Director Raymond Telles joins Sounds of Film to discuss his new documentary American Agitators, which explores the life and legacy of pioneering community organizer Fred Ross Sr. Telles brings decades of experience in documentary filmmaking focused on labor, civil rights, and social justice to a conversation about how grassroots organizing continues to shape American political life.

American Agitators traces Fred Ross Sr.’s lifelong work organizing communities to confront segregation, expand voting rights, and strengthen labor movements across the United States. The film highlights his mentorship of key figures such as Dolores Huerta and connects his organizing model to major civil rights efforts that helped advance school desegregation and broader struggles for racial and economic justice. It also draws a connection between Ross’s disciplined, relationship-based organizing approach and modern movements addressing inequality, labor rights, and civic participation.

At the center of the film is Ross’s methodical philosophy of organizing—built on trust, consistency, and sustained one-on-one engagement rather than short-term protest energy. The documentary emphasizes how this approach continues to influence unions, educators, and grassroots organizers today, particularly as movements adapt to new political and technological landscapes.

Raymond Telles is a veteran documentary filmmaker whose work spans decades of public television and broadcast storytelling focused on labor history, civil rights, and social justice. His credits include The Fight in the Fields: César Chávez and the Farmworkers’ Struggle and The Storm That Swept Mexico, both of which examine major political and social movements in North American history.

Sounds of Film, hosted by Tom Needham, is a long-running radio program featuring in-depth conversations with filmmakers, composers, and cultural figures across film, music, and documentary. Past guests from the show’s documented archive include Billy Joel, Alexander Payne, Alec Baldwin, Laurie Anderson, Bob Geldof, Pam Grier, Rob Reiner, Julie Andrews, Jordan Peele, Dionne Warwick, Michael Moore, William H. Macy, Cicely Tyson, Chuck D, Carter Burwell, Howard Shore, D.A. Pennebaker, and Cornel West, among many others, reflecting the program’s wide-ranging conversations with major voices in culture and cinema.

The latest episode of Sounds of Film features an in-depth conversation with acclaimed filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, discussing her powerful new documentary Mistress Dispeller. The film has been featured at the Venice International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and the Port Jefferson Documentary Film Festival. Known for her intimate and visually arresting storytelling, Lo joins host Tom Needham to explore the making of the film and the emotional complexities behind its real-life love triangle in contemporary China.

Mistress Dispeller follows a woman who hires a professional “mistress dispeller” to go undercover and end her husband’s affair. With unprecedented access to all sides of the triangle, the documentary unfolds as a deeply human portrait of love, loyalty, and emotional contradiction, revealing how intimacy and betrayal can coexist in unexpected ways. The movie is available on the Criterion Channel.

Elizabeth Lo is an award-winning director, producer, and cinematographer whose work has premiered at major festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Venice, TIFF, and IDFA. Her debut feature Stray earned international acclaim, winning Best International Feature at Hot Docs and receiving nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards and Cinema Eye Honors. Her films are known for their observational precision and emotional depth, placing her among the most distinctive voices in contemporary documentary cinema.

Sounds of Film, hosted by Tom Needham, is a long-running film, music, and ideas podcast featuring in-depth conversations with leading figures in cinema and culture. Past guests have included Alexander Payne, Alec Baldwin, Billy Joel, Laurie Anderson, Jordan Peele, Michael Moore, William H. Macy, Cicely Tyson, Chuck D, and Cornel West, among many others shaping the cultural landscape.

The Sounds of Film podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

On this episode of The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with director Maria Diane Ventura and Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia about Eraserheads: Combo on the Run, an intimate and revealing documentary that captures the story of one of the Philippines’ most influential bands. Together, they discuss the creative process behind the film, the emotional journey of revisiting the band’s history, and how music, storytelling, and vulnerability can open the door to healing and reconciliation.

Eraserheads: Combo on the Run traces the band’s evolution from their formation in 1989 to their rise as a defining voice in Filipino music and their powerful reunion decades later. Blending archival footage with candid, behind-the-scenes access, the film explores fame, fracture, and redemption, while placing the band’s journey within the broader cultural and political landscape of the Philippines. At its core, the documentary is not just about music, but about growth, accountability, and the enduring connections that can bring people back together.

The Sounds of Film with Tom Needham is one of the longest-running radio shows dedicated to film, music, and ideas, airing for over 30 years on WUSB and reaching audiences across Long Island, New York, and beyond. The program features in-depth conversations with a wide range of influential voices, including Alexander Payne, Laurie Anderson, Bob Geldof, Billy Joel, Julie Andrews, Jordan Peele, Dionne Warwick, Chuck D, Michael Moore, Howard Shore, Rob Reiner, and Cicely Tyson, offering thoughtful insight into the creative process and the cultural impact of film and music.

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.

On this edition of Classic Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham presents a rare and exclusive conversation with author and filmmaker Bart Sibrel, released here for the first time. In MOON MAN, Sibrel details his real-life espionage experiences investigating what he believes to be one of the most closely guarded secrets of the modern era. Central to his account is his discovery of privately recorded audio that he says raises serious questions about the authenticity of the moon landing.

Sibrel has long maintained that the truth about the Apollo missions has been deliberately concealed, and he contends that until what he views as the moon landing fraud is fully exposed, governments around the world will continue to withhold critical truths from the public. This conversation offers a direct look into Sibrel’s perspective, his investigation, and the controversy that has followed him for decades. With renewed public interest in lunar missions and the moon once again dominating headlines, this archival interview provides a timely opportunity to revisit one of the most debated narratives in modern history.

The Sounds of Film with Tom Needham is one of the nation’s longest-running film, music, and ideas-themed radio shows, airing for over 30 years on WUSB in New York and now available as a podcast. The program features in-depth conversations with leading voices across film, music, and culture. Past guests have included Alexander Payne, Alec Baldwin, Laurie Anderson, Bob Geldof, Billy Joel, Pam Grier, Rob Reiner, Julie Andrews, Jordan Peele, Dionne Warwick, Michael Moore, William H. Macy, Cicely Tyson, Chazz Palminteri, Peter Fonda, and Jesse Jackson, among many others.

Tom Needham’s Classic Sounds of Film presents a rare and exclusive conversation with Dr. Steven Greer, offering listeners a compelling deep dive into one of the most provocative subjects in modern documentary filmmaking. Airing on WUSB, the episode explores the ideas, controversies, and intrigue surrounding extraterrestrial contact through an engaging and thought-provoking discussion.

This episode focuses on Greer’s documentary Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind, which examines the possibility that humans can initiate contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. The conversation explores themes of consciousness, communication, and the hidden history of UFO disclosure, while also considering the broader cultural and scientific implications of these claims.

Dr. Greer, also known for his films Sirius and Unacknowledged, has long been a prominent figure in the disclosure movement. In Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind, he presents what he describes as suppressed knowledge, suggesting that ancient spiritual practices may play a role in facilitating human-initiated contact with advanced civilizations. The film features video and photographic material along with interviews from figures including Adam Curry of Princeton’s PEAR Lab, civil rights attorney Daniel Sheehan, and physicist Russell Targ, who was associated with the CIA’s remote viewing program.

Hosted by Tom Needham, The Sounds of Film is a long-running radio show and podcast dedicated to film, music, and culture, featuring in-depth conversations with acclaimed actors, directors, and composers. Past guests have included Billy Joel, Chuck D, Michael Moore, Laurie Anderson, Cornel West, and Carter Burwell, reflecting the show’s wide-ranging conversations with influential voices across film, music, and culture.

On this episode of The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham welcomes author Wynton Hall, a Distinguished Fellow at Government Accountability Institute, to discuss his new book CODE RED: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI.

In CODE RED, Hall examines the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, exploring concerns about ideological influence in AI systems, the intensifying U.S.–China competition, and the societal impact of automation, digital relationships, and emerging technologies. The conversation highlights both the risks and opportunities of AI, and what individuals and institutions can do to prepare for a rapidly changing future.

The Sounds of Film is a long-running radio show and podcast hosted by Tom Needham that explores the intersection of film, music, and culture through conversations with influential voices across the arts and public life. Through the years, the program has featured a wide range of notable guests including Alec Baldwin, Alexander Payne, Billy Joel, Dionne Warwick, William H. Macy, Michael Moore, Cornel West, and Chuck D, reflecting the show’s wide-ranging focus on artists, filmmakers, and thinkers shaping contemporary culture.

Director Cindy Meehl joins Sounds of Film to discuss her latest documentary Jimmy & The Demons, an intimate and visually rich portrait of celebrated artist James Grashow. Known for her deeply human storytelling style, Meehl brings audiences inside both the creative process and emotional world of her subject, capturing a once-in-a-lifetime artistic journey with honesty, warmth, and insight.

Jimmy & The Demons follows Grashow as he embarks on the most ambitious project of his life at nearly 80 years old—a monumental sculpture that becomes a meditation on art, mortality, and meaning. As he devotes years to completing what may be his final masterpiece, the film blends humor, wonder, and emotional depth, offering a powerful look at the sacrifices and joys of a life dedicated to creativity and the search for purpose.

Cindy Meehl is an award-winning director and executive producer and the founder of Cedar Creek Productions. Her debut feature documentary Buck premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011, where it won the U.S. Documentary Audience Award and was shortlisted for an Academy Award. She followed that success with The Dog Doc (2019), which premiered at the Tribeca Festival and was released in 2020. In addition to her directorial work, Meehl has served as an executive producer on a range of acclaimed documentaries including Natchez (2025), Fashion Reimagined (2022), Rewind (2019), The River and the Wall (2019), For the Birds (2018), Trapped (2016), Unbranded (2015), and Dogs on the Inside (2014). Her latest film, Jimmy & The Demons, premiered at Tribeca in 2025 and has received multiple festival awards.

Sounds of Film with Tom Needham is one of the nation’s longest-running film, music, and ideas-themed radio shows, airing for over 30 years on WUSB in New York. The program features in-depth conversations with leading voices in film, music, and culture. Past guests have included Alexander Payne, Alec Baldwin, Laurie Anderson, Bob Geldof, Billy Joel, Pam Grier, Rob Reiner, Julie Andrews, Jordan Peele, Dionne Warwick, Michael Moore, William H. Macy, Cicely Tyson, Chazz Palminteri, Peter Fonda, and Rev. Jesse Jackson, among many others.