Cinema Yūgen

Board Cinema Yugen for a crackling time with Ozploitation icon Roger Ward, who spills dirty, funny and unforgettable stories from Mad Max, Man From Hong Kong and the riotous sets of 1970s–80s Australian cinema. He remembers the rough camaraderie, on-set chaos and the fierce pride of actors who built an industry with grit, petrol and sheer nerve.

Then feel the heat as Travis Bain’s Cradle of Flame erupts: a small North Queensland to...

A glance turns into an unfixable collision: Carter and Lisa’s illicit spark blooms into a dangerous, irresistible entanglement that forces everyone around them to choose sides. In this episode Kent Hill sits down with writer/director Deborah Markowitz to unpack Wait list: A Love-ish Story — a daring indie that balances razor-sharp dialogue, slow-burning longing, and the messy cost of wanting what the world insists you shouldn’t.

Th...

When Anthony Frith signs on to make Mockbuster, he doesn’t just accept a job—he volunteers for a war. Six days, no safety net, a tiny budget and an impossible studio clock: this episode follows a filmmaker who bets everything on one chaotic, brilliant shot.

Through blown costumes, last-minute rewrites and actors pushed to the edge, the documentary becomes a survival story. From Herzog-taught confidence to the salvation of veteran h...

Step into a world where a quest for clicks becomes a descent into something far older and far darker. In this episode of Cinema Yugen, host Kent Hill sits down with writer-director Jerry Artukovich and star-producer Scott Hamm Duenas to unravel Kat Crime: Tales of the Occult — a taut, single-location horror about a true-crime YouTuber chasing relevance until a missing girl, a whispered secret, and a coven change everything.

Through...

G'day — Kent Hill drags listeners into the wild heart of indie cinema with Chris Grega, the gritty filmmaker behind Red Night at Skye's. From a decade-long grind and personal loss to a pandemic-forced pivot, Chris reveals how a small pawn-shop score explodes into a brutal siege, where alliances crumble, bullets tear through walls, and something far darker waits below.

They unpack the film’s wild genesis — a 16-day shoot, a trapdoor...

Step into a neon-soaked VHS dream where rival aerobics queens chase fame—and something far deadlier—through sweat, spandex, and synth. In this episode, cult filmmaker Paul Ragsdale pulls back the curtain on Murdercize, the outrageous slasher that wears its 80s obsessions as a badge of honor.

Ragsdale traces the film from dusty video-store inspirations and mafia-funded workout tapes to the challenge of writing a killer you can oddly...

Step into the blood-soaked world of Ken Ace Brewer, an indie horror lifer who taught himself the rules so he could gleefully break them. From Super 8 shorts made with backyard friends to a sprawling cult saga that fuses grindhouse energy with modern gore, this episode traces the crazed, creative path that birthed Return to Death Park and the hit film Death Bitch.

Listen as Brewer and host Kent Hill swap stories about influences (Ca...

Step into a midnight conversation that moves like a roller coaster — equal parts memory, myth, and revelation. Richard Green escorts listeners through four decades of encounters with David Lynch, the surprises buried in documentary archives, and the tender, strange work of preserving a life in film: I Know Catherine the Log Lady.

From candid backstage stories and a Kickstarter that nearly didn't happen, to a tearful promise whisper...

In this episode, a childhood dream becomes a full-throttle odyssey: Bob "Speeder" Lindenmayer returns to Cinema Yugen to tell the story of making Making Megaforce — a decade-plus pursuit to rescue lost Hollywood machines, recover fading legends, and stage one last, reckless ride into the desert. From festival triumphs to late-night campfire confessions, the conversation hums with the roar of rebuilt engines and the quiet ache of de...

Step into a behind-the-scenes, adrenaline-fueled conversation with Mike Ferguson, the indomitable force of independent cinema. Forged in fight gyms and set under unforgiving lights, Ferguson talks grit, camaraderie, and the guerrilla spirit that turned Last Hit from a lightning-fast shoot into a pulse-pounding heist spectacle.

Through rapid-fire anecdotes and authentic backstage moments—body slams, boxers flown in on favors, and El...

Turn down the lights and lean in: this episode follows Matthew Pejkovic from VHS rentals and a life-changing late-night screening of Serpico to the founding of Matt’s Movie Reviews, where two decades of obsession with film became a public calling. Through vivid anecdotes — interviewing icons like Kurt Russell and Robin Williams, defending indie cinema, and railing against algorithm-driven studios — Matthew reveals how passion, risk...

When the critics boxed him in and the industry looked away, Uwe Boll refused to stay down. This episode tracks a filmmaker who fought through scorn, chaos and near-impossible shoots to mount a comeback: 23 YEARS LATER: Return to Zombie Island, he’s returning to a fractured battlefield of flesh and memory. Through anecdotes of on-set mayhem, cult screenings and the reckless joy of making movies, we follow Boll’s stubborn, combustibl...

In this episode, meet David Kurzhal — the Viking Samurai — as he recounts a life that leapt from the trading floor to the dojo and finally onto the silver screen. We travel through sweat-soaked training rooms and retro video store dreams to the set of Bloodstorm, where discipline, scars and flying kicks collide with Hollywood legends.

Along the way he shares unlikely friendships, near-mythic fight stories, and the stubborn creed th...

When the world ends, one man wakes—and the truth claws its way back through the cracks of his mind. In this episode, Matthew Warner, a rare breed of one‑man studio, takes us from a 5,000‑word horror seed to a chilling animated film made in a basement with a laptop, mo-cap suit and boundless imagination. As the Cryonic Pharaoh’s fractured reality unfolds—murdered companions, erased memories, and the question of what lurks in the bun...

Step into a dimly lit set where kilts flare, baby oil gleams and a Scottish warrior carries more than a sword — he carries stories. In this episode, Chris Black takes us from the rugged origins of Slave and the Sorcerer to the fevered rewrites and raw prep that turned him into a mythic presence on screen, sharing the funny, terrifying and tender moments behind the action.

Through offbeat anecdotes, on-set chaos, and quiet reflectio...

On this episode of Cinema Yugen, Andrew David Barker steps into the light: a filmmaker who crafts characters and atmospheres that linger long after the credits. From the haunting micro‑budget horror House on Lidderman Street to the upcoming The Wilding and Improper Bastards, Barker’s creative life is a series of bold, surprising turns — a blend of grit, humour and cinematic imagination.

Join Kent Hill for a warm, unguarded conversa...

Step into a life lived on set and in the spotlight: an actress who rose from ghost roles on towering sci‑fi stages to a crown of hundreds of awards, martial‑arts mastery, and a hard‑won living‑legend status. This episode follows Dawna Lee Heising as she recounts midnight shoots on Blade Runner, a snake dance that nearly changed her fate, and the patient, stubborn craft that led her back to the screen.

Through candid anecdotes about...

The doors get Hulk‑smashed and the lights go out: a one‑location siege turns a school into a war zone where a teen marked for death must survive the fight. Tune in as legend Lou Ferrigno and martial‑arts master Jino Kang relive fists, bullets, and a brutal choreography of survival that refuses to feel fake — this is raw, believable combat and old‑school grit. Hard Redemption. 

Join our guests for a behind‑the‑scenes ride filled wit...

Step into a filmmaker’s odyssey: Damian K. Lahey moves from teaching in Karachi to wrestling with lost rights, nostalgic comic‑book fever, and bold new projects that refuse to die. We follow the sparks of ideas—The Prometheus Club, a daring remake of The Maxx, and the poetic short Jennifer Murphy Still Lives—each born from detours, dead ends, and late‑night revelations.

Along the way, he navigates industry chaos—missed meetings, ri...