Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie Filmmaking
Liz Manashil and Alrik Bursell discuss independent filmmaking, everything from writing, producing and directing to working as crew. But this is not just a podcast about "making it," it's also about struggling with rejection, self-doubt and everything else that comes with pursuing a career in film. Follow along as we forge our own way through the industry and talk to guests who are also making it happen. Episodes 238-299 are available at our patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Episodes
August 1, 2025 • 46 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 439 from August 2023 featuring filmmaker Jeff Ryan who talks about making his feature Mean Spirited, he thought this was a good match for our episode from Monday because Liz thought this was a good match because both of their movies have Spirit in the title. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!
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This week we welcome writer/director Christopher Yates and producer Sabrina Zahir on the show to talk about the making of American Spirit which premiered at the Austin Film Festival last fall. Our producer extraordinaire Eric Toms conducted this interview from the Omni Hotel in Austin so it’s sure to be a good one. After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
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July 24, 2025 • 46 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 468 from March 2024 featuring writer and director Adam Cooper who talks about making his first feature starring Russell Crowe after a career writing studio features. I thought it would be fun to pair it with James and Sebastian from Monday because James also started his career writing studio features before becoming a director. After that we play another...
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July 21, 2025 • 73 mins
This week we welcome Writer, director James DeMonaco and Producer Sebastien Lemercier on the show to talk about making their latest feature The Home starring Pete Davidson and they also talk about how they connected as a team and how they brought The Purge into existence. After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
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July 17, 2025 • 47 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 413 from February 2023 with filmmaker Ryan Spindell who talks about making his first feature which was an anthology, horror film that he made with the help of the success of one of the shorts that make up the feature. We felt that Ryan was a good match for Rick because they both used a short to fundraise their features in different ways. After that we pl...
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July 14, 2025 • 66 mins
This week we welcome long-time producer Rick Bosner back on the show to talk about directing his first feature Devoted, which is currently in post production After that we play another round of THE GAME and Liz is back, hooray!!!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmakin...
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July 11, 2025 • 57 mins
On this throwback episode, we revisit the interview with writer and director Thom Harp where he talks about making his move to LA, getting reps, making connections and then after many many years, making his two first features back to back during the pandemic with a focus on The Donor Party starring Malin Ackerman --- After that we play another round of You’re the Expert, enjoy!
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July 8, 2025 • 58 mins
This week we welcome director Kim Noonan on the show to talk about making his latest feature film Are You There?, how he got attached to the project and how Kim ended up having two features come out the same year! After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-ha...
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July 4, 2025 • 49 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 470 from April 2024 with Ren: The Girl with The Mark Co Creators/Directors/Writers, Kate Madison and Christopher Dane and current showrunner DP and Writer Neil Oseman. I thought these guys were a perfect match for our interview with Sarha Jefferson Carter and Justin Carter because they both made a fantasy series on a similar budget. After that we play a...
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June 30, 2025 • 63 mins
This week we welcome Writer, director and star and producer/star couple Nina Conti and Shenoah Allen on the show to talk about making their first fiction feature, Sunlight which they made together based on a live show they did on stage together. After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
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June 26, 2025 • 50 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 424 from May 2023 with writer and director Emily Abt who talks about getting into Sundance with her first feature and making her second feature Thirsty, which is not streaming on all platforms! I thought this was a great time to re-release the episode now that the movie is out and ready to be shared with the world! After that we play another round of You...
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June 23, 2025 • 73 mins
This week we welcome Sarah Jefferson Carter and Justin Carter on the show to talk about creating their indie fantasy sci-fi show Queendom Come, how they financed the show and how they made it the way they did. After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-...
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June 20, 2025 • 55 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 267 from June 2020 featuring writer director Kestrin Pantera! Alrik thought this was a good match for our episode with Hala Matar from Monday because Kestrin also talks about making her first feature. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!
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June 16, 2025 • 67 mins
This week we welcome writer director Hala (Hella) Matar on the show to talk about making her first feature film Electra in Italy. After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952
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June 12, 2025 • 57 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 443 from September 2023 featuring writer and director husband and wife team Abby Horton and Ryan Dickie talking about making their first feature together as a team. I thought it would be fun to pair it with Brian and David’s episode from Monday because they are also a married couple who came together to write and direct a feature as a team. After that we...
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June 9, 2025 • 73 mins
This week we welcome Writer and director power couple Brian Crano and David Joseph Craig on the show to talk about writing I Don’t Understand You, how they came up with the story, how they got it made and what it was like to write and direct the movie together . After that we play another round of THE GAME, enjoy!
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June 5, 2025 • 40 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 273 from July 2020 featuring writer and director Natalie Erika James. Alrik thought this was a good match for our episode with Julia Max from Monday because they both made supernatural horror films as their first features, both with substantial budgets. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!
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June 2, 2025 • 70 mins
This week we welcome Writer/Director Julia Max on the show to talk about how she made her first feature The Surrender on a high budget, how she found the money and her process for pulling the film together once she found the budget. After that we play another round of THE GAME and talk about what we are both up to, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
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May 30, 2025 • 54 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 493 from September 2024 featuring director and stuntman JJ Perry! I thought this was a good match for our episode with Kirsten Foe from Monday because JJ also started in stunts before moving onto directing, so I thought it would be fun to pair it with Kirsten's episode. After that we play another round of You’re the expert, enjoy!
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This week we welcome Writer, Director and Stunt Woman Kirsten Foe on the show to talk about how she got into stunts and how she was able to get her first feature financed by the late great Jim Irsay. This was recorded before his death so our condolences to his friends and family. After that we play another round of THE GAME and talk about what we are both up to, enjoy!
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