Synopsis
The Close-Up is a weekly podcast produced by the Film Society of Lincoln Center that features in-depth conversations with filmmakers, actors, critics, and more.
Episodes
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#327 - Director Thomas Vinterberg and James Gray on Another Round
25/03/2021 Duration: 50minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast we’re featuring a special conversation between filmmakers Thomas Vinterberg and James Gray on Another Round, which was recently nominated for two Academy Awards. In the film, four friends, all teachers at various stages of middle age, are stuck in a rut. Unable to share their passions either at school or at home, they embark on an audacious experiment from an obscure philosopher: to see if a constant level of alcohol in their blood will help them find greater freedom and happiness. At first, they each find a new-found zest, but as the gang pushes their experiment further, issues that have been simmering for years come to a head, and the men are faced with a choice: reckon with their behavior or continue on the same course. Another Round is now playing in theaters and Hulu.
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#326 - Ephraim Asili and Garrett Bradley
18/03/2021 Duration: 57minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast we’re featuring a special conversation from the 58th New York Film Festival featuring Ephraim Asili and Garrett Bradley. Garrett Bradley’s Time, a Main Slate selection, and Ephraim Asili’s The Inheritance, the Opening Night film of the Currents program, were two of NYFF58’s most formally inventive and politically astute films. Combining original and archival material in evocative and unpredictable ways, they engage deeply with radical Black legacies of both cinema and political organizing. In this free talk, moderated by writer and researcher Yasmina Price, the two directors chatted about their approaches to representing history, working against dominant narrative forms through a focus on the everyday textures of life, and the impulses of activism and education that course through their art. Ephraim Asili’s The Diaspora Suite and The Inheritance are now playing in our Virtual Cinema, and Garrett Bradley’s Academy Award-nominated Time is now playing on Amaz
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Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Q&A with Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova & Jason Woliner
11/03/2021 Duration: 32minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast we’re featuring a special conversation on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm with Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova, and director Jason Woliner. Moderated by Variety's Chief Film Critic Peter Debruge. In this satire on Trump’s America, Borat, a Kazakh journalist, is sent to America to deliver a gift from his government to Vice President Mike Pence. Along the way, his worldview is turned upside down and steadfast beliefs are challenged by his teenage daughter. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is now playing on Amazon Prime.
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One Night In Miami... Q&A with Regina King, Kemp Powers & Cast
04/03/2021 Duration: 39minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast we’re featuring a special conversation with One Night in Miami… director Regina King, screenwriter Kemp Powers, and stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr. Moderated by Beandrea July. On the evening of February 25, 1964, four icons of sports, entertainment and activism celebrated one of the greatest upsets in boxing history in a modest motel room in Miami. After claiming the World Heavyweight title for the first time, Cassius Clay — who would soon change his name to Muhammad Ali — got together with three friends: human rights activist Malcolm X, music superstar Sam Cooke and football legend and emerging action-movie hero Jim Brown. One Night In Miami... is a fictional imagining of the historic night these towering figures spent together. Directed by Regina King and written by Kemp Powers based on his award-winning play, One Night In Miami... is set on the precipice of the momentous political and cultural upheaval of the 1960s. One N
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#323 - The Cast and Crew of Sound of Metal
25/02/2021 Duration: 33minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast we’re featuring a conversation with Sound of Metal’s writer-director Darius Marder, actors Riz Ahmed, Paul Raci, Olivia Cooke, Chelsea Lee, Domenico Toledo, and actor/ASL coach Jeremy Stone. Moderated by Alison O’Daniel, a visual artist and filmmaker who is currently in production on her feature film, The Tuba Thieves. In the film, metal drummer Ruben begins to lose his hearing. When a doctor tells him his condition will worsen, he thinks his career and life is over. His girlfriend Lou checks the former addict into a rehab for the deaf hoping it will prevent a relapse and help him adapt to his new life. After being welcomed and accepted just as he is, Ruben must choose between his new normal and the life he once knew. This talk was first available to FLC members, who play such a vital role in all we do. Memberships start at just $85 and offer year-round discounts to films and festivals, exclusive invitations to sneak previews, filmmaker conversations, Film Cl
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#322 - Shaka King on Judas And The Black Messiah
18/02/2021 Duration: 32minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast, we’re featuring a Q&A with Shaka King, director of Judas and the Black Messiah, moderated by Eugene Hernandez, Film at Lincoln Center’s Deputy Executive Director of Programs. Fred Hampton, a young, charismatic activist, becomes Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party — putting him directly in the crosshairs of the government, the FBI, and the Chicago Police. But to destroy the revolution, the authorities are going to need a man on the inside, enter William O'Neal. Judas and the Black Messiah stars Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, and Martin Sheen. This Black History Month special event was organized by Film at Lincoln Center and Warner Bros. Pictures to provide cinema and arthouse audiences with an early preview of this timely and vital film, along with an extended conversation. Judas and the Black Messiah is now available on HBO Max.
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#321 - Lee Isaac Chung and the Cast of Minari
12/02/2021 Duration: 44minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast we’re featuring a Q&A with the director and cast of Minari, moderated by Film at Lincoln Center’s Director of Programming Dennis Lim. A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home. Join director Lee Isaac Chung, and actors Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Yuh-Joung Youn, Alan Kim & Noel Cho for an insightful conversation about the making of this highly anticipated film. Special thanks to A24 for partnering with Film at Lincoln Center for the release of Minari.
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#320 - Pete Docter and Dana Murray on Soul
04/02/2021 Duration: 55minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast we’re featuring a conversation about Pixar’s Soul with director Pete Docter and producer Dana Murray moderated by Glenn Kiser, Senior Director of the Dolby Institute. Soul introduces Joe Gardner, voiced by Jamie Foxx, a band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks, and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with 22, a precocious soul voiced by Tina Fey, and discovers the answers to some of life’s most important questions. Disney and Pixar’s Soul is now streaming on Disney+. This conversation is presented by the Dolby Institute.
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#319 - David Fincher & Kent Jones on Mank
27/01/2021 Duration: 01h10minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast, we’re presenting a special conversation between filmmakers David Fincher and Kent Jones on Mank. Fincher's first film since his NYFF Opening Night selection Gone Girl follows the 1930s Hollywood screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, played by Gary Oldman, as he develops the screenplay for Citizen Kane. Mank is now available on Netflix. This talk was first available to FLC members, who play such a vital role in all we do. Memberships start at just $85 and offer year-round discounts to films and festivals, exclusive invitations to sneak previews, filmmaker conversations, Film Clubs, and much more. If you're interested in supporting FLC by becoming a member, visit filmlinc.org/members for more information.
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#318 - The Filmmakers of Notturno and Identifying Features
22/01/2021 Duration: 01h09minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast we’re presenting conversations on Notturno and Identifying Features, two equally impressive films, both of which are New York Times Critic's Picks and are now playing in our Virtual Cinema. The first discussion features Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Gianfranco Rosi, in conversation with New York Film Festival’s Director of Programming Dennis Lim on Rosi’s latest immersive work of nonfiction. Shot over the course of three years along the borders of Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria, and Lebanon, Notturno is a nighttime ramble through a region rocked and shattered by catastrophe and violence. The second conversation centers on Identifying Features and includes director Fernanda Valadez, and co-writer and producer Astrid Rondero in a dialogue with FLC's Assistant Programmer Dan Sullivan at the 49th New Directors/New Films. The film is a suspenseful slow burn, equally constructed of moments of beauty and horror surrounding a mother's search for the truth about her son. Nationw
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#317 - Sam Pollard and Spike Lee In Conversation
19/01/2021 Duration: 25minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast we’re featuring a conversation between filmmakers and long-time collaborators, Sam Pollard and Spike Lee. Sam Pollard's impressive career boasts collaborations with some of cinema's greatest filmmakers, including Spike Lee who has hailed Pollard as “a master filmmaker.” Timed to our Sam Pollard tribute and the release of his latest, MLK/FBI, join us for an in-depth conversation between the two legendary filmmakers. Get virtual tickets, available nationwide through 1/22, to our Sam Pollard retrospective: https://virtual.filmlinc.org The full video of this talk is also available on FLC’s YouTube channel.
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#316 - Errol Morris and Frederick Wiseman on My Psychedelic Love Story
07/01/2021 Duration: 56minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast we’re featuring a conversation between filmmakers Errol Morris and Frederick Wiseman on Morris’ new documentary My Psychedelic Love Story. Told through the lens of Joanna Harcourt-Smith, Timothy Leary’s lover, the film examines the possible CIA conspiracy and fascinating love story as Leary, the High Priest of LSD, seemingly sells out and becomes a narc in 1974. Through a series of candid interviews, Morris and Harcourt-Smith reexamine this chaotic period, resulting in a singular snapshot of the early 1970s’ cultural landscape and its profound impact on the trajectory of one woman’s life. My Psychedelic Love Story is now available digitally, courtesy of Showtime.
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#315 - Wong Kar Wai, Christopher Doyle & Brigitte Lin on Ashes of Time Redux
22/12/2020 Duration: 27minThis week on the Film at Lincoln Center podcast, join a conversation with Wong Kar Wai, cinematographer Christopher Doyle, and actress Brigitte Lin from the 46th NYFF in 2008, moderated by J. Hoberman. Watch Ashes of Time Redux in our Wong Kar Wai retrospective, available nationwide: filmlinc.org/wong A film whose complicated production took such a toll on Wong that he wrote and shot Chungking Express during its editing process, Ashes of Time Redux is a hallucinatory wuxia like no other. First released in 1994 and then re-edited and re-scored in 2008, Wong’s time-slipping picaresque takes loose inspiration from Jin Yong’s novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes, focusing on a lovesick, embittered mercenary (Leslie Cheung), who acts as an agent for other swordsmen of fortune. Working with regular production designer William Chang, cinematographer Christopher Doyle, and a superb ensemble (Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung, and Jacky Cheung), Wong constructs an intricate, enigmatic vision of ancient warrior
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#314 - Steve McQueen, Cast & Crew on Small Axe
20/12/2020 Duration: 01h08minJoin director Steve McQueen, cinematographer Shabier Kirchner, actors Shaun Parkes and Letitia Wright, and co-writers Courttia Newland and Alastair Siddons in a conversation about Small Axe, an anthology of five films. This talk was moderated by NYFF Director of Programming Dennis Lim, following the premiere of three films at NYFF58. All five films in the anthology are now available digitally nationwide, courtesy of Amazon Studios. Film at Lincoln Center Talks are presented by HBO.
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#313 - New Directors/New Films Critics' Preview
11/12/2020 Duration: 01h02minJoin a conversation with your favorite critics in anticipation of New Directors/New Films, a festival that has celebrated filmmakers who represent the present and anticipate the future of cinema, and whose daring work pushes the envelope in unexpected ways. Get tickets to this year’s NDNF, now playing through 12/20 in our Virtual Cinema, at filmlinc.org/ndnf The New Directors/New Films festival offers yearly proof of cinema's long and bright future—and this year's edition, arriving in virtual form at a fraught time in film culture, is no exception. Dig into the highlights of the 2020 lineup in this critics' preview led by Devika Girish, Assistant Editor of Film Comment and Film at Lincoln Center, featuring Clinton Krute (Digital Editor, Film Comment), Chloe Lizotte (freelance film critic), Vadim Rizov (Managing Editor, Filmmaker Magazine), and Lucía Salas (critic, curator, and filmmaker). This Film at Lincoln Center Talk is presented by HBO.
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#312 - Sean Durkin and Carrie Coon on The Nest with Alex Ross Perry
06/12/2020 Duration: 51minJoin director Sean Durkin and actress Carrie Coon in a conversation about their latest film, The Nest, with fellow filmmaker Alex Ross Perry. The Nest stars Jude Law and Carrie Coon, who play Rory, an ambitious entrepreneur, and Allison, his American wife. In the film, Rory persuades his wife and their children to leave the comforts of suburban America and return to his native England during the 1980s. Sensing opportunity, Rory rejoins his former firm and leases a centuries-old country manor, with grounds for Allison’s horses and plans to build a stable. Soon the promise of a lucrative new beginning starts to unravel, the couple has to face the unwelcome truths lying beneath the surface of their marriage. The Nest is now available nationwide courtesy of IFC Films.
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#311 - Alexander Nanau on Collective
30/11/2020 Duration: 52minA New Directors/New Films 2020 selection and the Romanian entry for the Best International Feature Film at next year's Academy Awards, Collective begins as a seeming exposé into a tragic accident and gradually turns into something deeper and more shocking in this revelatory documentary about state neglect. As Collective continues its run in our Virtual Cinema, director Alexander Nanau sat down with FLC's Deputy Executive Director, Eugene Hernandez, to discuss the nonfiction thriller that uncovers the depths of governmental corruption. Watch Collective in our Virtual Cinema now at filmlinc.org/collective Film at Lincoln Center Talks are presented by HBO.
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#310 - Art of the Real 2020 Preview
13/11/2020 Duration: 38minThis week we’re featuring a preview in anticipation of Art of the Real 2020, an essential showcase for the most vital and innovative voices in nonfiction and hybrid filmmaking, rescheduled from its original dates in April for November 13-26. Join the co-programmers of Art of the Real, FLC Director of Programming Dennis Lim, FLC Programmer-at-Large Rachael Rakes and program advisor Almudena Escobar Lopez, along with FLC programmer Dan Sullivan for an in-depth preview of this year's edition, discussing all the envelope-pushing highlights, under-the-radar sleepers, and much more. Art of the Real is proud to continue its collaboration with curated streaming service MUBI for the fifth consecutive year. This Film at Lincoln Center Talk is presented by HBO. Get the most out of the festival with an unbeatable offer: access the entire slate for just $50! Start discovering with your All-Access Pass here: https://virtual.filmlinc.org/bundle/aotr-all-access/
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#309 - Laura Dern, Joyce Chopra, and Joyce Carol Oates on Smooth Talk
05/11/2020 Duration: 57minNYFF58 Revivals highlight Smooth Talk (1985) features the work of three powerhouse women: director Joyce Chopra; actress Laura Dern, in one of her first starring roles; and author Joyce Carol Oates, whose 1966 short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” provided the inspiration for the film. To celebrate the festival premiere of the film’s new restoration, Chopra, Dern, and Oates joined Turner Classic Movies host Alicia Malone for a talk about the creative work of adaptation and the perennially resonant subject matter of a young woman’s early encounter with the powers and perils of her sexuality. Watch the new restoration of Smooth Talk, starting November 6 in our Virtual Cinema at filmlinc.org/smoothtalk This Film at Lincoln Center Talk is presented by HBO and sponsored by TCM.
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#308 - Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman on Documenting Decades of LGBTQ+ History
30/10/2020 Duration: 52minAs part of their nationwide virtual retrospective, directors Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman joined FLC programmer Dan Sullivan for a career-spanning conversation. Watch their essential work, featuring new restorations, through November 5 in our Virtual Cinema at filmlinc.org/tellingpics For more than 30 years, Oscar-winning directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have borne powerful witness to gay life, creativity, and activism — documenting lost aspects of LGBTQ+ history and chronicling unfolding events with humor, compassion, and fierce urgency. In their films, extraordinary interviews make the political personal and unforgettable. With Paragraph 175 and The Celluloid Closet, Epstein and Friedman examined the persecution of gay men in Nazi Germany and Hollywood’s history of hidden homophobia. Their documentaries The AIDS Show, Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, The Times of Harvey Milk, and Where Are We? have both chronicled and helped change history. Starting October 23, we look at their essential