SOUNDS OF FILM with Tom Needham

The latest episode of Sounds of Film features an in-depth conversation with acclaimed filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, discussing her powerful new documentary Mistress Dispeller. The film has been featured at the Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and the Port Jefferson Documentary Film Festival. Known for her intimate and visually arresting storytelling, Lo joins host Tom Needham to explore the making o...

On this episode of The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with director Maria Diane Ventura and Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia about Eraserheads: Combo on the Run, an intimate and revealing documentary that captures the story of one of the Philippines’ most influential bands. Together, they discuss the creative process behind the film, the emotional journey of revisiting the band’s history, and how music, storytelling, and v...

Director Nicholas Ma joins The Sounds of Film to discuss his debut feature Mabel, a thoughtful and visually rich coming-of-age story opening in New York at the Cinema Village on April 17.

Ma, known for producing the acclaimed documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, brings a deeply personal and intellectually curious perspective to his first narrative feature.

Mabel follows Callie, a biracial middle schooler who feels disconne...

On this edition of Classic Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham presents a rare and exclusive conversation with author and filmmaker Bart Sibrel, released here for the first time. In MOON MAN, Sibrel details his real-life espionage experiences investigating what he believes to be one of the most closely guarded secrets of the modern era. Central to his account is his discovery of privately recorded audio that he says raises serious que...

Tom Needham’s Classic Sounds of Film presents a rare and exclusive conversation with Dr. Steven Greer, offering listeners a compelling deep dive into one of the most provocative subjects in modern documentary filmmaking. Airing on WUSB, the episode explores the ideas, controversies, and intrigue surrounding extraterrestrial contact through an engaging and thought-provoking discussion.

This episode focuses on Greer’s documentary ...

On this episode of The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham welcomes author Wynton Hall, a Distinguished Fellow at Government Accountability Institute, to discuss his new book CODE RED: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI.

In CODE RED, Hall examines the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, exploring concerns about ideological influence in AI systems, the intensifying U.S.–China competition, and the ...

Director Cindy Meehl joins Sounds of Film to discuss her latest documentary Jimmy & The Demons, an intimate and visually rich portrait of celebrated artist James Grashow. Known for her deeply human storytelling style, Meehl brings audiences inside both the creative process and emotional world of her subject, capturing a once-in-a-lifetime artistic journey with honesty, warmth, and insight.

Jimmy & The Demons follows Grashow as h...

On the next episode of Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with director Hannah Berryman and trailblazing astronaut Eileen Collins about the powerful new documentary SPACEWOMAN.

SPACEWOMAN tells the remarkable true story of Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a spacecraft. From her working-class roots in Elmira, New York, to her groundbreaking career at NASA, the film traces a journey defined by perseverance, coura...

“The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” is a documentary about Mark Bittner, a homeless musician in San Francisco who forms a deep bond with a flock of wild parrots living on Telegraph Hill. The film explores his relationship with the birds, their unique behaviors, and his personal journey of self-discovery and connection to nature.

“Wild Parrots” was first screened in 16mm in festivals in 2003. Mark Bittner’s memoir, The Wild ...

On this Classic Sounds of Film, veteran actor and director Eric Stoltz joins host Tom Needham to revisit his long and varied career in film and television, including his work as a director and the making of his feature Class Rank. Stoltz reflects on the many roles that have defined his journey—from breakthrough performances in dramatic films to memorable appearances in genre favorites—offering listeners a broad look at his evolutio...

Filmmaker Kerry Mondragon is the featured guest on an upcoming episode of the Sounds of Film podcast, hosted by Tom Needham. Mondragon’s work is marked by a fearless blend of cultural insight and cinematic daring, and his latest film Wetiko tells the story of a young Maya man drawn into the shadowy currents of a New Age ecovillage deep in the Yucatán jungle. The film moves between languages and worlds, weaving psychological tension...

In memory of Rev. Jesse Jackson, who recently passed away, we are sharing this exclusive Sounds of Film interview. A towering figure in modern American public life, Jackson rose to national prominence as a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr. and went on to become one of the most recognizable voices for civil rights, economic justice, and political inclusion in the United States. Through his leadership of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition an...

In this episode of a Classic Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with filmmaker Dawn Sinclair Shapiro about her documentary The State of Eugenics. Their conversation explores how the film exposes a troubling and often overlooked chapter of American history — the forced sterilization of more than 7,600 people in North Carolina who were labeled as having “undesirable” genetic traits. Shapiro discusses the years of research behind...

Filmmaker Cate Shortland, known to many audiences for directing Marvel’s Black Widow, first drew international attention with her debut feature Somersault. In this episode of The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham welcomes Shortland to discuss the newly restored 4K release of the film, a visually haunting and emotionally intimate coming-of-age story set in the snowy landscapes of Australia. The film stars Abbie Cornish in a breakthro...

On the next Classic SOUNDS OF FILM, Tom Needham speaks with Bill Ayers, a former community organizer and education professor whose early notoriety came as a co-founder of the Weather Underground, the radical antiwar group that emerged from the late-1960s student movement and was later labeled a domestic terrorist organization by the FBI. His past has remained a subject of debate, but it marks just one chapter in a long public caree...

Released on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and in the midst of the global Covid-19 pandemic, PLANET OF THE HUMANS takes a harsh look at how the environmental movement has lost the battle through well-meaning but disastrous choices, including the belief that solar panels and windmills would save us, and by giving in to the corporate interests of Wall Street. Planet of the Humans, which will be available for free on You...

In this episode of Sounds of Film, Tom Needham sits down with Sook-Yin Lee, the director and co-writer of PAYING FOR IT, to discuss her daring live-action adaptation of Chester Brown’s acclaimed graphic novel. The film tells the story of an introverted cartoonist who, when his long-term girlfriend wants to redefine their relationship, begins seeing sex workers and discovers a new kind of intimacy. Combining humor, emotional depth, ...

In this episode of Sounds of Film, Tom Needham speaks with Emmy-nominated filmmaker Adam Bhala Lough about his bold, provocative, and darkly funny new documentary Deepfaking Sam Altman. When Lough is unable to secure an interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, he takes a radical turn—building an AI version of Altman using publicly available data and cutting-edge technology. The result is “SamBot,” an artificial co-director that become...