The Screen Show

This week on The Screen Show, we're joined by Óliver Laxe, director of Sirāt, the acclaimed Cannes‑lauded drama following a father's search for his missing daughter across the Moroccan desert, and we also hear from Hollywood star Amanda Seyfried about taking on the role of Ann Lee — the visionary 18th‑century founder of the Shakers — in The Testament of Ann Lee, a performance widely praised as one of the finest of her career, along with director Mona Fastvold. And we revisit an interview with the legendary documentarian Frederick Wiseman in light of the sad news of his passing.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Riley MelissArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Sophie Hyde, the acclaimed South Australian filmmaker behind queer family drama Jimpa, opens up about shaping the film's semi‑autobiographical heart. Set against the canals of Amsterdam and starring Olivia Colman, John Lithgow, and Hyde's own child, Aud Mason‑Hyde, the film traces the complexities of identity, family, and reinvention. Meanwhile, director Jordan Giusti discusses Floodland, his evocative documentary capturing the resilience and vibrancy of the Lismore community as it rebuilds in the wake of devastating floods.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Ross RichardsonArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Three documentaries about individuals doing extraordinary things, including the new Elvis documentary EPIC... director Baz Luhrmann is in the studio to discuss. Plus, Mr Nobody Against Putin, the Oscar-nominated film about a dissident Russian high school teacher, and Albert Serra on his stunning San Sebastian winner Afternoons of Solitude, about a contemporary bullfighter.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Angie GrantArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Laura Dern and Will Arnett delve into their divorce rom‑com Is This Thing On? - a film inspired by the true story of a man who finds solace, clarity and creativity at an open‑mic comedy night in the middle of a break‑up.Daisy Ridley reflects on her journey through the Star Wars universe, and discusses her role in We Bury The Dead, a zombie adventure shot against the striking landscapes of Western Australia.Documentarian Elizabeth Lo discusses Mistress Dispeller, her gripping film about a woman in China who hires a professional “mistress dispeller” to salvage a marriage under extraordinary circumstances. Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Riley MelissArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

In this star‑studded episode, Ethan Hawke talks Blue Moon, Richard Linklater's acclaimed biographical drama that premiered at Berlin and earned a Silver Bear for Andrew Scott, plus Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Hawke himself. Chris Pratt and Mercy director Timur Bekmambetov unpack their high‑stakes sci‑fi thriller, where Pratt is in the lead as a detective battling an unforgiving AI justice system. Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi discusses It Was Just an Accident, which took home the Palme d'Or at Cannes and is now an Oscar contender...a politically charged thriller born from his own lived resistance, and Adelaide born Hollywood actor Teresa Palmer in the studio and in conversation about her life, career, and latest role in the Australian film Addition, a charming, numbers‑driven rom-com based on Toni Jordan's bestseller.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Carey DellArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Hollywood director Josh Safdie on Marty Supreme, a film that follows a young man, played by Timothée Chalamet (who has already taken home a Golden Globe and Critics' Choice award for the role), who has a dream to be a professional table tennis player, and will do whatever it takes in pursuit of greatness.Kleber Mendonça Filho on his Golden-Globe winner The Secret Agent, a political thriller set in 1970's Brazil that captures the atmosphere of paranoia and the moral decay that shadowed the country under authoritarian rule.Plus, African-Australian film, Pasa Faho, the feature debut from Igbo-Australian filmmaker Kalu Oji. Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Ross RichardsonArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell are in the studio to talk Hamnet, the new film based on O'Farrell's bestselling novel...a love story meets family drama, about the heartbreak that shaped Shakespeare's greatest work. Plus, A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet, depicts the story of folk hero Bob Dylan's transition to electric music. We re-visit Jason's interview with cult actor Edward Norton, who plays Pete Seeger in the film. 

A panel discussion of talented international directors with films in competition at the Melbourne International Film Festival discuss their journeys, including American filmmaker Andrew Patterson (The Vast of Night), whose second feature The Rivals of Amziah King, starring Matthew McConaughey, premiered at SXSW this year; Chie Hayakawa (Plan 75) from Japan, whose second feature, Renoir, premiered in Competition at Cannes; and James J. Robinson, a Filipino/Australian artist based in Los Angeles whose feature debut, First Light, had its World Premiere at MIFF.

Parks and Rec actor Nick Offerman discusses his role in Sovereign, a crime thriller inspired by real events in which he plays an anti-government extremist; and, Brooklyn-based indie filmmaker Alex Ross Perry on Pavements, a hybrid work about one of the most influential bands of the '90s.

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson talk Song Sung Blue, a heartfelt musical drama about love and second chances inspired by the real-life story of a couple who form a Neil Diamond tribute band called Lightning & Thunder.We also speak with Joachim Trier about his latest film, Sentimental Value, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes. The Norwegian drama starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard and Elle Fanning, explores a famed filmmaker's strained relationship with his two adult daughters.Plus, we revisit a conversation with creators Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco of Platonic, the Apple  TV comedy starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne that explores midlife friendship.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Harvey O'SullivanArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Cult American filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson on One Battle After Another, in which Leonardo DiCaprio leads an action thriller about a washed-up radical living off-grid with his spirited young daughter, who goes missing. Plus, Brisbane-born Hollywood star Jacob Elordi fronts Justin Kurzel's TV adaptation of Richard Flanagan's Booker Prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Hollywood favourite Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters) on The Housemaid, a thriller that redefines sex and suspense with his signature wit and precision.Japan's submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Oscars is Lee Sang-il's Kokuho, a kabuki epic that explores ambition, artistry, and rivalry across decades of tradition.Arriving as part of December highlights on Mubi is the acclaimed film Aftersun. We revisit an interview with director Charlotte Wells about her tender and haunting portrait of memory starring Paul Mescal.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Matthew SigleyArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Hollywood A-listers Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor on  The History of Sound, a sweeping queer romance set against the backdrop of World War I, that explores themes of identity, memory, and cultural preservation.French director Emmanuel Courcol discusses his crowd-pleaser My Brother's Band, a cheerful ode to music and family.Constantine Costi on his gem The Golden Spurtle, a quirky look into the world of competitive porridge-making in the Scottish Highlands.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Ross RichardsonArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

One of Australia's finest talents, Russell Crowe, discusses playing Nazi war criminal Hermann Göring in Nuremberg, a tense courtroom drama about the trial that redefined international lawAlex Russell, producer of The Bear, makes his directorial debut with Lurker, a razor-sharp satire of ambition and social climbing in the music industry. Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Carey DellArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Cinematographer Alice Brooks talks about bringing the dazzling world of this week's biggest release - Wicked: For Good - to life on screen.As the film sets to screen as part of the Brisbane Film Festival, we revisit a conversation with Australian director Jaydon Martin on his debut feature Flathead.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Carey DellArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Mary Bronstein on If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, a black-comedy led by Rose Byrne in a career-defining performance that oozes raw, electric rage.Actors Jason Clarke and Simone Kessell talk The Last Frontier, a gritty action thriller series in which a prison transport plane suspiciously crashes near a rugged Alaskan townSergei Loznitza on Two Prosecutors, which follows a young Soviet prosecutor seeking justice for a prisoner during Stalin's ongoing Great Purge. Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Carey DellArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reflects on her challenging and transformative term in office in the intimate, Sundance winning new documentary Prime Minister. Australian director Sophie Somerville discusses Fwends - winner of the Caligari Film Award at the Berlin International Film Festival - a charming tale about two old friends reconnecting over a trippy weekend in Melbourne.Emmy award-winning artist and filmmaker Lynnette Wallworth on Edge of Life, a film following two doctors who treat terminally ill patients with psychedelic drugs to alter their relationship with death.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Carey DellArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Trisha Morton-Thomas and Maggie Miles on their documentary Journey Home, a powerful record of grief, community, and ceremony in which the renowned Indigenous actor David Gulpilil is laid to rest.Gabrielle Brady discusses The Wolves Always Come At Night, Australia's Oscar entry for the 2026 Academy Awards, which follows a couple living on a farm in rural Mongolia, forced to move to the city after a storm destroys their village.As it arrives in Australian cinemas, we revisit a conversation with APSA winner Neo Sora on his film Happyend. In a near-future Tokyo, as the threat of a catastrophic earthquake looms, two friends face consequences after carrying out a terrible prank. Hear the whole interview here.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Riley MelissArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Derek Cianfrance talks Roofman, his stranger-than-fiction film about a charismatic prison escapee, played by Channing Tatum, who hides out in a Toys R Us store while evading the law.Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro unpacks his adaptation of Frankenstein, a typically gothic confection starring Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth.Australian actor Harrison Gilbertson reflects on his role in Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, a biopic with The Bear's Jeremy Allen White in the lead, that captures the raw spirit of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska era.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Riley MelissArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

The winner of a trio of awards at Venice, Sarah Friedland, discusses her narrative feature Familiar Touch, a 'coming-of-old-age' story that follows the path of an octogenarian's shifting memories and desires.Set to screen at Adelaide Film Festival, German director Julian Radlmaier on Phantoms of July, a funny and somewhat surreal metropolitan adventure that asks some serious questions about class in contemporary Germany.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Riley MelissArts editor, Rhiannon Brown

In this episode, acclaimed director Kelly Reichardt joins us to discuss The Mastermind, a heist film with Josh O'Connor in the lead as a suburban father living a double life as an art thief.Cinematographer Maceo Bishop talks about shooting Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine, a raw sports drama starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as MMA fighter Mark Kerr, and how his lens helped shape the film's emotional intensity.Australian screen legends Bruce Beresford and Bryan Brown discuss The Travellers, a family drama set in regional W.A. that explores love, legacy, and the messiness of returning home.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Ross RichardsonEditor Arts, Rhiannon Brown

Parks and Rec actor Nick Offerman discusses his role in Sovereign, a crime thriller inspired by real events in which he plays an anti-government extremist.Brooklyn-based filmmaker Alex Ross Perry on Pavements, a hybrid work about one of the most influential bands of the '90s [available on DocPlay from October 6].Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Riley MelissEditor Arts, Rhiannon Brown

Cult American filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson directs One Battle After Another, in which Leonardo DiCaprio leads an action thriller about a washed-up radical living off-grid with his spirited young daughter, who goes missing.Actor Julia Fox and director Justin Tipping discuss Him, a film set in the world of elite sport, about a young athlete whose dream becomes a nightmare under the shadow of a former champion. Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Allyse SymonsExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

The South Australian first-time filmmakers behind Lesbian Space Princess, an adult animation about an introverted lesbian space princess, which had its world premiere at the 2025 Berlinale.Looking for Alibrandi director Kate Woods returns with Kangaroo, a family comedy about a D-list celebrity who teams up with an Indigenous girl to rescue and rehabilitate orphaned kangaroos in an outback community.We pay tribute to Robert Redford, who passed away this week, with an excerpt from a 2018 interview with the director behind the last film he starred in, The Old Man and the Gun. You can hear the whole interview here.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Ross RichardsonExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

U.S. actor and director Michael Angelo Covino discusses Splitsville, a relationship comedy about divorce, friendship, and an open marriage, in which he stars opposite Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona.New Zealand-born Australian director Samuel van Grinsven returns with his second feature, Went Up the Hill, a ghost story led by Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) and Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), following two strangers possessed by grief.Plus, as it releases exclusively on DocPlay, an excerpt from Jason's interview with Justin Kurzel about Ellis Park, his documentary feature about musician Warren Ellis. You can hear the whole interview here.CREDITSPresenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Riley MelissExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, The Roses re-imagines the 1980s classic The War of the Roses. Jason speaks to director Jay Roach.Eva Victor on her indie Sorry, Baby, which highlights Agnes' journey after a traumatic experience in her life.Jason meets Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, who is in Australia to premiere his work  A Conversation with the Sun.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Alysse SymonsExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

A panel discussion of talented international directors with films in competition at the Melbourne International Film Festival discuss their journeys with Jason, including American filmmaker Andrew Patterson (The Vast of Night), whose second feature The Rivals of Amziah King, starring Matthew McConaughey, premiered at SXSW this year; Chie Hayakawa (Plan 75) from Japan, whose second feature, Renoir, premiered in Competition at Cannes; and James J. Robinson, a Filipino/Australian artist based in Los Angeles whose feature debut, First Light, had its World Premiere at MIFF.CREDITSPresenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Ross Richardson and Riley MelissExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

Ari Aster on  Eddington, a satirical neo-Western set during the pandemic, featuring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in the lead roles.Michael Seitzman, showrunner of The Rainmaker, talks about adapting the classic John Grisham legal thriller for television.Carey Mulligan stars in The Ballad of Wallis Island, a comedy about a lottery winner whose dream of reuniting his favourite musicians unexpectedly comes true. Director James Griffiths shares insights.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Matthew SigleyExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

Legendary Australian film critic, cinephile, film scholar, programmer, and author, David Stratton, sadly passed away this week, aged 85. In 2017, he joined Jason Di Rosso in the studio to discuss David Stratton: A Cinematic Life, Sally Aitken's documentary about his lifelong love of movies.

British A-listers Tom Hiddleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor on The Life of Chuck, a fantasy drama based on the novella of the same name by Stephen King. Beloved Australian actor Essie Davis discusses her role in the upcoming Disney sci-fi series Alien: Earth.Georgian director Dea Kulumbegashvili speaks about her haunting abortion drama April, which won the Special Jury Prize at Venice.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Ross RichardsonExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

U.S. director Zach Cregger discusses Weapons, his excellent horror about a community left questioning who or what is behind the disappearance of a classroom of children.The showrunners behind Apple TV+ series Platonic, in which Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen star as a charming duo of best friends in L.A.Naomi Watts on The Friend, an adaptation of the bestselling book about a writer who finds her cosy New York life up-ended after her closest friend bequeaths her a Great Dane.CREDITSPresenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Angie GrantExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

British-Peruvian musician Luis Felber (Attawalpa) co-created the buzzy Netflix series Too Much with his wife Lena Dunham, a rom-com full of joy and complexity set in London. Luis gets beneath the surface of it all with Jason. Australian filmmaker Michael Shanks on Together, his sticky body horror that made a mark at Sundance, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie.French master François Ozon on his latest When Fall is Coming, an ambiguous murder-mystery set in Burgundy.CREDITSPresenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Angie GrantExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

Screen legend Helena Bonham Carter on Four Letters of Love, where she stars opposite Pierce Brosnan in an adaptation of Niall Williams'  1997 novel about a couple pulled together by ghosts, fate and the power of love.Inspired by real events, acclaimed writer/director Pascal Bonitzer's sharp dramedy The Stolen Painting follows an auctioneer whose professional and personal integrity is challenged by the discovery of a long-lost masterpiece.French director Louise Courvoisier on her charming debut Holy Cow, in which teenager Totone's carefree life in the countryside takes a turn when he's suddenly left to provide for his young sister.CREDITSPresenter, Jason Di RossoProducer,  Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Brendan O'NeillExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

As two Oscar snubbed films with excellent female leads from earlier in the year become available to watch via streaming, a highlights program featuring Dutch writer-director Halina Reijn on Babygirl, a sexual thriller starring Nicole Kidman as a powerful CEO who embarks on an affair with her much younger intern, played by Harris Dickenson; Plus, Academy Award winning director Pablo Larrain discusses Maria, in which Angelina Jolie is stupendous as the world's greatest opera singer - Maria Callas.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Ross RichardsonExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

Two stand-outs from the Melbourne International Film Festival:Filmmaker Courtney Stephens on dolphin intelligence, sensory deprivation and the psychedelic experience...her new documentary looks at the strange and often confronting work of twentieth-century utopian neuroscientist John Lilly.British-Nigerian director Akinola Davies Jr remembers the father he barely knew in his debut feature My Father's Shadow, a Lagos-set family drama that unfolds during a tumultuous period in Nigeria's political history. Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Tony NortonSound engineer, Matthew SigleyExecutive producer, Rhiannon BrownMusic from My Father's Shadow score by CJ Mirra & Duval Timothy

A first glance at the Melbourne International Film Festival...Russian American filmmaker Julia Loktev on her fascinating five and a half hour documentary about journalists in Russia, My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow.One of the luminaries of Australian avant-garde filmmaking Dirk de Bruyn talks about two of his profoundly personal films, appearing as part of a career retrospective at the Melbourne Cinematheque.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Tony NortonSound engineer, Ross RichardsonExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

Acclaimed director Thomas Vinterberg (Festen, Another Round) on his new 7-part series Families Like Ours, which is set in a hypothetical near future where global warming has led to the imminent flooding of Denmark.Director Boris Lojkine and actor Abou Sangaré discuss Cannes Un Certain Regard winner The Story of Souleymane, a deeply empathetic drama that follows a food delivery courier through the streets of Paris as he prepares for his asylum application interview.Black Bird writer Dennis Lehane and actor Taron Egerton on Smoke, a new Apple TV+ series about serial arsonists.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Tony NortonSound engineer, Riley MellisExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

Australian director Justin Kurzel on his documentary Ellis Park, which follows Bad Seed and Dirty Three violinist Warren Ellis as he pursues his twin passions: making music and supporting a wildlife sanctuary in Sumatra.Filmmakers Danny Boyle and Alex Garland talk political allegory and post-Brexit Britain in their new zombie film 28 Years Later, a follow-up to the cult 2002 film 28 Days Later.Bonus zombie extra: an exhumed interview with the late George Romero, director of the seminal 1968 film Night Of The Living Dead.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Tony NortonSound engineer, Ross RichardsonExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

Past Lives director Celine Song on her new rom-com Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson as a professional matchmaker who falls into a love triangle with her broke ex and a wealthy finance guy.The Rings of Power actor Charlie Vickers and showrunner Tony Ayres discuss working on the Netflix adaptation of Jane Harper's The Survivors, a story about a small coastal town haunted by the tragedy of three deaths.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Tony NortonSound engineer, Ross RichardsonExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

U.S. writer-director Jason Keller talks Stick, a new sports comedy starring Owen Wilson as a washed-up former golf pro and Peter Dager as his Gen Z protege.Filmmaker Kevin Macdonald on his doc One to One: John & Yoko... set in 1972 New York, the film explores John Lennon and Yoko Ono's world amid a turbulent era. White Lotus star Jason Isaacs on his latest role in The Salt Path, where he stars opposite Gillian Anderson in a sweet adaptation of the best-selling memoir about a couple who lose everything and start over on a 1000 km coastal trek.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Ross RichardsonExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown

Direct from Cannes, where it received a seven-and-a-half-minute standing ovation, Wes Anderson and Benicio Del Toro discuss The Phoenician Scheme.Adelaide's Phillipou Brothers on their latest South Australian horror for A24, Bring Her Back, the follow-up to their acclaimed feature debut Talk To Me.Artistic director of Sydney Film Festival Nashen Moodley is also fresh from the Cannes Film Festival. He speaks to us about the Palme d'Or-winning film It Was Just An Accident by Jafar Panahi, also set to screen at SFF.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettExecutive producer, Rhiannon BrownSound engineer, Ross Richardson

French director Gilles Lellouche on Beating Hearts, a genre-spanning romantic epic starring Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Colour) that follows a written-in-the-stars infatuation tested by social boundaries.Canadian filmmaker Matthew Rankin discusses his multi-award winning Universal Language...in a surreal interzone between Tehran and Winnipeg, the lives of several characters intertwine in unexpected ways.2025 Berlinale Grand Jury Prize winner The Blue Trail sees a remarkable woman try to evade a dystopian fate via a grand Amazonian quest. Ahead of Sydney Film Festival screenings, Jason sits down with Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro.Presenter, Jason Di RossoProducer, Sarah CorbettSound engineer, Ross RichardsonExecutive producer, Rhiannon Brown