E56 • Smuggling Stories and Crossing Borders with Film • Madeline Gavin, dir. of ‘Beyond Utopia’ now on Hulu following the Sundance Audience Award

Past Present Feature with Marcus Mizelle

Past Present Feature with Marcus Mizelle
E56 • Smuggling Stories and Crossing Borders with Film • Madeline Gavin, dir. of ‘Beyond Utopia’ now on Hulu following the Sundance Audience Award
Jul 09, 2025 Season 2 Episode 1
Marcus Mizelle

In this first episode of Season 2, documentarian Madeline Gavin joins Past Present Feature to discuss the making of "Beyond Utopia", her gripping BAFTA and Emmy-nominated film about North Korean defectors. She reflects on the emotional intensity of telling stories under high-stakes conditions and the delicate trust required between filmmaker and subject. From the invisible hand of editing to the indivisibility of sound and image, Madeline shares insights into her creative process, drawing inspiration from powerful works like "Collectiv" and exploring how specificity in storytelling can lead to universal resonance. 

This marks the first episode of Season 2, where we’re mixing things up - continuing to speak with filmmakers about their latest work and past inspirations, while also expanding the conversation to include deep dives into older films and voices behind the scenes, like curators and festival programmers who play a crucial role in a film’s success.


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Episode Artwork E56 • Smuggling Stories and Crossing Borders with Film • Madeline Gavin, dir. of ‘Beyond Utopia’ now on Hulu following the Sundance Audience Award 1:12:25 Episode Artwork E55 • How to Build a Nightmare, and the Art of Letting Go • Julia Max, dir. of ‘The Surrender’ Now on AMC+ following SXSW 1:09:46 Episode Artwork E54 • Genre Blending: Creating a Hilarious Horror • David Joseph Craig & Brian Crano, dirs. of ‘I Don’t Understand You’ Now in Theaters following SXSW 1:00:28 Episode Artwork E53 • Making Films Without Fear • NATESH HEGDE, dir. of ‘Tiger’s Pond’ at Berlinale 37:16 Episode Artwork E52 • Making a Feature Film Over 52 Years • VIBEKE LØKKEBERG, dir. of ‘The Long Road to the Director’s Chair’ at Berlinale 42:44 Episode Artwork E51 • Making An AI Feature in 6 Days (On No Sleep) • YIWEN CAO, dir. of ‘What’s Next?’ at Berlinale 40:00 Episode Artwork E50 • Navigating the Film Ecosystem • PHIL COX, co-dir. of ‘Khartoum’ at Berlinale following Sundance 46:10 Episode Artwork E49 • The Power of Real-Time Documentary • NAYIBE TAVARES-ABEL, dir. of ‘Colossal’ at Berlinale 50:46 Episode Artwork E48 • Adapting Literature, and Grief, to Film • DYLAN SOUTHERN, dir. of ‘The Thing With Feathers’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch at Berlinale + Sundance 48:48 Episode Artwork E47 • Preparation, Meet Adaptability • SARAH MIRO FISCHER, dir. of ‘The Good Sister’ at Berlinale 40:32 Episode Artwork E46 • Navigating Death and Legacy as Themes • BEN HETHCOAT, dir. of ‘Coroner To The Stars’ - AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER at Slamdance 50:33 Episode Artwork E45 • The Humanitarian Crisis Through a Filmmaker's Lens • NATHANIEL LEZRA, dir. of ‘Roads of Fire’ - BEST DOC WINNER at the Santa Barbara Int. Film Festival 52:18 Episode Artwork E44 • Make It, Move on, Make Another • GABY DELLAL, dir. of ‘Park Avenue’ at the Santa Barbara Film Festival 29:49 Episode Artwork E43 • Environmental Awareness Through Cinema • DANIEL & AUSTIN STRAUB, dir. of ‘Out of Plain Sight’ - AUDIENCE WINNER at the Santa Barbara Film Festival + Slamdance + DOC NYC 46:44 Episode Artwork E42 • The Subtle Art of Portraiture • BRIAN CASSIDY & MELANIE SHATZKY, dirs. of ‘A Man Imagined’ at the Rotterdam Int. Film Festival 47:02 Episode Artwork E41 • Embrace The Unforeseen • AARON ROOKUS, dir. of ‘Idyllic’ at the Rotterdam Int. Film Festival 44:05 Episode Artwork E40 • Dreaming Your Sub-Concious Film Into Reality • GALA DEL SOL, dir. of ‘Rains Over Babel’ at Sundance + Rotterdam Film Festival 47:46 Episode Artwork E39 • The Burden and Privilege of Legacy • TAD NAKAMURA, dir. of ‘Third Act’ at the Sundance Film Festival 47:44 Episode Artwork E38 • Meta Absurdism Explored Through Docu-Fiction • PASQUAL GUTIERREZ & BEN MULLINKOSSON, dirs. of ‘Serious People’ at the Sundance Film Festival 51:27 Episode Artwork E37 • Finding Humanity in Diverse Perspectives • GIANLUCA MATARRESE, dir. of ‘GEN_’ at the Sundance Film Festival 55:41 Episode Artwork E36 • Story First, Jokes Second • DELANEY BUFFETT, dir. of ‘Adult Best Friends’ - Golden Key Winner at KWFF following Tribeca 1:07:04 Episode Artwork E35 • Expand Your Horizon, Stand With the Misfits • WANNES DESTOOP, dir. of ‘Holy Rosita’ - BEST FILM Award at the Torino Film Festival 41:45 Episode Artwork E34 • Directing Live-Action VFX: Story Comes First • JEFF FOWLER, dir. of ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 3’ from Paramount Pictures 44:13 Episode Artwork E33 • You Must Fight to Make Your Film • PIA MARAIS, dir. of ‘Transamazonia’ at the New York Film Festival, Chicago International, TIFF 43:45 Episode Artwork E32 • Inspiring Action Through Activist Filmmaking • BEN RUSSELL, co-dir. of ‘Direct Action’ at the New York Film Festival + Berlinale 44:19