Welcome back to the Following Films Podcast. Before we jump in, if you enjoy the show, please take a quick second to leave us a review, hit that subscribe button, and share this episode with a friend. It really helps get the word out and keeps us doing what we do.On today’s episode, I’m talking with Julia Sweeney and director Rowan Haber about their new documentary, We Are Pat, which is available to stream on Peacock starting August 20th.If you were around in the 90s, you remember "Pat" from Saturday Night Live. Julia Sweeney created this character, and it became an absolute pop culture phenomenon back then. But as conversations around gender identity, transness, and non-binary visibility evolved over the years, the joke aged into something a lot more complicated and heavily critiqued.What's cool about We Are Pat is that it doesn't just run away from that backlash or try to sweep it under the rug. Instead, it turns into this really fascinating excavation of comedy, authorship, and what happens when a bit outlives the era it started in. Rowan pulls together an incredible roster of trans and gender non-conforming comedians, writers, and cultural commentators, including folks like Molly Kearney, Abby McEnany, Murray Hill, Robin Tran, and Jules Gill-Peterson, and basically asks them to do the impossible: reconsider and try to rewrite "Pat" through a modern, inclusive lens.Fresh off a sold-out screening at Vidiots in LA, Julia and Rowan joined me to unpack the messy human side of revisiting past work, confronting cultural shifts, and figuring out where comedy goes from here. Here is my conversation with Julia Sweeney and Rowan Haber.

Welcome back to the Following Films Podcast.We’ve all spent time in the healthcare system, whether it’s sitting in a sterile waiting room or trying to navigate a bureaucratic nightmare for a loved one. It’s a system run by people who are constantly expected to be flawless, even when they’re completely running on empty. That brings us to today's film, Do No Harm.The movie follows Sam Yeong, played by Harry Shum Jr., a home health nurse who is already burnt out to the point of collapse. In his exhaustion, he makes a single mistake, administering what might be a fatal dose of medication to a young patient. Instead of a clean medical drama where everything gets wrapped up with a nice moral lesson, the story spirals over 24 hours as Sam tries to cover his tracks while colliding head-on with the grieving father. It’s a tense, deeply uncomfortable look at moral injury, institutional pressure, and what happens when the people we expect to save us simply break under the weight. The cast also features Rosaline Elbay and Ronny Chieng, who bring a lot of weight to a situation where nobody comes out clean.I sat down with writer and director Chris Hartwell to talk about how this whole project came together. Chris has deep family roots in the medical world: his dad is a doctor and his wife is a home health nurse, so he’s been listening to these ground-level stories for years. It took him nearly a decade to get this made, pulling together a low-budget, highly collaborative production that involved everyone from industry vets to his own film students. We talk about turning those real-life systemic pressures into a legit thriller, the nightmare of human error, and what it actually takes to drag an independent feature across the finish line these days.Before we jump into the conversation, do me a quick favor: if you like what we’re doing here, take ten seconds to subscribe to the podcast, drop us a rating or review on whatever platform you're using, and share the episode with a friend who loves indie cinema. It really helps keep the lights on and gets these films in front of more people.Here is my chat with Chris Hartwell.

Welcome back to the Following Films Podcast. I'm your host, and today we are talking about a show that probably sounds like a strange candidate for a modern streaming reboot, until you actually look at how they made it.When Netflix announced a new take on "Little House on the Prairie," a lot of people reasonably expected a soft, nostalgic retread of the 1970s TV series. Instead, the 2026 reboot starring Alice Halsey, Luke Bracey, and Warren Christie dropped last month, and it is a completely different beast. It pulls much closer to the raw, gritty reality of the original books than the old show ever did. It already got picked up for a second season, and a huge reason the series hits the way it does comes down to how it looks.My guest today is cinematographer C. Kim Miles, ASC, CSC, MYSC. He shot four of the eight episodes this season, and he had to deal with absolute chaos to pull it off. We're talking severe prairie weather, tornadoes, ticks, rough terrain, and keeping heavy camera gear moving around actors wearing full period costumes. It was a brutal shoot, but the visuals speak for themselves.If you follow Kim’s work, that adapt-and-survive approach shouldn't surprise you. He lensed "The Brothers Sun" for Netflix, shot the Apple TV+ documentary "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie" which earned him an Emmy nomination, and worked on projects like "Yellowjackets," "Lost Ollie," and Robert Zemeckis's "Project Blue Book." He knows how to ground large-scale, difficult productions in real human texture.We talk about building the look of the new series, fighting the elements, and what it actually takes to make a pioneer story feel dangerous again.Before we jump in, do me a quick favor: if you enjoy the show, take ten seconds to leave us a review on whatever app you're listening on, hit that subscribe button, and send this episode to a friend who loves film craft. It genuinely helps get the show in front of more people. Now, here is my conversation with C. Kim Miles.

On today's episode, I'm chatting with cinematographer James Kniest about his work on the upcoming Amazon original film, The Devil's Mouth. The setup is classic survival horror: a group of college friends on a Thailand trip end up trapped in submerged caves. There's a dangerous predator in the water with them, and all their ugly personal baggage and past conflicts start bubbling up while they try not to die. What makes or breaks a movie like this usually comes down to how real that claustrophobia feels, so James and I talk about what it actually takes to shoot in dark, wet, cramped spaces without it looking like a soundstage.Before we get to that interview, I want to talk about a fantastic new track from the San Francisco punk band Tess & The Details. They just released a cover of Green Day's "Scattered," which is featured on a new Green Day tribute compilation out from Coffin Curse Records and Punk Rock Radar. Even better, all the proceeds from the compilation go straight to no-kill animal shelters.Rather than just doing a carbon copy of the original Nimrod track, they completely made it their own. Frontwoman Tess Stevens directed the music video as a bit of a love letter to the Bay Area, shooting at places like an old BART station payphone and the legendary San Francisco venue Bottom of the Hill, which is unfortunately closing down at the end of 2026. I'm going to play a quick snippet of the song right now, and then I'll play the full track at the very end of the episode after the interview.Ok lets get into my conversation with James. In addition to The Devil’s Mouth, we chat about our shared love of music, the current state of the film industry, and what it was like working with Mike Flanagan. The Devil's Mouth will be available to stream on Amazon Prime on 7/29. I hope you enjoy the show

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Following Films Podcast.Before we get into today’s show, do me a quick favor: if you’re enjoying what we're doing here, take two seconds to leave us a review, hit that subscribe button, and send this episode to a friend who loves movies. It really helps us out and keeps the lights on.This week’s episode is brought to you by the folks at Universal Pictures Home Video to celebrate their release of Obsession. They’ve been kind enough to give us a copy to pass along to one of you. If you want to get your hands on it, we're running a quick giveaway. Just send an email over to [email protected] with the subject line "I want Obsession" and tell us why you should win. Just make sure you include your full name and your mailing address in the body of the email so we know where to send it if your name gets drawn.Today, we're talking with Double Danger, the French musical duo who handled the score for Evil Dead Burn. The movie just hit theaters, and if you’re a physical media collector, the soundtrack is actually getting a vinyl release this September.If you haven't caught the trailer yet, the plot centers on Alice, played by Souheila Yacoub. She’s a young widow trying to process the death of her abusive husband, Will. She goes to stay with her former in-laws for a memorial, which already sounds like a nightmare on its own, but then things go completely off the rails. They come across the Necronomicon, unleash the usual Deadite chaos, and Alice has to hunt down a Kandarian dagger to burn the whole family house to the ground just to stop the spread.It takes a lot of those classic, messy Evil Dead tropes and grounds them in a pretty dark family dynamic. We talked with Double Danger about how they approached scoring that specific brand of chaos, how they landed on the sound for this entry, and what it was like working in such an iconic horror universe. Here is our conversation with Double Danger.

Before we get into things, this week’s episode is brought to you by the folks at Universal Pictures Home Video to celebrate their release of Obsession. They’ve been kind enough to give us a copy to pass along to one of you. If you want to get your hands on it, we're running a quick giveaway. Just send an email over to [email protected] with the subject line "I want Obsession" and tell us why you should win. Just make sure you include your full name and your mailing address in the body of the email so we know where to send it if your name gets drawn.As for today's show, we have a really interesting one for you. If you’re looking for something new to check out at the cinema, you're in luck, because the movie we're talking about actually hits theaters today, July 17th. It's called Horsegirls, and it centers on a 22-year-old woman named Margarita who is trying to figure out her own independence while dealing with her mother’s illness returning. What makes the dynamic so fascinating is that Margarita has autism, and she finds her outlet and a sense of control through the world of hobbyhorsing. Yes, we are talking about competitive stick-horse riding. It’s a subculture that a lot of people might dismiss or find odd at first glance, but the film uses it to look at some messy, complicated family dynamics and what it actually takes to prove you can stand on your own two feet.To break it all down, we are chatting with the filmmakers themselves, Lillian Carrier and Lauren Meyering. They join the show today to talk about bringing this specific world to life, avoiding the usual Hollywood clichés about neurodiversity, and getting into the real, sometimes uncomfortable friction between parents and adult children. It’s a great conversation, and I think you’re going to get a lot out of it.Before we jump into the interview, do me another quick favor: if you're enjoying the podcast, take a second to hit subscribe, leave us a review on whatever platform you're listening on, and share this episode with a friend who loves indie cinema. It really helps the show grow.All right, let’s get into my conversation with Lillian Carrier and Lauren Meyering.

Welcome back to The Following Films Podcast.Before we get into it, if you like what we do here and want to help the show grow, please take a quick second to subscribe. And if you’re feeling extra generous, leave us a review on whatever platform you're listening on—it seriously goes a long way and helps other movie lovers find us.Today we are talking about Above the Line, a film that hits digital and VOD today. The story follows six struggling Hollywood hopefuls who decide the ultimate way to make a comeback is to team up and literally rob the Academy Awards from the crooked producer who crushed their dreams. But as you can imagine, in a town completely built on make-believe, trying to pull off a real heist might just be the toughest role of their lives.It’s got a fantastic ensemble cast—Cedric the Entertainer, Gregg Henry, Sophia Ali, Jackson Pace—and it’s just a great, fast-paced 90 minutes.Joining me today to chat about how he put this whole wild ride together is the co-writer and director of the film, Jeffrey Scott Collins. I hope you enjoy the show.

Welcome back to the Following Films Podcast! I’m your host, Chris Maynard, and today we are taking a look at the sonic landscape of the summer’s breakthrough film hit film.Joining me on the show is Rock Burwell. He is the brilliant mind behind the dread-inducing score for the hit psychological thriller Obsession, which originally blew audiences away during the Midnight Madness program at the Toronto International Film Festival.Working in close collaboration with director Curry Barker, Rock has crafted a soundtrack packed with smart synth work and atmospheric ambient cues. It masterfully explores the emotional undercurrents of the film, layering horror with warmth into pure, confrontational dread. It is easily one of the most exciting, disorienting, and genuinely great scores of the year.The Obsession Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is available right now thanks to the team at Waxwork Records, in partnership with Back Lot Music. You can grab your copy today on vinyl, CD, and cassette, or stream it wherever you get your music.Before we jump into my conversation with Rock about taking creative risks, finding comfort in discomfort, and building this incredible sonic world, do me a quick favor: hit that subscribe button for the Following Films Podcast so you never miss an interview.Now, let's get into it. Here is my conversation with Rock Burwell...

Welcome to the Following Films Podcast. I’m Chris Maynard.This Friday, a chilling new nightmare arrives on Shudder, and it explores the dark, complicated, and sometimes supernatural bonds of family. The film is TheVoices of our Mother, and it follows Harriet Scaflen after the death of her 95-year-old mother. When Harriet suffers an unexplainable health scare, her four estranged children return to the ancestral family home to care for her. But as old animosities and long-buried secrets come to light, they quickly realize their mother’s illness is anything but medical. There is a supernatural evil awoken inside her—one seeking revenge on her own children just to survive.Joining me today to discuss this tense, 93-minute psychological horror film is its writer, director, and co-star, Mark O'Brien.You know Mark from his incredible work in front of the camera on shows like Perry Mason, Your Honor, and Halt and Catch Fire, as well as his recent role opposite Simu Liu in Peacock's The Copenhagen Test. But he is also one of the most exciting filmmaking voices in modern horror. His debut feature, The Righteous, was ranked one of the top 100 horror movies of 2022 by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is back behind the camera with this incredible cast, including Sheila McCarthy and Georgina Reilly.We’re going to talk about building tension, balancing family drama with supernatural terror, and bringing this eerie vision to life.Before we dive into the interview, if you enjoy the show, please take a quick moment to support us by leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform and telling a friend about the episode. Word of mouth means everything to an independent show like ours.Now, let's welcome Mark O'Brien to the Following Films Podcast.

Welcome to the show! Today, we’re stepping into the high-stakes world of underground competition with a look at the upcoming Spanish-language thriller, Queen of Shock.Written and directed by Emmy-winning documentarian and former PBS producer Robyn Symon, this feature is set to make its world premiere next month at Dances With Films in Los Angeles. Shot entirely in Mexico with a local cast and crew, the film takes a fascinating piece of Mexican culture and pushes it to a cinematic extreme.The story centers on the real-world game that is a test of endurance where people voluntarily shock themselves with electricity. In Queen of Shock, this tradition is reimagined as a brutal, viral underground circuit. We follow a struggling single mother who is forced into these escalating electrical matches in a desperate bid to save her kidnapped daughter.Joining us on the podcast is Robyn Symon to discuss:The process of adapting a real cultural tradition into genre cinema.The technical challenges of creating intense underground competition sequences.Her experience directing a Spanish-language feature in Mexico.The creative leap from documentary filmmaking into the world of narrative thrillers.It’s a gripping conversation about a film that explores the intersection of survival and viral sensation.Support the Show: If you enjoy these conversations, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. It’s the best way to help more film lovers find the show!