Making Movies is HARD!!!: The Struggles of Indie Filmmaking
Liz Manashil and Alrik Bursell discuss independent filmmaking, everything from writing, producing and directing to working as crew. But this is not just a podcast about "making it," it's also about struggling with rejection, self-doubt and everything else that comes with pursuing a career in film. Follow along as we forge our own way through the industry and talk to guests who are also making it happen. Support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Episodes
October 5, 2026 • 52 mins
This week we welcome writer/director Joel Veach on the show to talk about his first feature as a director, American Muscle, how he got the film made and how he achieved success with his first feature as a writer/producer Old Man! After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
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October 2, 2026 • 32 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 292 from November 2020 featuring the Legendary Joe Bob Briggs who came on the show to talk to us about the state of low budget genre filmmaking and what indie filmmakers are up against in 2020. Joe Bob is the perfect match for our chat with the equally legendary Lloyd Kaufman, who’s films have made it on Joe Bob’s show as well as Lloyd himsel...
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September 28, 2026 • 93 mins
This week we welcome film legend and indie filmmaker hero Lloyd Kaufman on the show to help us celebrate the 600th episode of the podcast! Lloyd talks to us all things Troma, how he started the company, their approach to filmmaking and how the company has survived for over 50 years and how he has managed to direct features for that entire time. After that we are going to celebrate the 600th episode of the show and talk about where ...
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September 25, 2026 • 39 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 428 from June 2023 featuring writer/director Bomani J. Story when he talked about to about directing his first feature the angry black girl and her monster, how he got paid to make that film and what challenges he faced making the film. I thought this was a good match for our episode with Sal Bardo on MOnday because they both talk about making their firs...
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September 21, 2026 • 72 mins
This week we welcome writer/director/Producer Sal Bardo on the show to talk about making his first feature Out of the Woods which he wrote, directed and produced and how he pulled it off. After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
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September 19, 2026 • 41 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 390 from September 2022 featuring writer/director Zoe Alyce Salnave! I thought this was a really good match with our episode with the AMDA/Hussian filmmakers from Monday because while Zoe wasn’t freshly out of college but we talked a lot about her experience at USC directing Voodoo Macbeth with 9 other directors. After that we play another round o...
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September 14, 2026 • 61 mins
This week we welcome recently graduated AMDA/Hushein filmmakers Ashely Villa, Aaron Alvarado and Cydney Jenks who talk about their thesis films, how they got them made, what they think about AI and how they are attacking their careers and films after graduation. After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! http...
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September 11, 2026 • 59 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 461 from January 2024 featuring writer/directorJosh Stifter who came on the show to talk about directing his latest short film, how he managed to make three features (at the time) and I thought Josh was a good match for our episode with Mehran Torgoley because they are both prolific filmmakers who have made multiple features and show no signs of stopping...
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September 7, 2026 • 49 mins
This week we welcome writer/director Mehran Torgoley on the show to talk about his fourth feature Golden, which he shot in Italy, how he funded the film, why he shot a film in Italy and how he has written and directed four feature films. After that I’m going to pontificate on the state of AI and filmmaking and hopefully encourage some of you to call in and share your thoughts!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! ww...
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September 4, 2026 • 57 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 296 from December 2020 featuring writer/director April Mullen where she talks about making her feature Wander and her incredible career in television directing. I thought this was a good match for our episode with Tessa Blake from Monday because they both are prolific TV directors who also direct features but just with a different order of how that play...
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August 31, 2026 • 52 mins
This week we welcome writer director Tessa Blake on the show to talk about her latest feature If I Tell You, why she took such a long break from features and what she's took from directing hundreds of hours of Television at a very high level.! After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-the-struggles-of-indie-filmmaking/id1006416952 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWi...
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August 28, 2026 • 85 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 89 from Feburary 2017 featuring Justin Plummer III and Martin Strauss who are two San Francisco Bay Area directors who get paid to direct full time. They talk with us about how they got started and what it's like to sign with a big time LA commercial production company, and why they weren't living in LA at the time. I thought this was a good match for ou...
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August 24, 2026 • 70 mins
This week we welcome writer and directors Michael Naizu and John Wilcox on the show to talk about their first feature Bound for Glory, which Michael also stars in alongside Jamie King, Christ Kattan and Blake Jenner. They also talk about how they work as collaborators, how they raised funds for the movie and how their dynamic as brothers plays into their work. After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forge...
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August 20, 2026 • 42 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 490 from August 2024 featuring director Audrey Cummings who talks about establishing herself as a genre director. I thought Audrey was a good match for Sophia Banks from Monday because while they have very different careers they are both successfully working in the genre space as feature film directors. After that we play another round of You’re th...
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August 17, 2026 • 70 mins
This week we welcome director Sophia Banks on the show to talk about her latest feature Tilt, her inspiration for the film and what it was like to shadow Christopher McQuarrie, among other things. You may remember our episode with Arwen Elys Dayton who wrote Tilt and is one of the other 3rds of Sophia’s production company, so this one is really fun! After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy! Don’t forget to s...
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August 13, 2026 • 54 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 351 from December 2021 featuring writer/director/producer Omar Lopex who came on the show to talk about directing, Ana who they pulled from the river, and his process as an indie filmmaker. Alrik thought that Omar was a good match for our episode with Glenn Garrabrant on Monday because they both have interesting processes when it comes to making their fi...
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August 10, 2026 • 62 mins
This week we welcome writer/director/producer Glenn Garrabrant on the show to talk about his 2nd feature Local Area Network, how he got the film made and his philosophy as a indie filmmaker, which is great! After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-movies-is-hard-t...
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August 6, 2026 • 43 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 510 from January 2025 featuring writer/director Dallas Jenkins who talks about making his feature The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and how he used the success of his massively successful show The Chosen to get that made. I thought Dallas was a great match for our chat with Chevonne O’Shuagnessey from Monday because they are both faith based filmmake...
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August 3, 2026 • 59 mins
This week we welcome producer Chevonne O’Shaughnessy on the show to talk about her show Sugercreek Amish Mysteries, how she has gone about producing and raising funds for the show, why she now works on faith content and how she keeps her work non-union. After that we play another round of the GAME, enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/mmihpodcast
Leave us a Review on Apple Podcasts! https://...
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July 30, 2026 • 48 mins
On this Thursday bonus episode we are going to play the interview from episode 379 from July 2022 featuring Cinematographer/Director and writer Savannah Bloch who talks about making her first feature And there was Eve and the tricky distribution process she went through. Alrik thought this was a good match for our talk with Joshua Porter on Monday because they both talk about the challenges of getting their first films made and rel...
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