This week on On Story, a conversation with Brian Helgeland, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter who penned acclaimed movies including L.A. Confidential and Mystic River, and the director who brought to life beloved films such as A Knight’s Tale and 42. He lends a behind the scenes look at the making of Finestkind, a film mined from his relationship with his father and their experiences as deep sea fishermen. The film, set in Helgeland’s own hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts, tells the story of two estranged brothers’ navigating a splintered relationship in the high-stakes world of comm ..read more

This week on On Story, AFF moderator Harrison Glaser speaks with Celine Song about her feature debut, Past Lives. Inspired by Song’s own experiences, Past Lives tells the story of two childhood friends who reunite as adults and reckon with the nature of the enduring bond between them. This multi-language film is a deeply personal exploration of the modern immigrant experience, unflinchingly confronting the “what-ifs” that plague lost love and paths not taken.  Celine Song began her writing career as a playwright in New York City, and joined fantasy series The Wheel of Time as a ..read more

This week on On Story, a conversation with Cord Jefferson on adapting the novel Erasure into his strikingly sharp debut feature American Fiction. Cord Jefferson is an Emmy-winning writer who earned his chops on some of television’s most formative shows in recent years: Master of None, The Good Place, Succession, and Watchmen. His debut feature, American Fiction, won the Audience Award at the 30th annual Austin Film Festival.   American Fiction is an adaptation of Percival Everett’s novel Erasure. The film introduces us to Thelonius Monk, played by Jeffrey Wright, a weary writer frust ..read more

This week on On Story, a conversation with Joanna Calo, showrunner of the character-driven dramedy The Bear. Joanna delves into her experience sharing showrunning duties with creator Christopher Storer, and discusses their approach to incorporating real life events into the show’s deeply grounded characters and high stakes world.  As a television veteran, Joanna’s writing credits include Bojack Horseman, Hacks, Beef, and today’s subject, The Bear. The Bear tells the story of Carmy Berzatto, played by Jeremy Allen White, an award-winning chef who returns home to Ch ..read more

This week on On Story, a conversation with writer-director Shane Black about the making of Iron Man 3. Shane Black, the original creator of the Lethal Weapon franchise, is well-known for his irreverent comedic style and witty dialogue, as well as turning established genre tropes on their head. Black does just that in Iron Man 3, a superhero film that sets aside hero's bravado to dissect the man inside the suit. Barbara Morgan sat down with Black to discuss finding larger-than-life characters' interiority, navigating fan expectations, and working within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Clips of I ..read more

This week on On Story, a conversation with celebrated writing team Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, alongside filmmaker Craig Brewer, to discuss their collaboration on the hilarious, outrageous film Dolemite Is My Name.   Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski are an accomplished duo best known for the “anti-biopic” - postmodern movies that defy genre expectations by focusing on lesser known people, like in their films Ed Wood, The People Vs. Larry Flynt, and Big Eyes. The pair have also earned critical and commercial success by fictionalizing well-known true stories in their hit TV ..read more

This week on On Story, a conversation with the creative team behind Lawmen: Bass Reeves, a show based on the incredible real life of Bass Reeves, a man who was born into slavery and later became a Deputy U.S. Marshal. He was the first black man west of the Mississippi River to hold that title, and according to creator and showrunner of the series Chad Feehan, he was “arguably the greatest lawman in the history of this country.” Taylor Sheridan is responsible for making it all happen, and this limited series is the latest installment in his television universe. Creator Chad Feehan has written o ..read more

This week on On Story, a conversation with two of the writers on Justified: City Primeval. VJ Boyd is a writer and producer. He did both on hits like Justified and S.W.A.T. He co-created and co-showran the crime drama Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, and he’s currently showrunning The Madness, expected to release next year.  Chris Provenzano was a writer on the first season of Mad Men. Since then, he’s written on an incredibly diverse number of hits, from Archer to Justified to Silicon Valley.  Barbara Morgan spoke with the two at the Austin Film Festival. Justified clips ..read more

This week on On Story, writer Edward Neumeier discusses his creative process behind the sci-fi cult classics RoboCop and Starship Troopers. Neumeier explores the particulars of writing for the genre, as well as his knack for disguising deep issues within expansive and captivating stories.  Clips of RoboCop courtesy of Orion Pictures. Clips of Starship Troopers courtesy of TriStar Pictures ..read more

This week on On Story, we're joined by Lang Fisher for a conversation on her process of co-creating, writing, and showrunning Netflix’s hit series, Never Have I Ever. Fisher has a long history of writing and producing funny yet intelligent television, and Never Have I Ever is no exception. This fresh, coming-of-age series follows Indian-American teen, Davy Vishwakumar, who after a difficult year, is determined to heighten her social status at Sherman Oaks High Schools. Both co-created with and inspired by Mindy Kaling’s own childhood, the show's current three seasons are a remarkable mastercla ..read more