The Director’s Cut – A DGA Podcast

Director James Hawes discusses his new film, The Amateur, with fellow Director Sarah Pirozek in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses insisting on the protagonist being geeky, clumsy, charming and smart to reflect his novice, utilizing his camera to capture the main character’s degrading perspective as the story unfolds, and how previously working on the show Black Mirror informed aspects of this film.

The film tells the story of Charlie Heller, a brilliant CIA decoder whose world comes crashing down after his wife dies in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to act due to conflicting internal priorities, he utilizes his intelligence as the ultimate weapon and travels across the globe to hunt down those responsible.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/May2025/The-Amateur_QnA_0425

Directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen discusses their new film, Novocaine, with fellow Director Drew Hancock in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they discuss taking notes from 80s and 90s action movies to straddle the tonal line between comedy and action, their inspirations for casting Actors Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder in the lead roles, and finding a fighting style for a character not of your typical action hero makeup.

The film tells the story of Nathan Caine, a man born with the rare condition where he is physically incapable of feeling pain. When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped by gun-wielding bank robbers, he turns his rare condition into an unexpected advantage in the fight to rescue her.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/May2025/Novocaine_QnA_0325

Director Bong Joon Ho, accompanied by his translator Sharon Choi, discusses his new film, Mickey 17, with fellow Director Ava DuVernay in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how his storyboarding process covered every shot, how he approached having a love story for the first time, and the resonance of the film’s social themes with worldwide audiences.

The film tells the story of Mickey Barnes, an everyman hired by a tyrannical government to work as an “expendable” - a human clone willing to die for one dangerous mission after another. Repeatedly meeting his end for the advancement of space exploration, the 17th Mickey survives a seemingly fatal expedition and comes face to face with a new problem: Mickey 18.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/May2025/Mickey17_QnA_0325

Director Josh Ruben discusses his new film, Heart Eyes, with fellow Director Zelda Williams in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses balancing the tone of romantic comedy and horror while not trying to betray them, the behind the scenes of special effects work that went into the kills, and the creation and influences of the killer’s look.

The film follows Ally, a cynical ad executive, and her hopelessly romantic colleague, Jay. After a meeting-turned-date, they accidentally become the next target of “Heart Eyes,” a masked maniac with glowing, red eyes who returns every Valentine's Day to slaughter unsuspecting couples, and must fight for their survival.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/April2025/HeartEyes_QnA_0325

In a special Anniversary Series discussion, Director Martin Scorsese discusses his film, After Hours, with Actor Griffin Dunne and fellow Director Raymond De Felitta in a screening at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, Scorsese discusses original concepts for the film’s end, how he aimed to find humor in the film by playing it seriously, and the change in reception as time went on.

The film tells the story of Paul Hackett, an office drone who has a romantic encounter with a girl in a Manhattan café and agrees to visit her Soho apartment. The seemingly simple trip descends into a series of awkward, surreal and life-threatening situations with a colorful cast of characters as Paul spends the rest of the night trying to return uptown.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/April2025/ERSP_AnniversarySeries_AfterHours_0325

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Sean Baker (Anora), Edward Berger (Conclave), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown) engage in a conversation with moderator Jeremy Kagan for the 34th Annual DGA Meet the Nominees: Theatrical Feature Film Symposium.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2025/March2025/MTN_TheatricalFeatureFilm2025

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Sean Baker (Anora), Edward Berger (Conclave), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown) engage in a conversation with moderator Jeremy Kagan for the 34th Annual DGA Meet the Nominees: Theatrical Feature Film Symposium.

Please note: spoilers are included.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2025/March2025/MTN_TheatricalFeatureFilm2025

Director Drew Hancock discusses his new film, Companion, with fellow Director Rob Savage in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses taking inspiration from grounded dramas instead of modern science fiction, working with Actor Sophie Thatcher to establish the feel of the robot character, and his process of discovering shots with his Actors instead of storyboarding parts of the film.

The film follows Iris and her boyfriend Josh as they go on a weekend getaway to a remote cabin with a group of friends. When it comes to light that Iris is a companion robot, the vacation unravels into chaos as she goes haywire and exacts revenge.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/March2025/Companion_QnA_0225

Director Neil Burger discusses his new film, Inheritance, with fellow Director Sarah Pirozek in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses the technical choices surrounding his decision to shoot the film on an iphone, how he achieved a “stolen” aesthetic by getting authentic hidden shots of his Actors in the real world, and how the blocking and compositional decisions of the film emerged from the limitations imposed by the “stolen” aesthetic.

The film tells the story of Maya, who suddenly finds herself at the center of an international conspiracy when she learns that her father was once a spy. In her quest for answers, Maya becomes a target and must travel the globe, mastering her father’s skills and unraveling the mysteries of the past.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2025/March2025/Inheritance_QnA_0225

Director Michael Gracey discusses his new film, Better Man, with fellow Director Jason Reitman in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses his intentions behind using a monkey as the lead to tell Williams’ story, his process for conceptualizing scenes that mix fantasy with reality, and the hurdles and successes behind pulling off the Regent Street musical number.

Narrated by Williams, the film follows the singer from childhood outcast to music sensation, battling the demons of fame while finding his true voice as an artist. Soaring to new heights, Williams reaches stardom but never feels truly evolved from his younger self.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2025/February2025/BetterMan_QnA_0125

Director Gia Coppola discusses her new film, The Last Showgirl, with fellow Director Francis Ford Coppola in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses how she approached Actor Pamela Anderson to take on the lead role, the method she used to have her Actors become familiar with one another, and working with her cinematographer to define a visual style that channels the Las Vegas aesthetic.

The film tells the story of Shelly, a Las Vegas showgirl who’s performed with the same act for much of her career. When she’s told the show will be closing in the coming weeks, she struggles to cope with the impending change and her place in life.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/February2025/TheLastShowgirl_QnA_1224

Director Shira Piven discusses her new film, The Performance, with fellow Director Jade Jenise Dixon in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses working with her brother as the lead Actor to capture authentic tap dancing performances, making a period piece movie on an independent film budget and mixing 8mm film and real footage from the era to capture a 1930s Berlin time period.

The film tells the story of Harold, an accomplished tap dancer touring Europe with his troupe in the late 1930s. When they are scouted by a Nazi attache for an exclusive performance, he realizes they don’t know about his Jewish identity and is faced with the dangerous dilemma of performing in secret or staying true to himself.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/February2025/ThePerformance_QnA_1224

Director Barry Jenkins discusses his new film, Mufasa: The Lion King, with fellow Director Ben Affleck in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses employing the VFX team from the Avatar films to create the world, working with both the Actors and Animators to realize his characters while filming in real time, and reaching out to artists and conservationists from various African countries for real references to the locations in the film.

The film tells the story of Mufasa, an orphaned cub who befriends a lion destined as heir to a royal bloodline. The two become allies on a journey of adventure and self discovery as they seek to start a kingdom of their own.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/February2025/Mufasa_QnA_1224

Director Tyler Perry discusses his new film, The Six Triple Eight, with fellow Director J.C. Chandor in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses the serendipitous moment when casting Actor Kerry Washington, enlisting Debbie Allen to help choreograph the marching scenes, and shooting at his own film studio which was formerly a military base.

Inspired by the real-life story, the film recounts how the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black, all-woman unit, joined the war to fix a three-year backlog of undelivered mail for U.S. service members. Aiming to sort more than 17 million pieces of mail to their rightful servicemen, they work tirelessly in the face of discrimination and a country devastated by war.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/February2025/SixTripleEight_QnA_1224

Director Robert Eggers discusses his new film, Nosferatu, with fellow Director Chris Columbus in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses shooting in the real-world castle from the original story as well as channeling his Production Design team to create meticulous replicas of its interior, working with a Romanian folklore expert to bring out specific details that would authenticate the creature, and how he and Actor Bill Skarsgård worked together to find the exact presence that would bring the title creature to life.

A remake of the 1922 classic, the film follows Ellen and Thomas Hutter, a young couple in 1860s Germany who contend with Ellen’s continuing nightmares of a ghoulish being. As Ellen is haunted by these dreams, Thomas sets out to Romania on business with a mysterious client- the enigmatic Count Orlok.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/February2025/Nosferatu_QnA_1224

Director Rachel Morrison discusses her new film, The Fire Inside, with fellow Director Elizabeth Banks in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses working with her lead to make the fights look authentic on camera, balancing pace and visual variety in the boxing matches to make each encounter entertaining, and crafting a fight film with an atypical structure that puts the focus on a previously unseen conflict.

The film tells the story of Claressa Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan, who pushes past all limitations to become the first American woman to win the Olympic gold in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, Claressa has to reconcile with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and her real fight has only just begun.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2025/January2025/TheFireInside_QnA_1224

Director Paul Schrader discusses his new film, Oh, Canada, with fellow Director Alex Ross Perry in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses casting multiple Actors in roles across timelines and how he played with this element visually, how as both the Writer and Director, he works to include nothing that will make it to the cutting room floor so he can shoot economically, and how he chose to film in a variety of colors and aspect ratios to portray a story taking place over a long timespan.

The film follows the Miller siblings, a former musician, a writer and an artist, who all contend with challenging shifts in their marriages. As their lives change, their relationships are put to the test, bringing them closer to their partners or pushing them further apart.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2025/January2025/Oh_Canada_QnA_1224

Director Halina Reijn discusses her new film, Babygirl, with fellow Director Spike Jonze in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses finding a tone for what she describes as “a comedy of manners”, working with her Composer to create a soundtrack that follows the seduction over the drama, and finding Actors that could inhabit seductive roles with comedic turns.

The film follows a high powered businesswoman who begins a taboo relationship with a much younger intern at her company. As the secret affair deepens, she puts her career and family on the line.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/en/Events/2025/February2025/Babygirl_QnA_1224

Director Edward Burns discusses his new film, Millers in Marriage, with fellow Director Doug Atchison in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how he works as a Director while being one of the central Actors to the film, how he artfully utilizes locations and resources to work effectively on small budgets, and collaborating with his Actors to discover more authentic arcs from his characters.

The film follows the Miller siblings, a former musician, a writer and an artist, who all contend with challenging shifts in their marriages. As their lives change, their relationships are put to the test, bringing them closer to their partners or pushing them further apart.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/February2025/MillersInMarriage_QnA_1224

Director James Mangold discusses his new film, A Complete Unknown, with fellow Director Guillermo del Toro in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how he intended on making the songs integral scenes instead of separating the drama from the action, how he sought to bring out the impact of Dylan through the figures around him, and the musical and acting performances of his ensemble Cast.

The film follows a young Bob Dylan as he arrives in New York City, performing and forging relationships with his folk contemporaries of Greenwich Village. As he begins his meteoric rise, he strives to break free of his folk identity, culminating in a groundbreaking and controversial performance that reverberates worldwide.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://dga.org/Events/2025/February2025/ACompleteUnknown_QnA_1224