The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Director Bassam Tariq discusses his new film, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, with fellow Director Walter Thompson-Hernandez in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses drawing on his own experiences as a father in crisis, shooting the film and its large fight sequences within a 30 day schedule, and how a previous project he was tied to with Actor Mahershala Ali led to the materialization of this project. The film tells the story of Latif, a devoutly religious hitman, who embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children after his wife dies. As he confronts forces closing in on him, he finds his beliefs threatening to unravel. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/events/2026/nov2026/yourmother_qna_1026

Director Cristian Mungiu discusses his new film, Fjord, with fellow Director Ira Sachs in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses drawing inspiration for the plot from real-world events, casting Actors Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan, and deliberately not seeking to take a side in the narrative. Screened as part of the DGA’s Global Cinema Series, the film tells the story of the Gheorghiu family, who have recently relocated to Norway from Romania. Still adjusting to their new home, their life soon unravels when their young daughter shows up to school one day covered in bruises. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/events/2026/nov2026/gcs_fjord_1026

Director Lance Oppenheim discusses his new film, Primetime, with fellow Director Molly Gordon in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses how he slowly enticed Actor Robert Pattinson to get involved and play the lead role, how he studied past episodes of To Catch a Predator to capture the surreal horror in the show’s set for his own production design, and how he gained insight into Hansen’s person through numerous tv appearances and his Cameo recordings. Inspired by true events, the film dramatizes the production of “Dateline NBC’s To Catch a Predator” and follows its host, journalist Chris Hansen, as his quest for continued ratings success and making television history straddles the line between righteous and ethical. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/events/2026/nov2026/primetime_qna_1026

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu discusses his new film, Digger, with fellow Director Denis Villeneuve in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses using theater as a meta layer to reflect the truth of reality in another light, utilizing miniatures and old theater tricks in his production design, and working with Actor Tom Cruise to capture the bravado he was aiming for in the title character. The film tells the story of Digger Rockwell, a rich oil tycoon and the most powerful man in the world. After his company’s drilling in Greenland dislodges a giant ice shelf, he embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the catastrophic tsunami he caused hits Europe. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/events/2026/nov2026/digger_qna_0926

Director Don Scardino discusses his new film, A Break in the Rain, with fellow Director Laura Belsey in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses working with Actor Elizabeth Davis when writing the songs of the film, casting Actor Michael O’Keefe in the leading role, and recording the score of the movie himself with a guitar. The film tells the story of Jake, a widower who returns home when his son passes from cancer. Intending to help support his daughter-in-law, he takes a job driving for a limo service and meets a country singer who ultimately changes his life during a musical road trip. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/events/2026/nov2026/abreakintherain_qna_0926