Ep. 55 - Stephen Suettinger on A Year and Change, Waiting and James Cameron

Stephen Suettinger directs and writes projects which address complicated themes, such as substance use, depression and unrequited love. His unique portrayals have a tendency to delve deeper into their most intimate desires, which occasionally blur the line between fiction and reality and makes for interesting storytelling. Following his debut short film, Writing Wrongs, the Maryland native attended the film MFA program at USC and cut his teeth in experiences surrounding the world of film on projects like Contact, Avatar and Beowulf. At USC, Steve directed his next short, Wentworth, which PBS picked up as part of its Imagemakers series. The film explored idealism and longing among two contemplative lovers, who are already in a state of love and comfort. He directed his first feature, A Year and Change, which was released in 2014 and starred an ensemble cast including Bryan Greenberg, T.R. Knight, Jamie Chung and Jamie Hector and was shot in his home state. In 2020, he directed the period short film, Waiting, which surveyed the patience of love in the wake of the Pandemic. In the midst of several more corporate endeavors, Steve describes the latest projects he is currently developing in our conversation, as well as his early-film experiences, the generation of Maryland filmmakers he is indefinitely part of, and working with some excellent actors and directors.

Opening Credits: Jangwa - two beats I CC BY 4.0; Anitek - SuperNatural I CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Closing Credits: human gazpacho - pigeons at my window I CC BY-NC 4.0