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Director Yana Alliata Talks REELING & Werner Herzog on SOUNDS OF FILM On the next Sounds of Film Tom Needham is joined by filmmaker Yana Alliata, director of the SXSW breakout feature Reeling, executive produced by Werner Herzog. The film has drawn attention for its immersive storytelling, emotional intensity, and striking exploration of memory, identity, and family set against the backdrop of an Oahu luau. Reeling follows a young man returning to his Hawaiian family homestead after a life-altering accident that has affected his memory. As he reconnects with relatives and friends during a birthday celebration, buried tensions rise to the surface and he begins to uncover the truth behind a pivotal moment from his past that changed everything. The film blends naturalistic performances, improvisation, and atmospheric visual storytelling to create an intimate psychological drama that places the audience directly inside its protagonist’s fractured perception of reality. Set against the

Adult Autism Diagnosis: A Conversation with Room to Move Director Alexander Hammer on the Sounds of Film Podcast Alexander Hammer is the director, producer, and editor of the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival world premiere Room to Move, a deeply personal documentary about choreographer Jenn Freeman as she navigates a late autism diagnosis and channels that experience into the creation of a new evening-length solo performance. Through an intimate observational lens, the film traces Freeman’s artistic process while gradually unfolding into a broader reflection on identity, perception, and the ways personal experience can reshape creative work. Room to Move follows Freeman during a pivotal period in her life as she develops Is It Thursday Yet? in collaboration with Tony Award-winning choreographer Sonya Tayeh, while also confronting memories and patterns reframed through her diagnosis. Over the course of its production, the documentary blends movement, rehearsal, and lived experience into a portrait of

A “Classic” SOUNDS OF FILM featuring the legendary Stephin Merritt & Tom Needham now released!

Stephin Merritt was recently named one of the The New York Times’ Top 30 Living American Songwriters.

The SOUNDS OF FILM Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Amazon Music.

Crime Thriller Director Jing Ai Ng talks FORGE on the SOUNDS OF FILM Podcast This episode of Sounds of Film features host Tom Needham in conversation with filmmaker Jing Ai Ng about her debut feature Forge, a stylish crime caper set in Miami’s art world. The discussion explores the film’s blend of suspense, character drama, and cultural identity, as well as its focus on a brother-and-sister duo navigating forgery, ambition, and belonging in a system where authenticity is both power and illusion. Ng’s film brings together a strong ensemble cast including Kelly Marie Tran, Andie Ju, Brandon Soo Hoo, and Edmund Donovan, and has been described as a fresh take on the crime genre with emotional depth at its core. Forge follows siblings Raymond and Coco Zhang, who operate a successful underground art forgery business before being pulled into a far more dangerous scheme involving wealthy collectors and stolen masterpieces.

American Agitators Director Raymond Telles & the Legacy of Fred Ross Sr. On THE SOUNDS OF FILM Director Raymond Telles joins Sounds of Film to discuss his new documentary American Agitators, which explores the life and legacy of pioneering community organizer Fred Ross Sr. Telles brings decades of experience in documentary filmmaking focused on labor, civil rights, and social justice to a conversation about how grassroots organizing continues to shape American political life. American Agitators traces Fred Ross Sr.’s lifelong work organizing communities to confront segregation, expand voting rights, and strengthen labor movements across the United States. The film highlights his mentorship of key figures such as Dolores Huerta and connects his organizing model to major civil rights efforts that helped advance school desegregation and broader struggles for racial and economic justice. It also draws a connection between Ross’s disciplined, relationship-based organizing approach and modern movements addressing inequality, labor rights,

Mistress Dispeller: The Most Unbelievable Love Triangle with Director Elizabeth Lo on The Sounds of Film The latest episode of Sounds of Film features an in-depth conversation with acclaimed filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, discussing her powerful new documentary Mistress Dispeller. The film has been featured at the Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and the Port Jefferson Documentary Series. Known for her intimate and visually arresting storytelling, Lo joins host Tom Needham to explore the making of the film and the emotional complexities behind its real-life love triangle in contemporary China. Mistress Dispeller follows a woman who hires a professional “mistress dispeller” to go undercover and end her husband’s affair. With unprecedented access to all sides of the triangle, the documentary unfolds as a deeply human portrait of love, loyalty, and emotional contradiction, revealing how intimacy and betrayal can coexist in unexpected ways. The movie is available on the

Check out the Eraserheads’s Ely Buendia & Director Maria Diane Ventura on the SOUNDS OF FILM Podcast.

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MABEL Director Nicholas Ma Talks Plants & Filmmaking on The SOUNDS OF FILM Director Nicholas Ma joins The Sounds of Film to discuss his debut feature Mabel, a thoughtful and visually rich coming-of-age story opening in New York at the Cinema Village on April 17. Ma, known for producing the acclaimed documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, brings a deeply personal and intellectually curious perspective to his first narrative feature. Mabel follows Callie, a biracial middle schooler who feels disconnected from the people around her but forms a profound bond with the plant life she studies and nurtures. As she navigates a new school, shifting family dynamics, and an inspiring but mysterious teacher, the film explores themes of identity, loneliness, and the emerging science of plant intelligence, ultimately asking what it means to truly coexist with the natural world and with each other. The Sounds of Film with Tom Needham

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