We Strangers with Anu Valia and Janicza Bravo (Ep. 561) episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 11, 2025 · 32 MIN

We Strangers with Anu Valia and Janicza Bravo (Ep. 561)

from The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast · host Directors Guild of America

Director Anu Valia discusses her new film, We Strangers, with fellow Director Janicza Bravo in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses using the story to explore themes of power, class and loving oneself, working with Actor Kirby Howell-Baptiste to flesh out the protagonist, and collaborating with her Cinematographer to discover opportunities for shots while on-set. The film tells the story of Rayelle, a rural housekeeper who takes on a new and enigmatic job for a therapist client. But after she impulsively claims she can speak to the dead, Rayelle finds herself in an odd position of power and an ever-deepening web of deceit. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/events/2025/october2025/westrangers_qna_0925  

Director Anu Valia discusses her new film, We Strangers, with fellow Director Janicza Bravo in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses using the story to explore themes of power, class and loving oneself, working with Actor Kirby Howell-Baptiste to flesh out the protagonist, and collaborating with her Cinematographer to discover opportunities for shots while on-set. The film tells the story of Rayelle, a rural housekeeper who takes on a new and enigmatic job for a therapist client. But after she impulsively claims she can speak to the dead, Rayelle finds herself in an odd position of power and an ever-deepening web of deceit. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://www.dga.org/events/2025/october2025/westrangers_qna_0925

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We Strangers with Anu Valia and Janicza Bravo (Ep. 561)

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This episode was published on September 11, 2025.

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Director Anu Valia discusses her new film, We Strangers, with fellow Director Janicza Bravo in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses using the story to explore themes of power, class and loving oneself, working...

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