SOUNDS OF FILM with Tom Needham

This week on The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with director Gala Gracia about her powerful debut feature, The Remnants of You. Set against the backdrop of a rural Aragonese Pyrenees life, the film tells the story of a young jazz musician who returns home following the sudden death of her father.

What unfolds is a poignant exploration of grief, self-discovery, and the quiet strength of women rooted in agricultural com...

This week on The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with director Vlad Bolgarin about his award-winning short film Place Under the Sun, a poignant story of a father and son trying to survive in Moldova’s largest market during the 2000s.

The film, which blends stark realism with emotional depth, screens at the Stony Brook Film Festival on Saturday, July 26 at 7:00 p.m.

For more information about the Sounds of Film with T...

This week on The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with director Billy Shebar about his powerful new documentary, Monk in Pieces. The film explores the groundbreaking life and work of composer and performance artist Meredith Monk, a singular force in the world of contemporary music and interdisciplinary art. Premiering at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival, Monk in Pieces makes its U.S. theatrical debut on Friday, Ju...

This week on The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with screenwriter Brigit Grant about Midas Man, the highly anticipated biopic of Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Known as the “Fifth Beatle,” Epstein was the visionary who discovered The Beatles and helped launch them into global superstardom. The film, directed by Joe Stephenson and featuring a standout performance by Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit), also stars Emily...

On this episode of The Sounds of Film, director Justin Schein joins host Tom Needham to discuss his powerful new documentary, DEATH & TAXES: My Father, Our Family and the Cost of the American Dream. The feature-length film, co-directed by Schein and Robert Edwards, will open in U.S. theaters on July 18 at New York’s IFC Center, presented by 8 Above.

With deeply personal roots, the film explores the impact of inherited wealth on...

On this episode of The Sounds of Film, Swiss filmmaker Ramon Zürcher joins Tom Needham to discuss his haunting new feature, The Sparrow in the Chimney. As the final installment in his acclaimed “animal trilogy” — following The Strange Little Cat and The Girl and the Spider — this powerful psychodrama delves into the emotional undercurrents of a family reunion that unearths long-buried trauma and tensions. With its blend of surreali...

This classic SOUNDS OF FILM podcast presents an intimate and thought-provoking conversation between host Tom Needham and acclaimed author Robert Greene, best known for his bestselling book The 48 Laws of Power. In this wide-ranging discussion, Greene shares insights into genetics, Buddhism, and the dynamics of power that shape human behavior.

Robert Greene is the New York Times bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power, The Art...

This episode of The Sounds of Film features an in-depth conversation with filmmaker Thomas Halaczinsky, director of the three-part documentary series Archipelago New York. Loosely based on his book of the same name, the series follows a poetic and urgent journey by sailboat through the often-overlooked island world that surrounds New York City.

The discussion focuses on Episode 2: Wildlife in the City, which explores the surpris...

This classic SOUNDS OF FILM interview with Krishna Das offers an in-depth conversation with the artist known as the “chant master of American yoga.” Blending the ancient tradition of kirtan with modern musical elements and universally appealing melodies, Krishna Das has brought devotional chanting from yoga studios into mainstream concert halls.

As the best-selling Western chant artist of all time, his groundbreaking influence ...

This classic episode of The Sounds of Film features an in-depth conversation with Tom Needham and acclaimed director Judy Irving about her powerful and deeply personal documentary, Dark Circle.

The film examines the far-reaching consequences of the nuclear industry by tracing the often-hidden journey of plutonium—from weapons manufacturing to energy production. Through the eyes of everyday Americans living in the shadows of the...

On this episode of The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham welcomes punk rock legend Harley Flanagan, founder of the iconic hardcore band Cro-Mags.

As a pivotal figure in the New York City Hardcore scene, Harley shares his remarkable story of music, mayhem, and personal redemption.

Harley is the subject of the new documentary Wired for Chaos, which traces his turbulent journey from the gritty streets of 1970s New York to his ev...

On today’s episode of The Sounds of Film with Tom Needham, we turn our focus to Slumlord Millionaire, a gripping new documentary that recently captured the Audience Award at DOC NYC.

Directed by Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez, the film profiles the fearless tenants, community activists, and legal advocates standing up against predatory landlords and relentless gentrification in New York City. Through intimate and emotional storytel...

On this special episode of The Sounds of Film, we honor the 30th anniversary of Elizabeth Montgomery’s passing with author and television historian Herbie J Pilato.

A longtime friend of the iconic Bewitched actress, Pilato reflects on her life and legacy through his acclaimed biographies Twitch Upon a Star and The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery.

He also offers an exclusive look behind the scenes of the upcoming Bewitched Blu-ray re...

On this “Classic”episode of THE SOUNDS OF FILM PODCAST, Tom Needham welcomes Dan Castellaneta and Deb Lacusta, the creative team behind The Long Goodbye, a witty and haunting noir that reimagines 1940s Los Angeles through a pandemic-era lens. Castellaneta, best known as the voice of Homer Simpson, stars as Marlowe Phillips, a Jewish detective and reluctant caterer drawn into a tangled mystery involving a missing man, femme fatales,...

On the next episode of the SOUNDS OF FILM Podcast, Tom Needham speaks with acclaimed filmmaker Chad Freidrichs about his groundbreaking new documentary, The Cinema Within. The film explores a fascinating question: Why does film editing work so seamlessly on our brains?

Featuring insights from legendary editor Walter Murch, film historian David Bordwell, and leading scientists, The Cinema Within travels from Hollywood to a Turkis...

Carol Roth joins Tom Needham on The Sounds of Film to discuss her provocative book, You Will Own Nothing, which exposes a coordinated global push by governments, powerful tech companies, financial institutions, and elites to gain control of finite resources and restrict public access to them. The book acts as a vital guide for individuals seeking to protect their family’s financial independence and personal freedom.

Roth brings a di...

This week, The Sounds of Film with Tom Needham features an exclusive conversation with filmmaker Jake Sumner, the director of the acclaimed documentary Ron Delsener Presents. The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, chronicles the extraordinary 60-year career of Ron Delsener, the iconic concert promoter behind New York City’s most legendary live music events.

From booking the Beatles at Forest Hills Stadium in 1964 to...

Music legend Don McLean joins Tom Needham for a special episode of The Sounds of Film on WUSB.

Don McLean is the iconic singer/songwriter behind the classic anthem “American Pie,” a song that continues to resonate across generations.

Ranked number five on the Recording Industry of America and NEA’s Song of the Century list, “American Pie” remains one of the most influential songs in American music history.

In 2015, the original manu...

This week on Tom Needham’s SOUNDS OF FILM, the spotlight is on iconic troubadour Eric Andersen, the poetic voice of the Greenwich Village folk scene.

In a revealing and wide-ranging interview, Andersen opens up about his encounters with cultural titans like Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Brian Epstein, and Lou Reed, while reflecting on the personal and professional crossroads that shaped his singular journey through the music world.

The di...