The Film Situation

Today's guest is Brandon Jay McLaren. He's an actor whose 20-year career spans both film and television. You may recognize him as Jack Landors, the Red Ranger in POWER RANGERS S.P.D., or as cartel kingpin Elijah Stone in THE ROOKIE. He's also appeared in the cult classic films SHE'S THE MAN and TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL. Brandon and guest host Cole Howard discuss his humble beginnings in the industry as an 11-year-old doing Honeycomb commercials, to now starring as one of the premier villains in the hit ABC series THE ROOKIE.

 

We talk about his run as a Red Ranger on POWER RANGERS S.P.D., his time as Beau Buckley on SNOWFALL, his supporting role in SHE'S THE MAN, and everything in between.

Hosted by Cole Howard

Presented by The Alphaville Foundation

Episode #89: Jeff Ryan joins THE FILM SITUATION to talk about writing, directing and starring in MOOCH, his New Jersey crime comedy “based on a pathetic true story.”

We get into the movie’s 1990s and early 2000s influences, Raymond Chandler, pop punk, directing yourself, imposter syndrome, festival rejection, making movies without waiting for permission, and how getting rejected ultimately inspired Jeff to create his own fake film festival, “Rejecta.”

Plus: MICHAEL CLAYTON, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, David Fincher, independent filmmaking and why sometimes the most important thing is simply making a movie you genuinely believe in.

Actor Chris Camaj joins Zef Cota for a wide-ranging conversation about growing up Albanian-American in Queens, old-school New York, and the unconventional path that eventually led him into acting.

Chris talks about his early years around the independent hip-hop scene, appearing in Spike Lee’s 25TH HOUR, and later deciding to seriously pursue acting, including his role in THE WANNABE and working alongside actors including Patricia Arquette, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert Miano.

The conversation goes beyond career stories into what makes a good director, the importance of communication and authenticity on set, the reality behind the “smoke and mirrors” of the entertainment business, and why persistence matters in an industry where nothing is guaranteed.

Chris and Zef also get into Albanian and New York culture, GOMORRAH, SINNERS, THE GODFATHER, loyalty, social media, and why some of the best filmmaking makes you feel like you’ve been dropped directly into another world.

A funny, candid and very New York conversation about acting, movies, culture and staying true to who you are.

Today's guests are Paul Wagner, an Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning independent filmmaker who has produced and directed more than fifty films across a remarkable fifty-year career, and his wife and creative partner, Ellen Casey Wagner.

Together, they directed the outstanding documentary GEORGIA O'KEEFFE: THE BRIGHTNESS OF LIGHT, a fascinating portrait of one of America's most influential artists. We discuss the years of research behind the film, working with Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy, Georgia O'Keeffe's extraordinary integrity and artistic vision, and what it takes to tell the story of such an iconic figure.

And if you're a fan of classic cinema, be sure to stay until the end of the episode, where we dive into two of Paul and Ellen's favorite films, EAST OF EDEN and DAYS OF HEAVEN, and talk about the scenes from those movies that have stayed with them throughout their lives.

 

Hosted by Zef Cota

Produced by Cole Howard

Brought to you by The Alphaville Foundation

Jonathan Yunger returns to THE FILM SITUATION for an in-person conversation following the Washington, D.C. premiere of his latest film, LUCKY STRIKE.

Jonathan discusses producing the World War II survival thriller starring Scott Eastwood, collaborating once again with director Rod Lurie, and the importance of authenticity in historical filmmaking. He shares behind-the-scenes stories from the production, explains the fascinating real-life origin behind the film's title, and reflects on meeting one of the last surviving veterans of the Battle of the Bulge.

The conversation also explores Jonathan's philosophy on producing, why every filmmaker is ultimately a storyteller and a salesperson, the future of artificial intelligence in cinema through his company Arcana AI, and why he believes AI should empower, not replace...human creativity.

We also dive into the upcoming RAMBO prequel, independent filmmaking, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese's views on AI, and what it truly takes to shepherd a film from script to screen.

A thoughtful conversation with one of the industry's most passionate producers.

Hosted by Zef Cota

Produced by Cole Howard

Recorded in person Washington D.C.

Acclaimed casting director and intimacy coordinator Marci Liroff joins THE FILM SITUATION for a wide-ranging conversation about her extraordinary career working on films including E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, FOOTLOOSE, and FREAKY FRIDAY.

We talk about casting iconic films, working with actors, and her important work as an intimacy coordinator. Marci also shares two of her favorite movie scenes: the heartbreaking goodbye in E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL and the “Tiny Dancer” bus scene from ALMOST FAMOUS.

Hosted by Zef Cota

Produced by Cole Howard

Janek Ambros is a filmmaker, producer, writer, and founder of Assembly Line Entertainment whose work has screened in connection with major festivals including Sundance, Venice, SXSW, and TIFF. As both a producer and director, he has built a career balancing the creative and business sides of independent filmmaking while helping bring a wide range of projects to life.

In this episode, we discuss Janek's unconventional path from studying economics and interning at Morgan Stanley to building his own production company and producing award-winning independent films. We talk about his documentaries IMMINENT THREAT and MONDO HOLLYWOODLAND, the importance of editing as a storytelling tool, and why producing other filmmakers' work helped shape his perspective as a director.

We also dive into the collaborative spirit of the legendary "Film Brat" generation, the influence of filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, and James Cameron, and the current state of independent cinema. Janek shares his thoughts on practical effects versus CGI, the future of moviegoing, why comedy films have become increasingly difficult to make, and the importance of building communities of filmmakers who support one another.

As always, we close the conversation with Janek's two favorite movie scenes and the lessons filmmakers can learn from them.

 

Hosted by Zef Cota

Produced by Cole Howard

Episode Description

Cannes 2026 just wrapped, and Zef is joined by producer Cole Howard to break down the films, winners, distributors, and festival buzz coming out of the world’s most prestigious film festival.

They discuss this year’s Palme d’Or winner FJORD, Christian Mungiu’s new family drama starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, along with some of the biggest films on their watchlists, including James Gray’s PAPER TIGER, Na Hong-jin’s HOPE, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ALL OF A SUDDEN, Nicolas Winding Refn’s HER PRIVATE HELL, and A24’s buzzy CLUB KID.

Zef also shares stories from attending Cannes in 2014 and 2019, including seeing WINTER SLEEP before it won the Palme d’Or and attending the Cannes premiere of THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL.

The conversation also touches on NEON’s incredible run as a distributor, Cannes standing ovations, Korean cinema, long movies that earn their running time, recent Palme d’Or winners, director commentaries as film school, and why Cannes still matters as the ultimate launchpad for world cinema.

Films discussed include:
FJORD, PAPER TIGER, HOPE, ALL OF A SUDDEN, HER PRIVATE HELL, CLUB KID, WINTER SLEEP, THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, TITANE, ANORA, PARASITE, ANATOMY OF A FALL, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS, SHOPLIFTERS, MY COUSIN VINNY, TWO LOVERS, WE OWN THE NIGHT, AD ASTRA, THE WAILING, MEMORIES OF MURDER, CITY OF GOD, and more.

 

Hosted by Zef Cota & Cole Howard

Alex Braverman is a filmmaker who has directed and produced acclaimed documentaries, including the 2023 film THANK YOU VERY MUCH, a fascinating portrait of the great Andy Kaufman.

I first discovered Alex’s work through THANK YOU VERY MUCH, which is currently on MUBI, and immediately wanted to talk to him about Kaufman, documentary filmmaking, and the strange blurred line between performance, truth, comedy, and reality.

We talked about Alex’s early work as a documentary cameraman, including MAKING MARINES, the making of THANK YOU VERY MUCH, the Safdie brothers coming on as producers, Andy Kaufman’s obsession with confusing and challenging audiences, and why documentary filmmaking is often truly built in the edit.

We also discussed STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT: UNLOCKING THE TRUTH, which Alex produced, the current state of documentary filmmaking, and the importance of cutting material that does not serve the story. Alex also shares two of his favorite movie scenes from THE HEARTBREAK KID and Bennett Miller's THE CRUISE.

Chicago-based director Jared Isaac recently directed his debut feature film AN AUTUMN SUMMER, which releases next month.

A great conversation about the joys of shooting an indie film in the hidden cinematic gem of Northern Michigan. We spoke about the personal nature of this film and how it's based on some of his closest friends...and the fascinating story of how he was able to, against-all-odds, cast Tony Horton as the father. Horton is the founder of the ground breaking, immensely popular, workout program P90X.

We also spoke of a couple of his favorite movie scenes from Ridley Scott's GLADIATOR as well as Matthew Mcconaughey's  as Wooderson in Richard Linklater's DAZED & CONFUSED.

Follow AN AUTUMN SUMMER on Instagram @anautumnsummerfilm

Hosted by Zef Cota