The No Film School Podcast

Recorded live at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, this annual Director of Photography Roundtable features No Film School’s GG Hawkins in conversation with cinematographers Lidia Nikonova, Sam Levy, and Maria Herrera. The group discusses their unconventional paths into cinematography—from orchestras and photojournalism to weddings and radio DJing—how they landed their Sundance projects, and why connection, rhythm, and trust matter more than flashy lookbooks. They also break down the tools they used to communicate vision, navigate long dialogue scenes, and adapt to technical and emotional challenges on set.

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


Shooting at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and hosting at the BraveMaker house


Maria Herrera’s transition from music to cinematography and operating handheld for emotionally intense performances


Sam Levy’s mentorship under Harris Savides and how that shaped his approach to narrative filmmaking


Lidia Nikonova’s journey from photojournalism and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II to AFI and shooting narrative features


How each DP landed their Sundance projects through relationships, cold emails, and creative chemistry


When to bring visual references to a director meeting—and when to just listen


Using tools like Figma to build collaborative lookbooks and visual worlds


Why dialogue rhythm and musicality influence cinematography choices


Shooting on 35mm with an Arricam ST versus digital on the ARRI Alexa 35


Working with vintage Super Baltar lenses (famously used on The Godfather) for a modern crime thriller


Referencing L'Argent by Robert Bresson for insert shots and cinematic economy


How to approach 10+ page dialogue scenes without losing visual intention


The value of shooting weddings and low-budget projects to build craft and confidence


Advice for emerging cinematographers: show up early, trust your vision, and get your reps in

Memorable Quotes:


“This child will never play a musical instrument ever in her life.”


“If you have good dialogues, it's like, okay, here's something.”


“Just connect with her.”


“Show up at least one hour early… and do not use your phone on set.”

Guests:


Lidia Nikonova


Sam Levy


Maria Herrera

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Producer Zainab Azizi joins GG Hawkins to break down her journey from agency mailroom to President of Raimi Productions and producing studio features like Send Help. Azizi shares how she develops original ideas, packages talent, protects projects through shifting studio mandates, and leads with a collaborative producing style. She also discusses mentoring female producers, balancing creative and financial realities in modern filmmaking, and why theatrical success for original films still matters.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Zainab Azizi discuss...


How Send Help evolved from a logline in 2019 to a theatrical release


Moving the project from Columbia Pictures to 20th and navigating studio mandate shifts


Why Sam Raimi was essential to directing the film—and how storyboards helped secure studio confidence


Packaging as a producer: attaching directors and actors through agency relationships


Casting Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien and building chemistry into the film’s core dynamic


The tension between “social media value” and creative talent in casting decisions


What Azizi learned in the WME mailroom and how agencies really function behind the scenes


Different types of producers (creative, line, financing, studio producers) and protecting the “PGA” credit


Her collaborative leadership style and the “three solutions for every problem” rule


Mentorship, promoting female producers, and fostering more women-led sets


Why theatrical releases for original films still matter in 2026


Developing a Seshu Hayakawa biopic and why his story feels urgent today


The importance of sacrifice, networking, and embracing rejection early in your career

Memorable Quotes:


“My job is to find three solutions for every problem.”


“Rejection is just redirection. We celebrate rejections.”


“If it scares you, it means you’re headed the right direction.”


“You have to put yourself out there.”

Guests:


Zainab Azizi – President of Raimi Productions and producer of Send Help

Resources:


LaBelle Foundation (for adopting Cactus the foster puppy)


Producers Guild of America (PGA)


Producers United

Find No Film School everywhere:


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Twitter: No Film School on Twitter


YouTube: No Film School on YouTube


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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

Find No Film School everywhere:


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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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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

Find No Film School everywhere:


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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:


On the Web: No Film School


Facebook: No Film School on Facebook


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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