle of Trader Joe’s bubbly.

The Archetype: Screenwriter Debbie Moon combines creatives & character

May 25, 2022

Photo courtesy of New Line Cinema As a viewer of film or television, or a reader of an excellent story, we know it’s the character that keeps us engaged to the very end - to battle alongside them, to root for them, and to attach ourselves to them.

‘The Last Victim’: How Naveen A. Chathapuram puts his directorial stamp on neo westerns

May 25, 2022

Photo courtesy of Peach Partners The Neo Western is a new take on the wild west films that starred Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, with bad guys claiming their hold on territory and heroes with questionable morals. The go-to Neo Western filmmaker of t...