Ep 157: Edinburgh Festivals Special: film, theatre and more with Janis Pugh and Tilda Cobham-Hervey

08/18/23 • 27 min

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

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Ep 156: Talking Asian representation, comedy and sex with the writers of Joy Ride

In this episode of Girls On Film, Anna Smith is joined by the writers of the brilliant comedy Joy Ride; Teresa Hsiao and Cherry Chevapravatdumrong. Joy Ride stars Ashley Park as Audrey, an American-Asian lawyer on a work trip to China. She ends up on a crazy and emotional adventure with three friends, played by Sherry Cola, Sabrina Wu and Stephanie Hsu. The film is directed by Crazy Rich Asians writer Adele Lim. Teresa and Cherry speak to Anna about their dynamic writing together and creating female characters who are allowed to be raunchy and express themselves in a way not typically shown in comedy films. They also talk about Asian representation on screen, and what it’s like to write characters that relate to an underrepresented group. This interview was recorded before the actors joined the writers on strike, and is in partnership with Lionsgate. Joy Ride opens in UK cinemas on 4th August 2023. Vote for us in the Listeners' Choice Award here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting 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 Audio Producer: Emma Butt Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy House band: MX Tyrants This episode is in partnership with Lionsgate.

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Ep 158: Women And Leadership At Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival 2023

Is the film industry still a man’s world, or are women now leading the way? How will AI affect films? These are just some of the questions addressed by a panel of four leading women working in film, who joined Anna Smith at this year’s Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival (EMIFF). They also talked about the creative and business side of the industry, and their work-life balance. The 12th edition of EMIFF was produced with her usual flair and creativity by festival director Sandra Seeling, who invited Girls On Film back for another panel featuring four high profile panellists, to join Anna Smith on stage at the Sala Rivoli in Palma on 21 October 2023. In this recording of that event, listen to our guests talk about how they got started in the industry, the importance of mentorship, and how to lead well. Anna is joined, first off, by Nurhan Sekerci-Porst, Germany-based producer of films including In The Fade and Rheingold. From the USA, she welcomes Nicol Paone, the writer, director and producer whose film The Kill Room, which stars Uma Thurman and Samuel L Jackson, played at the festival. She is joined by her fiancé Nicole Weis, Head Of Theatrical Distribution at IFC Films. And finally she is joined by Rosie Fellner, actress, producer and owner of Rosebud Productions. This international panel gave some riveting insight into working in the industry. The conversation takes some surprising turns and is inspiring and funny. Films mentioned in this episode: In The Fade, dir Fatih Akin, prod Nurhan Şekerci Porst Rheingold, Fatih Akin, prod Nurhan Şekerci Porst Friendsgiving, dir Nicol Paone The Kill Room, dir Nicol Paone Everything Everywhere All At Once, dir Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert The Disappearance of Shere Hite, dir Nicole Newnham The Uninvited, Dir Nadia Conners F For Fake, dir Orson Welles Ladybird, dir Greta Barbie, dir Greta Gerwig Past Lives, dir Celine Song TV series mentioned in this episode: Funny Or Die Plays mentioned in this episode: Hamlet, William Shakespeare Find out more about Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival here: https://www.evolutionfilmfestival.com/ 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 Audio Editing: Nic Wassell Intern: Charlotte Matheson This episode is in partnership with Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival.