The Perfect Neighbor with Geeta Gandbhir and Yance Ford (Ep. 577)
Director Geeta Gandbhir discusses her new film, The Perfect Neighbor, with fellow Director Yance Ford in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, she discusses the process of discovering how she would tell the story through police body cam footage, editing the body cam footage into a cohesive narrative that develops the players and events leading up to the shooting, and finding a pacing for the footage so as not to overwhelm her audience with distressing content.
Screened as part of the DGA’s Documentary Series, the film, told mostly through police body cam footage, uses the shooting of a beloved mother of four as a case study to examine Florida's controversial "stand your ground" laws, revealing the consequences that can occur when individuals feel emboldened by the law to act on their fear and prejudice.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/december2025/docseries_theperfectneighbor-1025
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28:44
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28:44
A House of Dynamite with Kathryn Bigelow and James Gray (Ep. 576)
Director Kathryn Bigelow discusses her new film, A House of Dynamite, with fellow Director James Gray in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses working with journalist and Screenwriter Noah Oppenheim to discover the best way to turn this hypothetical into a story, collaborating with her Cinematographer and Actors to capture an unblocked and naturalistic feel to her scenes, and consulting with government experts to portray the transpiring of events with informed data.
The film explores a hypothetical situation: When a radar station detects a single, unattributed ICBM headed for Chicago, how do the many levels of the US government use their limited time to identify who is responsible, attempt to disable the warhead, and in the worst case scenario, consider severe retaliatory options.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/december2025/houseofdynamite_qna_1025
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34:06
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34:06
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere with Scott Cooper and David O. Russell (Ep. 575)
Director Scott Cooper discusses his new film, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, with fellow Director David O. Russell in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses his vision for the film to stray from the typical biopic formula, using Springsteen’s story as a wider conversation to address topics of therapy and self-reflection, and working with Actor Jeremy Allen White to capture the spirit of Springsteen.
The film chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 album, Nebraska, which emerged as he recorded Born in the USA with the E Street Band. As a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, the New Jersey rocker struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past as he records the benchmark album.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/december2025/springsteendeliverme_qna_1025
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29:45
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29:45
Frankenstein with Guillermo del Toro and Bradley Cooper (Ep. 574)
Director Guillermo del Toro discusses his new film, Frankenstein, with fellow Director Bradley Cooper in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses the consideration he took in the multiple perspective structure of the story, the research and detail behind crafting intricate props and capturing authentic settings, and what he looked for in an Actor when casting the role of The Creature.
Based on the classic novel by Mary Shelley, the film tells the tragic story of the brilliant but egotistical Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who brings a monstrous creature to life. When the experiment spirals out of his control, events transpire that lead to the undoing of both the creator and his creation.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/december2025/frankenstein-1025
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28:58
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28:58
Sentimental Value with Joachim Trier and Frank Oz (Ep. 573)
Director Joachim Trier discusses his new film, Sentimental Value, with fellow Director Frank Oz in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses working with his Writer to establish just enough of the characters for his Actors to fill in the rest, how he goes about his rehearsal process to get the right performances in the shoot, and taking time in the edit to find the perfect pacing to balance the emotional arcs of the film.
Screened as part of the DGA’s Global Cinema Series, the film tells the story of Gustav, a once-renowned film Director looking to make a comeback with his next feature. When his stage actress daughter turns down the lead role in the film, he casts a Hollywood star instead, opening old wounds that force them to face their relationship and the fragile bonds that unite them.
See photos and a summary of this event below:
https://www.dga.org/events/2025/november2025/gcs_sentimentalvalue_0925
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