Eliza Hittman was at the Berlin Film Festival last February with her art-house abortion drama “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” She thought about staying for the awards ceremony, but instead flew back to New York. As soon as she landed, she got an email asking her to come back. Hittman had won the Silver Bear in Berlin, and now her film is in awards contention stateside. Kim Masters spoke to “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” director Eliza Hittman last year.
Feb 21, 2021•30 min
“The White Tiger,” Aravind Adiga's darkly comedic novel about a clever servant’s rise out of poverty in India, won the Booker Prize in 2008. Thirteen years later, “The White Tiger” is a big hit for Netflix. The film adaptation is written and directed by Adiga's friend from college, filmmaker Ramin Bahrani.
Feb 12, 2021•30 min
Austin Winsberg, creator of the NBC series “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” and producer-choreographer Mandy Moore check in from Canada, where they had just finished shooting the show’s 100th musical number. After working on season two under new COVID guidelines, Moore and Winsberg say they’ve become experts at reading each other’s eyes while working with masks on.
Feb 07, 2021•30 min
Garrett Bradley's documentary “Time,” about one woman’s fight to release her husband from prison, was an award winner at Sundance last year and is considered a top Oscar contender. Bradley says “Time” was originally going to be a short film until it demanded more … time. Rahdi Taylor is one of the people who convinced Bradley that “Time” should be a full-length feature. Taylor supported the film as head of the Artists in Residence fellowship program at Concordia Studio, where Bradley was one of ...
Jan 31, 2021•30 min
The Romanian movie “Collective” is in Oscar contention for both Best International Film and Best Documentary. Directed by Alexander Nanau, “Collective” follows a group of sports reporters in Bucharest who uncovered a massive scandal in Romanian hospitals that led to dozens of needless deaths.
Jan 24, 2021•30 min
George Clooney and his long-time producing partner Grant Heslov talk about their new movie “The Midnight Sky,” a post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama, now on Netflix. Heslov and Clooney discuss recent sea changes in the industry, especially at Warner Brothers, the studio they called home for 20 years. Plus, the politically engaged pair addresses the recent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Jan 17, 2021•34 min
Bryan Fogel won Netflix its first feature documentary Oscar with his Russian doping exposé “Icarus.” Critics at Sundance raved about his latest film, “The Dissident,” about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. So why didn’t Netflix call to lock up the rights? Fogel shares why his new documentary had streamers running scared. And Tom Ortenberg, the executive who had the guts to distribute the film, explains why his company Briarcliff Entertainment wanted to take it on.
Jan 08, 2021•30 min
Abigail Disney’s father Roy was Walt's nephew. For her, being a Disney came with so much baggage that she almost ditched the name altogether. In part two of our interview, Abigail Disney explains why she feels it’s her duty to speak out when the company that bears her family’s name seems to have gone astray. And banter buddies Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw look at the year to come in Hollywood.
Jan 01, 2021•30 min
The pandemic pummeled production. WarnerMedia started a war with its windows-shattering sneak attack. And Quibi, we hardly knew you. Banter buddies Matt Belloni and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw join Kim Masters for a 2020 mega banter. Plus, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans ranks the streamers.
Dec 25, 2020•30 min
Abigail Disney's father was Walt’s nephew Roy. He led a shareholder revolt in 2004, when he got fed up with Michael Eisner's management of the Mouse House. Abigail Disney keeps close tabs on the company and has lots to say about current management. As 32,000 theme park workers lost their jobs while top executives had their full salaries restored, Disney says, “I don’t believe the company and the magic can survive this kind of corporate behavior.”
Dec 18, 2020•30 min
With Hollywood fuming following WarnerMedia’s announcement that all its 2021 movies will stream on HBO Max the same they open in theaters, prolific producer Jason Blum weighs in. Blum has long thought the theatrical window should be shorter, but not totally smashed. And Kim Masters and Matt Belloni banter about the continued industry blowback directed at WarnerMedia and Disney’s recent investor presentation.
Dec 13, 2020•30 min
WarnerMedia announced it will put Warner Bros.’ entire 2021 movie slate on HBO Max the same day those films open in theaters. The move will change theater-going as we know it. Then, Kamilah Forbes created a stage version of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s powerful book “Between the World and Me” in 2018. She explains why and how she adapted again, this time for the screen. Her film version of “Between the World and Me” is now on HBO Max.
Dec 06, 2020•30 min
Director Aneesh Chaganty wanted an actress who really uses a wheelchair to star as a teenaged girl with disabilities in his new thriller, “Run.” And she needed to be able to do action scenes. He found Columbia University student Kiera Allen. Now on Hulu, “Run” tells the story of a mother-daughter relationship gone extremely awry. It’s the first thriller to star an actor who uses a wheelchair since the 1940s.
Nov 27, 2020•30 min
Paramount Pictures chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos has weathered some big storms in the movie business, though nothing compares with COVID. But even as productions struggle and theaters are shuttered, Gianopulos has faith that one day, people will go back to the movies.
Nov 20, 2020•30 min
Greta Thunberg began a school strike movement in 2018 outside the Swedish parliament. It gained momentum in Sweden, then spread through the rest of Europe and the world. Filmmaker Nathan Grossman documents her rise to become one of the world’s most prominent climate change activists. His new Hulu documentary is “I Am Greta.”
Nov 15, 2020•30 min
Danika Kohler Doman, a production supervisor who has been working as a “COVID manager,” talks about what it’s like to enforce Hollywood’s new coronavirus protocols.
Nov 08, 2020•30 min
Steve James, the filmmaker behind “Hoop Dreams,” is out with a new series called “City So Real,” which documents Chicago’s political landscape and the lives of its residents.
Nov 01, 2020•30 min
Following Quibi’s announcement of closing, The Business e revisits an interview with founder Jeffrey Katzenberg on his gamble to launch Quibi.
Oct 25, 2020•30 min
Alex Gibney ’s documentaries often delve into high-level corruption. He’s out this fall with two projects that focus on the Trump administration.
Oct 16, 2020•30 min
“The Good Lord Bird” started with a handshake deal between Ethan Hawke and author James McBride. The witty, irreverent telling of John Brown’s life story is now airing on Showtime.
Oct 12, 2020•30 min
The Hollywood Commission, a new organization chaired by Anita Hill, is out with a survey on harassment in Hollywood and plans to launch a reporting platform next year.
Oct 05, 2020•30 min
Writer/director Billy Ray talks about the making of his Showtime limited series “The Comey Rule,” which stars Jeff Daniels as former FBI director James Comey and Brendan Gleeson as Donald Trump.
Sep 26, 2020•30 min
COVID-19 has buffeted the entertainment industry. The Business looks at major challenges, such as how to release big-budget pictures and how to manage the awards season.
Sep 19, 2020•30 min
Isabel Sandoval’s new indie drama “Lingua Franca” arrived on Netflix this month. She produced, wrote, and stars in the film as an undocumented trans Filipina living in New York City.
Sep 12, 2020•30 min
The Netflix series “Cheer” earned six nominations at this year’s Emmys, including Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program. The Business revisits its interview with director Greg Whiteley.
Sep 05, 2020•30 min
Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss made their biggest documentary yet with “Boys State,” a process that required many leaps of faith, from securing funding to showing up at Sundance without a distributor.
Aug 29, 2020•30 min
Sometimes our guests have so much good stuff to say that we can’t fit it all into one show. So this week, we’re bringing you some leftovers from this summer’s interviews: Gina Prince-Bythewood, director of Netflix’s summer smash “The Old Guard;” Prentice Penny, showrunner of HBO’s “Insecure;” and Peter Medak, who talks about his documentary, “The Ghost of Peter Sellers.”
Aug 22, 2020•30 min
Don Hahn’s documentary “Howard” looks at the life of Howard Ashman, the lyricist behind the soundtracks for “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Little Shop of Horrors.” Ashman died of AIDS in 1991, leaving a mark on his collaborators, including his songwriting partner Alan Menken.
Aug 15, 2020•30 min
HBO’s “Insecure” just received its first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series. Prentice Penny, the show’s executive producer, talks about how he got his start in Hollywood, and his personal connection to the show’s creator and star Issa Rae.
Aug 08, 2020•30 min
The nominations for the 2020 Emmy Awards have been released, and HBO’s “Watchmen” leads with 26 nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series. KCRW revisists host Kim Masters’ interview with showrunner Damon Lindelof.
Aug 01, 2020•30 min
