Past Present Feature is a film appreciation podcast hosted by Emmy-winning director Marcus Mizelle, showcasing today’s filmmakers, their latest release, and the past cinema that inspired them.
E76 (SEASON 3!) • The Stories Closest to Us Are the Hardest to Tell • DANIEL BLAKE SCHWARTZ, dir. of ‘Cotton Fever‘, Best Narrative Feature WINNER at Tribeca
Cotton Fever (2023) · Jun 16, 2026
E73 • Facing the Future Without Looking Away • CHARLIE TYRELL, co-dir. of ‘The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist’ Now in Theaters from Focus Features
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (2026) · Apr 3, 2026
E71 • Don’t Wait For Perfect Conditions • JEREMY WORKMAN, dir. of ‘Secret Mall Apartment’ now on Netflix
Secret Mall Apartment (2025) · Mar 17, 2026
E70 • Build It Small, Release It Smart • GILLE KLABIN, dir. of ‘Weekend at the End of the World’
Weekend at the End of the World (2025) · Mar 3, 2026
E69 • When the Story Becomes the Evidence • SHARON LIESE, dir. of ‘Seized’ at Sundance
Seized (2020) · Feb 17, 2026
E68 • Finding the Frame in a Shared Landscape • GABBY OSIO VANDEN & JACK WEISMAN, dirs. of 'Nuisance Bear' - Sundance Grand Jury Award WINNER
Nuisance Bear (2026) · Feb 10, 2026
E67 • Taking the Scary Road on Purpose • STEPHANIE AHN, dir. of 'Bedford Park' at Sundance, U.S. Dramatic Competition (Special Jury Award)
Bedford Park (2026) · Jan 27, 2026
E66 • Finding the Soul of Your Film • J.M. HARPER, dir. of ‘Soul Patrol’ at Sundance, U.S. Doc Competition (Best Director Winner)
Soul Patrol (2026) · Jan 20, 2026
E61 • Prioritizing Audience Experience, Enjoying the Process • MERCEDES BRYCE MORGAN, dir. of ‘Bone Lake’ now In Theaters from Bleecker Street, following Fantastic Fest
Bone Lake (2025) · Sep 30, 2025
E60 • From Stroke Survivor to Digital Age Storyteller • AUDUN AMUNDSEN, dir. of ‘Click the Link Below’ at Doc Edge
Help, I've Gone Viral! (2021) · Sep 2, 2025
E60 • From Stroke Survivor to Digital Age Storyteller • AUDUN AMUNDSEN, dir. of ‘Click the Link Below’ at Doc Edge
Click the Link Below (2025) · Sep 2, 2025
E56 • The More Specific, The More Universal • MADELEINE GAVIN, dir. of ‘Beyond Utopia’ now on Hulu following the Sundance Audience Award
Beyond Utopia (2023) · Jul 9, 2025
E55 • How to Build a Nightmare, and the Art of Letting Go • JULIA MAX, dir. of ‘The Surrender’ Now on AMC+ following SXSW
The Surrender (2025) · Jun 24, 2025
E54 • Genre Blending: Creating a Hilarious Horror • DAVID JOSEPH CRAIG & BRIAN CRANO, dirs. of ‘I Don’t Understand You’ Now in Theaters following SXSW
I Don't Understand You (2024) · Jun 3, 2025
E52 • Making a Feature Film Over 52 Years • VIBEKE LØKKEBERG, dir. of ‘The Long Road to the Director’s Chair’ at Berlinale
The Long Road to the Director's Chair (2025) · May 13, 2025
E51 • Making An AI Feature in 6 Days (On No Sleep) • YIWEN CAO, dir. of ‘What’s Next?’ at Berlinale
What's Next (2025) · May 6, 2025
E50 • Navigating the Film Ecosystem • PHIL COX, co-dir. of ‘Khartoum’ at Berlinale following Sundance
Khartoum (2025) · Apr 29, 2025
E49 • The Power of Real-Time Documentary • NAYIBE TAVARES-ABEL, dir. of ‘Colossal’ at Berlinale
Colossal (2017) · Apr 22, 2025
E48 • Adapting Literature, and Grief, to Film • DYLAN SOUTHERN, dir. of ‘The Thing With Feathers’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch at Berlinale + Sundance
The Thing with Feathers (2025) · Apr 15, 2025
E47 • Preparation, Meet Adaptability • SARAH MIRO FISCHER, dir. of ‘The Good Sister’ at Berlinale
The Good Sister (2025) · Apr 8, 2025
E46 • Navigating Death and Legacy as Themes • BEN HETHCOAT, dir. of ‘Coroner To The Stars’ - AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER at Slamdance
Coroner to the Stars (2025) · Apr 1, 2025
E44 • Make It, Move on, Make Another • GABY DELLAL, dir. of ‘Park Avenue’ at the Santa Barbara Film Festival
Park Avenue (2025) · Mar 18, 2025
E43 • Environmental Awareness Through Cinema • DANIEL & AUSTIN STRAUB, dir. of ‘Out of Plain Sight’ - AUDIENCE WINNER at the Santa Barbara Film Festival + Slamdance + DOC NYC
Out of Plain Sight (2024) · Mar 11, 2025
E42 • The Subtle Art of Portraiture • BRIAN CASSIDY & MELANIE SHATZKY, dirs. of ‘A Man Imagined’ at the Rotterdam Int. Film Festival
A Man Imagined (2024) · Mar 4, 2025
E41 • Embrace The Unforeseen • AARON ROOKUS, dir. of ‘Idyllic’ at the Rotterdam Int. Film Festival
Idyllic (2025) · Feb 25, 2025
E40 • Dreaming Your Sub-Concious Film Into Reality • GALA DEL SOL, dir. of ‘Rains Over Babel’ at Sundance + Rotterdam Film Festival
Rains Over Babel (2026) · Feb 18, 2025
E39 • The Burden and Privilege of Legacy • TAD NAKAMURA, dir. of ‘Third Act’ at the Sundance Film Festival
Third Act (2019) · Feb 11, 2025
E38 • Meta Absurdism Explored Through Docu-Fiction • PASQUAL GUTIERREZ & BEN MULLINKOSSON, dirs. of ‘Serious People’ at the Sundance Film Festival
Serious People (2025) · Jan 28, 2025
E37 • Finding Humanity in Diverse Perspectives • GIANLUCA MATARRESE, dir. of ‘GEN_’ at the Sundance Film Festival
GEN_ (2025) · Jan 14, 2025
E36 • Story First, Jokes Second • DELANEY BUFFETT, dir. of ‘Adult Best Friends’ - Golden Key Winner at KWFF following Tribeca
Adult Best Friends (2024) · Dec 31, 2024
E35 • Expand Your Horizon, Stand With the Misfits • WANNES DESTOOP, dir. of ‘Holy Rosita’ - BEST FILM Award at the Torino Film Festival
Holy Rosita (2024) · Dec 17, 2024
E34 • Directing Live-Action VFX: Story Comes First • JEFF FOWLER, dir. of ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 3’ from Paramount Pictures
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) · Dec 10, 2024
E33 • You Must Fight to Make Your Film • PIA MARAIS, dir. of ‘Transamazonia’ at the New York Film Festival, Chicago International, TIFF
Transamazonia (2025) · Dec 3, 2024
E32 • Inspiring Action Through Activist Filmmaking • BEN RUSSELL, co-dir. of ‘Direct Action’ at the New York Film Festival + Berlinale
Direct Action (2004) · Nov 26, 2024
E31 • The Serious Business of Effective Comedy • EGIL PEDERSEN, dir. of ‘My Father’s Daughter’ at TIFF + Reykjavik Int. Film Festival
My Father's Daughter (2002) · Nov 19, 2024
E30 • Creating Controversial Characters • ERIK POPPE, dir. of ‘Quisling - The Final Days’ at TIFF following the Norwegian Film Festival
Quisling: The Final Days (2024) · Nov 12, 2024
E29 • Shoot First, Ask Questions Later • AFOLABI OLALEKAN, dir. of ‘Freedom Way’ at the Toronto Int. Film Festival
Freedom Way (2025) · Nov 5, 2024
E28 • The Healing Power of Film • SUBHADRA MAHAJAN, dir. of ‘Second Chance’ at AFI following Busan + Karlovy Vary
Second Chance (1953) · Oct 29, 2024
E27 • Navigating Cultural Sensitivity Through Magical Realism • JASON JACOBS & DEVON DELMAR, dirs. of ‘Carissa’, Best Film Nom at the Venice Film Festival
Carissa (2025) · Oct 22, 2024
E25 • The Right Way Is Usually The Hard Way • VALERIO MASTANDREA, dir. of ‘Feeling Better’ at the Venice Int. Film Festival
Feeling Better (2025) · Oct 8, 2024
E23 • Documentary as Profound Poetry • PETER KEREKES, dir. of ‘Wishing On A Star’ at the Venice + Toronto Int. Film Festival
Wishing on a Star (2024) · Sep 24, 2024
E22 • Crafting Complex, Culturally Authentic Characters • DEEPAK RAUNIYAR, dir. of ‘Pooja, Sir’ at the Venice Int. Film Festival + Busan
Pooja, Sir (2025) · Sep 17, 2024
E21 • Taking The Off Ramp: From Gaffer to Director • NATHAN TAPE, dir. of ‘Off Ramp’ in Cinemas following Splat!FilmFest + New Orleans Film Festival
Off Ramp (2023) · Sep 12, 2024
E20 • Casting & Collaborating with A-List Talent • ELLIOTT LESTER, dir. of ‘The Thicket’ in Cinemas following the Deauville Film Festival
The Thicket (2024) · Sep 9, 2024
E19 • Directing Your Destiny • VINCENT GRASHAW, dir. of ‘Bang Bang’ at Deauville Film Festival + Locarno
Bang Bang (2025) · Sep 3, 2024
E17 • Sharing Work, Seizing Opportunities • FREDDY MACDONALD, dir. of ‘Sew Torn’ at the Locarno Film Festival following SXSW
Sew Torn (2025) · Aug 20, 2024
E16 • Challenging The System • BÁLINT SZIMLER, dir. of ‘Lesson Learned’ at the Locarno Film Festival
Lesson Learned · Aug 13, 2024
E15 • Writing Your Own Narrative • ELLIE FOUMBI , dir. of ‘Our Father the Devil’, Now on Criterion following the Venice Int. Film Festival
Our Father, the Devil (2023) · Aug 6, 2024
E14 • The Power of the Underdog • NIKHIL NAGESH BHAT , dir. of ‘Kill’, Now in Theaters following TIFF + Tribeca
Kill (2024) · Jul 30, 2024
E12 • The Importance of Not Knowing • PAOLO TIZÓN , dir. of ‘Night Has Come’, Special Jury Award + FIPRESCI Winner at KVIFF
Night Has Come (2025) · Jul 18, 2024
E11 • The Beauty of Change • IVANA GLORIA, dir. of ‘Chlorophyll’ at the Rome Film Fest + KVIFF
Chlorophyll (2023) · Jul 15, 2024
E10 • Sharpening a Film Into Success • NELICIA LOW, dir. of ‘Pierce’ - BEST DIRECTOR Winner at the Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival
Pierce (2024) · Jul 11, 2024
E9 • The Passage of Time • BRUNO ANKOVIĆ, dir. of ‘Celebration’ at the Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival
The Celebration (2023) · Jul 8, 2024
E8 • Keeping It Real • PAVEL G. VESNAKOV, dir. of 'Windless' at the Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival
Windless (2024) · Jul 2, 2024
E7 • Living The Dream • ANJA KREIS, dir. of 'The Alienated' at the Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival
The Alienated (2025) · Jun 25, 2024
E6 • Seek Your Truth • GEORGE SIKHARULIDZE, dir. of 'Panopticon' at the Karlovy Vary Int. Film Festival
Panopticon (2024) · Jun 18, 2024
E5 • Trust The Silence • JEAN-COSME DELALOYE, dir. of 'Desire: The Carl Craig Story' at the Tribeca Film Festival
Desire: The Carl Craig Story (2025) · Jun 11, 2024
E4 • Strength in Simplicity • CARLOS VARGAS, dir. of 'Hidden Era' at the Tribeca Film Festival
La Belle Noiseuse (1991) · Jun 4, 2024
E4 • Strength in Simplicity • CARLOS VARGAS, dir. of 'Hidden Era' at the Tribeca Film Festival
Hidden Era (2024) · Jun 4, 2024
E2 • The Power of Documentary • SANTIAGO MAZA, dir. of 'State of Silence' at Tribeca + Sheffield DocFest
State of Silence (2024) · May 21, 2024