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Articles by Orla Smith

Orla Smith is the former Executive Editor of Seventh Row, a regular contributor at The Film Stage, and a freelance writer with bylines at JumpCut Online, Cinema Year Zero, and Girls on Tops. In her free time she makes movies.

Orla Smith / August 19, 2021

What is it like to work with Werner Herzog?

Editor Joe Bini, who worked with Werner Herzog on twenty-seven films, recalls what it was like to collaborate with a larger-than-life filmmaker.

A still from The Surrogate, in which we see a three shot of two men and a young woman looking forward, toward the camera.

Orla Smith / July 9, 2021

The Surrogate: Jasmine Batchelor stuns in a smart, thorny exploration of surrogacy

Jasmine Batchelor gives one of the best performances of the year in Jeremy Hersh’s The Surrogate, a smart and sensitive drama about a pregnancy surrogate who finds out the foetus will be born with Down Syndrome.

A still from North by Current, tinged by a beige filter, next to a headshot of Angelo Madsen Minax. The text on the image reads 'Interview'.

Orla Smith / July 2, 2021

‘It was a kind of exorcism’: Angelo Madsen Minax on making North by Current

Filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax discusses making North by Current, a deeply personal documentary about his own family’s grieving process.

A still from Scenes from an Empty Church in which two priests stand side by side in their church, one holding a bowl, the other a bible. The text on the images reads, 'Review'.

Orla Smith / July 2, 2021

Scenes from an Empty Church: Onur Tukel’s melancholy pandemic comedy

In Scenes from an Empty Church, two NYC Catholic priests reckon with their faith in the face of a deadly pandemic.

A still from Bo Burnham: Inside in which Burnham lies on the floor, speaking into a mic on his pillow. The image is accompanied by text that reads 'Creative nonfiction'.

Orla Smith / June 23, 2021

The case for Bo Burnham: Inside as creative nonfiction

Bo Burnham: Inside was marketed as a comedy special, but what happens when you view it through the lens of creative nonfiction?

Stills of Tabitha Jackson, Pacho Velez, Penny Lane, Kirsten Johnson, and Carol Nguyen in front of a background of midnight clouds.

Orla Smith / June 18, 2021

What is creative nonfiction?

What is creative nonfiction? Why don’t we just stick with the word documentary? Through quotes from Penny Lane, Tabitha Jackson, and more, we explain what the term means to us.

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