100 Episodes of Inside the Arthouse

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A hundred episodes ago, we started with a simple belief: that movies still matter most when they are shared.

Not just streamed, not just consumed, but experienced — in the dark, on a big screen, with other people, in the places where cinema still feels alive.

Since then, INSIDE THE ARTHOUSEhas become a gathering place for the people who believe in that experience: filmmakers, actors, programmers, distributors, theater owners, advocates, and film lovers who know that independent cinema is not just an art form, but an ecosystem.

For our 100th episode, we’re looking back at some of the conversations that have shaped the journey so far.

Across the show, we’ve had the privilege of speaking with Oscar winners and nominees, first-time filmmakers and legends, documentarians and historians, international auteurs and American independents. We’ve followed films from Brazil, Iceland, Palestine, Ukraine, France, Iran, Germany, Argentina, Israel, India, and Taiwan, and far beyond — sitting with stories of war and memory, music and resistance, family and grief, comedy and survival.

With so many extraordinary conversations, it is impossible to choose favorites. So for this special episode, we’re beginning with the Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated films and filmmakers who have appeared on our show — artists whose work reminds us what independent and international cinema can still do: challenge us, move us, connect us, and stay with us long after the lights come up.

At the center of it all is the arthouse itself: the theater as a gathering place, the screen as a doorway, and cinema as one of the last great communal arts.

Join us for our 100th episode of INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, featuring conversations with Oscar winners and nominees — and a celebration of the films, filmmakers, and film communities that keep cinema alive.

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: TIME AND WATER

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What does it mean to love a place that is changing before your eyes?

That question sits at the heart of TIME AND WATER, a beautiful and deeply moving new documentary from Academy Award-nominated director Sara Dosa.

The film follows Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason as he gathers family archives, photographs, folktales, songs, and the glacial landscapes of his homeland into a kind of time capsule. What begins as a portrait of a changing natural world becomes something even more intimate: a meditation on memory, family, grief, inheritance, and the places that shape us.

Moving between Iceland’s melting glaciers and the story of Andri’s grandparents, TIME AND WATER finds a quiet, deeply human connection between the land we come from and the people we carry with us.

It is about climate change, yes. But it is also about home. It is about what we try to hold on to, what inevitably slips away, and the fragile beauty of sending something meaningful into the future.

In our conversation, we talk about the film’s emotional power, its cinematic language, and the way Sara Dosa invites us to sit with uncertainty — not as despair, but as a reminder that the future is still being shaped.

This is a conversation about what we remember, what we lose, and what we still have time to protect.

Watch the full conversation with director Sara Dosa, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE.

Inside the Arthouse: BERNSTEIN’S WALL

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In American culture, Leonard Bernstein occupies a strange—and almost impossible—space.

A conductor. A composer. A teacher. A celebrity. An activist.

The son of Jewish immigrants, Bernstein rose to become one of the most influential musical figures of the twentieth century, bringing classical music into American homes while refusing to separate art from politics.

But BERNSTEIN’S WALL, from director Douglas Tirola, is not simply a portrait of genius.

It’s a film about contradiction.

About a man driven by enormous ambition… and equally profound doubt. A public figure standing at the center of American culture while privately wrestling with questions of identity, family, sexuality, and the responsibility of the artist in political life.

Using Bernstein’s own voice, and drawing from newly discovered archival material, Tirola creates something remarkably intimate—as if Bernstein himself were sitting beside us, reflecting on art, activism, and the complicated world he helped shape.

And perhaps what makes the story feel so contemporary is the question at its core:

What role should artists play in moments of political and social up

heaval?

Join us for a conversation with director Douglas Tirola on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.

Inside the Arthouse: The Wizard of the Kremlin

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After the collapse of the Soviet Union, power didn’t disappear. It transformed—quieter, more calculated, and far more dangerous.

Starring Paul Dano and Jude Law, THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN, directed by Olivier Assayas, is not simply a political thriller. It’s a meditation on influence, manipulation, and the hidden architecture of control—tracing the rise of Vladimir Putin through the eyes of the shadow strategist who helped engineer it.

Assayas brings his singular sensibility to a world of backroom deals and shifting loyalties. Dano and Law anchor the film with performances that are restrained, precise, and deeply unsettling—two men who understand the system they’re inside, and choose to remain within it.

What lingers most is the question at its core: how do ordinary people become complicit in something far larger—and darker—than themselves?

We sat down with director Oliver Assayas to talk about THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN. That conversation on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE is starting now.

Inside the Arthouse: A Blind Bargain

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The 1922 film A BLIND BARGAINhas long held a mythic status—one of the most sought-after lost films of the silent era.

Lon Chaney starred in a dual role. The film was released by Goldwyn Pictures after a battle with censors… and then, like so many films of the period, it disappeared.

No print survives. What remains are fragments: a lobby card and a single still of Chaney in makeup as one of his haunting, monstrous creations.

We know the film was based on the 1897 horror novel The Octave of Claudius. From that small thread, a new question emerges: what does it mean to reimagine something that no longer exists?

Director and co-writer Paul Bunnell takes that idea into the 1970s—a moment that echoes the 1920s, shaped by post-war dislocation, shifting norms, and a culture of escapism.

With Crispin Glover stepping into one of Chaney’s roles as a mad doctor, the film becomes something both eerie… and unexpectedly playful.

Bunnell has been making films since he was eleven, and his deep love of cinema—especially its history—runs through our conversation about his new film, A BLIND BARGAIN on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE.

Inside the Arthouse: Marama

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MARAMA — the haunting new film from New Zealand — is not easy to describe… and that’s exactly the point.

Filmmaker Taratoa Stappard calls it a “Māori Gothic ghost story.” One of its stars goes further: Jane Eyre on a bad acid trip.

What unfolds is something far more unsettling — and unforgettable.

Set in 1859, MARAMA follows a young Māori woman who journeys to England in search of her past… only to uncover a brutal truth tied to colonial violence, stolen culture, and a legacy that refuses to stay buried.

But this isn’t just a period drama. And it’s not just horror.

It’s a story of transformation, as its central character breaks free from the constraints of empire and reclaims her identity, her voice, and ultimately, her power.

At the center is a breakout performance by Ariāna Osborne — raw, physical, and fearless — anchoring a film that builds toward something both terrifying and deeply cathartic.

What makes MARAMA hit differently is that it’s personal. Stappard draws from his own Māori and English heritage to tell a story about a history that isn’t past — and the cost of finally confronting it.

It’s bold. It’s provocative. And it’s unlike anything else in the current film landscape.

We sat down with Taratoa Stappard to talk about the origins of the film, the risks he took, and why this story needed to be told now.

Listen to the conversation on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE — starting now.

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE!

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Media consolidation.

It’s accelerating. Fewer owners. Fewer voices.

Whether you’re watching the so-called “Orbán playbook” unfold across Eastern Europe, or noticing that CNN and 60 Minutes could one day soon answer to the same boardroom, a new reality is emerging: major news outlets falling under shared corporate ownership. The trend is hard to ignore. The question becomes unavoidable: who controls the story—and who gets left out?

But some journalists refuse to play by those rules.

For over three decades, Amy Goodman and the team at Democracy Now! have challenged power, amplified unheard voices, and pursued the truth—no matter the cost.

In STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE!, Oscar-nominated filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal take us inside that mission, offering a powerful look at the life and work of one of the most fearless journalists of our time. We’re given an intimate portrait of Amy herself—what shaped her, what drives her, and what has sustained her commitment to seeking and reporting the truth across a long and remarkable career.

We couldn’t be more excited to welcome filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, along with our personal hero Amy Goodman, the subject of their inspiring documentary.

It’s all coming up on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: THE STRANGER

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Albert Camus’ The Stranger remains one of the most enduring works of modern literature. Consistently ranked among the greatest novels of the 20th century, it has been translated into more than 75 languages and continues to resonate with readers from the Beat Generation to Gen Z.

Now, acclaimed French filmmaker François Ozon takes on the formidable task of adapting this iconic novel—and succeeds with striking clarity and control.

Shot in evocative black and white, Ozon’s adaptation remains faithful to the novel’s signature emotional detachment while thoughtfully expanding its perspective, particularly around themes of colonialism and racial injustice that Camus left largely unexamined.

Benjamin Voisin delivers a compelling, restrained performance as Meursault, embodying the character’s emotional distance with precision. Rebecca Marder brings warmth and humanity to Marie, providing a subtle but essential counterpoint.

Nearly 30 years after his debut feature SEE THE SEA first screened in U.S. arthouses, Ozon remains one of international cinema’s most provocative and versatile voices. With THE STRANGER, he has crafted a film that feels both faithful to its source and urgently relevant—well worth the price of admission.

We’re honored to welcome François Ozon to discuss his new film THE STRANGER, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: FANTASY LIFE

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Mental illness.

Movies tend to handle it one of two ways — it’s either a major problem, leading to crisis and drama. Or it’s somehow something funny, leading to laughter and comedy.

Rarely anything in between.

But in his debut feature FANTASY LIFE, writer-director Matthew Shear finds a different path. With honesty and nuance drawn from personal experience, Shear explores how dealing with anxiety, depression, and other chapters of the DSM is something that can challenge us even as we cope with the complications these issues bring to our lives.

Shear not only wrote the screenplay, but took on the responsibility of directing both himself and the cast to bring the film to completion. And what a cast! Judd Hirsch, Holland Taylor, Bob Balaban, and Andrea Martin bring warmth and depth to their supporting roles, while Alessandro Nivola and Amanda Peet — whom reviewers are calling radiant, giving the performance of a lifetime — complete the central triangle with Shear himself.

IndieWire calls FANTASY LIFE “sharp, witty, wise, and funny.” The film opened to rave reviews and strong audience response in New York, and opens nationwide on April 3rd.

We sat down with filmmaker Matthew Shear ahead of that rollout — and we’re happy to share that conversation with you, on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, starting now.

 

Inside the Arthouse: Miroirs No. 3

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We’re going out on a limb and saying it plainly: Christian Petzold is one of the finest and most consistently compelling filmmakers working in film today.

While his first five features never received U.S. theatrical release, he broke through to American arthouse audiences with BARBARA in 2012, introducing many to the extraordinary Nina Hoss.

He followed with PHOENIXand TRANSIT, before beginning a new creative collaboration with Paula Beer in UNDINE and AFIRE.

Now, Petzold and Beer reunite for the light and luminous MIROIRS NO. 3. Inspired by the Maurice Ravel piano suite, the film is an impressionistic meditation on one of Petzold’s central themes—recovery from trauma—told with a delightfully human touch that will leave audiences full of hope.

MIROIRS NO. 3opened March 20 in New York and Los Angeles, and will be rolling out to theatres in the weeks that follow.

We hope our conversation with director Christian Petzold inspires you to get out to see the film.

That conversation on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE —starting now.