This week on The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with director Andreas Zerr about his new documentary, Sane Inside Insanity: The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror. The film arrives just in time for the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the cult classic that transformed midnight screenings into a worldwide cultural ritual.

Zerr’s documentary goes far beyond nostalgia, tracing Rocky Horror’s unlikely journey from a scrappy stage production in London to the longest-running theatrical release in cinema history. Featuring candid interviews with Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Barry Bostwick, Jim Sharman, Richard Hartley, Sue Blane, and many others, the film uncovers never-before-heard stories from the cast, crew, and the fans who kept the phenomenon alive for five decades.

On The Sounds of Film, Zerr discusses the decade-long process of making the film, the challenges of capturing such a sprawling cultural story, and his surprising personal journey from casual observer to passionate chronicler of Rocky Horror’s impact. Sane Inside Insanity opens in North America on September 25, 2025.

The SOUNDS OF FILM is America’s longest running film and music show. Past guests include William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, Billy Joel, Chuck D, Dionne Warwick, Barbara Kopple, Rory Kennedy, Hal Hartley, Kenneth Cole and Whit Stillman.

The Sounds of Film Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

The Sounds of Film Radio Shows airs weekly on Thursdays on WUSB.

For more information, visit soundsoffilm.com

This week on The Sounds of Film, Tom Needham welcomes Alan Dershowitz—New York Times bestselling author and one of the most influential legal minds in America. Politico has described him as “one of the most prominent and consistent defenders of civil liberties in America,” while Newsweek has hailed him as “the nation’s most peripatetic civil liberties lawyer and one of its most distinguished defenders of individual rights.”

Dershowitz joins the show to discuss his latest book, Cancel Culture. In it, he explores the urgent debates surrounding free speech, due process, and fairness in public life. The book argues for careful judgment in deciding when, how, and whether to cancel, boycott, deplatform, or exclude—emphasizing the need for objective and principled standards.

While Dershowitz critiques the dangers of cancel culture—such as snap judgments, social media-driven punishment without due process, and applying today’s values to history—he also recognizes the intentions of those who see it as a tool for social change. He even acknowledges that cancellation itself can be viewed as a form of constitutionally protected expression.

For more information about The Sounds of Film, please visit soundsoffilm.com

Academy Award®–nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Connie Field joins The Sounds of Film to discuss her urgent new documentary Democracy Noir. The film examines how Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán systematically dismantled democratic institutions while maintaining power through popular support, nationalist rhetoric, and constitutional manipulation.

This week on The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with award-winning filmmaker Thomas Piper about his acclaimed documentary Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf.

The film immerses viewers in the work of Piet Oudolf, the world’s most celebrated garden designer, whose visionary projects include New York’s High Line and Chicago’s Millennium Park. Through stunning cinematography and rare access to Oudolf’s process, Piper captures the designer’s philosophy of beauty, ecology, and the poetry of plants.

The conversation highlights the artistry behind Five Seasons, which follows Oudolf across four seasons in his own gardens at Hummelo, on visits to far-flung landscapes that inspire his work, and during the creation of what he considers his greatest achievement—the garden at Hauser & Wirth Somerset in England. Piper shares insights into documenting a living, ever-changing art form, while reflecting on the challenges and rewards of filming someone whose genius lies in shaping the natural world.

Listeners will also learn about an exciting upcoming event: On September 4th at 7:00 pm, the Port Jefferson Arts Council and the Long Island Museum present a free screening of Five Seasons, followed by a panel discussion with Andrew Thomas, Kayal Serina, and Kayla Cheshire.

For more information about The Sounds of Film, visit soundsoffilm.com.

The latest episode of The Sounds of Film spotlights director Yeo Siew Hua, whose new film Stranger Eyes is a gripping meditation on voyeurism, surveillance, and the fragility of family. Known internationally for his Locarno Golden Leopard–winning A Land Imagined, Yeo returns with a story that begins as a mystery about a missing child but evolves into a profound reflection on intimacy and identity in a world where someone is always watching.

Set in modern Singapore, Stranger Eyes follows a young couple who, after the disappearance of their baby daughter, discover unsettling video recordings of their most private moments. As the police place them under surveillance to catch the voyeur, the family begins to fracture under the weight of exposure. The film raises urgent questions about what it means to exist as an image, how constant observation reshapes our sense of self, and whether true privacy still exists in the age of digital connectedness.

On The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham delves into Yeo’s creative process, the philosophical roots of his work, and the emotional layers that ground the story in lived human experience. The conversation explores Yeo’s cinematic blending of realism and surrealism, his collaboration with acclaimed actor Lee Kang-Sheng, and the ways in which Stranger Eyes resonates in today’s surveillance-saturated culture.

For more information about The Sounds of Film, please visit soundsoffilm.com

Acclaimed actor, writer, and director John Turturro will be a featured guest on The Sounds of Film this week to discuss the 20th anniversary screening of his musical dramedy “Romance & Cigarettes.” The special event takes place on Thursday, August 21 at 6:30pm at the Southampton Playhouse, marking the theater’s first-ever 35mm screening.

Turturro has long been recognized as one of the most versatile artists in American film. He has delivered unforgettable performances in films such as “Do the Right Thing,” “Barton Fink,” and “The Big Lebowski,” while also making his mark behind the camera with projects like “Mac,” “Fading Gigolo,” and “The Jesus Rolls.” On television, he earned an Emmy Award for “Monk” and is currently celebrated for his role as Irving on Apple TV+’s “Severance.”

“Romance & Cigarettes” tells the story of a New York ironworker, played by James Gandolfini, whose affair with a fiery redhead (Kate Winslet) threatens his marriage to Susan Sarandon. With a cast that also includes Christopher Walken, Steve Buscemi, and Bobby Cannavale, the film is a bold, music-filled love story that showcases Turturro’s distinctive vision as a filmmaker.

The screening at the Southampton Playhouse offers audiences a rare chance to experience the film in 35mm, followed by a candid discussion with one of cinema’s most innovative storytellers.

The Sounds of Film welcomes best-selling author and literary icon Lee Child, the creator of the Jack Reacher series, for a captivating conversation with host Tom Needham. Often hailed by The New York Times as “the best thriller writer of the moment,” Lee Child joins the show to discuss the intriguing new short film, “If Jack Reacher Could Sing,” which will be featured at the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame’s Music Documentary Film Series on Saturday, August 9th at 1:15 PM. The screening will be followed by a Q&A and performance by Naked Blue.

In this special episode, Child dives into his unexpected collaboration with the indie Americana band Naked Blue, and how their partnership led to a unique musical interpretation of his legendary character. “If Jack Reacher Could Sing” provides fans with a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the fusion of literature and music, showcasing Child’s creative evolution and the enduring impact of Jack Reacher on popular culture. The film culminates in the original song and music video, “Clothes On My Back,” written and performed by Naked Blue.

This episode is a must-listen for fans of thrillers, music documentaries, and anyone interested in how characters leap from the page to influence other art forms.

For more information about The Sounds of Film, please visit soundsoffilm.com

This week on The Sounds of Film, host Tom Needham speaks with director Gala Gracia about her powerful debut feature, The Remnants of You. Set against the backdrop of a rural Aragonese Pyrenees life, the film tells the story of a young jazz musician who returns home following the sudden death of her father.