Episode 124: Mayumi Yoshida, Amanda Sum & Dino Antoniou

This episode contains not one but two fascinating interviews with fearless multidisciplinary creators. In the first act, filmmaker Mayumi Yoshida and singer-songwriter Amanda Sum talk about their music video for GROUPTHINK. The video – which was directed by Mayumi and filmed in summer 2020 – is in actuality a thought-provoking, evocative, and fanciful short film that explores ideas around identity and Asian stereotypes. In the second act (beginning at 30:01), we hear from actor-producer Dino Antoniou about Variant, a feature film that is perfectly suited for this moment. Variant was written and directed by the immensely talented filmmaker Tony Leech, whose credits include Hoodwinked and Escape from Planet Earth. It stars Ashlynn Yennie as Aria, an artist in LA struggling for purpose, who meets Joel (Dino), a mysterious yet charming stranger. Dino discusses the hows and whys of Variant, as well as the questions it raises about autonomy, fate, identity, and the ethics of technology. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA