Film

Scott B and his wife Beth B started a low-budget film company called B Movies. Their latest film -- their first shot on 16mm -- is New Wave detective movie starring punk icon Lydia Lunch.

Before beginning production, Young spends weeks living the life of his movies' characters to more authentically capture their experiences. His films often center on the injustices committed against marginalized people.

Ray Fielding is a film scholar and cinematographer who developed the special effects for the director's recent movies. Fielding shares his experiences working on One from the Heart and Apocalypse Now.

Susan Seidelman is the producer and director of the film "Smithereens," which will open at the TLA this week. The movie follows a young women who, despite her lack of musical talent, dreams of becoming a New Wave star. The film co-stars punk musician Richard Hell. "Smithereens" was the first independent film entered into competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Seidelman is from Abington, and will be at the TLA opening.

Paul Zimmerman is the screenwriter of the film "The King of Comedy," directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lewis. Zimmerman was previously the movies editor for Newsweek and has written several books. ZImmerman is based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and is active in the Bucks Alliance for Nuclear Disarmament (B.A.N.D.). Now, that "The King of Comedy," has been released, Zimmerman returns to Fresh Air to discuss the film.

Peter Bogdanovitch is a screenwriter, director, and producer, whose movies include "The Last Picture Show," "What's Up Doc?," and "Paper Moon." He got his start working for Roger Corman. Bogdanovich is also a critic and journalist, who has written for the Village Voice and Esquire, and also an author of several books about U.S. film directors. His latest film is a romantic comedy titled "They All Laughed," and Bogdanovich is currently distributing it himself through his company Moon Pictures.

Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb are one the most popular songwriting teams in the country. They wrote the music for Broadway shows such as "Cabaret," "Chicago," and "Woman of the Year." They've also composed the music for movies such as "Funny Lady" and "New York, New York." Their song of the same name from the latter film became a hit when sung by Frank Sinatra. Their new musical, "Zorba," stars Anthony Quinn.

Les Blank is one of the filmmakers who directed the documentary "Burden of Dreams," which will be playing at the International House in Philadelphia. The documentary is about the making of Werner Herzog's fictional film "Fitzcarraldo," which chronicles an Irishman trying to build an opera house in the Amazonian jungle. This interview originally aired on Michael Goodwin's radio program about film on Pacifica Radio Station KPFA in Berkeley. (INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL GOODWIN)

Documentarian Bob Mugge's new film "Black Wax" is a performance documentary with poet and activist Gil Scott-Heron. The film documents performances by Scott-Heron, including some with wax figures. Mugge's previous film "Amateur Night at City Hall," was a documentary about Frank Rizzo. The film includes Scott-Heron performing a portion of his poem/song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."

Divine is known for acting in drag in John Waters' films. Divine has developed a club act which will play in Philadelphia and is publishing a paper-doll book. Divine's drag persona was developed with director and writer John Waters. A retrospective of Waters' films is currently playing in Philadelphia. The two join the show to discuss their careers, lives, and the public's reaction to their boundary-pushing films.