The Next Best Picture Podcast

"The Blue Trail" is a dystopian drama film directed and co-written by Gabriel Mascaro. Starring Denise Weinberg and Rodrigo Santoro, the film follows the 77-year-old Tereza, forced to retire from her job and placed under the guardianship of her daughter, who defies a government order to relocate its growing elderly population, embarking instead on a personal journey through the Amazon. It had its world premiere at the main competition of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. Mascaro was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, now playing in New York at the Angelika Theatre and in Los Angeles at the Landmark Nuart Theater, from Dekanalog. Thank you, and enjoy!

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THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL EPISODE. Please check out the full podcast episode on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture

The Next Best Series Podcast is back as Megan Lachinski, Giovanni Lago, Nadia Dalimonte, and Amy Kim join me to discuss the latest series, shows, and awards season updates for all things television! On this return episode, we discuss the shows which did or did not receive an early boost from the Critics Choice, Golden Globes and Actor Awards that will be competing in this year's Emmy Awards season including "Pluribus," "Task," "Black Rabbit," "All Her Fault," "The Diplomat," and more! Please tune in as we examine which ones might be serious Emmy contenders, who we feel are the early frontrunners, and we also go over other shows we've been catching up on since the last time you heard from us! We’ll be posting new episodes every two to three weeks this year (depending on how the scheduling works out), and on our next episode we’ll talk about all the new shows contending for Emmy gold. Thank you for your continued support. It feels good to be back. We hope you enjoy this episode and all the others still to come this Emmy Awards season.

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Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw

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"Fantasy Life" is an American comedy film written and directed by Matthew Shear in his directorial debut. It stars Amanda Peet, Shear, Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Andrea Martin, Zosia Mamet, Jessica Harper, Holland Taylor, and Sheng Wang. It had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, where it received positive reviews for Shear's writing and direction, as well as Peet's performance. Shear was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Greenwich Entertainment. Thank you, and enjoy!

Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

Please subscribe on...

Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw

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"Our Hero, Balthazar" is an American dark comedy-drama film directed and produced by Oscar Boyson in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Boyson and Ricky Camilleri. It stars Jaeden Martell, Asa Butterfield, Chris Bauer, Jennifer Ehle, Anna Baryshnikov, Noah Centineo, Becky Ann Baker, Avan Jogia, and Pippa Knowles. It tells the story of a wealthy teenager who tries to gain his crush's attention by posting videos pleading for stricter gun laws. As an online troll begins mocking his videos, he becomes convinced the troll is a mass shooter, and travels to Texas to confront him. It had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, where it received positive reviews for its performances, direction, and writing. Martell, Butterfield, Boyson, and Camilleri were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work and experiences on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in NY, opening in Los Angeles on April 3rd, and expanding nationwide throughout the month from Picturehouse. Thank you, and enjoy!

Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

Please subscribe on...

Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw

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"Kontinental '25" is a Romanian absurdist black comedy-drama film written and directed by Radu Jude. It stars Eszter Tompa as a bailiff in Cluj-Napoca who faces a moral crisis when a homeless man she has evicted kills himself. Its title is inspired by the Roberto Rossellini film Europe '51. An international co-production between Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Luxembourg, the film premiered at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay. Jude was kind enough to return to the podcast and spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from 1-2 Special. Thank you, and enjoy!

Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

Please subscribe on...

Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw

And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free
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