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Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, and All-Star Cast Perform Kenneth Lonergan Play to Help Save NYC Landmark The Sounds of Film’s Tom Needham recently attended a powerful staged reading of Kenneth Lonergan’s Hold On to Me Darling featuring an incredible cast that included Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, J. Smith-Cameron, Gretchen Mol, Lucas Hedges, and Peter Friedman. Directed by Neil Pepe, the performance took place inside a historic Upper West Side church and raised funds to help save the landmarked West Park Presbyterian Church from demolition. The play follows a country music star returning home to Tennessee after his mother’s death, struggling to find meaning beyond fame and success. Damon gave a standout performance, capturing the humor and heartbreak of the character with ease. Following the reading, Lonergan joined the cast for an engaging Q&A about the play and the ongoing effort to support The Center at West Park and preserve the

THE LAST DIVE: A Diver’s Friendship with a Giant Manta Ray on THE SOUNDS OF FILM The next episode of the Sounds of Film features an interview with award-winning filmmaker Cody Sheehy, director of The Last Dive, which will be featured at the Port Jefferson Documentary Series on Thursday, November 6 at 7 PM. Sheehy’s stunning new documentary follows Terry Kennedy, a legendary diver and American veteran whose extraordinary friendship with a giant manta ray named Willy Wow transformed him from a man with a troubled past into an unlikely ocean conservationist. Through breathtaking underwater imagery and deeply personal storytelling, The Last Dive captures the beauty, mystery, and emotional depth of one man’s lifelong connection to the sea. Cody Sheehy is an award-winning filmmaker and the founder of Rhumbline Media. He has spent decades living aboard a sailboat with his wife and son, and his work often explores humanity’s relationship

FOR THE LIVING Director Tim Roper Up Next on THE SOUNDS OF FILM The Sounds of Film welcomes filmmaker Tim Roper, co-director of the powerful new documentary For the Living. The film tells the extraordinary true story of Marcel Zielinski, a 10-year-old Holocaust survivor who, in January 1945, walked 60 miles by foot from Auschwitz-Birkenau to Krakow in search of his family. Decades later, hundreds of cyclists from around the world retraced his path in a moving event called Ride for the Living, an act of remembrance and empathy that continues to inspire participants each year. For the Living draws profound parallels between Marcel’s journey and the modern world’s continuing struggle between dehumanization and compassion. Featuring moving interviews, historical footage, and stirring original music, the film explores how empathy can serve as humanity’s most powerful defense against hate and indifference. The documentary screens at the Port Jefferson Documentary Series on

British Director Elliott Hasler: VINDICATION SWIM – The Story of Mercedes Gleitze on THE SOUNDS OF FILM The next episode of the SOUNDS OF FILM features an in-depth conversation with Tom Needham and British filmmaker Elliott Hasler, the writer and director of VINDICATION SWIM, the inspiring true story of Mercedes Gleitze, the first British woman to swim the English Channel. VINDICATION SWIM tells the extraordinary story of Gleitze’s 1927 accomplishment and her subsequent struggle to reclaim her achievement after being falsely accused of faking her swim. The film vividly captures both her physical endurance and her determination to defy societal barriers in a male-dominated world. Shot with remarkable authenticity, the film features Kirsten Callaghan in her debut role as Gleitze, performing all her own swimming scenes—without the use of green screens or body doubles. The film also stars John Locke, James Wilby, and Douglas Hodge, who provides narration. Filmed over

HBO Documentary Films’ Armed Only With a Camera: The Life & Death of Brent Renaud with Craig Renaud & Juan Arredondo on THE SOUNDS OF FILM The next episode of THE SOUNDS OF FILM features Tom Needham’s interview with director Craig Renaud and producer Juan Arredondo discussing the powerful HBO Original documentary short, ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRENT RENAUD. The film tells the remarkable and heartbreaking story of filmmaker and journalist Brent Renaud, who was killed by Russian soldiers while covering the war in Ukraine—becoming the first American journalist to die in the conflict. The vérité documentary follows Craig Renaud as he recovers his brother’s body and final footage from Ukraine, weaving together decades of the brothers’ reporting from global conflict zones including Iraq, Haiti, Somalia, and Central America. The result is a moving testament to Brent’s fearless commitment to truth and his empathy

Dalai Lama: WISDOM OF HAPPINESS – A Conversation with Director Barbara Miller on THE SOUNDS OF FILM

On the next episode of The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham talks with Swiss filmmaker Barbara Miller about her documentary Wisdom of Happiness, in which she films an intimate dialogue with the Dalai Lama about compassion, peace, and resilience in times of crisis.

They explore how she captured such candor and warmth, her collaborations, and why kindness is at the heart of lasting transformation.

The Sounds of Film has featured past guests such as Billy Joel, Cornel West, Jimmy Webb, Chuck D, Michael Moore, Carter Burwell, Jim Messina, and members of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble. You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music.

SHE RUNS THE WORLD: Award Winning Filmmaker Perri Peltz Talks Allyson Felix Doc on THE SOUNDS OF FILM The Sounds of Film presents an inspiring conversation with Perri Peltz, the award-winning filmmaker behind She Runs the World, which is featured at the Port Jefferson Documentary Series on October 16th. The film tells the electrifying true story of Allyson Felix, the most decorated track and field athlete in Olympic history, who risked her career to fight for what she knew was right. At the height of her fame, Felix became pregnant and discovered that Nike—her longtime sponsor—planned to slash her pay by nearly 70%. Refusing to accept unequal treatment, she took her story public, helping to spark industry-wide reforms that improved maternity protections for female athletes. Her decision to walk away from Nike and create her own sneaker brand designed for women’s feet made headlines around the world. She Runs the

Yanuni’s Richard Ladkani Talks Juma Xipaia, Leonardo DiCaprio, & Hamptons International Film Festival on THE SOUNDS OF FILM The Sounds of Film is spotlighting Richard Ladkani, the award-winning director of Yanuni, a breathtaking new documentary featured at the Hamptons International Film Festival. The film follows Indigenous leader Juma Xipaia from her remote village in the Brazilian Amazon to the political frontlines of climate justice. After surviving six assassination attempts, Juma becomes Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights, while her husband, Hugo Loss, leads dangerous operations against illegal gold miners in the rainforest. Filmed over four years, YANUNI offers an intimate look at their love, courage, and resilience amid rising environmental threats. Executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, the film continues Ladkani’s legacy of powerful environmental storytelling, seen previously in Sea of Shadows and The Ivory Game. Richard Ladkani is an acclaimed Austrian filmmaker and cinematographer who has directed more than fifty

Jeremy Power Regimbal Talks BETWEEN THE MOUNTAIN & THE SKY & Maggie Doyne on SOUNDS OF FILM The Sounds of Film features an interview with Jeremy Power Regimbal, director of Between the Mountain and the Sky, a powerful new documentary about humanitarian Maggie Doyne. The film follows Doyne’s journey from a young American traveler to the founder of a children’s home, school, and women’s center in Nepal. Her inspiring partnership with Tope, a Nepalese orphan, leads to global recognition when she is named CNN’s 2015 Hero of the Year, and the film explores both her triumphs and unimaginable losses with honesty and grace. On October 9th, the Port Jefferson Documentary Film Series screens Between the Mountain and the Sky at The First United Methodist Church of Port Jefferson at 7 p.m. Following the screening, three Long Island high school students lead a special discussion on youth volunteerism and global citizenship.