I saw Arturo Cabanas’ film, Man Up in the shorts program “Pocket Sized Portraits.” His film is a challenging portrait of a father with a son who is a gifted young wrestler. The father responds to his son’s talent with a determination that his son be the best. The film raises questions about whether or not the father’s approach to molding his son into a master wrestler is misguided or on the nose. On the one hand, his son is learning independence and strength of character through the way his father is training him. On the other hand, when does this kid get to be a kid? The deeper one digs into the films questions, the more one begins to reevaluate how our culture defines independence and more specifically, masculinity. Besides the discussion this film sparks, it’s visually compelling and masterfully edited. Cabanas’ camera essentially acts as fly on the wall for most of the film, with brief, to the point interviews of the father and son throughout. The familial drama he captures in his film is fascinating and it rivals any fictional portrayal of drama. In terms of documentary filmmaking, Man Up strikes the perfect balance between thought provoking subject matter and a strong visual style. Cabanas and I talked about the questions this film raises and how he went about making the film.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Man Up, Arturo Cabanas

At Ted’s Montana Grill in Denver, I sat down with Bill and Dave to share our film picks over a meal of delicious bison meat. Our favorites from the festival thus far: Saucy Flyer UFO PI, Tre, Kurt Cobain About A Son, Cheech, Familia, Breaking and Entering, RE: Monday, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Steel Toes. Will some films from the second half of the festival unseat these heavyweights? Stay tuned to find out…

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Roundtable Recap, Bill, Dave, and Kevin

I caught up with Colorado filmmaker Ryan Cooper to talk about his short, Harry and Greta. The film retells Hansel and Gretel in a contemporary way, turning the classic fable into a romantic comedy. We talked about finding inspiration in timeless stories, and what’s next.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Harry and Greta, Ryan Cooper

After a shorts program dedicated to narrative films by Colorado filmmakers I talked to Justin Jones, director of Luisa. The film tells of the harrowing journey of a Mexican woman crossing the border to reunite with her family in Denver. We talked about the irony of the immigration issue boiling over during the making of the film, and plans for a feature length version.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast, Luisa, Justin Jones

We talked with Matthew Porterfield about his directorial debut in Hamilton. Porterfield discussed his writing process, going from New York back to the Hamilton neighborhood of Baltimore to make the film, and how teaching kindergarten prepared him for directing.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

I think I could have talked to Samira Goetschel for at least seven hours, but for your listening pleasure I kept it to about ten minutes. Goetschel’s new documentary, Our Own Private Bin Laden , chronicles her personal journey to try to unwrap the media phenomenon that has become of Osama Bin Laden. Goetschel, born in Iran, escaped when her father was executed during the Islamic Revolution. Living in New York, she thought she had escaped Islamic Fundamentalism, then September 11 happened. She decided to confront her fear and anger by making this film. We talked about her personal journey, how to ask questions without an agenda, refusing distribution deals to avoid hypocrisy, and revelations in the editing room. Goetschel is a remarkable person who demonstrates the courage it takes to ask simple questions, and receive extremely complicated answers.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Our Own Private Bin Laden, Samira Goetschel

I spoke with the cast of Looking For Sunday about the camaraderie they shared on set, the roles they played in the film’s development, and who’s better at basketball.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Looking for Sunday, Michael Weston, Spence Decker, Katharine Towne

B movies aren’t dead! Sisters Amy and Andrea Doe seem like average Denver suburbanites, until you see their new film, Saucy Flyer UFO P.I. I caught up with them the day after the film’s midnight premiere. We talked about making the picture in Colorado on a shoestring budget, having the courage to make fun of terrorism, and why Amy will do anything her big sister tells her to.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Saucy Flyer UFO P.I., Amy Doe and Andrea Doe

I had the privilege last night of watching the shorts program, Secrets and Lives. On hand to talk about their films were filmmakers Adam Burr, Brandon Bennett, and Thom Milano. Burr’s film is RE: Monday, Bennet’s film is Con and Milano’s film is Go I. After the screening I asked the filmmakers to talk about what inspired the making of their films, and how they turned the original ideas into the films we saw last night. They also shared the most rewarding and most challenging moments in the creation of their films.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast