Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie Filmmaking
Liz Manashil & Alrik Bursell
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Liz Manashil & Alrik Bursell
▶ WebplayerLiz Manashil and Alrik Bursell discuss independent filmmaking, everything from writing, producing and directing to working as crew. But this is not just a podcast about "making it," it's also about struggling with rejection, self-doubt and everything else that comes with pursuing a career in film. Follow along as we forge our own way through the industry and talk to guests who are also making it happen. Support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
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Sep 28, 2026 · 1:33:04
This week we welcome film legend and indie filmmaker hero Lloyd Kaufman on the show to help us celebrate the 600th episode of the podcast! Lloyd talks to us all things Troma, how…
Sep 25, 2026 · 39:34
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 428 from June 2023 featuring writer/director Bomani J. Story when he talked about to about…
Sep 21, 2026 · 1:12:03
This week we welcome writer/director/Producer Sal Bardo on the show to talk about making his first feature Out of the Woods which he wrote, directed and produced and how he…
Sep 19, 2026 · 41:25
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 390 from September 2022 featuring writer/director Zoe Alyce Salnave! I thought this was a really…
Sep 14, 2026 · 1:01:29
This week we welcome recently graduated AMDA/Hushein filmmakers Ashely Villa, Aaron Alvarado and Cydney Jenks who talk about their thesis films, how they got them made, what they…
Sep 11, 2026 · 59:21
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 461 from January 2024 featuring writer/directorJosh Stifter who came on the show to talk about…
Sep 7, 2026 · 49:16
This week we welcome writer/director Mehran Torgoley on the show to talk about his fourth feature Golden, which he shot in Italy, how he funded the film, why he shot a film in…
Sep 4, 2026 · 57:41
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 296 from December 2020 featuring writer/director April Mullen where she talks about making her…
Aug 31, 2026 · 52:11
This week we welcome writer director Tessa Blake on the show to talk about her latest feature If I Tell You, why she took such a long break from features and what she's took from…
Aug 28, 2026 · 1:25:23
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 89 from Feburary 2017 featuring Justin Plummer III and Martin Strauss who are two San Francisco Bay…
Aug 24, 2026 · 1:10:59
This week we welcome writer and directors Michael Naizu and John Wilcox on the show to talk about their first feature Bound for Glory, which Michael also stars in alongside Jamie…
Aug 20, 2026 · 42:44
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 490 from August 2024 featuring director Audrey Cummings who talks about establishing herself as a…
Aug 17, 2026 · 1:10:19
This week we welcome director Sophia Banks on the show to talk about her latest feature Tilt, her inspiration for the film and what it was like to shadow Christopher McQuarrie,…
Aug 13, 2026 · 54:38
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 351 from December 2021 featuring writer/director/producer Omar Lopex who came on the show to talk…
Aug 10, 2026 · 1:02:15
This week we welcome writer/director/producer Glenn Garrabrant on the show to talk about his 2nd feature Local Area Network, how he got the film made and his philosophy as a…
Aug 6, 2026 · 43:01
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 510 from January 2025 featuring writer/director Dallas Jenkins who talks about making his feature…
Aug 3, 2026 · 59:38
This week we welcome producer Chevonne O’Shaughnessy on the show to talk about her show Sugercreek Amish Mysteries, how she has gone about producing and raising funds for the…
Jul 31, 2026 · 48:32
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 379 from July 2022 featuring Cinematographer/Director and writer Savannah Bloch who talks about…
Jul 27, 2026 · 1:09:34
This week we welcome writer/director Joshua Porter on the show to talk about the eleven year journey he went on to make his first feature film No Evidence of Man and how he…
Jul 23, 2026 · 1:17:48
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 80 WAAAAY back in August 2016 featuring writer and director Lucas Kitchen to talk about making…
Jul 20, 2026 · 1:04:14
This week we welcome writer/director/producer Eli Shell on the show to talk all things Verticals, which Eli assured me no one calls “verts”, he talks about making his first…
Jul 16, 2026 · 42:28
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 366 from March 2025 featuring writer Director Jane Schoenbrun who talks about getting into sundance…
Jul 13, 2026 · 1:01:20
This week we welcome writer/director Georgia Bernstein on the show to talk about making her first feature Night Nurse, why she decided to make an erotic thriller at a retirement…
Jul 9, 2026 · 57:15
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 519 from March 2025 featuring VFX artist turned feature director Bryant Griffin, who left his job…
Jul 6, 2026 · 1:10:04
This week we welcome writer/director Anthony Lucero on the show to talk about his 2nd feature Paper Bag Plan, how he got the film made and why he wrote this story and made this…
Jul 3, 2026 · 1:03:35
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 363 from March 2022 featuring editor/director Roger Nygard who came on the show to talk about…
Jun 29, 2026 · 55:42
This week we welcome writer/director/actor and comedy mastermind David Wain on the show to talk about his latest feature Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass which he wrote…
Jun 25, 2026 · 43:34
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 350 from December 2021 featuring Cinematographer Alice Brooks who talks about lensing the studio…
Jun 22, 2026 · 1:00:08
This week we welcome cinematographer Julia Swain back on the show to talk about shooting her first Studio Feature Voicemails for Isabelle, how she got attached to the film and…
Jun 19, 2026 · 48:22
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 370 from May 2022 featuring writer/director/producer Naveen Chathap-uram talking about making his…
Jun 15, 2026 · 1:16:31
This week we welcome writer/director/producer Joe Zentil on the show to talk about making his first feature Born to Lose, how he fell in love with motorcycles and the journey he…
Jun 11, 2026 · 1:14:50
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 329 from July 2021 featuring writer/director T. Arthur Cottam on the show to talk about the…
Jun 8, 2026 · 1:03:53
This week we welcome writer/director/editor Michael Kellman on the show to talk about making his first feature Say Less, how he got the film made and how he went about the…
Jun 4, 2026 · 44:30
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 438 from August 2023 featuring writer and director Lee Moss to talk about their first feature…
Jun 1, 2026 · 53:37
This week we welcome writer/director/producer Madison Young on the show to talk about her first feature By the Roots, which she wrote based on her memoir that she wrote in 2016.…
May 28, 2026 · 41:43
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 516 from February 2025 with actor turned feature writer/director Julia Stiles. Julia talks about…
May 25, 2026 · 52:50
This week we welcome writer/director/actor Katie Aselton on the show to talk about her latest film Magic Hour which she co-wrote, directed and starred in alongside Daveed Diggs.…
May 21, 2026 · 43:31
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 333 from August 2021 featuring writer/director Nicholas Bruckman on the show to talk about making…
May 18, 2026 · 48:03
This week we welcome producer/director Loren Goldfarb to talk about making his first feature documentary 96lbs of Dynamite, how he found his subject Chad “shorty” McDaniel and…
May 14, 2026 · 49:34
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 369 from May 2022 featuring writer AJ Bermudez who talks about getting started as a writer and how…
May 11, 2026 · 1:10:05
This week we welcome producer/writer and long time listener Melinda K. Bryce on the show to talk about her latest feature Delirum, moving from being an author to a screen writer…
May 7, 2026 · 1:27:15
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 217 from July 2019 featuring writer/director Rob Smat on the show to talk about directing his first…
May 4, 2026 · 1:05:37
This week we welcome writer/director Gille Klabin on the show to talk about his latest feature Weekend at the End of the World, how he got the movie made and we touch on his…
Apr 30, 2026 · 1:24:15
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 378 from July 2022 featuring producer Marc Smolowitz! I thought this was a good match for our live…
Apr 27, 2026 · 1:10:47
This week we have a very special episode of the show, it’s our live show from the Phoenix Film Festival! Producer Eric and Host Liz went there over the weekend and did a show in…
Apr 23, 2026 · 58:03
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 420 from April 2023 featuring filmmakers Alicia J. Rose and Alicia JO Rabins who talk about…
Apr 20, 2026 · 1:07:33
This week we welcome writer/directors Alex Mallis and Travis Wood on the show to talk about their first feature Travel Companion, how they raised the money and how they found…
Apr 16, 2026 · 52:00
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 325 from June 2021 featuring writer Mishna Wolff! Alrik thought this was a good match for our…
Apr 13, 2026 · 58:52
This week we welcome writer and Producer Arwen Elys Dayton on the show to talk about writing her latest feature Tilt which is currently in production. Arwen also talks about…
Apr 10, 2026 · 57:13
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 445 from October 2023 featuring writer/director Anthony DiBlasi on the show to talk about directing…
Apr 6, 2026 · 55:10
This week we welcome writer/director Daniel Goldhaber and Writer/Producer Isa Mazzei on the show to talk about their latest feature Faces of Death, how they got the project and…
Apr 2, 2026 · 50:44
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 401 from December 2022 featuring writer/director Mark Pellington! Alrik thought this was a good…
Mar 30, 2026 · 1:20:25
This week we welcome writer and filmmaker John Gaspard on the show to talk about the 20th anniversary re-release of his book Fast, Cheap & Under Control: Lessons Learned from the…
Mar 26, 2026 · 58:59
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 321 from June 2021 featuring director Jordan Noel and writer/Producer Hudson Phillips talking about…
Mar 23, 2026 · 57:06
This week we welcome filmmaker, actor and director Stephen Sanow on the show to talk about his latest feature Stripper Boyz, which he wrote, directed and starred in! After that…
Mar 19, 2026 · 53:30
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 447 October 2023, featuring Oz Krakowski, CFO of DeepDub.ai on the show to talk about starting an…
Mar 16, 2026 · 1:03:41
This week we welcome filmmaker, film festival programmer and founder of Festival Fixer, the new AI driven Festival Consultant, Heather Brittain. After that we play another round…
Mar 12, 2026 · 53:52
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 347 from November 2021 featuring writer/director/Producer Jenn Page who talks about making her…
Mar 9, 2026 · 1:15:40
This week we welcome director/writer Ben Hall on the show to talk about how they have made their films, their process for getting them funded and how they do it all while working…
Mar 5, 2026 · 1:00:49
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 458 from January 2024 featuring writer and director Dana Kippel who talks about making her first…
Mar 2, 2026 · 50:17
This week we welcome director/writer Tamika Miller on the show to talk about partnering with Wanda Sykes on Undercard and directing the legendary comedian in her first dramatic…
Feb 26, 2026 · 1:01:41
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 320 from May 2021 featuring writer/director Anna Elizabeth James! Alrik thought this was a good…
Feb 23, 2026 · 1:17:20
This week we welcome director/writer Natasha Kermani on the show to talk about her latest feature The Dreadful, how she’s managed to consistently make features and why it’s not…
Feb 19, 2026 · 1:02:02
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 262 from April 2020 featuring brother directing duo Brett and Drew Pierce, talking about directing…
Feb 16, 2026 · 1:12:25
This week we welcome director/writer team Kevin and Matthew McManus on the show to talk about how they got into directing, directing their older sister Michaela in their films…
Feb 13, 2026 · 51:39
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 464 from February 2024 featuring Writers/Actors/Producers Leila Gorstein and Jesse Kendall to talk…
Feb 9, 2026 · 1:01:11
This week we welcome director, writer and producer duo Keith Gerchack and Marisa Guterman to talk about the journey to making their first feature Lost and Found in Cleveland and…
Feb 7, 2026 · 51:17
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 416 from March 2023 featuring producer, writer and director Dawn Jones Redstone who talked about…
Feb 2, 2026 · 58:52
This week we welcome writer/director/editor Jesse Kuba on the show to talk about making his first feature film The Moon is in Aquarius and how he pulled it off on a small budget.…
Jan 29, 2026 · 1:19:19
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 105 from June 2017 featuring a series of listener call in questions. Alrik thought this was a good…
Jan 26, 2026 · 1:10:42
This week we welcome director, writer, main actor, editor, and only producer on his first feature Mild Life, Cory Thibert on the show to talk about how he approached creating a…
Jan 23, 2026 · 1:12:51
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the conversation from episode 171 from August 2018 featuring a conversation that my old co-host Timothy and I had about…
Jan 19, 2026 · 1:08:41
This week we welcome producer/filmmaker David Zeiger on the show to talk about filmmaking in an episode we recorded in December 2020 and we are finally releasing it today in…
Jan 15, 2026 · 52:56
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 433 from July 2023 featuring producer, editor and filmmaker Jhennifer Webberley. Alrik thought…
Jan 12, 2026 · 1:06:23
This week we welcome producer/director/actor Robert Enriquez on the show to talk about his career making movies including his latest feature, Stone Creek Killer. After that Liz…
Jan 8, 2026 · 1:52:07
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 191 from January 2019 featuring animator and animated filmmaker Andrew Chesworth, who talked about…
Jan 5, 2026 · 1:09:44
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Jan 1, 2026 · 34:07
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 403 from December 2022 featuring producer/director Janeen Damian who talks about making her first…
Dec 29, 2025 · 1:12:30
This week we welcome writer/director/producer Frank Merle on the show to talk about his latest film Namaka and how he juggles producing movies and directing his own. After that…
Dec 26, 2025 · 48:05
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 503 from November 2024 featuring producer, writer, actor and director Jennifer Sorenson who talked…
Dec 22, 2025 · 1:10:35
This week we welcome writer/director Kerry Carlock to the show to talk about her second feature Suffer which she co-wrote and directed with her husband. Kerry talks about going…
Dec 20, 2025 · 1:05:15
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 425 from January 2022 featuring producer, director, writer, editor, Garo Setian who talked about…
Dec 15, 2025 · 53:10
This week we welcome writer/director/producer MAR on the show to talk about how he got his next feature Dresden Sun made starring Chrisitina Ricci, MAR also talks about why he…
Dec 11, 2025 · 55:13
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 462 from Feburary 2024 featuring writer and director Jade Halley Bartlett who talks about making…
Dec 8, 2025 · 41:42
This week we welcome writer/director Hikari on the show to talk her latest film Rental Family, starring Branden Fraser, how she came up with the story for the film and the…
Dec 4, 2025 · 52:40
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 399 from November 2022 with director Orsi Nagypal who talks about leveling up her directing career,…
Dec 1, 2025 · 1:04:07
This week we welcome actor, writer and director Olivia Nash on the show to talk about writing and directing and starring in her first feature film, Hi! Olivia talks about how she…
Nov 24, 2025 · 56:47
This week we welcome director Simon Cellan Jones on the show to talk about the making of his mega sequel The Family Plan 2, how he landed the directing job on the original The…
Nov 20, 2025 · 1:13:03
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 313 from April 2021 featuring producer, writer and director Dan Mirvish. I thought this was a good…
Nov 17, 2025 · 1:07:29
This week we welcome writer/director/producer Ted Geoghegan for our big five hundred and fifty fifth episode of the show to talk about how he leveled up his films, how his…
Nov 13, 2025 · 48:25
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 340 from October 2021 with writer and star Jenny Lester and producer editor Juliana Jurenas. Alrik…
Nov 10, 2025 · 58:07
This week we welcome writer Director and Actor Katie Prentiss and Producer Cara Mitsuko to the show to talk about their feature Wake Up Maggie which Katie wrote based on her…
Nov 6, 2025 · 55:27
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 465 from Februry 2024 featuring writer/director brothers Ian and Eshom Nelms. I thought this was a…
Nov 3, 2025 · 1:21:16
This week we welcome writer/director John-Michael Powell on the show to talk about how he got his 2nd feature Violent Ends made starring Billy Magnussen and how he got Billy…
Oct 30, 2025 · 1:04:05
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 287 from October 2020 featuring writer director Jessica Ellis. Alrik thought this was a good match…
Oct 28, 2025 · 50:52
This week we welcome writer/director Nicola Rose on the show to talk about the making of her second feature Magneto Sphere which came out this summer. After that we play another…
Oct 23, 2025 · 53:23
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 315 from April 2021 with writers and directors Jeff Kerr and Ray Spivey to talk about the making of…
Oct 20, 2025 · 58:24
This week we welcome writer and executive producer Lauire Criego on the show to talk about making her first feature Mother Nature and the Doomsday Prepper which she made 100%…
Oct 16, 2025 · 40:22
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 352 from January 2022 featuring filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk on the show to talk about her film…
Oct 13, 2025 · 1:03:26
This week we welcome writer/director/producer Alex Burunova on the show to talk about how she got her first feature Satisfaction made, funded, getting to premier at SXSW and the…
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