Composer Samuel Jones joins 1st on Film to discuss his work scoring Meera Menon’s Didn’t Die, the black-and-white zombie comedy-drama that premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

The film follows Vinita, a podcaster celebrating her 100th episode when a zombie apocalypse throws her world into chaos. But beneath the genre elements, Didn’t Die is also a story about grief, family, connection and finding hope in the middle of an uncertain world.

In our conversation, Samuel discusses the unique musical challenges of balancing the film’s horror, comedy and emotional drama, and how he approached creating a score that could move between grounded human moments and the heightened world of the zombie apocalypse. He also shares insight into his collaboration with director Meera Menon, who has worked with Jones across multiple projects.

Samuel Jones is a Los Angeles-based composer, producer, recording engineer, mixer, guitarist and keyboardist whose work spans film, television, games and music production.

His scoring credits include Meera Menon’s Didn’t Die, Netflix’s animated feature Next Gen, The Unknown Country, Equity, Lila & Eve, We’ll Never Have Paris and Preservation. He also served as composer across six seasons of TNT’s acclaimed drama series Animal Kingdom. His film and television work ranges from electronic minimalism to lush orchestral arrangements, with credits spanning more than 15 feature films as well as documentaries, games, video installations and advertising.

On this episode of the 1st on Film Podcast, we sit down with Anna Lambe and Maika Harper, the stars of the hit Arctic comedy North of North, to talk all about the highly anticipated second season.

Anna Lambe returns as Siaja, the young Inuk mother determined to take charge of her life, while Maika Harper reprises her role as her mother, Neevee — a character whose complicated past and larger-than-life personality continue to shape Siaja’s journey.

We discuss what fans can expect from Season 2, how Siaja and Neevee have evolved since the first season, the unique mother-daughter relationship at the heart of the series, returning to the world of Ice Cove, filming in Iqaluit, and the balance of humour, heart and Inuit culture that makes North of North so special.

Anna Lambe is an Inuk actress, host and emerging filmmaker from Iqaluit, Nunavut. She first gained major recognition for her performance in the feature film The Grizzlies, earning a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She followed that with a role in the CBC series Trickster, earning another Canadian Screen Award nomination, and later appeared in HBO’s True Detective: Night Country

Maika Harper is an Indigenous Canadian actress known for her work in television and film, including Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent and Burden of Truth. She stars in North of North as Neevee, the fiercely independent and often chaotic mother of Siaja.

In this episode of the 1st on Film Podcast, we sit down with the creative team behind Dead Deer High — director Jo Rochelle, writer/producer Joshua Roark, and cinematographer Anup Kulkarni — to discuss their powerful new drama about grief, healing, poetry, and finding your voice after tragedy.

Dead Deer High follows a once-brilliant high school slam poetry team and their English teacher one year after a tragedy changes their school forever. As the students prepare for a national poetry competition, they must confront their individual and collective trauma while their teacher struggles to find the courage to return to the classroom.

Jo Rochelle is a Jamaican-American screenwriter and filmmaker based in California and originally from Minneapolis. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Rochelle began her career in education as a Teach for America teacher, teaching sixth-grade English and Social Studies in the Mississippi Delta. She later transitioned into film and television, writing on multiple seasons of the Freeform/Hulu series Good Trouble. Her feature directorial debut, Jasmine Is a Star, screened at festivals including Urbanworld and BlackStar and won the Audience Award for Best Film at Sidewalk Film Festival. Dead Deer High marks her second feature and had its world premiere at SXSW 2026.

Joshua Roark is a poet, screenwriter, producer, and educator whose work frequently explores teaching, young people, and the power of words. Roark earned an MFA in Poetry and has published poetry including Put One Hand Up, Lean Back, a collection inspired by his experiences teaching middle school as a Teach for America teacher. He originally conceived Dead Deer High as a play during the pandemic before adapting it into the feature screenplay. He subsequently produced the film alongside his wife and frequent creative collaborator, Jo Rochelle.

Anup Kulkarni is an Indian-born cinematographer and VFX supervisor working in the U.S. film industry. A graduate of the New York Film Academy’s cinematography program, Kulkarni has worked across feature films, television, commercials, documentaries, and visual effects, with credits including Life of Pi, Thor: The Dark World, Percy Jackson, and R.I.P.D. His cinematography has earned multiple awards, and his work has been showcased at festivals including Cannes and SXSW. For Dead Deer High, Kulkarni served as director of photography, developing a visual approach designed to keep audiences emotionally close to the characters without becoming intrusive.

In this episode of the 1st on Film Podcast, we sit down with filmmaker Ryan Noufer, writer and director of the moving short film Mary the Widow.

The film follows Mary, a 78-year-old widow who, at her daughter’s urging, reluctantly attends a speed-dating event for widowed seniors. After a series of awkward and forgettable encounters, she connects with Ed, a gentle stranger who leaves a lasting impression—but as Mary struggles with her memory, holding onto that connection becomes increasingly difficult.

Inspired by Noufer’s own late grandmother, Mary the Widow is a tender exploration of love, grief, aging, memory and the fear of watching someone you love slowly disappear in everyday moments. The film stars Julie Ariola and Stephen Tobolowsky, with Noufer taking on writing, directing and editing duties. (Cleveland Film Society⁠)

In our conversation, Ryan discusses the deeply personal inspiration behind the film, bringing Mary’s story to life, working with Ariola and Tobolowsky, balancing humor with heavier emotional themes, and using filmmaking as a way to process grief and personal experiences.

In this episode of the 1st on Film Podcast, we sit down with writer and director Louis Paxton to discuss his film THE INCOMER.

Louis takes us behind the scenes of the film, discussing the inspiration behind the story, bringing the characters and world to life, and the creative process of writing and directing the project. We also dive into the challenges of making the film, finding the right tone, and what he hopes audiences take away from THE INCOMER.

Tune in for an in-depth conversation with Louis Paxton about filmmaking, storytelling, and the journey behind THE INCOMER.

Louis Paxton is a writer and director known for his work across film and television, with a passion for character-driven storytelling and distinctive, thought-provoking narratives. His work explores compelling characters and contemporary themes while balancing drama, humour, and an engaging visual style.

In this episode of the 1st on Film Podcast, we sit down with production designer Justin Lieb to discuss the making of Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass.

Justin takes us behind the scenes of the film’s production design, breaking down how the visual world of the story was created and how the sets, locations, props, colour, and overall aesthetic help bring the film to life. We dive into the creative process behind designing a film like this, collaborating with the director and other departments, and the challenges that come with turning a script into a fully realized cinematic world.

Whether you’re interested in production design, filmmaking, or simply love getting a behind-the-scenes look at how movies are made, this conversation offers a fascinating look at one of the most important — and often overlooked — aspects of filmmaking.

On this episode of the 1st on Film Podcast, we sit down with award-winning writer-director-actress Louisa Connolly-Burnham to discuss her latest short film, The Intimacy Coordinator.

The darkly comic psychological thriller follows Kate, a highly respected intimacy coordinator who is secretly battling sex addiction. As her personal struggles begin to collide with her professional responsibilities, the film explores consent, addiction, power, boundaries, and the extraordinary level of trust placed in those responsible for protecting performers on set.

Louisa joins us to discuss the inspiration behind the film, tackling such provocative subject matter, the realities of portraying an intimacy coordinator on screen, and the challenges of writing, directing, producing, and starring in the same project. We also talk about the importance of intimacy coordination in modern filmmaking and how Louisa approached creating a story that challenges audiences to question where the lines between care, control, professionalism, and personal struggle can blur.

In this episode of the 1st on Film Podcast, we sit down with composer Tyler Strickland to talk about his work on the acclaimed documentary John Candy: I Like Me.

Currently nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special, the film celebrates the life, career, and enduring legacy of beloved Canadian comedy icon John Candy.

Tyler takes us behind the music, discussing how he approached creating a score for a story so deeply connected to Canadian culture and Candy’s larger-than-life personality. We talk about finding the emotional balance between comedy, nostalgia, family, and grief, the challenges of scoring archival footage, and how music can help tell the story of someone who meant so much to generations of audiences.

We also dive into Tyler’s creative process, his approach to documentary scoring, and what it means to have his work recognized with an Emmy nomination.