INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT

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“Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.”

That classic show business adage comes to mind when reflecting on the Oscar-nominated documentary COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT.

Directed by Ryan White, the film follows celebrated poet Andrea Gibson after a cancer diagnosis reshapes their daily life. But this is far more than a story about illness. At its core, COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT is a love story — centered on Gibson and their wife, poet Megan Falley — and on the way humor becomes an act of resilience.

Rather than turning away from the gravity of the situation, the couple meets it head-on with comedy, poetry, and profound partnership. The result is an intimate, deeply moving documentary that feels unexpectedly luminous. Given the circumstances it depicts, the film is remarkably light and life-affirming — a testament to the trust Ryan White and his small crew built as they embedded themselves in their subjects’ lives.

Since premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT has earned rave reviews and an outpouring of audience admiration. The film has now been honored with an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.

This episode is part of our ongoing INSIDE THE ARTHOUSEOscar Spotlight series, featuring in-depth conversations with each of this year’s Oscar-nominated Documentary Feature filmmakers.

Join us for our conversation with director Ryan White about COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE — starting now.

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR

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Oscar®-nominated director Geeta Gandbhir joins our Academy Award Documentary Spotlight to discuss THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR and the making of this year’s Best Documentary Feature nominee.

“Get off my lawn.”

It’s something many of us heard as kids after wandering onto a neighbor’s property. Back then, it rarely escalated beyond a shouted warning.

But in post-pandemic America, rising social isolation, fear of crime, expanding “stand your ground” laws, and easy access to firearms have created a far more volatile landscape — where minor conflicts can turn tragic.

In her Oscar-nominated documentary THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR, director Geeta Gandbhir examines one such devastating case.

Constructed almost entirely from police body camera footage, THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR unfolds with the tension of a thriller and the inevitability of a tragedy. What begins as a neighborhood dispute reveals deeper issues of race, fear, gun laws, and systemic failure — culminating in a loss that feels both shocking and heartbreakingly predictable.

Nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature, THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR is one of the most urgent and talked-about documentaries of the year.

On this episode of INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, Geeta Gandbhir discusses the ethical responsibility of building a film from police body cam footage, the broader cultural climate that shaped this tragedy, the challenges of documentary filmmaking in an era of viral violence, and what she ultimately hopes audiences take away from the film.

This conversation is part of our ongoing series featuring all of this year’s Oscar-nominated documentary filmmakers.

Join us for our interview with Geeta Gandbhir about THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.

Inside the Arthouse: Cutting through Rocks

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The phrase “observational documentary” immediately evokes cinéma vérité pioneers like Frederick Wiseman and the Maysles Brothers—filmmakers who defined the art of patient, fly-on-the-wall storytelling.

With their Academy Award–nominated documentary CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS,directors Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni carry that tradition into urgent contemporary territory. It’s a rare recognition for a feature-length observational film—and a powerful reminder that this quiet, rigorous mode of nonfiction filmmaking remains as vital as ever.

As part of our ongoing Oscar Series, featuring conversations with this year’s Best Documentary Feature nominees, we’re proud to spotlight this remarkable film and its filmmakers.

At the center of CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS is Sara Shahverdi, the first Iranian woman elected as a councilmember in her rural village. A motorcycle-riding force of nature, Shahverdi challenges entrenched patriarchy through policy and persistence—advocating for women’s empowerment and encouraging young girls to imagine futures beyond the traditional roles that have historically defined their lives. Charismatic, fearless, and deeply pragmatic, she emerges as both subject and symbol of meaningful civic change.

Beautifully shot and carefully constructed, CUTTING THROUGH ROCKSis this year’s Oscar-nominated documentary about resilience, community leadership, and the transformative power of one determined individual.

Our in-depth conversation with Academy Award nominees Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni is live now on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, as part of our 2026 Academy Awards Documentary Spotlight.

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INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: THE ALABAMA SOLUTION

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After peaking in the early 1990s, U.S. crime rates have steadily declined—today standing at nearly half their peak. Yet incarceration rates have not followed the same trajectory. With roughly 1% of the adult population behind bars, the United States continues to maintain one of the highest incarceration rates in the world.

Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki (Oscar-nominated for Capturing the Friedmans) first became interested in the American carceral system while making that landmark documentary. Years later, teaming up with filmmaker Charlotte Kaufman, he began a multi-year investigation into conditions inside the Alabama state prison system—communicating directly, via video calls, with incarcerated activists.

The result is THE ALABAMA SOLUTION, a searing portrait of prison overcrowding, institutional corruption, and systemic failure. The film examines the collision of “tough on crime” politics, the prison-industrial complex, and a system many argue is violating the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

And yet, like the most powerful prison dramas, the film doesn’t surrender entirely to despair. There are moments of resilience and humanity amid the anger—glimpses of the possibility of rehabilitation, even within a broken structure.

Premiering to strong acclaim at Sundance, THE ALABAMA SOLUTION is now nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2026 Academy Awards.

Our conversation with Oscar nominees Charlotte Kaufman and Andrew Jarecki begins now on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE.

 

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: STARMAN

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If one were to make the case that the Space Age started in 1957 with the launch of Sputnik, then it follows that someone born in 1942 has arguably spent their entire adult life living in the Space Age.

But if that someone is Gentry Lee, then not only have they been living their entire adult life with space travel as a reality, but they have actually been present and “In the Room” for some of the major milestones in the history of humanity’s efforts to escape the bounds of Earth.

As a scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Gentry was the director of science analysis and mission planning for the Viking mission to Mars, and the Galileo probe to Jupiter- missions that fundamentally reshaped our understanding of the solar system.

But he also found the time to collaborate with Carl Sagan on the landmark PBS series, COSMOS, and then went on to narrate the Discovery Channel program ARE WE ALONE?, which examined the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

And if that isn’t enough, he co-authored four books with legendary science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke.

A Zelig-like character, Gentry Lee has been everywhere and worked with everyone at the intersection of interplanetary science and science fiction, and now he is the subject of Robert Stone’s documentary STARMAN.

The film is both entertaining and educational, which makes sense given that Genty is our guide – leading us through a lifetime of curiosity, imagination, and discovery. And we hope that our discussion with him is just as fun and enlightening.

Our conversation with Gentry Lee, the subject of Robert Stone’s documentary STARMAN, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now. 

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: THE LOVE THAT REMAINS

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Like Ingmar Bergman pivoting from the existential weight of THE SEVENTH SEAL to the gentler, more reflective tone of WILD STRAWBERRIES, Icelandic filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason follows his critically acclaimed 2023 film GODLAND with THE LOVE THAT REMAINS—a film that feels light and airy even as it engages with emotionally serious subject matter.

THE LOVE THAT REMAINS centers on Anna and Maggi the parents of three children, as they navigate an amicable separation and divorce. Anna is an artist struggling with stalled success, while Maggi works aboard a commercial fishing boat, fully aware that long stretches at sea strain family life. Their unhappiness is evident, but Pálmason resists easy explanations. Instead, he presents a couple bound by mutual respect and lingering affection, making the film a striking counterpoint to traditional divorce dramas.

Alongside its intimate emotional focus, the film is a vivid portrait of the Icelandic landscape, with the countryside serving as both setting and emotional texture—beautiful, austere, and deeply expressive.

Defying easy categorization, THE LOVE THAT REMAINS is a quietly radical film about love, separation, and emotional endurance. We hope our conversation with Hlynur Pálmason inspires you to seek out the film when it opens at your local arthouse cinema.

To learn more about THE LOVE THAT REMAINS, watch INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now…

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: ISLANDS

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It’s only January, but if the new film ISLANDS is any indication of what lies ahead, 2026 is already shaping up to be a hell of a year at the cinema.

Written and directed by Jan-Ole Gerster, and inspired by a character he observed while vacationing on the island of Fuerteventura, the film is a sexy, sun-drenched mystery that slowly tightens its grip. The story feels cut from the cloth of a Raymond Chandler or Patricia Highsmith novel — but just when noir convention tells you the plot will zig, Gerster makes it zag.

At the center of the film’s simmering love triangle is Sam Riley, unforgettable as Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis in the 2007 biopic CONTROL. He’s joined by Stacy Martin and Jack Farthing, perfectly cast as a troubled married couple whose arrival sets the story quietly — and irrevocably — in motion.

Since premiering at the Berlin Film Festival, ISLANDS has drawn widespread acclaim. Variety was so impressed that it named Gerster one of its 10 Directors to Watch for 2026.

To learn more about how ISLANDScame into being, we invite you to listen in on our conversation with Jan-Ole Gerster as he discusses his latest film on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE—starting now.

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: DISTRIBUTION AND SALES WITH GARY RUBIN

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The Sundance Film Festival is back. And with the festival, we can expect stories in the news about the latest “big” acquisition of premiering films. But while the headlines focus on the acquisition price, we want to understand what’s going on beyond the number. How do these deals get done — and more importantly — what happens with the 99% of films that DON’T get picked up for distribution in a bidding war.

To learn more about how films get from production to distribution, we sat down with industry veteran Gary Rubin. In the go-go 90’s and early aughts, he was buying films at Artisan Entertainment, including being involved with the acquisition of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. 

Later, he formed his own company, First Independent Pictures, handling the distribution of BIG FAN and HOLY ROLLERS.  

Lately, he’s switched to the other side, helping producers position their films for sale as a sales agent.  

And when buyers don’t bite, he’s ready to step in as a marketing consultant, guiding filmmakers through the process of self-distribution.

Making a film is a huge challenge. But in many respects, actually getting it in front of an audience is even tougher.  

So if you’re a filmmaker, or even just an interested consumer of independent films, you’ll want to listen in and learn more from our “inside baseball” conversation with Gary Rubin, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE… starting now.

Inside the Arthouse: Q&A with Steve Buscemi

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As the Sundance Film Festival approaches its final year in Park City, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the artists who didn’t just pass through Sundance—but helped define it, and in doing so, shaped an entire era of American independent cinema.

Among those enduring icons is Steve Buscemi.

Buscemi’s breakthrough came with Bill Sherwood’s PARTING GLANCES, which premiered at Sundance in 1986. The film helped spark the New Queer Cinema movement and marked one of the earliest moments when Sundance revealed itself as a true launchpad for bold, deeply personal storytelling.

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Buscemi became one of the most recognizable faces of independent film, collaborating with a generation of filmmakers who would go on to redefine the medium—including Joel and Ethan Coen, Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch, Abel Ferrara, and Tom DiCillo.

His unforgettable performance in Alexander Rockwell’s IN THE SOUP earned the film the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 1992, cementing Buscemi’s place at the heart of the indie film explosion of the ’90s.

More recently, Buscemi was honored by IndieCollect as part of their RescueFest 2025 program, recognizing his lasting impact on independent cinema and the preservation of film history.

For the occasion, IndieCollect founder Sandra Schulberg invited Greg to moderate a conversation with Steve, co-hosting alongside Michelle Satter, founder and longtime director of the Sundance Institute Labs.

We’re proud to bring that conversation to you now – this is Steve Buscemi in a Q & A format, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE— starting now.

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: A PRIVATE LIFE

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Rebecca Zlotowski first caught our attention with her fifth feature, OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN, which was released in the U.S. in 2023. So we were especially excited to screen her follow-up: A PRIVATE LIFE — a sleek, stylish French-language film that’s as entertaining as it is unexpectedly moving.

The film boasts a stellar cast led by Oscar-winner Jodie Foster and César-winner Daniel Auteuil, making it one of the most exciting cast-and-director pairings of the year.

In A PRIVATE LIFE, Foster plays a tightly wound psychiatrist whose carefully ordered world begins to unravel when one of her patients dies under mysterious circumstances. Blending mystery, romance, and comedy, it’s the kind of genre cocktail that shouldn’t work — but somehow does… and beautifully.

The result is a gripping, emotionally intelligent thriller with a real pulse, anchored by one of Foster’s most nuanced performances in years.

While this isn’t Foster’s first time acting in French, it may be her most accomplished — and the role has already made history, with Foster becoming the first American ever nominated for a César in an acting category.

To learn more about how the film came to be, we spent time with filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski, and we’re thrilled to share that conversation with you.

Listen now to our episode on A PRIVATE LIFE with Rebecca Zlotowski — on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.