A dream can sound reckless when your world is on fire, but Miguel Angel Ferrer bets on it anyway and somehow gets the film across the finish line. We talk with Miguel, the director of The Shadow of the Sun, a breakout piece of Venezuelan cinema that ran a major international film festival circuit, earned a stack of Venezuelan Academy Award nominations, and became Venezuela’s official Oscars selection before landing on-demand for US and Canada audiences.

Miguel walks us through the real, unglamorous climb: moving from Venezuela to the United States, showing up in Los Angeles with two bags, taking whatever work paid the bills, then using a National Geographic cameraman credit and years in TV post production to learn how studio-level projects actually get delivered. From there we dig into how The Shadow of the Sun came to life: two brothers chasing a music contest to escape poverty, with the younger brother deaf and the older brother becoming his voice. The themes hit hard: brotherhood, deaf culture, Venezuelan spirit, and the kind of persistence that keeps going even when the odds feel insulting.

We get specific about craft and authenticity: crossing back into Venezuela, casting a deaf lead actor from within the community, directing sign language performances with interpreters at the monitor, and shaping the visual language with anamorphic cinematography and a deliberate 40mm approach to landscape. Miguel also shares what’s next, including genre projects and an English-language remake, then closes with three picks for your watch list: Meet Joe Black, The Sea Inside, and Take Shelter. If you like behind-the-scenes filmmaking stories with real stakes, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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You can keep up with Bella on Instagram @portraitofacinephile or Letterboxd
You can keep up with Nick: on Instagram @nicholasybarra, on Twitter (X) @nicholaspybarra, or on Letterboxd

Shout out to contributor and producer Sonja Mereu. A special thanks to Anselm Kennedy for creating Gimme Three's theme music. And another special thanks to Zoe Baumann for creating our exceptional cover art.

In this week's episode, we celebrate the illustrious career of the late, great Sam Neill. Co-hosts Nicholas Ybarra and Bella Efstratis explore some of the recurring character traits that Neill tackled in his work and gush over three of his most outstanding performances.

- We start with the dense, brilliant, and terrifying horror film by one of the masters of the genre, John Carpenter. Sam Neill stars in In the Mouth of Madness.

- Second, we dive deeper into the horror genre. This time, we blend it with science fiction in the wildly underrated and pulse-pounding film Event Horizon.

- Finally, Sam Neill explores his softer side in the tender and hilarious Taika Waititi film Hunt For The Wilderpeople.

Let us know what you think of these films and what your favorite Sam Neill performance is.

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Support the show

Sign up for our Patreon for exclusive Bonus Content.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @gimmethreepodcast

You can keep up with Bella on Instagram @portraitofacinephile or Letterboxd
You can keep up with Nick: on Instagram @nicholasybarra, on Twitter (X) @nicholaspybarra, or on Letterboxd

Shout out to contributor and producer Sonja Mereu. A special thanks to Anselm Kennedy for creating Gimme Three's theme music. And another special thanks to Zoe Baumann for creating our exceptional cover art.

This week on the Gimme Three Podcast, we're honored to be joined by an incredible filmmaker and ED of the non-profit organization Alliance of Women Directors, Kylie Eaton.

Co-host Nicholas Ybarra and Kylie discuss her journey through the industry, her writing and storytelling process, the history of Alliance of Women Directors, and finally, AWD's collaboration with the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival coming this September.

Additionally, Kylie joins us in our Gimme Three Segment, highlighting three films that inspired her filmmaking career, including Star Wars, Sleepless in Seattle, and The Matrix.

Stay tuned for the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival dates and be updated by signing up for our newsletter at: https://www.ladff.com/ or following us on Instagram @ladiversityfilmfest

Become a member or sign up for AWD's newsletter at: https://www.allianceofwomendirectors.org/

❗️SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE ❗️

Support the show

Sign up for our Patreon for exclusive Bonus Content.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @gimmethreepodcast

You can keep up with Bella on Instagram @portraitofacinephile or Letterboxd
You can keep up with Nick: on Instagram @nicholasybarra, on Twitter (X) @nicholaspybarra, or on Letterboxd

Shout out to contributor and producer Sonja Mereu. A special thanks to Anselm Kennedy for creating Gimme Three's theme music. And another special thanks to Zoe Baumann for creating our exceptional cover art.