Best Cinematologists Podcasts (2025)

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The Cinematologists Present: Students on Screen 1:51:39

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5M ago1:51:39

1:51:39

This special episode of The Cinematologists is a contribution to the Students on Screen project convened by Dr Kay Calver and Dr Bethan Michael-Fox, to coincide with a special issue of Open Screens they have edited, which explores screen representations of students across a plethora of Global screen media forms. On behalf of The Cinematologists, Ne…

1
Terrence Malick (w/John Bleasdale) 1:31:57

5M ago1:31:57

1:31:57

For the final [main] episode of this season, the 21st, we are delighted to welcome writer and podcaster John Bleasdale (Writers on Film) to the show, to discuss his excellent book on Terrence Malick, The Magic Hours: The Films and Hidden Life of Terrence Malick. Neil talks to John about his approach to research and interview/archive given the glari…

1
Pavements (& Videoheaven w/Alex Ross Perry) 1:28:17

6M ago1:28:17

1:28:17

It is an honour to welcome filmmaker Alex Ross Perry to discuss his magisterial music film Pavements, about the band Pavement, as it arrives on MUBI on July 11th 2025. We also took the opportunity to discuss his 3hr video essay love letter to video stores, Videoheaven, which is available to screen direct from Cinema Conservancy. For a deeper insigh…

1
Ryan Gilbey (It Used to be Witches) 1:47:53

6M ago1:47:53

1:47:53

With the podcast half-way through its tenth year it is a privilege to welcome back a former contributor to the show - read his piece on Clueless for The New Statesman that coincided with his previous appearance on the show - and long-time champion of The Cinematologists, Ryan Gilbey. Ryan's return is to promote and discuss his new book, the astound…

1
Tornado (w/director John Maclean) 1:19:10

7M ago1:19:10

1:19:10

A decade ago John Maclean made his debut feature, the brilliant Western Slow West (2015).It followed a run of brilliant short films and music videos, as well as some of the late 90s and early 2000s most distinctive music during his time in the Beta Band. Tornado - Set in the rugged landscape of 1790s Britain, Tornado (Kōki) is a young and determine…

1
Crime, Genre, Class, Race, Gender 1:17:54

8M ago1:17:54

1:17:54

We're back with an episode featuring just Neil and myself discussing a cinematic topic we both are invested in: The crime/heist genre. The core of this chat is an examination of how the structures of the genre intersect with social, racial, and economic contexts in four specific films. Sparked by our shared admiration for Justin Kurzel's The Order,…

1
The Doors & Val Kilmer (w/filmmaker Mark Jenkin) 1:44:02

9M ago1:44:02

1:44:02

In late March 2025 we screened Oliver Stone's 1991 epic myth of 1960s America, The Doors, at Newlyn Filmhouse at the invitation of regular Cinematologist, filmmaker Mark Jenkin. The conversation following the screening covered Jim Morrison and the band, 1960s America, Vietnam, film form and the longstanding influence of the film on Mark's work, up …

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Polish Filmmaker Wojciech Has w/Michael Brooke 1:27:06

9M ago1:27:06

1:27:06

As part of this year's Kinoteka Polish Film Festival, currently running in London, Michael Brooke has curated a complete retrospective of the criminally under-known Polish director Wojciech Has. The retrospective, starting from the 1st April 2025 and featuring screenings at the BFI and the ICA, contains Has's short and feature film work in gorgeous…

1
Rod Stoneman on Artistic Forms of Thought 1:40:48

10M ago1:40:48

1:40:48

For the latest episode we are honoured to share a recent talk at Falmouth University's School of Film & Television by Rod Stoneman titled 'Amongst Artistic Forms of Thought'. Rod's talk discussed different and often radical uses of film form to move the art form and audience thinking into different, not literal, not factual, non information-driven …

1
Mario and Mandela Van Peebles (Outlaw Posse and the African American Western) 1:15:51

10M ago1:15:51

1:15:51

It was an absolute joy to welcome actor, director, producer and writer Mario van Peebles to The Cinematologists Podcast. In London to show his new film Outlaw Posse as part of the Black Rodeo season at the BFI, I was able to talk with him and his son Mandela, who also stars in the film, about his lifelong interest in Westerns, particularly in the o…

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BFI Chantal Akerman Retrospective 1:28:55

11M ago1:28:55

1:28:55

We are really excited to be collaborating with the BFI once again, particularly for an episode on Belgian auteur filmmaker Chantal Akerman as they begin an in-depth retrospective of her work. In the autumn of 2022, Akerman's masterpiece Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, was voted the greatest film of all time in Sight and Sound …

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Small Things Like These (w/director Tim Mielants) 1:08:00

11M ago1:08:00

1:08:00

We kick off season 21 and the tenth year of The Cinematologists with a special conversation with Belgian filmmaker Tim Mielants about his work on recent release, Small Things Like These, written by Enda Walsh (Hunger) and starring and produced by Cillian Murphy. In the conversation, Neil and Tim discuss film form and style, particularly the use of …

1
2024 Review - Dario and Neil's top five films of the year. 1:41:51

1y ago1:41:51

1:41:51

This is part 2 of our end of year review show in which we countdown from 5 to 1. As requested from our Patreon members and several other long time listeners, we've gone back to a top ten countdown, which was great fun to compile. Although Neil and I did not agree on our top choice, we did share several films that made both our lists. There was also…

1
Club Zero (w/ Jessica Hausner) & Rumours (w/ Guy Maddin, Evan & Galen Johnson) 1:50:16

1y ago1:50:16

1:50:16

In a bumper episode, the penultimate one of the year, Dario interviews Jessica Hausner about her new film Club Zero and Guy Maddin, Evan, and Galen Johnson about Rumours. Both films have limited UK releases this week (Friday, December 6th), and, interestingly, though they are very different films, they have thematic connections, particularly in rel…

1
Professor Vivian Sobchack, in Conversation 1:27:20

1y ago1:27:20

1:27:20

In this return to the long-form interview format, The Cinematologists are deeply honoured to welcome Professor Vivian Sobchack to the podcast. In an incredibly profound and wide-ranging conversation, Dario discusses with Prof. Sobchack a diverse array of topics related to her work and life as one of the most important and influential thinkers and w…

1
Author: The JT Leroy Story @ Falmouth Book Festival 2024 (w/Colin Midson) 1:37:44

1y ago1:37:44

1:37:44

In what is something of a throwback episode nowadays, Neil hosted a screening of Jeff Feuerzig's film about Laura Albert [JT Leroy] as the opening event of the 2024 Falmouth Book Festival, recording the post-film conversation for the podcast. For the post-film chat Neil was joined by the director of Falmouth Book Festival, Colin Midson, who had a u…

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BFI London Film Festival 2024 - Episode 2 1:14:00

1y ago1:14:00

1:14:00

Our second London Film Festival main episode is here, and it's a bumper edition. Dario is in Falmouth visiting Neil, so it's something of a nostalgic live taping from the place where The Cinematologists started. The first film on the agenda is Alex Ross Perry's Pavements, which is a meta-documentary on a mercurial 90s band, Pavement. Neil, with his…

1
BFI London Film Festival 2024 - Episode 1 1:23:20

1y ago1:23:20

1:23:20

In the first of our 2024 LFF double header on the main feed, Neil and Dario are joined by one of the two correspondents joining us for this year's coverage, Ben Goff. The focus of the episode are deep dives into key films for Neil, Dario and Ben from their early and pre-festival viewing, on the digital platform and at press and industry screenings …

1
Music Films 1:17:08

1+ y ago1:17:08

1:17:08

In our second episode of the season, we discuss Neil's superb, recently published book Music Films: Documentaries, Concert Films and Other Cinematic Representations of Popular Music. We explore their significance, evolution, and the complexities surrounding their creation and reception, along with Neil's reflections on the challenges of writing for…

1
Life, Work and Cinema - Season 20 is here 53:37

1+ y ago53:37

53:37

We are back for the 20th season of The Cinematologists Podcast and our 10th year. Neither of us when we started out could have envisaged that we would have done what we have with the Podcast, spoken to so many fascinating film people and cultivated such a loyal audience. Indeed, this season represents something of a renewal, as is discussed in the …

1
Thinking Through Physical Media (w/Scott Tanner Jones) 1:15:54

1+ y ago1:15:54

1:15:54

In the final episode of the latest season – Neil’s solo adventure – Neil talks to filmmaker, writer and comedian Scott Tanner Jones about collecting physical media. In an episode with a similar approach to the previous one with Kat Flint-Nicol, Neil brings to the podcast a conversation about themes and ideas that permeate his thinking around a part…

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Thinking Through British Cinema (w/Dr. Katerina Flint-Nicol 1:37:52

1+ y ago1:37:52

1:37:52

In the penultimate episode of the season, Neil sits down with friend and colleague Kat Flint-Nicol to think through British cinema. The aim was to focus on regionality, but the conversation is much-more wide ranging than that. It captures the complex intersectionality of place, class, genre, industry gatekeeping, and the relationship between indust…

1
Eno (w/director Gary Hustwit) 19:43

1+ y ago19:43

19:43

As we enter the final weeks of the latest season, it is an honour to share this mini episode (a 45rpm single as opposed to 33.3rpm LP if you will) ahead of two final regular episodes before our summer break and the return of Dario for the autumn season. Neil was invited at short notice to chat to filmmaker Gary Hustwit about his revolutionary, gene…

1
Pat Kelman (606 Distribution & Pat's Film Club) 1:47:41

1+ y ago1:47:41

1:47:41

Pat Kelman, born in Essex but raised in Cornwall, has been an actor, filmmaker, theatre-maker and programmer. Presently, he finds himself releasing independent and arthouse cinema that other distributors deem too niche or challenging via his inspirational 606 Distribution company, as well as programming a wild collection of formative films and belo…

1
The Beast (w/writer-director Bertrand Bonello) 50:24

1+ y ago50:24

50:24

To coincide with the release of his latest film The Beast (starring Léa Seydoux and George Mackay), writer/director Bertrand Bonello came on the podcast to talk about AI and technology, acting, connection, memory, music and perplexing cinema. It was an honour for Neil to talk filmmaking and cinema - taking in Eyes Wide Shut, David Lynch and Sunrise…

1
Big Wednesday (w/filmmaker Mark Jenkin) 1:29:07

1+ y ago1:29:07

1:29:07

The latest episode was the brainchild of longtime Cinematologist Mark Jenkin (Bait/Enys Men) who wanted to screen one of his favourite films, John Milius's Big Wednesday (1978) at his local cinema, the gorgeous Newlyn Filmhouse, in South West Cornwall. Over a languorous chat before the screening, and over some wonderful chips, Neil and Mark talk ab…

1
Recent 2024 Releases (w/Dario!) 1:10:20

1+ y ago1:10:20

1:10:20

On a recent visit to London, Neil and Dario sat down to catch up about Dario's break from this season's shows, the present and future of the podcast and some recent film releases they've both seen and enjoyed. They discuss two films they saw together across a relaxing shared weekend; Ilker Çatak's The Teachers' Lounge and Wim Wenders' Perfect Days.…

1
Sometimes I Think About Dying (w/director Rachel Lambert) 1:00:13

1+ y ago1:00:13

1:00:13

To coincide with the UK cinema release, Neil talks to director Rachel Lambert about Sometimes I Think About Dying, her third feature film. The conversation covers making a feature that had a successful life as a short film, the artistic and thematic legacies of COVID, the importance of location and place, the all-too-human desire to be seen and the…

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Professor Alison Peirse (Doing Women's Global Horror Film History) 1:07:59

2y ago1:07:59

1:07:59

The new episode of the podcast sees Alison Peirse, now Professor of Film Studies at University of Leeds, return to the show to update us on her work in videographic scholarship and Global Women's Horror Film studies. The episode follows the recent release of a stunning special issue of the vital MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture Journal, edited by A…

1
Pouring Water on Troubled Oil (w/director Nariman Massoumi) 57:19

2y ago57:19

57:19

For the latest episode of the podcast Neil talks to filmmaker and academic Dr Nariman Massoumi about his wonderful short documentary Pouring Water on Troubled Oil (2023). MUBI: In 1951, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company set out to produce a publicity film promoting its activities in Iran. They hired the poet Dylan Thomas. This poetic film follows Thoma…

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Your Fat Friend (w/ director Jeanie Finlay) 57:22

2y ago57:22

57:22

In the first episode of season 19 Neil takes the reins solo, with Dario on sabbatical, for a conversation with one of the UK’s leading filmmakers Jeanie Finlay, ahead of her popular and powerful new documentary Your Fat Friend, released in UK cinemas on Feb 9, 2024. Jeanie returns to the podcast having recorded a live conversation about her career …

1
Our Cinematic 2023 1:37:39

2y ago1:37:39

1:37:39

In this final episode of 2023 (and season 18), we (Neil and Dario) ruminate on a year spent thinking cinematically and engaging with cinema in the unique way that has become the hallmark of The Cinematologists; thoughtful, personal, searching for meaning and meaningful experiences across the movie spectrum. We both share brief discussions of two fi…

1
On New Release Apathy 59:50

2y ago59:50

59:50

In this episode of the Cinematologists podcast, we reflect on the pervasive apathy often accompanying the endless influx of new releases and how to combat nagging sense of FOMO which, at times, feels like it can never be satiated. When both of us saw Napoleon and agreed there wasn't much we wanted to talk about, and neither did a raft of art-house …

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BONUS: Toby Amies in the Court of the Crimson King 58:23

2y ago58:23

58:23

In this special bonus, to tide you over before we are back with full, regular episodes in the run-up to year's end, Neil talks to filmmaker Toby Amies about his stunning music film In The Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50. The conversation coincides with the film's release on streaming platforms following a critically lauded festival an…

1
BONUS: Prof. Neil Fox on Film Practice and Pedagogy 1:07:36

2y ago1:07:36

1:07:36

Our own Prof. Neil Fox in his day job is director of Falmouth University's Sound/Cinema Lab, which is behind films such as Mark Jenkin's Enys Men (2022) and Chris Morris' A Year in a Field (2022) as well as Wilderness (2017), which Neil wrote and produced. Wilderness was also made with a student crew and was proof of concept for making a feature dr…

1
Film Podcasting w/ Rico Gagliano from The Mubi Podcast 1:29:33

2y ago1:29:33

1:29:33

A special for cinephiles and podphiles this week as we welcome the superb critic and broadcaster Rico Gagliano. Rico's official title is the Head of Audio at Mubi but it's his creative direction and voice that is the driving force of The Mubi Podcast. Indeed, the notion of creative auteurism is just one of the many topics covered in the in-depth co…

1
Rock Hudson: All that Heaven Allowed (w/ Dir. Stephen Kijak) 1:16:16

2y ago1:16:16

1:16:16

No matter the status of cinema, films focused on Hollywood icons seem to always retain a healthy level of interest. A key question is: do they bring anything new to the understanding of a storied figure. Stephen Kijak the director of Rock Hudson: All that Heaven Allowed, released on UK streaming this week, embarks on a sweeping ambitious, and intim…

1
Apocalypse Clown (w/Producer James Dean) 1:12:53

2y ago1:12:53

1:12:53

In the first of a special (our first ever) double header, Neil and Dario discuss new Irish comedy road movie Apocalypse Clown. As it debuts on Netflix following a short cinema run, Neil talks to 'friend of the pod', producer James Dean about his collaboration with the team behind the project, comedy music troupe Dead Cat Bounce, the project's gesta…

1
London Film Festival 2023 1:11:32

2y ago1:11:32

1:11:32

In this episode, Neil and Dario go deep on a couple of favourite titles each from this year's excellent London Film Festival. Neil eulogises Pat Collins' That They May Face The Rising Sun and Shujun Wei's Only The River Flows, while Dario waxes lyrical on Hirokazu Koreeda's Monster and Tran Anh Hung's The Taste of Things. Elsewhere they briefly dis…

1
A Year in a Field (w/director Christopher Morris and producer Denzil Monk) 1:40:41

2+ y ago1:40:41

1:40:41

We’re back for season 18 and we’re kicking off with an in-depth look at new feature documentary A Year in a Field, a quiet film by Christopher Morris that is currently on tour around UK cinemas, distributed by Anti-Worlds. Produced by Bosena (Enys Men) in partnership with Stone Club and Falmouth University’s Sound/Image Cinema Lab, the film tells t…

1
On Cinematic Pleasure 1:02:05

2+ y ago1:02:05

1:02:05

For our final episode of season 17, before we go on our summer hiatus, we lean into cinematic pleasure. Provoked by both of us admitting some recent struggles with the relentlessness of film culture, the seeming tyranny of "so much stuff" and the some of the less edifying aspects of film discourse, we think through the hierarchies that are often at…

1
Laura Mulvey (Falmouth Film Weekend: 1978 Revisited) 1:27:45

2+ y ago1:27:45

1:27:45

In May 2023, Laura Mulvey and Rod Stoneman returned to Falmouth 45 years following a weekend of Independent Film and Sexual Politics to reconvene a dialogue about politics, experimental film, cinematic form and radicalism. The event, Falmouth Film Weekend [1978 Revisited], was hosted by Falmouth University’s Sound/Image Cinema Lab, and was delivere…

1
Plan 75 1:24:52

2+ y ago1:24:52

1:24:52

In association with Dead Good Film Club and Death Futures [DORS#6]) In this episode, Neil accepts an invitation from Newcastle's Dead Good Film Club and the Death Online Research Network (DORN) to host a Q&A on the Japanese film Plan 75 (2022). The panel brought together religious and humanist celebrants, death educators and palliative care special…

1
Boys and Men in Close and Godland 53:20

2+ y ago53:20

53:20

In this episode Neil and Dario discuss two fairly recent films that were both prize winners at Cannes 2022: Lukas Dhont's Close and Hlynur Pálmason's Godland. In terms of setting and story the films seem very different, however there is connecting tissue in the ways that the social fabric in each film defines the experience of the male characters, …

1
Demons of the Mind: Cinema and Psychiatry in the Long 1960s 1:38:54

2+ y ago1:38:54

1:38:54

In this special audio documentary episode of The Cinematologists Podcast, we draw upon the fascinating research in an AHRC funded project Demons of the Mind: Psychiatry and Cinema in the long 1960s. Exploring the complex interrelations between cinema and the psy-sciences during a unique period of material collaboration, we cover the dimensions of m…

1
The Films of Alice Diop 1:16:43

2+ y ago1:16:43

1:16:43

Neil and Dario dedicate an episode to discussing the work of the brilliant French filmmaker Alice Diop, using the release of her debut fiction feature Saint Omer as a jumping off point into her incredible body of work. Their conversation takes in some of her documentary work, On Call (2016), Towards Tenderness (2016) and We (2021), all of which, al…

1
Long Way Back(w/Brett and Simon Harvey) 1:42:17

3y ago1:42:17

1:42:17

Brett (writer/director/editor) and Simon (producer) Harvey, are stalwarts of contemporary Cornish cinema and 2022 saw the release of their third feature film Long Way Back, which has just hit streaming platforms. Supported by Falmouth University's Sound/Image Cinema Lab, which has also supported the work of Mark Jenkin and for which Neil is the res…

1
T.L.C (Tender Loving Care for Trans-Led/Trans-Loved Cinema) w/ So Mayer and Lillian Crawford 1:28:52

3y ago1:28:52

1:28:52

This is a very special episode where we were invited, by friend of the podcast So Mayer to discuss a new film screening series and project. In 2022 and 2023, a series of trans-focused film events took place across the UK as part of Inclusive Cinema’s T.L.C (aka Tender Loving Care for Trans-Led/Trans-Loved Cinema) project. Integrated into indie cine…

1
Berlinale Dispatches Trailer 3:29

3y ago3:29

3:29

Just a quick trailer for our Berlinale Dispatches minisodes which you can listen to Dario's daily missives from the festival, over at our Patreon feed: https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists.By The Cinematologists

1
Husband (w/Josh Appignanesi and Devorah Baum) 1:34:36

3y ago1:34:36

1:34:36

In this episode, Neil talks with husband and wife filmmaking team Josh Appignanesi and Devorah Baum about their new work Husband, a follow-up to 2016's meta-documentary-autofiction-comedy The New Man. Josh and Devorah are co-directors and appear in the film as versions of themselves navigating marriage, parenthood, work and a New York tour for Devo…