Jim Hemphill
Jim Hemphill is a filmmaker, film historian, and Ridley Scott disciple whose writing on film has appeared in Film Comment, American Cinematographer, Variety, Filmmaker Magazine, and many other outlets. After receiving his B.F.A. from Columbia College in Chicago and his graduate degree from the film school at USC, Jim began his career by writing and directing the micro-budget horror movie “Bad Reputation,” which had international distribution from Warner Bros. and Twentieth-Century Fox. He is also the writer-director of the award-winning romantic dramedy “The Trouble with the Truth” and has been a screenwriter for hire on several movies that he may or may not take responsibility for depending on his mood. His movies have screened at the Sundance Film Festival, American Cinematheque, Facets Multimedia, Alamo Drafthouse, and other festivals and art houses, and he is the author of “The Art and Craft of Directing TV: Conversations With Episodic Television Directors.” He has worked as a researcher for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and regularly moderates Q&As at Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema and the Egyptian and Aero Theatres in Los Angeles. His audio commentaries can be heard on Blu-rays and DVDs from the British Film Institute, Kino Lorber, Shout! Factory and other labels, and he was one of the original hosts of the American Cinematographer podcast. He now co-hosts IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast and is a features writer for the site specializing in filmmaking craft. He hopes to someday own his own 70mm print of “Boogie Nights.”
Latest by Jim Hemphill
Filmmaker interview
The provocative French auteur tells IndieWire how she finds meaning beyond the script in her approach to both the camera and the actors.
Interview
Director Christy Hall tells IndieWire how she utilized LED technology to create a constant sense of exterior movement in her dynamic two-hander.
Filmmaker interview
Costner talks to IndieWire about returning to the genre he brought back to life with his first directorial effort, "Dances with Wolves," and why he was willing to take the biggest gamble of his career to make it happen.
The director of "Gremlins" tells IndieWire why it was imperative to be serious about the giant bug movie nested inside his 1993 comedy.
"Bad Boys: Ride or Die" directors Adil and Bilall tell IndieWire about the technology behind the take that went viral.
4x4
The writer of "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" and "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" tells IndieWire how he breathes new life into established franchises.
Stunts
Director Josh Margolin and stunt coordinator Ryan Sturz tell IndieWire about making June Squibb into an action hero in their unusual revenge film.
Interview
The director talks about maximizing her resources and working with Billy Zane to bring a sophisticated visual language to "Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story."
Pride
The Academy Museum kicked off its "Full of Pleasure: The Beginnings of New Queer Cinema" series with a screening of Troche's lesbian classic gloriously restored in 4K.
Interview
The director of "The Exorcism" talks about how his parents' work in maverick movies gave him material for his most recent films.
The IndieWire craft team celebrates the cinematography of nine series that premiered this year, including "Ripley" and "Shōgun."
Feature
The movie that ruined Michael Powell's career but made his reputation for an entire generation of cinephiles is newly available from Criterion via Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation.
