Girls On Film

With us this episode are filmmaker Janis Pugh & actor, director & writer Tilda Cobham-Hervey - just two of the brilliant women showcased at the Edinburgh Festivals 2023. Anna Smith also gives top tips of other female-led highlights of the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh International Book Festival, and - of course - Edinburgh International Film Festival. Our first guest is Janis Pugh, writer/director of Chuck Chuck Baby which will receive its World Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival on 20th August. The feature is a musical comedy drama that celebrates female working class friendship and love in Wales. Helen, played by Louise Brealey (Sherlock, Smack the Pony) is stuck packing chickens by night and by day cares for a dying mother figure. Her life takes an unexpected turn with the return of Joanne, played by Annabel Scholey (Being Human, Walking on Sunshine). Janis Pugh joins Anna for a lively chat about her personal experiences of working in a chicken factory in Wales, and talks about the camaraderie she saw that inspired the film. She also explains why love is at the heart of the film, and talks about the fragile male character of Gary, played by Celyn Jones. We also chat with actor, director & writer Tilda Cobham-Hervey who, as well as working in film and TV, also works in live art and is bringing her intimate audio adventure Two Strangers Walk Into A Bar... to the Fringe. Tilda chats about her journey to making the production, and her love of immersive live experience, as well as the effects that the piece has on the two-strong audience. Anna Smith will be sharing her reaction to the piece as she updates live from the festivals, so stay tuned on the socials below. Find out more about Edinburgh Festivals and book tickets at www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/ Chuck Chuck Baby will have its World Premiere on 20th August, follow Girls On Film for info on its wider release https://www.eif.co.uk/events/eiff-chuck-chuck-baby Two Strangers Walk Into A Bar... is playing at House of Oz from 4th to 27th August https://www.houseofoz.co.uk/2023/two-strangers Anoushka Shankar will be appearing in Edinburgh International Festival on 27th August https://www.eif.co.uk/events/anoushka-shankar Festival highlights: Edinburgh International Film Festival - details at www.eif.co.uk/edinburgh-international-film-festival Your Fat Friend, Jeanie Finlay Past Lives, Celine Song Showing Up, Kelly Reichardt Scrapper, Charlotte Regan Is There Anybody Out There?, Ella Glendinining The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Hope Dickson Leach Edinburgh International Book Festival - at www.edbookfest.co.uk What I Run Towards Will Strengthen Me, Sarah Polley Edinburgh Festival Fringe - all at https://tickets.edfringe.com/ Work in Progress, Rose Matafeo Composition, Leila Navabi Dugzi Dayz, Sabrina Ali Unforgettable Girl, Elisabeth Gunawan MEAT, Elle Dillon-Reams Other films mentioned in this episode include: House, Janis Pugh 52 Tuesdays, Sophie Hyde, 2013 Other TV mentioned in this episode include: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Glendyn Ivin, 2023 Other theatre mentioned in this episode includes: Funeral, Ontroerend Goed (tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/funeral) Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX...L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Host: Anna Smith Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold Producer: Lydia Scott Audio Producer: Emma Butt Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy House band: MX Tyrants This episode is in partnership with Festivals Edinburgh

In this episode of Girls On Film, Anna Smith highlights some feminist favourites from Sundance London Film Festival. She catches up with director Shuchi Talati, whose debut feature Girls Will Be Girls follows headgirl Mira (Preeti Panigrahi) as she strives to get As in the classroom and the bedroom, and struggles with a third-wheeling mother (Kani Kusruti). Anna is joined by Shuchi as well as lead actress Preeti Panigrahi as they reflect on women’s filmmaking in India, reveal how they tackled intimacy on set together, and share Shuchi’s initiative Undercurrent, a scheme to train women to work in the lighting department on film sets in India. Next up, Anna hears from the singer turned actress Maisy Stella, who stars opposite Aubrey Plaza in Megan Park’s My Old Ass. The pair chat about what attracted Maisy to the role of 18 year old Elliott, who meets her 39 year old self while tripping on magic mushrooms and has to deal with the consequences of knowing how her teenage decisions will impact her later life. Maisy recalls the refreshing nature of Park’s script, which portrays a queer lead without feeling tokenistic or trite. Finally, Anna chats to Vicky Krieps about starring in Viggo Mortensen’s new feminist western, The Dead Don’t Hurt. She talks with Anna about ‘becoming your own department’ when your co-star is also the director, and Viggo speaks about the inspiration behind the character of Vivienne. Vicky also dispels some of the myths of progress in the film industry, while acknowledging the importance of portraying women like Vivienne in The Dead Don’t Hurt in order to move towards a more feminist cinema, but also a more feminist film set. The Dead Don’t Hurt is in UK and Irish cinemas now. Girls Will Be Girls will be in UK and Irish cinemas on 20 September 2024. Follow Girls On Film on social media to see release updates for My Old Ass. Other films mentioned: Flowervale Street (David Robert Mitchell) The Fallout (Megan Park) Corsage (Marie Kreutzer) Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson) The Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson) Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg) Falling (Viggo Mortensen) Find out more about Undercurrent below: https://www.undercurrentfilmlab.com/ Sign up to the Girls On Film newsletter below: http://eepurl.com/iEKaM-/ or email [email protected] to be signed up Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX...L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Host: Anna Smith Executive Producer: Hedda Lornie Archbold Producer: Charlotte Matheson Intern: Jade Evans Audio editor: Jack Howard House band: MX Tyrants © HLA Agency

As we post this episode, we’re coming up to the third annual Girls On Film Awards 2024. They take place on Tuesday 20 February 2024 at Regent Street Cinema in London. We’ll celebrate the brilliant work made by women in film and will be joined by nominees, industry supporters and listeners. We give awards in 12 categories, and the undisputed climax of the night will be the award for the category 'Female Orgasm on Screen, sponsored by Intimacy On Set' for the second year running. In this episode, Intimacy On Set founder Ita O’Brien talks with Hedda Lornie Archbold, Girls On Film co-founder, about the four nominated films in this category: Fair Play, Joy Ride, Poor Things and Saltburn, as well as about some of the other notable films of the past year. Ita O'Brien is an Intimacy Coordinator and Movement Director for film, television, and theatre. Since 2014, she has been developing best practice when working with intimacy, scenes with sexual content, and nudity in film, TV, and theatre. Ita pioneered the role of Intimacy Coordinator, which is being adopted in leading production houses, including HBO, Netflix, and the BBC. Ita founded Intimacy on Set to provide trained, professional Intimacy Coordinators to the industry. Also in this episode, Anna Smith recommends some great films by women filmmakers in the run up to International Women’s Day 2024. Films mentioned in this episode: Men Up Saltburn Poor Things Fair Play Joy Ride How To Have Sex Barbie Oppenheimer Memory Four Daughters Copa 71 Origin Operas mentioned in this episode: Anthony and Cleopatra Television series mentioned in this episode: Bridgerton Brave New World Men Up is on BBC iPlayer Fair Play is on Netflix Joy Ride is streaming platforms including Apple TV. Saltburn is on Prime Video Poor Things is on streaming platforms including Prime Video and Apple TV from 27 February 2024. Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX...L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Host: Anna Smith Producer: Hedda Lornie Archbold Audio editor: Emma Butt House band: MX Tyrants This episode is in partnership with Intimacy On Set © HLA Agency

Today’s episode of Girls On Film is about the winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, How to Have Sex. Anna Smith is joined by Molly Manning Walker, who wrote and directed How to Have Sex, and Mia McKenna-Bruce, whose performance as Tara earned her the BIFA for Best Lead Performance and Best Actress at the European Film Awards. The film shows Tara and her two best friends from school, Skye (Lara Peake) and Em (Enva Lewis), celebrating the end of their GCSE exams on a girls trip to Malia. In a flurry of neon mini dresses, fish bowl cocktails and an intriguing group of eighteen-year-olds in the same holiday complex, the girls navigate the worlds of sex, consent and self-discovery. How to Have Sex has been hailed by viewers as a vibrant and authentic depiction of the agonies, and ecstasies of girlhood, and in this episode Mia and Molly talk about the filming process, as well as the film’s impact on viewers, from critics at Cannes to teenagers in the classroom. Molly talks about the importance of building meaningful backstories for all her characters, and creating a ‘360 degree’ set to give her cast an authentic background to work against. The pair recall the excitement of working on a project like this, where club nights and football matches were a common fixture among cast and crew. They also speak to Anna about the ‘bittersweet’ response to the film, citing how it has sparked meaningful conversations about sex and consent, but also how it is exposing just how many people have been affected by the issues that How to Have Sex explores. How to Have Sex will be streaming exclusively on MUBI from 29 December 2023 and Girls On Film listeners can watch it with 30 days free at mubi.com/girlsonfilm Other series mentioned in this episode: I May Destroy You (Michaela Coel, 2020) Sex Education (Laurie Nunn, 2019) Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX...L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Host: Anna Smith Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold Producer: Charlotte Matheson Audio editor: Jack Howard House band: MX Tyrants This episode is in partnership with MUBI, a global streaming service and distributor where you can find a handpicked selection of world cinema. © HLA Agency

Luxor stars Andrea Riseborough as a British aid worker navigating the Egyptian city as she meets her ex-boyfriend and struggles from recent traumas. Writer-director Zeina Durra (The Imperialists Are Still Alive!) and our first ever cinematographer guest Zelmira Gainza chat to Anna about their film. The friends talk Anna through their careers so far, from their Fame-like experiences at NYU, to the challenges they’ve faced as women in executive roles on film sets. Turning to Luxor, Zeina reveals what it was like to work with actor Andrea Riseborough, and Zelmira gives a fascinating insight into her role as DOP. Delving further into Luxor, Anna and critic Leslie Felperin celebrate how the film creates a sense of place and pulls us in with its mysteries, brilliant performances and playfulness. They then move on to two more new releases. First they discuss the jazzy upcoming family animation Soul and praise Disney-Pixar’s original and earnest storytelling. Finally, they look at the inspiring new documentary I Am Belmaya. What they’ve been watching: Zeina: Mangrove, The Queen’s Gambit, The Crown Zelmira: Chaos, Star Wars Leslie: The Crown, The Undoing, Brave New World, The Nest (2020) Anna: The Third Day Other mentions: Fame, The Princess and the Frog (2009), Joanna Hogg’s films, Inside Out Become a patron of Girls on Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXvkgGofjDzj5mCFL89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Executive producer: Hedda Archbold. Producer: Jane Long. Principal Partner: Peter Brewer. Assistant Producer and Social Media Manager: Heather Dempsey. Intern: Elliana Jay.