The 29th Annual Austin Film Festival brought an eight-day uninhibited and authentic exploration of story. It was a conference for like-minded creators and an opportunity to view independent films.

I love discovering new films and putting myself into a director or screenwriter’s shoes to dive into how a film is made and what aesthetic and casting decisions were determined.

After watching the dark comedy and unconventional spy story, Checkout, starring Josh Pais, Dar Zuzuvosky, and Norman Issa, I had the opportunity to sit down with Artistic Director Jonathan Dekel for a great conversation on his filmmaking process, how-to cross-cultural barriers within a single film, and how Checkout was inspired by true Mossad stories.

Checkout follows Dov, played by Josh Pais, and shows a desperate Mossad spy who's forced to retire yet goes rogue. I don’t want to Iive too much of the story away, but I will say that if you have an opportunity to checkout the movie Checkout, I urge you to see it because it is fantastic. 

View more about Checkout here:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10629014/

---

Please like, subscribe or follow this podcast on your preferred listening platform, and if you are even more ambitious, it would mean so much to me if you would complete a very short survey on how to shape future episodes of the podcast. Please consider filling out this short questionnaire by clicking here.

Be a part of this podcast!

Sign up on our website to receive exclusive show insights and be the first to know about podcast extras and join the Neurons to Nirvana community.