The No Film School Podcast

Recorded live from the Sundance Film Festival, GG Hawkins hosts a roundtable conversation with four short film directors premiering work at the festival: Kelly McCormack (How Brief), Anna Baumgarten (Balloon Animals), Ana Alpízar (Norheimsund), and Anooya Swamy (Pankaja). The filmmakers discuss the origins of their films, navigating production across Cuba, India, Canada, and the U.S., working within (and outside of) film school structures, and the deeply personal themes of grief, mother-daughter relationships, disappearance, and survival that unexpectedly connect their work.

In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and guests discuss…


Shooting narrative shorts on location in Havana, Bangalore, Vancouver, and Los Angeles


Returning to Cuba to film Norheimsund after seeking asylum in the United States


How Pankaja draws from growing up in the slums of Bangalore and confronting personal memory


Making a $6,500 microbudget short inside a real grocery store overnight


Building a short film over eight years and resisting the “proof of concept” mindset


Working within NYU’s film school structure versus creating outside institutional systems


Casting mother-daughter dynamics rooted in real-life relationships


Designing color theory, texture, cement, and dirt as emotional language


Shooting inside real police stations and navigating bureaucracy while telling stories about it


Grief as a “big soup of emotions” and balancing melancholy with comedy


Collaborating with ride-or-die creative partners


Advice for emerging filmmakers about not compromising and trusting instinct

Memorable Quotes:


“Dreaming doesn’t cost a thing.”


“Choosing oblivion.”


“We often live really simple lives in complicated worlds.”


“You are allowed not to compromise.”

Guests:


Kelly McCormack – Director, How Brief


Anna Baumgarten – Writer/Director, Balloon Animals


Ana Alpízar – Director, Norheimsund


Anooya Swamy – Writer/Director, Pankaja

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In this episode, GG Hawkins speaks with Madison Jones and Lindsay Grossman, co-founders of The Love List, along with filmmaker Shelby Blake Bartelstein, about what makes a romance script stand out in today’s marketplace. They discuss the origins of The Love List, the evolving appetite for romance across film and television, how to craft undeniable chemistry on the page, and why specificity, vulnerability, and the grand gesture are essential tools for writers hoping to sell in the genre.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests discuss...


The “meet cute” origin story behind The Love List and how a shared love of YA romance sparked a professional movement


How The Love List curates the best unproduced romance pilots and screenplays each year


Why romance remains commercially viable—and why the industry is rediscovering its power


The importance of writing what you love instead of chasing market trends


How to balance high-concept hooks with emotional authenticity


Crafting chemistry on the page through small, specific moments


Why vulnerability is the core engine of all great storytelling


The art of the grand gesture in romantic storytelling


Why television romance (including slow burns and enemies-to-lovers arcs) can be just as powerful as film


How executives identify “soul” in a script—and why that’s what ultimately sells

Memorable Quotes:


“Write what you want to watch. To me, that is the most crucial piece of advice.”


“What part of you is this healing?”


“You can tell when there’s not a soul in it.”


“It’s not about knowing whether or not they’re going to end up together. It’s about how they get there.”

Guests:


Madison Jones


Lindsay Grossman


Shelby Blake Bartelstein

Resources:

Deadline - The 2026 Love List


The Love List on Instagram - @TheLoveList26


“Change the Prophecy” Short Film

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Recorded live at Sundance, this episode features a wide-ranging roundtable on the current state of independent film exhibition. Host GG Hawkins speaks with festival programmers, exhibitors, and platform founders about what’s broken in the exhibition ecosystem, what’s actually working better than people realize, and how community-driven models—from art houses to new distribution tools—are reshaping how films are discovered, shown, and sustained beyond the festival circuit.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guests discuss…


Why art house cinemas and film festivals remain vital community hubs


The realities of audience-building beyond “market festivals” and multiplexes


How filmmakers can rethink distribution, touring, and self-exhibition


New tools and platforms helping filmmakers navigate submissions and discovery


The rise of alternative distribution models, including physical media reimagined


Why shorts, community producers, and collaboration matter more than ever


How filmmakers and exhibitors can work together more effectively


What a sustainable film community could look like in 2026

Memorable Quotes:


“Art house cinemas and independent exhibitors and film festivals are thriving because they build community.”


“Making movies is like having a baby… then you’ve got to raise it.”


“There is such an opportunity on both sides for filmmakers and exhibitors to learn how to work together.”


“Independent film is rooted in community and curation.”

Guests:


Ash Cook – Programmer, Sundance Film Festival; Festival Director, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival; Founder & CEO, Video.Storage


Tony Gapastone – Founder & Executive Director, Bravemaker


Lela Meadow-Conner – Interim Executive Director, Art House Convergence; Co-founder, The Popcorn List


Tyler Knohl – Co-founder, Hiike; Assistant Director, Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival


Brynne Norquist – Co-founder & CEO, Hiike


Aidan Dick – COO, Video.Storage; Programmer, Frameline Film Festival

Resources:


Bravemaker – https://bravemaker.org


Art House Convergence – https://arthouseconvergence.org


The Popcorn List – https://thepopcornlist.com


Hiike – https://hiike.com/


Video.Storage – https://www.videostoreage.com


Frameline Film Festival – https://www.frameline.org

Find No Film School everywhere:


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In this episode, we dive into the logistics, strategy, and evolving experience of getting into and attending SXSW. GG Hawkins is joined by No Film School Founder Ryan Koo and a panel of SXSW insiders: Claudette Godfrey, Peter Hall, and Francis Román, who share their personal journeys into programming and illuminate the processes behind one of the most significant festivals in the world. Whether you’re hoping to submit, attend, or just understand the inner workings, this conversation offers clarity on what to expect from the 2026 edition and beyond.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins, Ryan Koo, and guests discuss...


The different paths each SXSW programmer took to join the festival team


Why SXSW values first-time filmmakers and how they approach the programming process


Practical ways to attend SXSW (volunteering, student discounts, single tickets)


Major changes to SXSW 2026, including venue shifts, badge updates, and a new festival layout


How to best prepare your submission, including rough cut etiquette and the importance of strong film stills


Common myths about festival programming—debunked


Why meaningful networking and personal connection at SXSW can shape careers


What types of films SXSW is most excited about—and what they’re seeing too much of

Memorable Quotes:


"If a film can make you laugh in your home alone at 2 a.m. and you've worked a 20-hour day, then it's hilarious."


"If you're submitting unfinished, you should have a title card at the very beginning that says exactly where you're at."


"We're looking for that director's vision, the fingerprint on it."


"You should come to South By, and if you can’t, go to whatever local film festival is going on in your area."

Guests:


Claudette Godfrey


Peter Hall


Francis Román

Resources:


SXSW Volunteer Info

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In this episode recorded live at the Sundance Film Festival, No Film School founder Ryan Koo sits down with Julien and Justen Turner—real-life brothers and co-creators of FreeLance, an indie TV pilot that debuted in the festival’s Episodic Pilot Showcase. The Turner Brothers walk through their journey of building a creative career outside of New York or LA, self-funding their show in Columbus, Ohio, and pulling off a high-production-value pilot in just four days. They talk about their process, influences, and how their authentic, relatable characters came to life through personal experience and community-driven production.

In this episode, No Film School’s Ryan Koo and guests discuss…


The origin of the episodic pilot category at Sundance and its importance for indie creators


How the Turner Brothers’ musical upbringing led to an early love of filmmaking


Their decision to self-fund FreeLance instead of attending Sundance in 2023


Turning real-life freelance filmmaking experiences (like wedding videography chaos) into episodic comedy


Casting comedians, athletes, and non-actors from social media and commercial work


Building a 150-page show bible and planning a multi-season vision


The four-day shoot that captured 41 minutes of content, including an improvised scene in a thrifted basement


How making content in Ohio allowed the show to break traditional industry molds


Advice for filmmakers: choose a date, build your team, and just shoot


The surreal moment of getting the Sundance acceptance call (via their mom!)

Memorable Quotes:


“We kind of realized that the only people we were waiting on was ourselves.”


“The more specific we were, the more universal it was.”


“We shot a 41-minute pilot in four days.”


“This is getting done, and it’s going to be done like this.”

Guests:


Julien Turner


Justen Turner

Resources:


Dreadhead Films on Instagram


dreadheadfilms.com

Find No Film School everywhere:


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Twitter: No Film School on Twitter


YouTube: No Film School on YouTube


Instagram: No Film School on Instagram


📩 Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected]

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