Movie Interviews

Questlove, here at the Grammys in January 2020, says the pandemic has changed him.

For Questlove, The Pandemic Meant Embracing Quiet — And Buying A Farm

6:07pm July 21, 2021

by Terry Gross

The Tonight Show music director has been branching out: In addition to buying a farm, he's making his directorial debut with Summer of Soul, a documentary about a 1969 concert series in Harlem.

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NPR Pop Culture Critic Tells Us All About 'Zola'

6:06pm July 04, 2021

by Aisha Harris

The movie Zola opens this weekend. It was inspired by an epic, viral Twitter thread from 2015.

Arts

Student Film 'Chuj Boys of Summer' Shines Gentle, Poetic Light on Home

7:58am July 04, 2021

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to Max Walker-Silverman about Chuj Boys of Summer, his student film about an indigenous Guatemalan migrant who finds a new home in a small Rocky Mountain town.

Sly Stone performs at the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969, in a still from the film Summer of Soul.

Music & Culture

Questlove Discusses His Must-See New Doc, 'Summer Of Soul'

1:02pm July 02, 2021

Summer of Soul is a new documentary telling the story of a series of six concerts that took place in Harlem in 1969 — and is also Amir "Questlove" Thompson's first gig as a film director.

The new movie Zola is based on a viral Twitter thread. Taylour Paige (right) stars as Zola, and Riley Keough (left) plays Stefani, the exotic dancer who invites her on an ill-fated road trip to Florida.

Arts

How Hollywood Translated The Epic Poetry Of The Viral 'Zola' Thread

3:11pm June 30, 2021

by Mallory Yu

Director Janicza Bravo and co-writer Jeremy O. Harris talk to NPR's Mallory Yu about respecting the storytelling prowess of A'Ziah King while adapting her viral Twitter thread into a feature film.

Sports

The U.S. Women's Soccer Team Struggle For Equal Pay Featured In New 'LFG' Documentary

6:07pm June 28, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with director Andrea Nix Fine and soccer player Jessica McDonald about their new documentary "LFG," which follows the U.S. Women's Soccer Team struggle for equal pay rights.

50 Years Ago, A Group Of Child Actors Helped To Make Movie History

6:19am June 28, 2021

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was released in theaters on June 30, 1971. To celebrate the film's 50th anniversary, NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with some of the actors who were in the film.

'I Carry You With Me': Tells A Gay Couple's Love Story

6:15am June 24, 2021

NPR's Noel King talks to Director Heidi Ewing and actor Armando Espitia about their film Te Llevo Conmigo or I Carry You With Me. It's also a story about what the two men left behind in Mexico.

Arts

Remembering Character Actor Ned Beatty

1:51pm June 18, 2021

by Terry Gross

Beatty, who died June 13, made his film debut in Deliverance and then went on to appear in scores of movies, including Network, All the President's Men and Superman. Originally broadcast in 1987.

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How A Bunch Of Boys Changed Ballet Forever

4:26pm June 16, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with director Chana Gazit and dancer Peter Anastos about the new film Ballerina Boys, which details the history of an all-male ballerina troupe founded in the '70s.