83 episodes

A biweekly (during seasons) podcast about socially progressive movies that matter.

Become a member to access the full (200+ episode) podcast archive and get early access to new episodes: http://seventh-row.com/join

Upending the canon to be more inclusive by spotlighting and diving deep into international and independent films by and about women, Indigenous People, LGBTQ+ people, and other marginalized groups. Find multiple episodes on the films of Kelly Reichardt, Céline Sciamma, Andrew Haigh, and Joachim Trier.

COMING SOON: A season on Abortion on Screen (Fall 2023)

Seventh Row Podcast Seventh Row

    • TV & Film
    • 4.9 • 21 Ratings

A biweekly (during seasons) podcast about socially progressive movies that matter.

Become a member to access the full (200+ episode) podcast archive and get early access to new episodes: http://seventh-row.com/join

Upending the canon to be more inclusive by spotlighting and diving deep into international and independent films by and about women, Indigenous People, LGBTQ+ people, and other marginalized groups. Find multiple episodes on the films of Kelly Reichardt, Céline Sciamma, Andrew Haigh, and Joachim Trier.

COMING SOON: A season on Abortion on Screen (Fall 2023)

    Promising Young Woman + The Assistant: Rape culture on film in 2020 (Redux)

    Promising Young Woman + The Assistant: Rape culture on film in 2020 (Redux)

    Emerald Fennell's new film, Saltburn, comes out today, so we're re-releasing our 2021 episode about two very different depictions of rape culture from 2020: Fennell's revenge thriller Promising Young Woman and Kitty Green's The Assistant, a portrait of a young woman working in a misogynistic office environment. This is a landmark episode of the podcast, which kickstarted a series of episodes on rape culture on film.
    This episode features Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney, Executive Editor Orla Smith, and special guest Lindsay Pugh.
    Want to support the podcast? Become a member today, and access our entire archive of 150+ episodes. It helps us pay our expenses to keep the podcast going and continue to improve the podcast.
    For detailed show notes, visit: https://seventh-row.com/2021/01/06/ep-73-explorations-of-rape-culture-in-promising-young-woman-and-the-assistant/
    Follow Seventh Row on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and read our articles at seventh-row.com.
    Related episodes:
    Ep. 86 (Members Only): Una & Slalom: Depictions of childhood sexual assault  Ep. 92 (Members Only): Sugar Daddy and An Easy Girl: Commidfying women Ep. 132 (Free): Sarah Polley's Women Talking Coming Soon: Abortion on Film Season
    In this six-episode season, we discuss how socially progressive depictions of abortion on film have changed and developed since the 1950s. We’re putting the finishing touches on the season now, and hoping to have it out in about a month’s time. 
    Members get early access to the Abortion on Film season! Once the season starts, we’ll be releasing new episodes every two weeks, but members will get the first three episodes immediately, and early access to the remaining episodes. Become a member.

    • 1 hr 44 min
    Creative Nonfiction #5: Penny Lane on Confessions of a Good Samaritan and making a self-portrait

    Creative Nonfiction #5: Penny Lane on Confessions of a Good Samaritan and making a self-portrait

    In the fifth and final episode of our Creative Nonfiction Film podcast season, Alex Heeney talks to Penny Lane about her experimentations with documentary form in Confessions of a Good Samaritan. The film is a trip inside Penny’s brain as she goes through the stressful process of anonymously donating her kidney and investigates why kidney donations are necessary. Lane weaves almost all of the techniques from her previous films (and a few more!) into Confessions of a Good Samaritan, offering a thoughtful, educational, and funny look at the complicated feelings that come with doing good in the world at some personal expense.
    Click here to read the episode show notes.
    You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
    Useful links Visit the Creative Nonfiction Podcast homepage Discover all of our resources on the films of Joachim Trier Pre-order Existential detours: Joachim Trier's cinema of indecisions and revisions More on creative nonfiction Download a FREE excerpt from Subjective Realities here.
    Get your copy of the ebook Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film here.
    Get your copy of the ebook In their own words: Documentary Masters vol. 1
    Listen to the podcast on the ebook Subjective realities: The art of creative nonfiction film
    Become a Member Members receive early access to all new episodes of our season.
    Members can also access the entire podcast archive of 150+ episodes. Our recent episodes from our seasons and regular episodes from the last six months are free to all for a limited time.
    To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
    As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
    Related Episodes Members Only Episodes
    Ep. 12: Penny Lane on Hail Satan? (Members' Exclusive): Penny Lane discusses her 2019 film Hail Satan Ep. 40: Dead Mothers (Members' Exclusive): We discuss Joachim Trier's Louder Than Bombs, a film that expertly gets inside the head of its thoughtful characters. We also compare it to Mouthpiece and Stories We Tell. Ep. 122: Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World (Free): Joachim Trier's breakout hit is also a film that is very good at getting us inside the protagonist's mind amidst an existential crisis. Free Episodes
    Ep. 105: Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film: We discuss the making of the ebook Subjective Realities and what you can expect from the book Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative Nonfiction Credits Host Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. Find her on Twitter @bwestcineaste.
    Email us at contact seventh row com.
    This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Creative Nonfiction #4: Sam Green on 32 Sounds and live documentary

    Creative Nonfiction #4: Sam Green on 32 Sounds and live documentary

    In the fourth episode of our Creative Nonfiction Film podcast season, 
    Alex Heeney talks to Sam Green about 32 Sounds and his work exploring the possibilities of his work that he describes as "live documentaries". These are part locked footage, part live performance, usually including a live band on stage performing the film's music.
    On this episode, we give some background on Sam Green's work in live documentary, talk about how A Thousand Thoughts (2018), co-directed with Joe Bini, felt like a turning point for his work in the form, and discuss what makes 32 Sounds such a wonderful and innovative film. Finally, Alex talks to Sam Green about making 32 Sounds, and more broadly about how he thinks about live documentary and why this is a space he likes working in.
    The episode features a conversation between Alex Heeney and Orla Smith about 32 Sounds and live documentary, recorded in January 2022 right after the world premiere of 32 Sounds. The interview with Sam Green was conducted via Zoom in January 2022 the day after 32 Sounds had its world (virtual) premiere at Sundance. This is an edited version of the complete conversation; the complete conversation is available on our website here.
     Click here to read the episode show notes.
    You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
    Useful links Read Alex Heeney's full interview with Sam Green on 32 Sounds Find screenings of Sam Green's live documentaries Find screenings of 32 Sounds Read Sam Green's introduction to live documentary and Utopia in Four Movements More on creative nonfiction Download a FREE excerpt from Subjective Realities here.
    Get your copy of the ebook Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film here.
    Get your copy of the ebook In their own words: Documentary Masters vol. 1
    Listen to the podcast on the ebook Subjective realities: The art of creative nonfiction film
    Become a Member All of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
    We also regularly record members only episodes.
    To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
    As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
    Related Episodes Members Only Episodes
    Ep. 67: Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris and City Hall  Ep. 95: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed: Reclaiming history in documentary (Members only) Free Episodes
    Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative Nonfiction Credits Host Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. Find her on Twitter @bwestcineaste.
    Email us at contact seventh row com.
    This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.

    • 1 hr 21 min
    Creative Nonfiction #3: Philippe Falardeau on Lac-Mégantic: This Is Not An Accident and rethinking the true crime doc

    Creative Nonfiction #3: Philippe Falardeau on Lac-Mégantic: This Is Not An Accident and rethinking the true crime doc

    In the third episode of our Creative Nonfiction Film podcast season, Philippe Falardeau discusses Lac-Mégantic: This is Not An Accident is a four-part documentary series about the catastrophic 2013 trainwreck in Lac-Mégantic, its inevitability, the aftermath, and the government failure to change safety requirements to avoid another "accident" in future. Lac-Mégantic had its world premiere at the HotDocs Film Festival where all four episodes were screened back-to-back.
    The Lac-Mégantic rail disaster was the fourth-deadliest rail accident in Canadian history (47 people died) and the deadliest involving a non-passenger train. The documentary Lac-Mégantic not only chronicles the disaster and its devastating effects on the town Lac-Mégantic, but also how blame was handled and how similar disasters continue to happen.
    The series reclaims the history of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster by showing how systemic problems lead to a disaster that has been blamed on individuals. The series also reveals how appropriate safety measures have not been taken in the intervening years to prevent a similar disaster from happening (and other, smaller disasters have indeed continued to happen).
    At the beginning of the episode, Alex Heeney introduces the series Lac-Mégantic, and why she thinks it's worthy of discussion. Next, we play your Alex's interview with Falardeau about the film. Finally, we wrap up with how the film fits into the framework for creative nonfiction that we at Seventh Row created in our ebook Subjective realities, and offer some suggestions for what to watch and listen to next.
     Click here to read the episode show notes.
    You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
    Useful links Watch our masterclass with Philippe Falardeau and Mina Shum Read our interview with Philippe Falardeau on My Internship in Canada More on creative nonfiction Download a FREE excerpt from Subjective Realities here.
    Get your copy of the ebook Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film here.
    Get your copy of the ebook In their own words: Documentary Masters vol. 1
    Become a Member All of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
    We also regularly record members only episodes.
    To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
    As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
    Related Episodes Members Only Episodes
    Bonus Episode 25: This is Going to Hurt and physician mental health Ep. 41: In the Loop and My Internship in Canada: Political satires Ep. 67: Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris and City Hall  Ep. 95: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed: Reclaiming history in documentary (Members only) Free Episodes
    Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative Nonfiction Credits Host Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. Find her on Twitter @bwestcineaste.
    Email us at contact seventh row com.
    This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.

    • 1 hr
    Creative Nonfiction #2: Sophie Fiennes on Four Quartets and documenting live theatre

    Creative Nonfiction #2: Sophie Fiennes on Four Quartets and documenting live theatre

    In the second episode of our Creative Nonfiction Film podcast season, Sophie Fiennes discusses The Four Quartets and how she approaches documenting live performance on screen. In The Four Quartets, she captures the stage play of the same name, directed by and starring her brother, actor Ralph Fiennes. For the production, Ralph Fiennes adapted the T.S. Eliot poem for the stage — which was never originally intended to be performed that way — and then toured this production around the UK in 2021.
    Sophie Fiennes’s film of The Four Quartets is neither live capture nor a full adaptation of the play. Instead, Fiennes remarkably documents the theatre production on screen, maintaining all the original lighting and blocking. Her choices of framing and camera movement really puts us in the black box theatre with Ralph Fiennes. Unlike most recorded theatre, where there is a constant sense of information loss, Sophie Fiennes gives us a sense of the theatrical space so we get a better sense of what we’re missing when we’re missing it. It’s built into Sophie Fiennes’s direction.
    Sophie Fiennes discusses Ralph Fiennes’s production, the challenges of documenting the play on screen, and how working with Declan Donnellan of Cheek by Jowl just before she shot The Four Quartets changed how she thinks about acting and theatre.
    Click here to read the episode show notes.
    The show notes also include excerpts from Sophie Fiennes's director's script.
    You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
    Useful links Read T.S. Eliot’s The Four Quartets Listen to Cheek by Jowl’s Not True But Useful podcast episode on thresholds and space Read our interview with Sophie Fiennes on Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami More on creative nonfiction Download a FREE excerpt from Subjective Realities here.
    Get your copy of the ebook Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film here.
    Get your copy of the ebook In their own words: Documentary Masters vol. 1
    Become a Member All of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
    We also regularly record members only episodes.
    To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
    As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
    Related Episodes on creative nonfiction Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen Sundance 2023 Ep. 7: Best of the fest + documentaries Fantastic Machine, Is There Anybody Out There, and more Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative Nonfiction Members Only Episodes
    Ep. 67: Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris and City Hall  (Members only) Ep. 95: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed: Reclaiming history in documentary (Members only) Credits Host Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. Find her on Twitter @bwestcineaste.
    Email us at contact seventh row com.
    This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.

    • 1 hr 24 min
    Creative Nonfiction #1: An introduction

    Creative Nonfiction #1: An introduction

    In the first episode of our Creative Nonfiction Film podcast season, Alex Heeney previews what to expect in this five-episode season and discusses what is creative nonfiction film.
    Click here to read the episode show notes.
    You will also find an AI-generated transcript in the show notes.
    Get the tote bag with the Céline Sciamma quote "Cinema is the only art form ever where you share somebody else's lonelines"
    More on creative nonfiction Download a FREE excerpt from Subjective Realities here.
    Get your copy of the ebook Subjective Realities: The art of creative nonfiction film here.
    Get your copy of the ebook In their own words: Documentary Masters vol. 1
    Become a Member All of our episodes that are over 6 months old are available to members only.
    We also regularly record members only episodes.
    To get full access to the podcast, including episodes from past Sundance Film Festivals and past Sundance films, become a member.
    As a member, you will also be supporting what we do, and helping us cover the (expensive) costs of hosting, running a website, podcast equipment, and more. This helps to ensure we can continue producing the podcast.
    Related Episodes on creative nonfiction Ep. 99: Creative Nonfiction with Penny Lane and Carol Nguyen Sundance 2023 Ep. 7: Best of the fest + documentaries Fantastic Machine, Is There Anybody Out There, and more Ep. 123: Sundance 2022: Creative Nonfiction Members Only Episodes
    Ep. 67: Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris and City Hall  (Members only) Ep. 95: No Ordinary Man and John Ware Reclaimed: Reclaiming history in documentary (Members only) Credits Host Alex Heeney is the Editor-in-Chief of Seventh Row. Find her on Twitter @bwestcineaste.
    Email us at contact seventh row com.
    This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.

    • 22 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
21 Ratings

21 Ratings

afields9 ,

Thoughtful film analysis

For all the hundreds of movie review podcasts out there, there are surprisingly few that consistently take interesting films and discuss them thoughtfully and in detail. This is one of those few. The hosts have somewhat different taste than I do, but that’s part of what I find useful, as many of the films they choose are ones that I liked but didn’t give the mental attention they deserved. The discussions are especially strong in terms of psychological elements and characterization, and in representing parts of the film world (eg Canadian and First Nations filmmakers) that don’t get enough critical attention.

nucuplmnjuyh ,

Ammonite, hands

Francis Lee and Kate Winslet did not need make up for the hands to look raw since Kate worked for weeks hunting for fossils in preparation for shooting. It’s in all her interviews.
Wonderful analysis, apart from this tiny detail.

LC_Dee ,

Very well done

Like many others as of late I found out about the wonderful women of Seventh Row because of their ebook on Céline Sciamma. Since purchasing that book I have indulged myself in their thoughtful and insightful conversations about film and filmmakers via their podcast and their writings. I have REALLY enjoyed their Lockdown Film School series and urge others to listen to some really fine and enlightening conversations about film. I am also enjoying learning more about Canadian film and filmmakers.

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