“The jewel of getting older is being able to appreciate the road more. Or being able to look back on the road and go, ‘yes, it was hard, but it was totally worth it.’ And so, while it is incredibly frustrating to have to walk into almost every room and start all over again, as I get older, I am not starting at square one. I think I am staring at square five. And maybe after the movie, I get to start at square nine or ten.” – Janicza Bravo, episode 235 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
This week, director Janicza Bravo and editor Joi McMillon join us for a special roundtable episode around their film, Zola (4:42). We begin with listener questions (7:30) before diving into when the film clicked in the editing room (12:46), the experience of watching the first assembly cut (24:00), the joys and difficulties of the notes process (30:46), and the genius of the movie’s sound design (39:25). Then, before we go, Janicza and Joi reflect on Zola’s timeline (48:50), finding self-worth in filmmaking (54:30), and the space they hope to create for themselves in the years ahead (56:48).
Show notes
- Zola is now available to watch on demand. You can also still buy tickets here.
- Follow Janicza on Instagram.
- Listen to Janicza & Joi on the A24 podcast.
- Illustrations by: Krishna Shenoi.