Director Nicholas Ma joins The Sounds of Film to discuss his debut feature Mabel, a thoughtful and visually rich coming-of-age story opening in New York at the Cinema Village on April 17.

Ma, known for producing the acclaimed documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, brings a deeply personal and intellectually curious perspective to his first narrative feature.

Mabel follows Callie, a biracial middle schooler who feels disconnected from the people around her but forms a profound bond with the plant life she studies and nurtures. As she navigates a new school, shifting family dynamics, and an inspiring but mysterious teacher, the film explores themes of identity, loneliness, and the emerging science of plant intelligence, ultimately asking what it means to truly coexist with the natural world and with each other.

The Sounds of Film with Tom Needham is one of the longest-running radio shows devoted to film, music, and ideas, featuring conversations with an eclectic range of influential voices including Billy Joel, Julie Andrews, Jordan Peele, Dionne Warwick, and William H. Macy, along with leading directors, composers, and cultural figures across film and music. The program continues to deliver in-depth, thoughtful conversations that explore both the creative process and the cultural impact of the arts.