Faux Reel Podcast

A visually stunning narrative documentary, NAKED GARDENS immerses audiences in the complex, unseen world of a family nudist resort in the Florida Everglades. Filmed over one season at this lush tropical campsite, the …

Wildcat follows the emotional and inspiring story of a young veteran on his journey into the Amazon. Once there, he meets a young woman running a …

RANGER is a story about rite of passage.  Set within Kenya’s Maasai homeland, an intimate and contemporary story of self-discovery unfolds, as 12 …

Emelie Mahdavian's sweeping documentary BITTERBRUSH follows Hollyn Patterson and Colie Moline, range riders who are spending their last summer …

At the heart of THE HOLLY is Terrance Roberts, an ex-member of the Bloods, who had since raised funds to open a youth center in his neighborhood, The …

When a young woman turns to the camera for refuge, she ends up with a firsthand account of what will become the deadliest man-made epidemic in United States history. Filmed over thirty years, ANONYMOUS SISTER is …

After the inconclusive death of his young niece, filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to his rural Michigan hometown, preparing to make a film about a broken criminal justice system. Instead, he pivots to excavate the …

SPIRIT OF THE PEAKS is a film about the struggle for balance between two worlds. For Hunkpapa Lakota skier Connor Ryan, skiing in Ute Territory has always raised questions about being in reciprocity with the land and …

Multi-hyphenate, multidisciplinary artist Saul Williams brings his unique dynamism to this Afrofuturist vision, a sci-fi punk musical that’s a …

MAXIMA follows Peruvian indigenous farmer Máxima Acuña in her fight to protect her land as she stands up to the largest gold producer in the world: …

GIRL PICTURE is a coming-of-age film from Finland that focuses on three young women over the course of three weekends. The girls are questioning their sexuality, and for one girl her lack of sexuality, navigating their …

A coming-of-golden-age film about Florida's most dedicated dance team for women over 60 - The Calendar Girls. A film that is shaking up the outdated …

Rita Baghdadi's documentary SIRENS premiered today, on her birthday, at the Sundance Film Festival! What a way to celebrate a birthday! The film …

An intimate portrait of mothers and daughters and the effects of trauma, JACINTA follows a young woman in and out of prison as she attempts to break …

On this episode Dawn sits down with Colombian-American filmmaker Emily Cohen Ibañez for her documentary FRUITS OF LABOR. They discuss trickle down …

On this episode Dawn talks with documentary filmmaker Brooke Swaney for her newest film DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD. The film follows adoptee Kendra as …

On this episode Dawn chats with Director Adam Nawrot and Producer Sonia Szczesna for their debut feature doc GODSPEED, LOS POLACOS! They talk about their sense of adventure that matches the subjects of their film, some …

On this episode, Dawn has a powerful conversation with filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein and film protagonist Claude Motely about gun violence in their …

On this episode, Dawn talks with filmmaking partners Willow O'Feral and Brad Heck for their documentary Sisters Rising. The film is an intimate …

On this episode, Dawn talks with filmmaker Mariem Pérez Riera about her new documentary RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT. It's an inspiring story of the first Latina EGOT winner, and the struggles she …

On this episode Dawn connects with filmmaker Wes Hurley for his autobiographical narrative POTATO DREAMS OF AMERICA. Hurley is a Seattle-based, Soviet Union-born LGBTQ filmmaker. POTATO is based on his upbringing in the …

On this episode Dawn chats with fellow Midwesterner Tasha Van Zandt about her debut feature AFTER ANTARCTICA. The film focuses on Minnesota-based explorer Will Steger via archival footage from his historic International …

We have all seen sex trafficking popping up in the news at alarming rates recently, making many of us realize that it is not just happening overseas, but in our own backyards. THE ZEN SPEAKER: BREAKING THE SILENCE is a …

WILD INDIAN is the feature directorial debut from Native filmmaker Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr, which had its premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Corbine Jr. is one of Variety's 10 Directors to Watch. On this …

A therapeutic film...with lots of blood. VIOLATION is a horror film built from trauma, about a woman trying to reconnect with her sister while dealing with relationship problems, and then a life-altering experience with …

Dawn and Edson Jean dive deep into personal experiences and family histories in this episode. They talk about the immigrant experience, the importance of finding your community, financial literacy of lower and middle …

Recorded just before their Sundance premiere screening in the Midnight section, on this episode Dawn chats with Swedish filmmaker Frida Kempff and KNOCKING star Cecilia Milocco. KNOCKING is thriller about a woman who is …

On this episode Dawn interviews filmmaker Angela Washko after the world premiere of her documentary WORKHORSE QUEEN at the Slamdance Film Festival. …

On this episode Dawn talks with filmmakers Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley for their Sundance hit STRAWBERRY MANSION - a wildly imaginative film …

This week Dawn talks with young visionary Carlson Young with her feature film debut THE BLAZING WORLD after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. They discuss fantasy history and inspiration, their dream worlds, …

Happy Valentine's day everyone! I thought this was the perfect episode to celebrate this holiday. This episode features Swedish filmmaker Ninja …

Welcome to Season 2!! Kicking off this season with an interview with the talented NYU alum Erin Vassilopoulos for her debut feature film, SUPERIOR. …

Dawn shares one of her favorite Q&As she hosted from the Freeland Film Fest! CURRENT SEA is a documentary directed by Christopher Smith and stars journalist Matt Blomberg. Christopher and Matt are covering a wild …

In this episode Dawn interviews fellow Utah filmmaker Robert Machoian for his newest film THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS. They talk about their academic backgrounds, local art scenes and the influence of place and home in …

In this episode, Dawn interviews Native filmmaker and writer Sterlin Harjo for his newest documentary feature, LOVE AND FURY. They discuss the traditions of family storytelling, and the importance of modern Native …

On this episode of Faux Reel we travel back to the Sundance Film Festival where Dawn sat down with MUCHO MUCHO AMOR co-Director Kareem Tabsch. They talk about the influence of Walter Mercado on the Latinx and Latinx gay …

In our fourth episode, I interview Berlin-based documentary filmmaker Elke Lehrenkrauss for her first feature, LOVEMOBIL. Her film tells the stories of sex workers living and working in RVs in rural Germany. We discuss …

In this episode I sat down with Rodrigo Ruiz Patterson, director of SUMMER WHITE. We discussed the authenticity of an autobiographical narrative, the challenge of  casting a child actor and non-professional actors in a …

In this episode we go down the AI rabbit hole with CODED BIAS director Shalini Kantayya. We dig into the pernicious creep of AI, the power of its …

On the first episode of Faux Reel, Dawn sits down with Alana Carithers and Mel Eslyn co-producers of HORSE GIRL. They discuss making independent films with various approaches to improvisation, aliens, time travel, …