In this episode of the Big Apple Film Festival Podcast, host and festival founder/director Jonathan Lipp sits down with actor and producer Sawyer Spielberg to discuss his film "Martyr of Gowanus", written and directed by Brian Meere. Spielberg shares his passion for NYC, how the city inspires his craft, as well as advice for aspiring actors, artists and filmmakers.Sawyer Spielberg studied drama in New York City and has worked in Theatre, TV, and Film ever since. Sawyer is known for the Apple TV+ series Masters Of The Air playing Lt. Roy Frank Claytor and brought the film Christmas Eve in Millers Point to the Cannes Film Festival. Other films Sawyer is known for are Honeydew and Merry Good Enough.He is currently set to appear in various other projects in production or post production, including Materialists, produced by A24 and distributed by Sony Pictures in which he will co-star opposite Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal and Dakota Johnson.

In this episode, host Jonathan Lipp, Big Apple Film Festival Founder/Director, speaks with filmmaker Cinqué Lee about his film "A Rare Grand Alignment", which will have its NYC premiere at the Big Apple Film Festival.

Cinqué, who is also an actor and writer(as well as the brother of critically acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee), discusses his career, his family's influence on his passion writing and storytelling, his love of nostalgic films, as well as advice for aspiring filmmakers.

Full episode is also available on Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Podcasts.

In this episode of the Big Apple Film Festival Podcast, BAFF Founder and Director Jonathan Lipp chats with Oscar® nominated producer Krushan Naik on how short films can be used as a calling card for a filmmaker to launch their career, how a short can be used to attract industry attention and build an audience to expand their concept into a feature film, if a short film can be a marketable product on its own, and what the future holds for short films in today's marketplace, primarily on streaming networks such as NETFLIX, and other majors streaming networks. Based in Los Angeles, Krushan Naik is an Oscar® nominated producer. He served as producer on the Oscar® nominated short film ANUJA, as well as writer and director of the Big Apple Film Festival official selection RESURGENCE. Krushan is an award-winning director, producer, editor, and educator who has also served as the Head of Programming and a judge for film festivals; taught film production and post-production courses; worked as a Festival Specialist consulting filmmakers on film festivals and marketing strategies, and has featured in various publications, including Film Daily, Mid-Day, Morgan Hill Life, Digital Journal, New York Amsterdam News, Variety, and more. After receiving the "How to Navigate Film Festivals, Marketing & Distribution as a Filmmaker" certification from the Sundance Institute, he worked as a Festival Specialist, consulting filmmakers on film festivals and marketing strategies. In addition, he is an Avid Certified Instructor (ACI) and a Specialist and enjoys creating immersive audio-visual experiences from hours of footage. Krushan has won multiple awards for films produced, co-produced, or produced in association with Krushan Naik Films, including the Telly Award, and has premiered them at prestigious film festivals, including Oscar®/Academy Award®, BAFTA, Canadian Screen Award-qualifying. Moreover, he has a background in visual effects and 3D animation and was also the successful proprietor of an advertising agency, K.N. Kreative Studios, where he collaborated with Bollywood celebrities and top artists in the film and fashion industries from his time in India.