The Next Best Picture Podcast

"Hot Spot" is a 2026 independent science fiction thriller film directed by Agnieszka Smoczyńska. Set in a near-future society ruled by sentient A.I., a private eye (Andrzej Konopka) investigates a murder case only to discover a rebel group capable of undermining the digital overlord. As the detective's identity slowly unravels, his world spirals into a hypnotic meltdown. It also stars Noomi Rapace and Reika Kirishima. Smoczyńska was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open August 21st in theaters from Focus Features. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/BTM2la7st8Q

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"Tony" is a 2026 American biographical comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Matt Johnson. The plot is based on Anthony Bourdain's early years working in Provincetown, Massachusetts, stories from which were featured in his 2000 memoir "Kitchen Confidential." The film stars Dominic Sessa as Bourdain, alongside Emilia Jones, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rich Sommer, Stavros Halkias, Leo Woodall, and Antonio Banderas. The film was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 7th, and it has received positive reviews from critics for its writing, performances, and direction. Sessa was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in limited release from A24 and will expand nationwide on August 21st. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/ZZtbBAVwEOs

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"The Pitt" is an American medical drama television series created by R. Scott Gemmill and executive-produced by John Wells and Noah Wyle. It stars Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, and Sepideh Moafi. Each season of the series follows emergency department staff as they work through the challenges of a single 12-hour shift at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, while navigating staff shortages, underfunding, and their own personal crises. Each episode, set in real time, covers approximately one hour of the work shift. The series has received critical acclaim for its performances, writing, direction, format, and realism. The medical community has also praised the series for its accuracy, realistic representation of healthcare workers, and portrayal of the stressors medical staff face in a post-pandemic world. The series has received several accolades, with the first season winning five awards at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, namely Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Casting, and acting wins for Wyle, LaNasa, and recurring guest star Shawn Hatosy. Now, for its second season, the show has been nominated for a leading 25 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series for Patrick Ball. Ball was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the series, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the series, which is up for your consideration for this year's Emmy Awards and is now available to stream on HBO Max. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/-kiRjPewDPI

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"Union County" is an American independent drama film written and directed by Adam Meeks. It tells the story of Cody Parsons (Will Poulter), a young man assigned to a county-mandated drug court program toward recovery amidst the opioid epidemic in rural Ohio. The film also stars Noah Centineo, Elise Kibler, Emily Meade, and Annette Deao. The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim for its direction, performances, and use of non-professional actors to tell the authentic stories of real-life recovering addicts. Actors Poulter, Centineo, filmmaker and co-editor Meeks, and co-editor Sean Weiner were all kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Oscilloscope Laboratories. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/ve383zBQQzg

https://youtu.be/iFmUSTq1Jy8

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Following our 505th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Lauren LaMagna, Dan Bayer, Larry Fried & Tom O’Brien join me in this new series dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday allows us to engage more directly with all of you every week. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode, whether on our X account or on our Discord (Patreon members get a private link to chat with other members of NBP and me). If you'd like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you'll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/c0xMRxwgfo4

Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

Please subscribe on...

Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2

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YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw

And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free
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