The Film Comment Podcast

For the last two weeks, we've handed over The Film Comment Podcast to the participants of the 2026 Film at Lincoln Center Critics Academy—an annual program for up-and-coming critics held during the New York Film Festival, led by Film Comment editors. 

On this week's episode, four of this year’s critics—Eliel Peterson, Brennan Ryan, Auhjanae McGee, and Brian O’Connell—discuss some of their highlights from NYFF’s Spotlight Shorts and New York Shorts programs, including Kamal Aljafari’s Masao Adachi Takes a Passport Photo, Camilo Restrepo’s A Stolen Movie, and Heather Landsman's ee.
Subscribe to Film Comment to explore our brand-new Fall 2026 digital issue, the entirety of our archive dating back to 1962, and much more.

This week and next, we're handing over The Film Comment Podcast to the participants of the 2026 Film at Lincoln Center Critics Academy—an annual program for up-and-coming critics held during the New York Film Festival, led by Film Comment editors.
 
For this week's episode, four of this year’s critics—Yezen Saadah, Kathy Ou, Samuel Brodsky, and Rebecca Turner—discuss some of their highlights from the shorts screening as part of NYFF’s Currents Program 5: The Material Ghost, including Peggy Ahwesh’s The Wayfinders, Adam Piron’s The Flesh of the Mountain, and Kevin Jerome Everson’s National Seating.
Subscribe to Film Comment to explore our brand-new Fall 2026 digital issue, the entirety of our archive dating back to 1962, and much more.

For the past two weeks, Film Comment has been reporting from the picturesque shores of the Lido di Venezia, where the Venice Film Festival takes place each year.
For our final Podcast from this year's edition, which wrapped over the weekend, Film Comment Co-Editor Devika Girish invited critics Mariona Borrull, Leonardo Goi, Luke Hicks, and Öykü Sofuoğlu to discuss three late-festival premieres: Ali Asgari's A Bit of Light (4:30); Casey Affleck's Company (8:42); and Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor's NAZA (15:25). The group closed things out by shouting out their personal highlights from this year's Venice. 
Subscribe to Film Comment to explore all of our Venice 2026 coverage.

This week, Film Comment is reporting from the picturesque shores of the Lido di Venezia, where the Venice Film Festival takes place each year. This year’s edition features new films by many major auteurs, including Werner Herzog, Lee Chang-dong, Tsai Ming-liang, and more.
For our fifth Podcast from the fest, Film Comment Co-Editor Devika Girish invited critic and programmer Jordan Cronk and critic Öykü Sofuoğlu to discuss Theo Rollason's Queer Edward II (2:40), Jacqueline Lentzou's A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra (11:45), María Aparicio's Sometimes Sadness, Sometimes Rebellion (18:30), Luke Lorentzen's Boatbuilders (24:55), Ilya Khrzhanovsky's DAU (29:20), and Luca Guadagnino's Joie de vivre (42:00).
Subscribe to Film Comment to stay up-to-date with all of our Venice 2026 coverage.

This week and next, Film Comment is reporting from the picturesque shores of the Lido di Venezia, where the Venice Film Festival takes place each year. This year’s edition features new films by many major auteurs, including Werner Herzog, Lee Chang-dong, Tsai Ming-liang, and more.
For our fourth Podcast from the floating city, Film Comment Co-Editor Devika Girish invited two native Italians and longtime festival attendees—Viennale Artistic Director Eva Sangiorgi and critic Paola Casella—to discuss how the festival has grown and changed over the last few decades as well as its broader significance within Italian cinema culture. The group also debated several notable premieres from this year's edition, including Rubaiyat Hossain's The Difficult Bride (11:00), Florian Zeller’s Bunker (17:45), Alex Gibney’s Musk (24:15), Mariano Llinás’s Life of Jorge Luis Borges (32:40), and more.
Subscribe to Film Comment to stay up-to-date with all of our Venice 2026 coverage.