Episodes

In 2023, Screen Cares co-hosts Sarah & Jennie got to sit down with writer-director Lagueria Davis to discuss her creative process and vision in making the fantastic film Black Barbie. In case you missed the episode before, we thought we'd release it again so that you can be sure to learn more about Davis' hard work and vision for this important film. At the time, the film had just been available within the film festival circuit but, unsurprisingly due to its popularity and positive reception, B...

Screen Cares' co-hosts, Jennie and Sarah, discuss how a movie can become a cinematic portrayal of one's ancestry and how movies can grow with a viewer over time. The story of the four March sisters has held a place in the hearts of readers since Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women more that 150 years ago. Their story entered into Jennie’s heart at the age of nine when she and her mother saw the 1994 adaptation of Little Women. Jennie's affection for this cozy film has moved into the realm of fi...

What does the punk band, The Descendents, folk musician and activist Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes" and the 1998 movie, Pleasantville, have in common? They all spark a conversation about finding your place in a world that feels like it squashes personhood and originality. Screen Cares hosts, Sarah & Jennie, discuss how a move to the dreaded suburbs can still result in honoring your identity in this fun episode. Screen Shares Rating: Pleasantville (1998) is a great Family Screen to spark ...

Screen Cares hosts, Sarah & Jennie invite listeners to join them for an emotional conversation about how love can fuel both grief and healing. Jennie uses the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) to process the loss of her sixteen-year-old dog Epona. We discover that there's room for laughter and levity, even during the saddest times, and movies can make room for conversation with family that help us find a place for love to go once our loved ones are gone. Screen Shares Rating: Family Screen...

Screen Cares' hosts, Sarah & Jennie, received a listener question for this week's episode: "My children care about inclusivity and equity but express that they aren't sure if their individual efforts matter, and express that it's hard to always keep up the 'good fight' against hatred. Is there a film that I could show my children that could demonstrate how important it is to be an active ally?" This was a challenging question but we've got the perfect film! And while the PG-rated film, Nimona (...

Happy Halloween! It's the final episode of Screen Cares' special October series, Screen Scares. This week, we're highlighting a horror film by the incredible writer and director, Jennifer Kent. Sarah believes Kent's film, The Babadook (2014), shows us that we can close the loop and find resolution even when things feel dark and difficult. Jennie says that this movie is, "The Shining, but for Moms." Either way you look at it, The Babadook is a movie demands to be talked about. Screen Shares Rati...

As a child, the idea that a boy mouse can save the world from witches seems empowering and plausible, while the specter of being trapped in a painting-never to experience life- presents a greater threat. As an adult, fears change to those of a caretaker sheltering the fragility of our children. This Screen Scares episode looks at how fear can be planted in children, and how fear can evolve over time through a discussion of the 1990 adaption of the Roald Dahl novel The Witches. Listen, but whatev...

After covering the 54th Nashville Film Festival for Screen Cares, Sarah considers a comment a frenemy said about these types of events: "Film festivals are just fancy parties and pats on the back." Sarah reflects on the dozens of film festivals she's attended and on the authentic conversations she was grateful to have with festival attendees, industry folk and creators, Lagueria Davis, Writer-Director of Black Barbie: A Documentary and Henry Nelson, Writer-Director of Asleep in my Palm and concl...

Screen Scares Month is here for the 2nd installment of this special series. Today, Screen Cares co-hosts, Sarah and Jennie, discuss a movie that’s not an easy watch. It’s bloody, violent and scary, but instead of giving a subtle instruction in healing, the horror film Cobweb (2023), demonstrates the tenuous and dangerous nature of keeping your deepest pain unacknowledged and hidden away. Perhaps we can all find a little bit of truth as we let loose the "spider sister" of our pasts. Screen Share...

The lines between life and art blur, when Screen Scares co-hosts Jennie and Sarah look back at the totally terrifying, possibly cursed, and definitely problematic legacy of Tobe Hooper/ Steven Spielberg's horror classic Poltergeist (1982). The movie pushed as well as defined the limits of the MPA ratings system, and left generations of viewers asking themselves, “How the heck is the movie rated PG?". Listen for answers, insights, and guessing games that will suck you into the conversation faster...

Screen Cares co-hosts, Sarah and Jennie, were thrilled to have a chance to talk with Lagueria Davis, writer-director of the fantastic new film, Black Barbie: A Documentary. Listen in on our conversation for her insights about how her aunt, Beulah Mae Mitchell, played a pivotal role in the eventual development and design of the first Black Barbie doll, and why this is vitally important. Please click here for a transcript of our conversation with the incredible writer-director, disruptor, thinker...

It's a rare thing to have the opportunity to experience a coming-of-age story about an octogenarian, but the Screen Cares team got to do just that when screening Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive at the 54th Nashville Film Festival. Listen to this special reading of the reflection that our Screen Cares co-host, Jennie, wrote after seeing this wonderful documentary and getting to speak with THE Ms. Gloria Gaynor on the red carpet!

It’s spooky season, but where is Screen Scares?! You, know, the fall-favorite that we all love, even as much as we love pumpkin-flavored everything? Screen Scares 2023 will launch NEXT week on Tuesday, October 11, but that doesn’t mean we’ve ghosted you. We’ve got press credentials to cover the Nashville Film Festival from September 28-October 4! We’re going to grab some Nashville hot chicken, screen some fantastic films and talk with other film lovers. Even if you can’t join us in Music City,...

Screen Cares co-hosts and best buds, Jennie and Sarah, love the fall season and can't wait to bring you another season of Screen Scares during the month of October! This contemplative and cozy season offers one of the best times to watch movies together; from the spooky, terrifying, campy, silly and grotesque! Join us during the month of October for a month of all new scares, shares and a reminder that talking about all movies, even the spooky ones, matters. For more information about Screen S...

Making Memories with Dad Screen Movies: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? & Guardians of the Galaxy We couldn’t let Season Two of Screen Cares conclude without dropping a fun Father’s Day episode in your podcast feeds. And also, the guilt from Sarah’s Dad would have been too much. Father’s Day may be outspent and out-carnationed by Mother’s Day, but that doesn’t mean that dads are second best. Jennie and Sarah share movie Dads that remind them of their own, and discuss films they have enjoyed makin...

Skates on, Heart Open: Whip It Our listeners are diverse! Some listeners love football. Some love basketball, others prefer baseball, soccer, wrestling, NASCAR, golf or tennis! And others still, love the knock-down sport of ROLLER DERBY! It’s PRIDE month and Sarah & Jennie chat about how Whip It highlights not just a badass game but also demonstrates how one facet of our individuality shouldn’t be the qualification for acceptance. Even if you don’t agree with every choice, characteristic and ...

Phases of Reality: Man on the Moon Jennie rounds out her movie picks for season two of Screen Cares with the 1999 film Man on the Moon. She and Sarah delve into the themes of performance, authenticity, truth, and empathy that have emerged throughout the course of the season through their discussions of various movies. The late comedian and performance artist Andy Kaufman, played by actor Jim Carrey in the film, serves as guide, ghost, moral litmus test, and complex human case study in this ep...

Arming Ourselves With Poetry, Film & Discussion on Memorial Day: 1917 Memorial Day is here. Sarah and Jennie urge Screen Cares listeners to respect the extraordinary bravery and sacrifice of all armed forces and their families by choosing to seek civil discourse rather than looking for an enemy among us. By thoughtfully screening 1917, we are reminded that there is a real human cost in war and that as articulated in Amanda Gorman’s optimistic poem, “The Hill We Climb,” America is “not broken ...

Growing Up With the March Sisters: Little Women (1994) The story of the four March sisters has held a place in the hearts of readers ever since Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women more that 150 years ago. Their story entered into Screen Cares host Jennie’s heart at the age of nine when she and her mother saw the 1994 adaptation Little Women. In this week’s episode Sarah and Jennie discuss how a movie can become a cinematic portrayal of one's ancestry and how movies can grow with a viewer ove...

*Double Feature* Movie Moms Who Don’t Make the List: The Fabelmans and Home Alone 2 Last week we discussed movie moms we'd like to befriend at an imaginary Mother's Day brunch. Now that the dirty dishes are in the sink and the collective haze of mimosas and caffeine are behind us, we're ready to talk about the moms that we would not invite. These moms are not the baddest of the bad- murdering moms need not apply-, but these moms are bad for us personally. Sarah discusses how the proxy for Ste...

*Double Feature* Movie Moms At Our Mother’s Day Brunch: Wonder & Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness With Mother’s Day just around the corner we’re asking ourselves what it means to be a mom, and what kind of mom-friends we appreciate having in our lives, in this special double feature discussion. Instead of going to the playground, Screen Cares Co-Hosts Jennie and Sarah go to the movies to find their favorite movie moms to invite to a pretend Mother’s Day Brunch. Jennie sympathizes w...

The Pain is All In Your Head: Rye Lane In this week’s special episode, Jennie texted Sarah with a request for a cinematic salve to help cope with the challenge of living with chronic pain. Instead of focusing on conquering pain, Screen Cares co-hosts dive into the 2023 Sundance Film Festival favorite, Rye Lane, and how vibrance, quirkiness, and willingness to talk about discomfort, pain and heartbreak (even when it smarts!) can help close the gateway for pain. (Colin Firth serving guacamole d...

Parenting Drivers in the Wild West: True Grit Screen Cares co-hosts Jennie and Sarah use the power of movies to help parents navigate the fears that may arise as their babies hit the road in a world that can sometimes feel like the Wild West. When Sarah asked Jennie to find a movie to help guide the conversation, Jennie went off trail and picked a movie with no actual cars, but lots of horsepower, the 2010 remake of the classic Western film True Grit. Listen to learn how history can provide c...

Body Image & Letting Yourself Go: Brittany Runs a Marathon It’s frustrating when an injury or illness interrupts a personal goal, especially when you feel that you’ve “let yourself go” and failed to meet your own personal expectations. Sarah tackles the big “b” (body image) in this episode of Screen Cares, and shares how Sundance Film Festival Audience Award: US Dramatic winner, Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019) - IMDb can remind you that unlike in an athletic race, finish lines can be fluid an...