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
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 71 minutes
- Episodes
- 621
- Years Active
- 2016 - 2025
Selling Indie Films with 1091’s Sana Soni!
This week Alrik and Liz sit down with 1091 Senior Sales Manager Sana Soni who talks to us about the task of selling movies to Advertising-Based Video on Demand or AVOD companies and how the changing …
Quitting Your First Feature and Making Your Second Come True w/Anthony Scott Burns!
This week Liz and Alrik chat with writer/director Anthony Scott Burns to talk about making his second feature, Come True, which was released by IFC Midnight on March 12th! Anthony talks about how/why…
From One Tree Hill to Everyone is Doing Great w/Stephen Colletti and James Lafferty!
This week we have filmmakers and actors Stephen Colletti and James Lafferty from the Hulu Series Everyone is Doing Great to talk about from meeting together as actors on One Tree Hill and how they ra…
What an Indie Film Sales and Finance Agent Actually Does with Verve’s Ross Putman!
What does an indie film finance agent actually do? This week Liz and Alrik sit down with Ross Putman, Fiance and Sales Executive at Verve Talent and Literary Agency to talk about his switch from prod…
Producing with The Midas Touch w/ Sev Ohanian!
On our big 300th episode, Liz and Alrik are very excited to welcome Sev Ohanian to the show - producer of films such as Fruitvale Station, Searching, Run, Judas and the Black Messiah and the upcomin…
The Climb From Assistant to Producer to Director of a Christmas Film for Lifetime w/ Camille Brown!
This week on the show Liz and Alrik talk to writer/producer/director Camille Brown about how she did just about everything you could do to go from being an assistant, to a producer and to directing h…
Directing Nic Cage in Animatronic Horror Insanity w/Kevin Lewis!
This week Liz and Alrik invite director Kevin Lewis on the show to talk about directing his latest feature Willy’s Wonderland, starring the legendary Nicolas Cage fighting a fun house filled of demon…
From DIY Filmmaking to Directing Mel Gibson and Walton Goggins in Fatman w/ Ian and Eshom Nelms!
This week Liz and Alrik have an EPIC conversation with writer/directing duo Ian and Eshom Nelms about their rise from shooting their first feature for $1500 all the way to writing and directing Fatma…
Life Before, During and After The Love Witch with Writer/Director Anna Biller!
This week Liz and Alrik welcome Writer/Director Anna Biller on the show to talk about making and releasing her feature The Love Witch and what her life has been like since the release of the film. An…
From Educator to Producer with Avril Speaks!
This week Liz and Alrik welcome producer/director Avril Speaks on the show to talk about her road from filmmaker to educator and back to filmmaking again! Avril talks about how she landed the job pro…
Talking with the Multi-Faceted Filmmaker/Programmer/Exec Director of FilmNorth Andrew Peterson!
This week Liz and Alrik welcome producer, director, writer, programmer for Provincetown International Film Festival and Executive Director of FilmNorth, Andrew Peterson to the show! Andrew talks to u…
Forging a Filmmaking Career After Raising a Family w/ SJ Chiro!
This week Liz and Alrik connect with Writer/Director SJ Chiro to talk about her filmmaking career and how after turning down her acceptance in USC in the early 90s, came back to film 20 years later a…
Shooting Red Snow in the Snow w/Sean Lynch and Gavin Murray!
Happy New Year! This week Liz and Alrik welcome back previous guests Sean Lynch and Gavin Murray to talk about their new film Red Snow which they shot along with Alrik as producer back in February of…
Amber Sealey: Filmmaking Life Through the Pandemic and Directing No Man of God!
This week on MMIH Liz and Alrik sit down with writer/director Amber Sealey to talk about her life as a director, how she's been surviving through the pandemic and directing her latest film, No Man of…
Shooting Red Stone During the Pandemic w/ Derek Presley and Jason Starne!
This week Alrik and Liz talk with writer director Derek Presley and producer Jason Starne about the making of their latest feature film Red Stone, starring Neal McDonough during the global pandemic b…
Living Off Your Films, Firing 1.21 Gigawatts of Love into Project 88 and Finding The Last Blockbuster with Filmmaker Taylor Morden!
This week Liz and Alrik welcome long time listener and documentary filmmaker Taylor Morden on the show to talk about his latest film The Last Blockbuster which is dropping on VOD and digital on Tuesd…
Going All In On Your Film and Directing A-List Actors w/ April Mullen!
On this week's episode Liz and Alrik chat with Director April Mullen about directing her latest film Wander starring Tommy Lee Jones and Aaron Eckhart! April talks about how she pulled the project to…
Building a Consistent Directing Career at a Young Age with Scare Package’s Emily Hagins!
This week Liz and Alrik welcome writer/director and filmmaking Wunderkin, Emily Hagins on the show to talk about directing the segment ‘Cold Open’ for the new horror anthology Scare Package which is …
Taking the Time to Make Your First Feature Right w/ Aleem Hossain!
This week Liz and Alrik talk with indie filmmaker Aleem Hossain about the process of making his first feature film, After We Leave, which he shot across over eight years and made it on a budget under…
Film Development and Working in the Pandemic with EP from EA!
This week we have a very exciting episode featuring development executive and Senior Vice President of Film/TV at EA. Our special guest joins Liz and Alrik to talk about what her job entails, what sh…