Film Festival Friends Podcast

Film Festival Friends hosted by filmmaker Brandon R. Nicholas

The queer stories behind our queer stories

Film Festival Friends is a video podcast featuring conversations with indie filmmakers celebrating queer cinema, craft, and community.
Hosted by Brandon Nick

Film Festival Friends sits at the intersection of festival culture, queer cinema, and process. Host Brandon Nick connects with filmmakers for honest conversations about the real journey behind the work: craft, identity, funding, community, and the emotional cost of making independent film.

More than a traditional interview show, Film Festival Friends feels like fellowship: a space where queer filmmakers, especially Black and BIPOC artists, can speak candidly about what it takes to make meaningful work and sustain a creative life.

Trailer

Episodes

I'm a Struggling Filmmaker. But Also Lit. Both Things Can Be True. | Nyala Moon

In this episode of Film Festival Friends, Brandon Nick sits down with writer-director-actress and all-around creative force Nyala Moon for a wide-ranging conversation about her journey as an artist.

How a Cunt Necklace Got Cersei Lannister in a $90K Thriller | "Long Pork" (Iris Dukatt)

In this episode of Film Festival Friends, Brandon Nick sits down with writer-director Iris Dukatt to talk about her short film Long Pork — a $90K reproductive rights revenge thriller starring Lena Headey, aka Cersei Lannister.

How Community (and a Little Weed) Made This Dream Short Film Come True | "City of Dreamz" (Imani Celeste)

Imani Celeste chats with host Brandon Nick about her short film City of Dreamz and how community, resourcefulness, and a little weed helped bring her debut short to life.

Filmmaker Mekhai Lee for Film Festival Friends podcast

From DIY Web Series to Studio-Supported Cinema | "Them That's Not" (Mekhai Lee)

In this episode of Film Festival Friends, Brandon Nick sits down with filmmaker Mekhai Lee to talk about his short film Them That’s Not and the leap from DIY web series to studio-supported filmmaking. Mekhai shares how grief and spiritual guidance shaped the film’s origin about a grieving queer woman, which he made for $20k film after winning NewFest x Concord Sound and Scene grant.

Filmmaker Trey Sherman for Film Festival Friends podcast hosted by Brandon Nick

The Emergence of Ballroom's New Generation of Filmmakers | "Make Some Room" (Trey Sherman)

Trey Sherman chats with host Brandon Nick about how his film 'Make Some Room' made some room, both in Ballroom and as a filmmaker.

A Drag Queen Survived a Hate Crime. Then Made a Film About It | "After What Happened at the Library" (Kyle Casey Chu)

Brandon Nick sits down with Kyle Casey Chu aka Panda Dulce to chat about his autofictional short 'After What Happened at the Library'.

This Indie Director Uses AI in her Filmmaking | "DENIM" (TT the Artist)

Brandon Nick sits down with Tedra Wilson aka TT the Artist to talk DENIM, her genre-bending, SXSW award-winning doc celebrating LGBTQIA+ creativity.

From Poem to the BAFTAs Nomination: Two Black Boys In Paradise | "Two Black Boys in Paradise" (Dean Atta + Baz Sells)

In this episode of Film Festival Friends, host Brandon Nick connects with Dean Atta and Baz Sells to talk about their BAFTA-nominated animated short, Two Black Boys in Paradise.