INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: BURT

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$7,000 might buy you a used car—but in Hollywood, it barely covers a single day of craft services on a studio film set.

But in the world of microbudget filmmaking, $7K became the entire production budget for filmmakers Joe Burke and Oliver Cooper, who used that tiny sum to create a full-length, truly independent feature film.

With a small crew, non-professional actors, shooting quickly, with a raw, natural shooting style, they crafted BURT— a miracle of sweetness and depth— a film that captures the spirit of classic indie cinema, echoing the charm of mumblecore pioneers like Andrew Bujalski, Greta Gerwig, and the Duplass Brothers.

Having wowed audiences at numerous film festivals, Joe and Oliver are channeling the Cassavetes playbook—and releasing BURT themselves into theaters.

On this episode of Inside the Arthouse, we wanted to talk to them about the inspiration for the film, their creative process, how they pulled off a feature on a shoestring budget, and the strategy behind bringing an independent film directly to audiences.

BURT is a small gem of a film, and Joe and Oliver are great examples of the indie spirit.

So if you’re dreaming of selling your car to make a movie—or want to learn how authentic independent films get made—you’ll want to start this episode right now… on Inside the Arthouse.

Inside the Arthouse: Left-Handed Girl

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School can be a magical place. Yes, we learn from teachers and instructors — but we also meet people who can change the course of our lives. And film school is no different.

For Taiwanese filmmaker Shih-Ching Tsou, meeting Sean Baker in a film editing class at AFI sparked a creative partnership that would go on for years to come. Together, they co-directed the 2004 feature TAKE OUT, and went on to collaborate on acclaimed films including TANGERINE, THE FLORIDA PROJECT, and RED ROCKET. Now, after years of creative evolution, that partnership has led to a new film — LEFT-HANDED GIRL — a deeply personal story about a young girl confronting cultural barriers and expectations in Taiwan. Set amid the vibrant energy of Taipei’s night markets, the film is both intimate and universal.

LEFT-HANDED GIRL is written & directed by Shih-Ching Tsou, co written and edited and by multi–Oscar-winning filmmaker Sean Baker. It has gone on to play major international film festivals, including a celebrated screening at Cannes. The film is also Taiwan’s official entry for the 2025 Academy Awards, competing for Best International Feature Film, and showcasing a trio of extraordinary actresses.

On this episode of Inside the Arthouse, we talk with Shih-Ching Tsou about her path to making this film, and how her experiences and collaborations have influenced her work.

If you’ve ever had to push past traditional expectations to follow your own path, this conversation will resonate with you. That conversation on Inside the Arthouse— starting now.

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Inside the Arthouse: PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK

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After the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 and the ensuing Israeli military response, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi knew she wanted to make a documentary about what was unfolding in Gaza. But when she couldn’t gain access to the territory, she had to find another way to tell the story.

That opportunity came through Fatma Hassona, a 25-year-old photojournalist and poet living in Gaza. Over the course of a year, through regular video calls, their collaboration took shape — becoming the powerful new documentary PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK.

The film is both life-affirming and heart-breaking, capturing the daily resilience of Fatma as she navigates life in a war zone — her warmth and optimism tested by unimaginable loss.

Premiering at Cannes and screening at the New York Film Festival and beyond, the film has been widely praised by both critics and audiences for its intimacy and emotional force.

As it begins its theatrical release, we invite viewers to look beyond politics — and experience PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK as a deeply human story about endurance, art, and connection amid conflict.

Despite some minor technical challenges, we loved this film and are eager to share our conversation with filmmaker Sepideh Farsi, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now. 

PETER HUJAR’S DAY

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It’s been nearly 30 years since Ira Sachs burst onto the indie scene with his debut feature THE DELTA. While other indie darlings of that period wandered off to making big-budget superhero pictures or directing marginally interesting episodic TV, Sachs has stayed committed to making movies in a truly independent space.

His films, like LOVE IS STRANGE and PASSAGES, explore the complexities of modern romance, family dynamics, and queer identity.

All of this life and work experience is brought to bear in Sachs’s new film, PETER HUJAR’S DAY, a film based on the rediscovered transcript of writer Linda Rosenkrantz’s 1974 interview of groundbreaking photographer Peter Hujar.

With Ben Wishaw and Rebecca Hall delivering mesmerizing performances, the film paints a fully fleshed-out picture of a seminal point in the history of the American cultural landscape.

With a brisk 76-minute running time, you would be forgiven for assuming that the film is a cinematic amuse-bouche. Make no mistake. This is a full meal, providing much to chew on and leaving the viewer fully satisfied.

Filmmaker Ira Sachs is one of our indie heroes, and we are honored to have him as a guest on the show.  

Our conversation with Ira Sachs on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now 

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING

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What does it mean to be a refugee in today’s interconnected world? If one manages to escape a dangerous situation in the place of their birth, can they truly leave the trauma behind them, especially when the horror is just a phone call or video chat away?

In Oday Rasheed’s stunning film IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, we experience the strain that is placed on a young couple as they struggle to reconcile their disparate experiences.  

Adam Bakri is amazing in his role as an Iraqi doctor seeking asylum in the US. And Jess Jacobs – who also wrote the screenplay – creates a memorable and empathetic portrait as the All-American girl who is trying to understand all of the challenges facing her partner as he tries to integrate into his new environment.

In our current environment, it may be difficult to believe that a film about immigration is NOT political. But IF YOU SEE SOMETHING manages to be something that transcends polemics, focusing on the personal experiences of those who are buffeted about by the forces of society.

It’s a terrific film, and we hope that our conversation with director Oday Rasheed and screenwriter-actor Jess Jacobs inspires you to get out to your local arthouse to see it. So join us for that conversation on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.

COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!

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The fighting in Gaza is less intense at the moment thanks to the fragile ceasefire, but the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians continues. Sustained negotiations are required to address past grievances and to arrive at a just and sustainable peace.  

But what if instead of humorless politicians sitting around the table, each side sent a team of comedians? Is laughter perhaps the best way to break through anger and hurt?

In Amber Fares’s film, COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!, we meet Noam Shuster-Eliasi, a former UN staffer who decided to leave politics to become a comedian. As we follow Noam from the early days of developing her one-woman show, through the pandemic shutdown, and to the horrific events of October 7, 2023, and the early days of the war in Gaza, we see a warrior for peaceful coexistence who won’t give up on her quest to use humor to make people see the truth.

Just like the fool in King Lear, comedians have a unique ability to speak truth to power. And as late-night hosts struggle to stay on the air in the US, we see that the effort to suppress political satirists is not confined to the Middle East.

Our conversation with filmmaker Amber Fares, and the subject of her documentary Noam Shuster Eliassi starts now, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE

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Roads of Fire

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The question of illegal immigration is all over the news these days. But in a media environment where journalists are trying to either make you angry or afraid, it’s not always easy to see the actual people beyond the headlines.

In his new documentary ROADS OF FIRE, filmmaker Nathaniel Lezra turns down the volume, providing a nuanced look at three sides of this complicated situation.

One thread follows a group of immigrants making their way from Venezuela to Colombia, where they start the dangerous overland hike through Panama’s Darién Gap.

Another thread introduces us to the advocates, religious leaders, and community volunteers working in and around New York City who are trying to house, feed, and guide the immigrants who have been granted temporary asylum.

And finally, we spend time getting to know one asylum seeker who is trying to make a new life in the United States for herself and her children as she flees an abusive situation in her home country.

Whatever you believe about the policies around the issue of immigration, there is much to learn and appreciate in this timely film, and we hope that our discussion with Nathaniel Lezra is a worthy accompaniment.

So join us for our conversation on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.

KÖLN 75

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Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert is the best-selling solo album in jazz history — a live recording of his extraordinary January 24, 1975, performance at the Cologne Opera House. Earlier this year, the album was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, cementing its place as one of the most iconic moments in modern music.

 

In KÖLN 75, filmmaker Ido Fluk turns the familiar music-biopic formula on its head, reframing the story through the eyes of Vera Brandes, the 18-year-old promoter who made the concert happen. With a spirit that owes more to punk rock than free jazz, Brandes is brought vividly to life by Mala Emde, while John Magaro delivers a mesmerizing portrayal of the mercurial Jarrett.

 

You don’t have to be a jazz aficionado to love this film. KÖLN 75is a vibrant, unconventional look at creativity, youth, and artistic risk — and anyone who appreciates original arthouse cinema will find something to connect with here.

 

Join us for our conversation with filmmaker Ido Fluk, on Inside the Arthouse — starting now.

Inside the Arthouse: THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD?

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One has to wonder what Miguel de Cervantes would make of Patrick McCullum. As we meet Patrick at the start of Gabe Polsky’s documentary THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD?, we aren’t quite sure what to make of him. And, frankly, filmmaker Polsky isn’t sure either.

Is Patrick, a self-proclaimed healer and mystic, truly the person who will fulfill a prophecy and bring unity and protection to the indigenous people of the Amazon? Or, like the hero of Cervantes’s novel Don Quixote, is he just a crazy kook tilting at windmills?

With filmmaker Polsky as our Sancho Panza, and with a question mark hanging at the end of the film’s title, we are along for the ride as we try to figure out whether Patrick – or anyone else – can truly save the world.  

By the nature of the word, we have come to expect that documentaries will deal in certainty. But THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD? reminds us that sometimes, it pays to recognize and respect that there are things we don’t — or perhaps can’t — fully know.

The film also features an appearance by Dr. Jane Goodall, whose lifelong commitment to compassion, science, and the natural world continues to inspire generations. In light of her recent passing, we honor her extraordinary life and the wisdom she shared with such grace — both in this film and throughout her remarkable journey.

To learn more about this fascinating film, join us for our conversation with Gabe Polsky on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.

Inside the Arthouse: The Usual Suspects

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You’ve probably never heard of PUBLIC ACCESS — the 1993 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) winner — but you’ve almost certainly heard of Keyser Soze, the enigmatic villain at the heart of the 1995 Oscar-winning THE USUAL SUSPECTS. So what connects these two films?

On this episode of INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, we sit down with Ken Kokin, the producer of both of these films, and discuss how the same creative team – director Bryan Singer, screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, editor/composer John Ottman, and producer Kokin – went from making an obscure festival prize winner to creating one of the great mystery crime thrillers of all time.

Marking the 30th anniversary of THE USUAL SUSPECTS, this conversation is fun, candid, and illuminating: the origin of Keyser Soze, building the creative collaboration, the leap from festival buzz to Academy Award glory, and the producing lessons behind a legendary twist ending. If you love behind-the-scenes stories, neo-noir thrillers, or the making of cult classics, you’re in the right place.

Join us as we discuss one of our favorite arthouse favorites, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, with producer Ken Kokin, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.