The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

Director Alex Stapleton discusses her new film, The Brittney Griner Story, with fellow Director Laura Belsey in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, she discusses her process of shooting master interviews first to find a foundation for her story, interviewing former President Joe Biden, and how she obtained footage of Russian prisons.

Screened as part of the DGA’s Documentary Series, the film follows WNBA star Brittney Griner, who, while playing abroad in Russia, was seized and placed into detention. Fighting for freedom, she is finally released and makes it her mission to help other wrongfully detained Americans seek justice.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/events/2026/nov2026/docseries_brittneygrinerstory-0926

Director Michael Russell Gunn discusses his new film, The Brink of War, with fellow Director Rawson Marshall Thurber in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses using transcripts from the real event as reference for the film, utilizing the authentic locations and furniture that were used by the figures depicted in the film, and casting Actor Jeff Daniels as the lead from their past working on The Newsroom together.

The film follows U.S. President Ronald Reagan as he races against time to salvage a deal with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that could dismantle nuclear arsenals. With pressure mounting on all sides, every word spoken brings the world closer to peace or to the brink of destruction.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/Events/2026/Oct2026/BrinkOfWar_QnA_0926

Directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss discuss their new film, Teenage Wasteland, with fellow Director Alice Gu in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they discuss poring through 500 hours of archival footage to find the film’s heart, recreating the school’s classroom from the 1990s to make a “portal of recollection”, and taking consideration into finding era-appropriate music for the film.

Screened as part of the DGA’s Documentary Series, the film follows a group of 1990s teenagers who made a student documentary about a mysterious brown muck surfacing at the local dump in their town. Thirty years later, they revisit their film and the transformative experience that uncovered a vast conspiracy poisoning their community.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/events/2026/oct2026/docseries_teenagewasteland-0926

Director Dave Green discuss his new film, Coyote vs. Acme, with fellow Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses the story behind the film’s distribution, his on-set tactics for shooting a mixed live action/animation film, and working with animators from a variety of backgrounds to capture the energy of the Looney Tunes series.

The film tells the story of Wile E. Coyote, who, after decades of enduring catastrophic product failures at the hands of ACME Inc., decides to finally fight back. Teaming up with a billboard accident lawyer, he takes on the company and their slick corporate counsel, exposing a cover-up that’s been blowing him up in the name of profit.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/events/2026/oct2026/coyotevacme_qna_0826

Director Adam Shankman discuss his new film, Stop! That! Train!, with fellow Director Nzingha Stewart in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how films like Airplane! and Hot Shots! influenced the style of comedy, how shooting limitations led to inventive workarounds, and finding opportunities for a joke in every corner of the film.

The film tells the story of best friend stewardesses Tess and DeeDee, out of a job after their train line is discontinued. After sneaking aboard the luxurious Glamazonian Express where they are constantly upstaged by the snooty first-class crew, a massive storm arises, and they must all work together to prevent disaster.

See photos and a summary of this event below:

https://www.dga.org/events/2026/august2026/stopthattrain_qna_0626