The Next Best Picture Podcast

“Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” is a 2026 American action thriller film written and directed by Bassam Tariq, starring Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Abubakr Ali, Tramell Tillman, Tiffany Boone, and Laith Nakli. The film follows a devoutly religious widower and hitman (Ali) who embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children, confronting the forces closing in around him and the beliefs threatening to unravel within. The film had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, where critics widely praised Tariq’s writing and directing, as well as Ali’s lead performance. The film has been nominated for three Gotham Awards, including Best Feature and Outstanding Lead Performance for Mahershali Ali. Following the announcement of his Gotham Award nomination, Ali was kind enough to spend some time talking with us in-studio about his work and experience making the film, his career, including his two Best Supporting Actor Oscar wins for "Moonlight" and "Green Book," who he wants to work with next, what the future looks like for him, and more, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Amazon MGM Studios. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/tZbPqKDxgTQ

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“Fjord” is a 2026 legal thriller family drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Cristian Mungiu. A co-production of Romania, France, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, it stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as a conservative Romanian-Norwegian couple facing scrutiny after moving to the wife's progressive, remote Norwegian hometown. It is loosely inspired by the true story of the Bodnariu family (renamed Gheorghiu in the film), whose children were forcefully taken from them by the authorities in Norway. The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 12-minute standing ovation and won the Palme d'Or, the François Chalais Prize, the FIPRESCI Prize, the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, and the Prix de la Citoyenneté. It received critical acclaim, with particular praise for its performances and screenplay, and has been selected as the Romanian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards. Reinsve was kind enough to spend some time speaking with Nadia Dalimonte, while Mungiu spoke with Cody Dericks about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from NEON. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/_HBju5V-tpU

https://youtu.be/Vigchud2q44

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“Mouse" is a 2026 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson, and written by O'Sullivan. The film follows Minnie (Katherine Mallen Kupferer), whose relationship with Callie (Chloe Coleman) is upended on the eve of their senior year when Minnie forms a complicated friendship with Callie's mother (Sophie Okonedo). It also stars Tara Mallen, Beck Nolan, Iman Vellani, and David Hyde Pierce. The film premiered in the Panorama section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its writing and performances. Mallen Kupferer, Okonedo, O'Sullivan, and Thompson were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on November 6th from Independent Film Company. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/HBNoVe-dDGI
https://youtu.be/qgJ-EJPrZig

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“Godzilla Minus Zero” is a Japanese epic kaiju film written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who also supervised its visual effects. A sequel to “Godzilla Minus One” (2023), the film takes place in 1949, as postwar Japan struggles to rebuild and faces a new threat from King Ghidorah, prompting a regenerated Godzilla to resurface and confront the monster. Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yuki Yamada, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Sakura Ando, and Miou Tanaka reprise their roles, joined by newcomers Min Tanaka, Masami Nagasawa, and Jun Kunimura. The first Japanese production filmed for IMAX, the film had its world premiere at the 2026 New York Film Festival, where critics praised its visual effects and debated whether it surpassed its acclaimed predecessor. Writer and director Takashi Yamazaki and stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe were kind enough to spend time speaking with Giovanni Lago, while sound team members Hisafumi Takeuchi and Natsuko Inoue, visual effects artists Tatsuji Nojima and Takayuki Ueki, and producer Kazuaki Kishida spoke with me about their work and experiences making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on November 6th from Toho. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/ubkGaKUMwHg

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“Closure” is a 2026 Polish documentary film directed and produced by Michał Marczak. The film follows Daniel Dymiński, who searches Poland's Vistula River after his teenage son, Krzysztof Dymiński, goes missing in May 2023, torn between fear that his son is dead and hope that he may still be alive. CCTV footage taken on the morning of his disappearance shows Krzysztof standing on a bridge, but not whether he jumped or walked away, and Daniel continues to investigate long after the police and local media have stopped searching. The film had its world premiere in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it received widespread critical praise. Marczak was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from 1-2 Special. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/h1f1Mz-yTrU

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