Filmmaker Mixer

What does it really take to get an independent film distributed? In this episode of the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast, Richard Wolff of Breaking Glass Pictures shares how distributors evaluate films, the biggest mistakes filmmakers make, and what today's marketplace actually looks like.
We also discuss festivals, streaming platforms, AI, marketing, financing, and where independent film distribution is headed next. Whether you're producing your first feature or preparing your next festival submission, you'll come away with practical advice that can help your film reach its audience.

We’re welcoming Susie Carter back to the Filmmaker Mixer, along with producer Rick Mountcastle, to talk about No Country for Old People and the extraordinary response to the documentary—including its role in inspiring the first-ever national walk for reform on September 27.This is a conversation about storytelling, filmmaking, and the power of a story to create real-world action.

Award-winning director and writer Tessa Blake joins Filmmaker Mixer to discuss her feature directorial and writing debut, If I Tell You, starring Academy Award-nominated Carol Kane. Based on Lisa O’Donnell’s novel Closed Doors, the film explores trauma, family, community, and a 12-year-old boy’s changing understanding of the world.Tessa takes us behind the filmmaking decisions—from shooting in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota to adapting the novel. Filmmakers will learn how she translated years of television experience into feature filmmaking and approached the unique challenges of directing her first feature.

Writer-director Ryan Moore, producer Ben Whalen and actress Grace Kaufman join the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast to discuss INFLUENCE, Freestyle Digital Media's psychological horror starring Kaufman and Cheyenne Perez (The Pitt). The film follows a struggling filmmaker whose obsession with an influencer turns into a terrifying hostage situation.
The filmmakers take us inside the creative and practical decisions behind INFLUENCE—from developing a psychologically complex protagonist and directing tension in a contained setting to casting, working with actors, and building toward the film's bloody climax. Filmmakers will get an inside look at the challenges of making an independent psychological thriller and turning limitations into creative choices.
Watch more filmmaker conversations on the Filmmaker Mixer Podcast.

Writer, director, producer, and editor Houston Bone joins Filmmaker Mixer to discuss Son of Sara: Volume 1, a disturbing body-horror film about a pregnant woman whose strange urges and visions lead her into a bloody dinner-party nightmare. Bone discusses the creative choices behind the film, working with actors, building tension, practical horror, and finding the right balance between showing and suggesting.