So we went a little nuts at the Denver Film Festival--just shy of 50 podcasts went up on SpoutBlog and the Denver sitelet. But unless you're really bored this Thanksgiving weekend, we realize you won't have time to sit down and listen to them one by one. We thought we would help out by highlighting a handful of our favorites. Like all greatest hits albums, it's not going to provide the full experience, but it at least gives you a good sense for what was going on in Denver. Listen in...

- Academy Award-winning director Anthony Minghella talking about his newest film, Breaking and Entering.

- Angie Avarez discussing her mockumentary about high school teachers, Chalk.

- Brothers and ultimate collaborators Aaron and Adam Nee talking about their film The Last Romantic.

- Filmmaker David Gow and the two impressive male leads in Steel Toes.

- Sister team Amy and Andrea Doe talking about making Saucy Flyer UFO P.I..

- Filmmaker Matthew Porterfield discussing being a kindergarten teacher and how he made his documentary Hamilton.

- Samira Goetschel and her controversial film Our Own Private Bin Laden.

- The November 15 Roundtable Recap with Bill, Kevin and Dave, talking about nine or so films they had just watched.

- The unexpected interview with Will Ferrell and his wife Viveca Paulin, focusing on Paulin's work on the film Nail Polish.

- Richard Berge and his documentary The Rape of Europa, which explores the plunder of Europe's art treasures during WWII.

- Our first conversation with Canadian cinema verite treasure Allan King.

- One amazing question and one amazing answer from Tim Robbins.

- The November 17 Roundtable Recap with Dave, Paul, Kristin and Kevin, who shares a great story about the Tim Robbins event.

- Another great director with an impressive list of films, Michael Apted, discussing the inspirational aspects of his new historical film Amazing Grace.

The Trials of Darryl Hunt is on the short list for the Best Documentary Oscar. It's far more than a courtroom drama, it's the real story of an amazing man and the community around him refusing to play the roles society placed on them: Criminal, rapist, murderer. The accounts of Darryl Hunt's various trials over twenty years are jaw dropping.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

Jeremy Davies is one of those actors whose talent is so abundant, but he isn't a household name because his characters are so unmarketable. Co-starring in the new film, Rescue Dawn, he talks briefly about working with Werner Herzog and the real reason he's been showing up recently in films by great directors.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

The legendary and enigmatic director, Werner Herzog, found a new collaborator for Rescue Dawn (2006) in producer, Harry Knapp. Knapp describes that collaboration with one word.

Brutal.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

Allan King's latest film, EMPz for Life, is a film long overdue. The common concept of racism is outdated and conjures images from the Civil Rights Movement. The racism we face today has been harder to attach an image to. EMPz for Life accomplishes just this as the camera crew follows--in King's signature cinema verite style--half a dozen young men and their frustrated mentor through twelve weeks of their life in inner city Toronto.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

Friday night at the Starz Denver Film Festival. Kristin talked with Michael Apted about his film, Amazing Grace. Paul saw two docs, The Trials of Darryl Hunt and Allan Rich's Memory.... Dave saw Heath Ledger's new film, Candy. And Kevin saw We Like to Drink, We Like to Play Rock and Roll preceded by the short film, Moosecock.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

I went to Friday evening's Red Carpet event to talk to British director Michael Apted about his new film, the historical drama Amazing Grace. Although Apted's name might not be familiar to everyone, many of his films are, including Coal Miner's Daughter, Nell, Gorillas in the Mist, and Blink.

His newest film, which was screened at the festival last night, tells the true story of one man's long, hard efforts to abolish slavery and the slave trade in late 1700s Britain. Before the film, Apted talked to me about what drew him to this story, the important ways the film speaks to world issues today, and how The Up Seriesis especially close to his heart.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

For six months Lexie Shabel followed the hysterical Unband, goofy guys who love to rock hard with no shame at how many people are laughing. They also love to drink. Hence, the title of the film, We Like To Drink, We Like To Play Rock And Roll. For such a laugh out loud film, Shabel shares a surprisingly harrowing story about birthing this rockin' doc.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

After a long week of so many films, it was somewhat relieving to see Moosecock. A short-film attempting to address absolutely nothing going on in the world accept for a good, hardy gut-laugh.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast, Will Hartman

Daniel Schechter's number one goal in his films is to get people talking about issues. It seems to work. Last night, after the screening of his newest film, In Debt We Trust, people couldn't stop talking. Schechter says it's because the film's topic--the alarming problem of credit card debt and consumption in America--is one everyone gets. Like the best political documentaries, In Debt We Trust does its job when it comes to getting people talking and thinking and even doing something about the problem. Although the topic is sobering--even depressing and alarming--Schechter uses humor and an amusing original soundtrack to ease us through the message.

After the film, Schechter and I talked about why he made the film, how he decided what to include and what to cut, the role of the soundtrack, and what he hopes the film will accomplish. He also stressed he's eager to find people who would like to help spread the word by organizing community screenings.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

Thursday night at the Denver Film Festival left us blown away with two filmmakers. Friday morning we had to talk about it. Dave and Kevin saw actor/director Tim Robbins receive the John Cassavetes Award. Kristin and I had our first experience with documentary director--and Canadian national treasure--Allan King. They're two men it's hard to walk away from unchanged.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

Wow. Tim Robbins. We almost didn't get an interview with him because he canceled all press engagements due to laryngitis, but I was able to catch him on the red carpet on the way into a clips program of his work, where he received the 2006 John Cassavetes award. I asked him how Cassavetes' work has influenced his decisions as an actor and director.

Kevin interviews Tim Robbins.
Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

In the 1960s and 70s, Allan King was at the forefront of a new way of doing documentary using cinema verite. Up until that point, cinema verite hinged on a central question that needed to be answered by the film, but King decided that the real life drama was the story in and of itself. This was very clear (and very successful) in the 1969 film A Married Couple, which Paul and I watched last night. I went into the film thinking it would be very interesting on an academic level, so I wasn't prepared to be moved so deeply by the drama between Bill and Antoinette unfolding on the screen. King and his crew filmed the couple in their home for 10 weeks, until they appear to have completely forgotten the camera was present. The demonstrations of what goes wrong--and right--in a marriage are powerful. After the screening, Paul and I were very privileged to talk to Mr. King about the process of making A Married Couple and his particular understanding of marriage since making the film.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

Originally a play made up of eight monologues, Marc Meyers and Jodi Girgenti adapted Approaching Union Square into a movie made on a micro-budget.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

Richard Berge co-directed The Rape of Europa along with Bonni Cohen and Nicole Newnham. We talked about making this historical documentary about the plunder of Europe's art treasures during WWII. Berge shared stories that didn't make the final cut, and we pondered the film's lingering moral question: can a work of art be more important than a human life?

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

Last night, Kevin and I watched the film Nail Polish. Today we talked with the director, Jane Ainbinder, the lead actor, Alexandra Lydon, and two of the film's producers, Randy Sterns and Courtney Lee-Michell. Our conversation flowed from small budgets and semi-autobiographical scripts, to women filmmakers, collaboration, and what it means to throw your heart into a film you believe in. (If you happen to be in Denver this weekend but missed the screening last night, you can catch the film at 4 p.m. on Sunday.)

Filmmakers Korey Green and Addison Henderson grew up in the impoverished ghetto of Buffalo, NY and they have one agenda: Show people the suffering of their friends and neighbors. As insiders from the neighborhood, they take their camera into places middle class America has never seen. Sometimes scattered, the film makes no thesis statement about poverty. But as I spoke with the filmmakers, it became clear the point is just to show the world the people of what they call, The Forgotten City.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

I arrived in Denver Wednesday afternoon, ready to offer some fresh energy to Dave and Kevin who have been burning the midnight oil for a whole week now. So after a download with the whole team over beer and some really delicious fish tacos, Kevin and I head for my first film of the festival, Nail Polish. After the film we look across the aisle to our left and see none other than the real Will Ferrell sitting in the audience. His wife, Viveca Paulin, is one of the producers for Nail Polish. Needless to say, Kevin and I worked up the courage to interview them on the fly, trying hard to keep the focus on Paulin's film, not Ferrell's career. He talked about big-budget productions versus small-budget films, and some of his favorite things about Nail Polish, while she talked about the challenges of shooting a film in 28 days with a small crew.

Will Ferrell and Viveca Paulin.
Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

Last night, Paul and I went to see Venus, starring Peter O'Toole. It was a film Paul had heard much about at Telluride but had missed, so we were glad to catch it. The man who introduced the film said he thinks it's one to watch for an Oscar nomination and possibly award for O'Toole. I'm not one to make such predictions, but it was an amazing performance. Listen as Paul and I talk about what works in the film (the treatment of larger issues and themes) and what doesn't work quite as well (like some cliche moments a bit too reminiscent of Pretty Woman and My Fair Lady).

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

The description for Mariners and Musicians describes the film best:

A cinematic tone poem based on conversation, writings, and music by acclaimed singer/ songwriter/ author Rosanne Cash. This dreamlike mosaic portrait, with stunning Super 8mm and 16mm visuals and Holga animation, features songs from Cash's celebrated album Black Cadillac.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Mariners and Musicians, Liselle Feingold.

The screening of the short documentary Living Lightly was a debut in more ways than one. Its screening at the Denver Film Festival marked the films first public screening and it was director Robin Burke's directorial debut. Prior to making this film, she worked predominantly as a producer on other people's projects. Living Lightly is a debut that any first time director would be very proud of. It is poetic and thought provoking and just plain beautiful. The film is about the Vido family. They have chosen to live in such a way that they only take what they need from the earth. The film focuses on their practice of schything to make hay for their livestock. Interviews with the family are imbued with a kind of pastoral poetry that few documentaries achieve. Burke's approach is not to charm the audience with flashy camera work or clever editing but rather, she places the camera, frames her shots wide and captures the beauty of this family, swinging their scythes in what amounts to a kind of moving painting. After the screening I talked about her process when making a documentary and what it was like to enter the world of this unusual and fascinating family.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Living Lightly, Robin Burke

I saw Arturo Cabanas' film, Man Up in the shorts program "Pocket Sized Portraits." His film is a challenging portrait of a father with a son who is a gifted young wrestler. The father responds to his son's talent with a determination that his son be the best. The film raises questions about whether or not the father's approach to molding his son into a master wrestler is misguided or on the nose. On the one hand, his son is learning independence and strength of character through the way his father is training him. On the other hand, when does this kid get to be a kid? The deeper one digs into the films questions, the more one begins to reevaluate how our culture defines independence and more specifically, masculinity. Besides the discussion this film sparks, it's visually compelling and masterfully edited. Cabanas' camera essentially acts as fly on the wall for most of the film, with brief, to the point interviews of the father and son throughout. The familial drama he captures in his film is fascinating and it rivals any fictional portrayal of drama. In terms of documentary filmmaking, Man Up strikes the perfect balance between thought provoking subject matter and a strong visual style. Cabanas and I talked about the questions this film raises and how he went about making the film.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Man Up, Arturo Cabanas

At Ted's Montana Grill in Denver, I sat down with Bill and Dave to share our film picks over a meal of delicious bison meat. Our favorites from the festival thus far: Saucy Flyer UFO PI, Tre, Kurt Cobain About A Son, Cheech, Familia, Breaking and Entering, RE: Monday, Pan's Labyrinth, and Steel Toes. Will some films from the second half of the festival unseat these heavyweights? Stay tuned to find out...

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Roundtable Recap, Bill, Dave, and Kevin

I caught up with Colorado filmmaker Ryan Cooper to talk about his short, Harry and Greta. The film retells Hansel and Gretel in a contemporary way, turning the classic fable into a romantic comedy. We talked about finding inspiration in timeless stories, and what's next.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Harry and Greta, Ryan Cooper

After a shorts program dedicated to narrative films by Colorado filmmakers I talked to Justin Jones, director of Luisa. The film tells of the harrowing journey of a Mexican woman crossing the border to reunite with her family in Denver. We talked about the irony of the immigration issue boiling over during the making of the film, and plans for a feature length version.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast, Luisa, Justin Jones

We talked with Matthew Porterfield about his directorial debut in Hamilton. Porterfield discussed his writing process, going from New York back to the Hamilton neighborhood of Baltimore to make the film, and how teaching kindergarten prepared him for directing.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

I think I could have talked to Samira Goetschel for at least seven hours, but for your listening pleasure I kept it to about ten minutes. Goetschel's new documentary, Our Own Private Bin Laden , chronicles her personal journey to try to unwrap the media phenomenon that has become of Osama Bin Laden. Goetschel, born in Iran, escaped when her father was executed during the Islamic Revolution. Living in New York, she thought she had escaped Islamic Fundamentalism, then September 11 happened. She decided to confront her fear and anger by making this film. We talked about her personal journey, how to ask questions without an agenda, refusing distribution deals to avoid hypocrisy, and revelations in the editing room. Goetschel is a remarkable person who demonstrates the courage it takes to ask simple questions, and receive extremely complicated answers.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Our Own Private Bin Laden, Samira Goetschel

I spoke with the cast of Looking For Sunday about the camaraderie they shared on set, the roles they played in the film's development, and who's better at basketball.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Looking for Sunday, Michael Weston, Spence Decker, Katharine Towne

B movies aren't dead! Sisters Amy and Andrea Doe seem like average Denver suburbanites, until you see their new film, Saucy Flyer UFO P.I. I caught up with them the day after the film's midnight premiere. We talked about making the picture in Colorado on a shoestring budget, having the courage to make fun of terrorism, and why Amy will do anything her big sister tells her to.

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Saucy Flyer UFO P.I., Amy Doe and Andrea Doe

I had the privilege last night of watching the shorts program, Secrets and Lives. On hand to talk about their films were filmmakers Adam Burr, Brandon Bennett, and Thom Milano. Burr's film is RE: Monday, Bennet's film is Con and Milano's film is Go I. After the screening I asked the filmmakers to talk about what inspired the making of their films, and how they turned the original ideas into the films we saw last night. They also shared the most rewarding and most challenging moments in the creation of their films.

Starz Denver Film Festival, spout.com podcast

Sylvie Moreau. What can I say? I guess I'm a little smitten (do people still say "smitten"?). She's a talented actress (stage, TV and film), a writer, she's very articulate...and has a French accent that makes me melt a little. At the Opening Night festivities, Dave and I hung out with Moreau and her escort for the festival, Francois Papineau (who is also an actor and Sylvie's writing partner on the TV show Etats-humains - Human States). We caught up with them again after watching Moreau's film, Familia. The character she plays is so complex that we spent most of the conversation focused on that role.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Familia, Sylvie Moreau

I had the amazing opportunity to interview the director and the two stars of the film Steel Toes. I must say I was a little intimidated interviewing these guys after watching their amazingly gritty and powerful performance. I asked David Gow about the process of adapting his stage production, Cherry Docks, into a film, and how Andrew Walker and David Strathairn connected in such a powerful way on screen.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Steel Toes, David Gow, David Strathairn, Andrew Walker

Bill and I talked with the director of the film When I Came Home. Dan Lohaus talked about the 300,000 plus homeless veterans that are left on the street without any assistance and how he hopes to use his film to address and correct this problem.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, When I Came Home, Dan Lohaus

In this film, Looking for Sunday the city of Denver is meant to be a character, according to the filmmakers. Bill and I interviewed the producer and director of the film. Paul Aaron, the producer, talks about how the film was financed and produced all in Denver. Director, Mark Piznarski, talks about what it meant for him to make the film in Denver.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Looking for Sunday, Paul Aaron, Mark Piznarski

Following the screening of Analog Days, director Mike Ott and producer Jenifer Shahin talked with me about how their film came into being, the challenges they faced in production, and how the film has played at festivals here in the U.S. and abroad.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Analog Days, Mike Ott, Jenifer Shahin

Aaron and Adam Nee seem to be the ultimate collaborators. I sat down with them to discuss their film, The Last Romantic. We talked about their approach to shooting on DV, how to stay creatively consistent on a low budget production, and what it's like to watch your film with an audience.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, The Last Romantic, Adam Nee, Aaron Nee

I had the pleasure of interviewing Vlimos Zsigmond following a screening of Robert Altman's film, McCabe and Mrs. Miller. I had wanted to see this film for quite some time and seeing it at a festival with the cinematographer was a rare and wonderful gift. As I listened to the Q&A after the film, I could see why directors like Robert Altman's, Woody Allen, and Steven Spielberg wanted to work with this man. He was patient, good natured, and a consummate artist. Zsigmond has been the cinematographer on such films as Deliverance, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate, Melinda and Melinda and more recently, The Black Dahlia. Listen as he discusses his experience watching McCabe again, what it was like to work with Robert Altman, and the cinematographers and films that inspire him as an artist.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Vlimos Zsigmond

I talked to a collection of filmmakers, here at the Denver Film Festival, who were involved in making the film Human Error. They discussed the late Joel Ehrlich, producer of the film and a big supporter of film in Denver. They also discuss the production of Human Error, its political overtones, and its journey from the stage to the screen.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Human Error, Robert M. Young, Richard Dresser, Robert Knott, Caroline Ashley

Chalk, a mockumentary about new high school teachers, is easily comparable to the work of Christopher Guest or Ricky Gervais. The film succeeds in making the audience cringe as first-day teachers go down in flames. The film is showing at the Denver Film Festival, and I was able to talk to filmmaker Angie Avarez about influences, filming on location in Austin, and future projects.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Chalk, Angie Avarez

Beginning with the premise that "the whole truth is the best truth, AJ Schnack and Michael Azerrad made the film Kurt Cobain About A Son. Schnack directed, using the audio from 25 hours of interviews Azerrad did with Cobain for the book Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. I had a chance to talk to them about how they used the film to show Cobain as a real person seperate from the superstar icon, and how one of their goals was to break the "rockumentary" mold.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Kurt Cobain About A Son, AJ Schnack, Michael Azerrad

I talked to Judy Irola today at the Denver Film Festival about her new documentary Cine Manifest. Some of the things we talked about included the political nature of filmmaking, the proliferation of small film festivals, the current political climate, and her favorite political films.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Cine Manifest, Judy Irola

Today at the Starz Denver Film Festival I spoke with Aaron Wiederspahn about the unique way his film, The Sensation of Sight was created. Wiederspahn discusses the creative challenges faced by filmmakers on a tight budget and how making a film has a lot to do with being in the moment. Finally he discusses the filmmakers who have had an impact on him as a filmmaker, and what projects await him.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, The Sensation of Sight, Aaron Wiederspahn

Just moments after walking out of the film The Sensation of Sight at the Denver Film Festival, I decided to record this audio review. I was very moved by Aaron Wiederspahn's film both for it's artistry and for the independent spirit in which it was made.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, The Sensation of Sight, Aaron's review

I talked with director Erik Canuel about his action-comedy, Bon Cop, Bad Cop at the Canadian filmmakers reception here at the Denver Film Festival. Canuel discussed how his film came into being and what filmmakers inspire him the most--essentially all filmmakers with real vision and passion.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Bon Cop, Bad Cop, Erik Canuel

Aaron and I sat back for a few minutes to talk about the films we watched and the people we talked to today at the Starz Denver Film Festival. Films we discussed include Cine Manifest, Sensation of Sight, Kurt Cobain About a Son, and Pan's Labrynth.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Rountable Recap, Friday November 10, 2006, Kevin, Aaron

Aaron interviews Anthony Minghella, Academy Award winning director, The English Patient. Minghella (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain) is opening the Starz Denver Film Festival with the US premiere of his film, Breaking and Entering.

Audio:

Video:

Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Breaking and Entering, Anthony Minghella

Aaron, Bill, Kevin and I watched Breaking and Entering at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Opening Night of the Denver Film Festival. Unfortunately we did not have a ride on the gondola to do our podcast in but we were all enchanted by the amazing venue we were in.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Roundtable Recap, Thursday November 9, 2006, Bill, Dave, Kevin, Aaron

Aaron chats with Ron Henderson, the co-founder and artistic director of the Starz Denver Film Festival, about his take on this year's opening night as well as some of his favorite film such as Midnight Cowboy, Blue, and West Side Story.

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Starz Denver Film Festival, Spout podcast, Ron Henderson

We're kind of podcast crazy around here. When we bought our field recorders at the end of the summer, before Telluride, we were excited to give it a try. But it's like anything else you try--could turn out to be amazing, could just be another so-so option in our world of so many options.

But we were all about it right away. A podcast conversation is so immediate, so fresh and full of personality. All of the editing and rewriting we're so tempted to do with blog posts isn't an option. With a podcast, you say it, someone else responds, and the way it comes out is the way it is. Nice and raw and real. It also allows two or more people to interact and have a dialogue, which is something you can't as easily do in a written blog post.

That's probably at the heart of why we got such a great response to our Telluride podcasts (like this conversation some of the Spout guys had after watching The Last King of Scotland). People like hearing the very first thing that comes to your mind when you walk out of a movie. We want to hear emotion, and the moments when someone pauses to think and find the right words. We want to hear the real voices of directors and actors, for that matter, not just type enclosed by quotation marks.

So, we're going all out with podcasts from Denver. We'll have more people doing interviews with directors and actors, plus we'll have someone devoted entirely to doing the technical work of posting the podcasts, which will allow the rest of us to move on to the next conversation.

And we'll need to keep moving. The Denver Film Festival is expecting to draw more than 150 directors, actors, and other talent. Take a look at the schedule and let us know who you want to hear us talk to.

The Denver Film Festival is right around the corner (Nov. 9 - 19), and I'm super excited. I've never been to this festival before, but I'm looking forward to it and to being back in Denver--such a great city. From what we've heard, the festival has been growing every year. There will be no shortage of great films to see, with over 100 to chose from.

As festival sponsors and the official festival podcasters, Spout will be there in full form. There will be plenty of reviews, conversations, and interviews for you to listen in on. It's a good way to get more out of the festival if you're there, and to live vicariously through us if you're not. Check out spout.com/denver for the latest and greatest as well as the Spout Denver Film Festival group. The festival schedule is also up, so check it out and let us know who you think we should talk with.