OSCAR SPOTLIGHT: Interview with Kelly Yu director of the Oscar-qualifying ‘Endling’ of Indeed Rising Voices

What inspired the creation of Endling?  A few years ago, I came across an incredible profile on the Atlantic by journalist Ed Yong about a man who had devoted his entire life to taking care of the last surviving tree snail in Oahu named George. It led me to learning about all the Endlings in our history (which is the term coined to the last … Continue reading OSCAR SPOTLIGHT: Interview with Kelly Yu director of the Oscar-qualifying ‘Endling’ of Indeed Rising Voices

OSCAR SPOTLIGHT: Interview with Nebojsa Slijepcevic director of the Oscar-qualifying ‘The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent’

What was the inspiration for the film? I first heard about Tomo Buzov from a newspaper article published on the 20th anniversary of the Štrpci massacre. Stories of one person’s resistance against terror are always inspiring, but this one was so special that I felt it deserved to be made into a film. Firstly, because hardly anyone has heard of Tomo Buzov, and I believe … Continue reading OSCAR SPOTLIGHT: Interview with Nebojsa Slijepcevic director of the Oscar-qualifying ‘The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent’

OSCAR SPOTLIGHT: Interview with Samuel Flückiger director of the Oscar-qualifying ‘Unser Kind’

The fact that surrogacy is illegal in Switzerland adds a layer of complexity to the story. How did you approach this sensitive and taboo subject in your writing and direction? Since UNSER KIND does deal with such a sensitive and taboo subject, it was incredibly important to me to strive for as much emotional, social and medical authenticity as possible. While this can be achieved … Continue reading OSCAR SPOTLIGHT: Interview with Samuel Flückiger director of the Oscar-qualifying ‘Unser Kind’

OSCAR Spotlight: Interview with co-writers/directors Kevin and Kelly Luu of Indeed Rising Voices ‘Technicians’

What inspired you to tell this particular story about automation and impact it has on humans, especially in the context of the nail salon? Our film was created through the Hillman Grad & Indeed Rising Voices Short Film program, where the prompt was ‘What does the future of work mean to you?’ This immediately led us to think of the Vietnamese American nail industry, a … Continue reading OSCAR Spotlight: Interview with co-writers/directors Kevin and Kelly Luu of Indeed Rising Voices ‘Technicians’

OSCAR Spotlight: IN THE GARDEN OF TULIPS, Julia Elihu and Ava Lalezarzadeh’s suspense-filled short is magnificent

Julia Elihu and Ava Lalezarzadeh’s In the Garden of Tulips has qualified to be considered for the 2025 Oscars. Sixteen-year-old Caroline (Ava Lalezarzadeh) cuts a forlorn figure next to her father (Iman Nazemzadeh) as they travel across the Iranian countryside of Birjand. There’s mystery surrounding the purpose of the journey, but there’s palpable tension in the air, and as they get closer to their destination, … Continue reading OSCAR Spotlight: IN THE GARDEN OF TULIPS, Julia Elihu and Ava Lalezarzadeh’s suspense-filled short is magnificent