Panelists

Luca Guadagnino

Director/ Producer

Nora Garrett

Writer

Jessica Ronane

Casting Director

Malik Hassan Sayeed

Cinematographer

“It struck me the way in which Nora could bring together a very particular story in a very specific place, and make it a stage for idiosyncrasies and impulses that could speak to everybody.”

Panelists

Edward Berger

Director/ Producer

Colin Farrell

Actor

Fala Chen

Actor

James Friend

Director of Photography

“It’s a short film, an hour and 41 minutes, but it’s a very quick descent into madness. And then an ascent out of that towards a kind of redemption… But, yeah, I was a bit raw by the end of it.”

Panelists

Kerry Condon

Actor

“Joe did tell me when I got the job, ‘Your theater background will help, because there’s a live aspect to this.’ You couldn’t be like, ‘Can I go to my trailer? I just want to brush my teeth.’ It was like, ‘You’ve got to be ready. There’s nobody waiting for you.’ I kind of loved the non-princess-y vibe …”

Panelists

Nia DaCosta

Writer/Director/

Producer

Sean Bobbitt

Director of Photography

Lindsay Pugh

Costume Designer

Des Hamilton

Casting Director

Hildur Guðnadóttir

Composer

“When I wrote it, I thought about making a more contemporary film, but I didn’t want it to be present day, and that’s why I landed on the ’50s. It’s a decade we’re still connected to.”

Panelists

Noah Baumbach

Co-Writer/

Director/

Producer

David Heyman

Producer

Nina Gold

Casting Director

Adam Sandler

Actor

“This story made me laugh, and it made me cry, because it’s about all of us. Yes, it’s about the world around us, but it’s about the human condition. It’s about regret, it’s about acceptance, and it’s about life.”

Panelists

Rachael Tate

Supervising Sound Editor

William Miller

Re-Recording Mixer

Charlie Noble

VFX Supervisor

William Goldenberg

Film Editor

“I had to step off the dubbing stage and take a moment for myself, because I didn’t know if my house was there… my family was safe, thank God, but it was very terrifying, and the realism of the film really came through.”

Panelists

Clint Bentley

Co-Writer/

Director

Joel Edgerton

Executive Producer/Actor

Felicity Jones

Actor

Kerry Condon

Actor

Bryce Dessner

Composer

“The film pivots from really intimate moments, really domestic moments, and even silly moments that everyone recognizes from relationships, to these huge themes, and that’s what I loved about it.”

Panelists

Rian Johnson

Writer/Director/

Producer

Ram Bergman

Producer

Josh O’Connor

Actor

“The reality of this movie, it has almost like a more traditional murder mystery structure. This is how most Agatha Christie books work, where in the first act you meet all the suspects, you meet the protagonist, who’s not the detective. Then the murder happens, and the detective shows up.”

Panelists

Jon M. Chu

Director

“Musicals are great because it’s not about being bigger, it’s about going deeper into these characters and minds and what they’re going through. So we have new songs that allow us to witness how they go through these thoughts, and the audience can experience.”

Panelists

Jessica Ronane

Casting Director

Lucy Bevan

Casting Director

Emily Brockmann

Casting Director

Des Hamilton

Casting Director

Jo Harris

Casting Director

“Each project’s different. You end up becoming an expert, going into a community that you don’t necessarily always know much about.”