On this episode of SOUNDS OF FIlM, host Tom Needham welcomes award-winning director and activist Catherine Gund to discuss her latest film, MEANWHILE, a docu-poem in six verses that captures artists creating in the midst of chaos.

Featuring an extraordinary collaboration between Jacqueline Woodson, Meshell Ndegeocello, and a cast of visionary artists, the film weaves together historical and observational footage to explore identity, race, resistance, and resilience.

Rooted in the upheavals of 2020, MEANWHILE uses breath as a symbol of survival and transformation, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the creative process rather than a fixed outcome.

Gund shares insights into the film’s unique structure, the importance of centering artists’ voices, and how MEANWHILE challenges traditional documentary storytelling.

Founder and Director of Aubin Pictures, Catherine Gund is an Emmy-nominated and
Academy-shortlisted producer, director, writer, and activist. Her media work focuses on strategic and sustainable social transformation, arts and culture, HIV/AIDS and racial, reproductive and environmental justice. Her films have screened around the world in festivals, theaters, museums, and schools; on PBS, HBO, Paramount+, the Discovery Channel, Sundance Channel, Free Speech TV, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. She won the 2023 Gracie Award for Documentary Producer. Her films include: Paint Me a Road Out of Here, Meanwhile, Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices From a Plantation Prison, Primera, Aggie, Chavela, and Born to Fly.

Also, on the next SOUNDS OF FILM with Tom Needham is special guest, director Olivia Serafini-Sauli, who is here to discuss her new documentary, Endless Calls for Fame: The Story of the New Rising Sons.

The film takes us back to the gritty streets of 1990s New York City, when punk and indie rock were breaking into the mainstream. It tells the story of The New Rising Sons, a band that seemed destined for stardom after signing a million-dollar record deal—only to have their dreams unravel as the music industry shifted at the turn of the millennium.

Featuring rare footage from iconic venues like CBGB and The Bowery Ballroom, along with interviews from key figures of the era, the documentary is an intimate look at the fleeting nature of fame, the challenges of the industry, and the lasting impact of that time in music history