Behind The Lens

This week on BEHIND THE LENS, debbie welcomes some very eclectic filmmakers talking about very unique – and fun – films. First up, director Madellaine Paxson joins debbie live to talk about her first feature film, BLOOD PUNCH. What makes Paxson's choice of BLOOD PUNCH even more interesting as her feature directorial debut is that her prior work, and that of BLOOD PUNCH writer Eddie Guzelian, has been as screenwriter for such terrific kids programming as "Power Rangers RPM", "The Tigger Movie", "Go, Diego, Go!" and more! From kids to comedic horror. And Madellaine explains it all! Then writer/director Phil Allocco is live talking about his latest rom com charmer, THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES; and when I say charmer, I do mean charmer! And listen to some powerful excerpts of debbie's exclusive interview with RACING EXTINCTION director, Louie Psihoyos, as they talk about one of the "Must See" documentaries of the year. Plus, in the last segment, you'll hear a l

A "championship" line-up on BEHIND THE LENS this week as we are joined by filmmakers Kely McClung and Allan Luebke, plus DDP himself, Diamond Dallas Page! First up at the quarter hour is filmmaker Kely McClung talking about his new film ALTERED, which makes its World Premiere on September 19th at the Action On Film Fest. But did you know that Kely is also former middleweight champ in the martial arts discipline of Full Contact Stick Fighting, something which comes in pretty handy with the action of ALTERED. At the halfway point of the show, the one and only, former three time WCW World Heavyweight champion, Diamond Dallas Page joins us live to talk about THE RESURRECTION OF JAKE THE SNAKE and Dallas' fabulous lifestyle program DDPYOGA! Then we've got a last minute entry on the BEHIND THE LENS fight card in our final segment with writer/director and Emmy winner Allan Luebke who joins us to talk about his debut documentary GLENA on Women's MMA champion Glena Avila! Plus, you'

What a show this week! Wow! debbie's cinematic co-hort Greg Srisavasdi is back as they welcome actor Joshua Rush and writer/director Khalil Sullins. Listen now as ultimate cool guy Joshua Rush joins in at the 15 minute mark and talks not only about his new new film, BREAK POINT, but gives everyone the "411" on his new project, Disney Channel's THE LION GUARD: RETURN OF THE ROAR and spin-off series, THE LION GUARD, and his character "Bunga". Trust us when we say, "You don’t want to miss this interview!" Then take a quick breath because writer/director Khalil Sullins jumps on board at the halfway point of the show and tells us all about one of the most riveting films I've seen in a number of years, the sci-fi thriller LISTENING. Listen as Khalil tells us about the world of metacognition, mental telepathy and neuromechnanics in this fascinating narrative that melds philosophical ideals, social conscience and technology. Filmmakers will find discussions on Flicke

On today's show, producer and talent manager Byron Beane joins in the fun as debbie's cinematic co-pilot as they welcome special guests, filmmakers Kaitlin Smith and Mora Stephens. Kaitlin is live at the 15 minute mark to talk about her very special documentary, currently airing on KCET/KCET Link – PARATUS 14:50. This is the untold story of the heroism of the United States Coast Guard in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. On this 10th anniversary week of Katrina, PARATUS 14:50 is timely, topical, chilling and pride-instilling all at the same time. Then Mora Stephens joins us at the halfway point to talk about ZIPPER. Political intrigue, corruption, sex addiction and Patrick Wilson all in the same film. Bookending the show, debbie and Byron talk about the action thriller UNSULLIED which marks the writing/directorial debut of former NFL superstar and Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Simeon Rice. AND, you'll hear from Simeon himself in excerpts of his exclusive interview with debbie, going behi

A very special show this week on BEHIND THE LENS with frame-to-frame Los Angeles Film Festival Future Filmmakers!!! Listen now as my cinematic cohort Greg Srisavasdi and I welcome: Youth FX filmmakers Maya Suchak and Mikayala Appleberry and their mentor, Bhiwan Suchak, winners of the Ed Elias Future Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative at LAFF 2015 for their short film "Falling", are bringing their enthusiasm all the way from Albany, NY! The always delightful Sarah Evans, both behind the lens and in front it, joins us at the halfway mark in the show to talk about her LAFF film "Chris", plus several new projects she has in post-production right now. And one of my favorite whirlwinds, Kira Bursky finds some time in her busy schedule in our final segment to talk about not only her LAFF submission, "Hello From Malaysia" (uh, which was selected for the first ever White House Student Film Festival), but her myriad of other film projects. You want to know where the future of film li

Some fabulous guests this week on BEHIND THE LENS starting with writer/director Juan Feldman talking about the film that will have you dashing to the passport office to book at flight to Costa Rica – AFTER WORDS. A beautiful film with each image more perfect than the rest, Marcia Gay Harden is luminous and the story is one that will resonate with so many. Listen to Juan talk about his own passion for life which he infused into the film and hopefully, will infuse into yours. Then there's a lot of chirping and "tweeting" going on about THE CANARY as debbie is joined by producers Ian Coyne and Bert Kern, writer/director Karl Herrmann and cinematographer (a real treat) Noah Rosenthal. From research to financing, from short to feature, the boys break it all down for us. And hear one more clip of Salma Hayek talking her passion project KAHLIL GIBRAN'S THE PROPHET and the decision to utilize animation as the cinematic platform. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwo

A fun-filled and interesting show this week as we take a look into the future with the new sci-fi indie from Kryzz Gautier, KEEP, LEAVE. Our tour guide for KEEP, LEAVE is one of the film's stars, our good friend Kendra Montagna, who joins us live in studio, as we also welcome producer Hectorlyne Wuor Jarmon to talk about KEEP, LEAVE, its all female crew and the ongoing Kickstarter campaign. Then get ready for some "madness" when director Jeremy Royce joins us to talk about his debut documentary and Slamdance Jury Documentary Honorable Mention winner, 20 YEARS OF MADNESS. As the cast and crew of 90's cable access show "30 Minutes of Madness" reunite 20 years later for a "re-boot" of their youth, Royce is there to capture it all and as we hear from Royce, madness, mayhem and fun ensue. We also shed some sweet light on a powerful – and entertaining – documentary, THAT SUGAR FILM, and you'll hear excerpts of my exclusive interview with writer/director Damon Gameau.

This week on BEHIND THE LENS, we welcome Carol Nguyen, an LAFF Future Filmmaker and "Special Mention" winner of the Ed Elias Future Filmmaker Award for Experimental or Animated Film at LAFF 2015 for her short film HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE PHO? . Carol joins us live from her home in Canada to talk about PHO, filmmaking, festivals and her latest project, SILENT MOURNERS! At the halfway mark writer/director Alex R. Johnson joins us to talk about his narrative feature debut, the riveting slow burn thriller, TWO STEP. And then wrapping up the hour, we've got producers and the film's stars, Evan Dumochel & Macleod Andrews, talking THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE which debuted at Slamdance Film Festival and will be showing on August 9th as part of the Arclight Slamdance Cinema Club for August. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

This week on BEHIND THE LENS, Greg Srisavasdi is back and we're having "double the fun" as we chat with director Samantha Futerman & Ryan Miyamoto about their documentary TWINSTERS! And we'll be talking about the beautiful new animated feature, THE PROPHET, and maybe even go a few rounds on SOUTHPAW, plus hear some of debbie's exclusive interview excerpts from director Alex Winter talking SMOSH: THE MOVIE and Stevan Riley on the mesmerizing and haunting documentary on Marlon Brando, LISTEN TO ME MARLON. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

We're LIVIN' THE DREAM on BEHIND THE LENS again this week as actress Kendra Montagna joins debbie as special guest host. One of the most beloved zombies from the web-series CO-OP OF THE DAMNED, Kendra just finished up at Comic-Con with NBC and HEROES REBORN and talks about "Behind the Lens at Comic-Con" as well as some of her acting adventures. We just can’t get enough of LIVIN' THE DREAM so following up to last week's fun with web series creators/writers/directors Kim & Mai Spurlock and actress Laura Campbell, this week producer Byron Beane is on hand together with Erin Fritch, another one of the stars of the series. Many of you may know that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. This week also marks the start of the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, the largest sports and humanitarian event anywhere in the world in 2015 and the largest single event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympic Games. Timed to these landmark e

We're LIVIN' THE DREAM this week on BEHIND THE LENS with co-creators/producers/writers/directors Mai and Kim Spurlock and actor Laura Campbell as they talk about this fun new web series! Then writer/director Morgan Schmidt-Feng is live talking about the documentary ON HER OWN. A resonant and powerful film, Morgan's personal touch and heartfelt honesty during our interview makes ON HER OWN even moreso. And hear some of my exclusive interview with writers/directors Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing as they take us behind THE GALLOWS while director Peyton Reed gives us a glimpse into the science and fun of ANT-MAN! http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

This week on BEHIND THE LENS, Greg Srisavasdi is back riding cinematic shotgun with debbie lynn elias, as they welcome returning friends to BEHIND THE LENS, Arclight VP of Programming Gretchen McCourt and Slamdance Founder and President Peter Baxter, for their monthly chat about Arclight Slamdance Cinema Club! The July Cinema Club (Sunday, July 12 and Monday, July 13 at Arclight Hollywood) boasts some powerhouse films – YOSEMITE and ON HER OWN. You can hear from Gretchen and Peter at the 15 minute mark. Oscar nominee and Emmy winner, writer/director Stacy Sherman joins us at the midway point to talk about her feature directorial debut with THE BREAKUP GIRL. And in our last segment, writer/director Gabrielle Demeestere is live talking her Slamdance smash YOSEMITE starring James Franco, which you can catch July 12th at 8pm at the Hollywood Arclight. Of course, debbie and Greg always have a few extra tidbits for you and this week is no exception as Greg highlights the film noir classic, THE THIRD MAN, cur

This week it's debbie flying solo as she welcomes the legendary Lance Henriksen who talks about his latest film, STUNG, not to mention a few other memorable points in his career including a surprise revelation about an early television appearance on "Cagney & Lacey". And it's all about the Terminator and the new reimagination of the franchise with TERMINATOR GENISYS. You’ll hear excerpts of debbieapos;s exclusive interviews with producers David Ellison and Dana Goldberg, plus some thoughts from screenwriters, Patrick Lussier and Laeta Kalogridis, director Alan Taylor and the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

This week on BEHIND THE LENS, debbie lynn elias is joined by special co-host Kit Bowen as they welcome writer/director David Spaltro who joins BEHIND THE LENS live to talk about THE CAT'S CRADLE, now on the festival circuit, and his latest feature, the chilling IN THE DARK! A real treat are LAFF Future Filmmakers Theo Buckwald and Emily Kramer who have some "Old Tricks" up their sleeves! You'll quickly see with filmmakers like Theo and Emily around the future is indeed bright for cinema! Then, take a listen to some exclusive interviews debbie had with Oren Moverman on LOVE & MERCY while writer/director James Murphy explains his love (and ours) for Disney Pixar's LAVA. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

This week on BEHIND THE LENS, "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" alum Amber Benson joins us live talking about her latest short film SHEVENGE (uh, and the wonders of Whedon)! Amber's live interview starts at about the 17 minute mark! Then at the halfway point, those silver-tongued devils behind Slamdance fave DIAMOND TONGUES – Pavan Moondi and Brian Robertson – join the fun. Plus, hear some insightful and hilarious excerpts from Bill Hader talking about INSIDE OUT, as well as exclusive excerpts of debbie's chat with INSIDE OUT producer Jonas Rivera. And listen to some poignant thoughtful words from Olivia Cooke about ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL. We're also talking Los Angeles Film Festival and the Future Filmmakers Showcase with the history behind the Ed Elias Future Filmmaker Awards. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

Jam-packed week on BEHIND THE LENS as Kit Bowen joins debbie lynn elias in studio as Special Cinematic Co-Host! BEHIND THE LENS starts off with WELCOME TO HAPPINESS writer/director/editor Oliver Thompson calling in live, fresh off his Dances With Films screening. Then, a great friend of BEHIND THE LENS, ArcLight Cinemas VP of Programming Gretchen McCourt joins in to talk about this month's Arclight Slamdance Cinema Club program screening at the Arclight Hollywood on June 14 and 15. (debbie will be moderating both nights of post screening Q&A's!) And then we go "behind the lens" of INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 with excerpts of debbie's exclusive interview with producer Jason Blum and a "kick ass" audio clip courtesy of Lin Shaye! Of course, another fave is LOVE & MERCY and hearing producer Claire Rudnick Polstein talk about the journey to get the film, get it into the hands of scribe Oren Moverman and director Bill Pohlad, work with Brian and Melinda Wilson and get it mad

A fun show for you this week, starting with a terrific new giveaway from Greg Srisavasdi through his Deepest Dream website, https://deepestdream.com! (So check it out, guys! ) Director Sam Friedlander joins us live talking about is one of the funniest (and most socially incorrect) films of the year – LARRY GAYE: RENEGADE MALE FLIGHT ATTENDANT!! A real treat is another first time filmmaker, Marcus Mizelle, writer/director of ACTOR FOR HIRE which is a fun skewering look "behind the lens" in Hollywood. Marcus is live in the second half hour of the show. Plus, we've got some excerpts of our interviews with Kyle Newman, director of BARELY LETHAL, and some exclusive thoughts from sibling directors Ben and Josh Safdie on their riveting new film HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

This week on BEHIND THE LENS are two of our favorite new amigos – Ryan Nagata and George Edeman – talking about their feature film debut as co-writers and director/producer, respectively – AMIGO UNDEAD! And we hear more from director Courteney Cox on her feature directorial debut, JUST BEFORE I GO, as well as Sam Elliott on the script for I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS. And yes, there's Clooney; George Clooney, talking about TOMORROWLAND. A real treat are excerpts of debbie's exclusive interview with director, and one of the Bandito Brothers, Elliott Lester, talking NIGHTINGALE. An absolute "Must See" tour de force performance from David Oyelowo that premiered at LAFF 2014, Oyelowo just picked up a Critics Choice Award for his performance under Lester's direction. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com

First up, welcome writer/director Leah Meyerhoff at 11:15 to talk about the visually hypnotic and technically impressive indie darling I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS. Navigating the difficult and troubled course of young love, Meyerhoff is masterful with creating a dichotomous tonal bandwidth of visual imagery and story, all to powerful result. Using Super 8mm, Super 16mm and 16mm plus stop motion animation, Meyerhoff more than proves her mettle as a filmmaker. It's a real treat to hear what she has to say. Then at 11:30, a hot button topic makes its way to BEHIND THE LENS with THE MILKY WAY when filmmaker and subject expert Chantal Molnar joins us to talk about breastfeeding in America. Covering everything from how industry has manipulated and managed the breastfeeding birthright to the public and political uproar about the act itself, this is a filmmaker and interview you won’t want to miss. And who doesn't want to hear from Big Bird! That's right! You can listen to the Bird himself with excerpts

This week on BEHIND THE LENS, debbie lynn elias and co-host Greg Srisavasdi welcome filmmaker Quincy Rose (MILES TO GO) for what both agree is one of the best (and favorite) interviews of the year!! Quincy Rose is a filmmaker to watch!! And hear what Dolph Lundgren has to say about his favorite parts of filmmaking while first time feature directors Courteney Cox (JUST BEFORE I GO) and Chad Archibald (THE DROWNSMAN) talk about water, water everywhere and the challenges it presents with shooting. Then just a tease for the ladies, Sam Elliott talks about independent filmmaking. http://behindthelensonline.net http://eliasentertainmentnetwork.com