Gimme Three Podcast - A Series For Cinephiles

Somebody experiments with queerness for a night and calls it “fun.” Somebody else is left holding the confusion, the shame, and the fallout. We sit down with filmmaker Louisa Connolly Burnham to talk about Full Fat, a razor-sharp short screening opening night at the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival, and we get honest about the emotional consequences that can land on queer people when attraction gets treated like a party story instead of a real connection.

Louisa also walks us through the nuts and bolts of independent filmmaking without the traditional path: coming from...

A woman stops for a quick errand and returns to her car to find an abandoned old man in the front seat. Another woman fights to stay herself while the world around her turns cruel and unpredictable. Those are the sparks behind Saverio and XY, two LADFF short films that hit with humor, heartbreak, and the kind of specificity that makes a story feel uncomfortably universal.

We sit down with writer-director Ellen Ancui to talk about her winding path from New York theater to TV writing, the “golden handcuffs” of stable work...

Summer’s not over yet! Get outta the heat and revisit a Steven Spielberg Summer Blockbuster, then go check out our episode covering the three bangers spanning from the 70s to the 90s!

In this re-release episode, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, JAWS, the heartwarming and imaginative sci-fi family classic, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, and the industry-altering picture and innovative thrill ride of Jurassic Park!

These just scratch the surface of Spielberg’s summer blockbusters, but they are quintessential, not only to his career, not on...

This week, co-host Bella Efstratis is joined by musician, cinephile, and 90s grunge aficionado - and her brother ! - Jack Efstratis.

Jack and Bella dive into three films that capture early twenties angst and the 90s grunge scene. From the music itself, to cameos of the bands, to messy angsty relationships, this episode is covering it all.

We kick off the theme with Doug Pray's 1996 documentary, Hype!, which examines the Seattle scene as it became the focus of a merging of punk rock, heavy metal, and innovation. Featuring incredible special interviews and in the moment...

A dream can sound reckless when your world is on fire, but Miguel Angel Ferrer bets on it anyway and somehow gets the film across the finish line. We talk with Miguel, the director of The Shadow of the Sun, a breakout piece of Venezuelan cinema that ran a major international film festival circuit, earned a stack of Venezuelan Academy Award nominations, and became Venezuela’s official Oscars selection before landing on-demand for US and Canada audiences. 

Miguel walks us through the real, unglamorous climb: moving from Venezuela to the United States, showing up in Los Angeles wit...

In this week's episode, we celebrate the illustrious career of the late, great Sam Neill. Co-hosts Nicholas Ybarra and Bella Efstratis explore some of the recurring character traits that Neill tackled in his work and gush over three of his most outstanding performances. 

- We start with the dense, brilliant, and terrifying horror film by one of the masters of the genre, John Carpenter. Sam Neill stars in In the Mouth of Madness. 

- Second, we dive deeper into the horror genre. This time, we blend it with science fiction in the wi...

This week on the Gimme Three Podcast, we're honored to be joined by an incredible filmmaker and ED of the non-profit organization Alliance of Women Directors, Kylie Eaton. 

Co-host Nicholas Ybarra and Kylie discuss her journey through the industry, her writing and storytelling process, the history of Alliance of Women Directors, and finally, AWD's collaboration with the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival coming this September. 

Additionally, Kylie joins us in our Gimme Three Segment, highlighting three films that inspired her filmmaking career, including Star Wars, Sleepless in Seattle, and Th...

The countdown to The Odyssey is almost over, so what better time to celebrate the filmmaker behind it?

This week, Bella Efstratis is joined by writer, actor, and filmmaker Trey Armstrong for a Christopher Nolan Spotlight.

Together, they explore three films that chart Nolan's evolution from ambitious independent filmmaker to one of the defining directors of the 21st century: Following, The Prestige, and Tenet.

They kick things off with Following, the micro-budget debut that introduced audiences to Nolan's fascination with fractured...

The World Cup has the entire globe buzzing. So we figured we'd do some world traveling here on the Gimme Three Podcast and celebrate three unforgettable and undeniable international short films. 

- We begin in France with the 1993 short film Emilie Muller. A gorgeous black-and-white picture that is so great you'll be dying to rewatch it as soon as you finish. 

Watch Emilie Muller here!

- Next we travel to Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) with one of the greatest surrealist filmmakers of all time, Jan Švankmajer and his jaw-dropping (literally) pie...

This episode marks the long awaited return of Gimme Three A-Z. Each month, Bella, Nick, and one lucky listener will contribute a film that they adore for each letter of the alphabet. This month is we've got nothing but BANGERS for the Letter B. 

- We start with our audience selection: Charlie Kauffman and Spike Jonze collaborate in one of the more inventive and mind-expanding concepts to grace the silver screen with Being John Malkovich.

- Bella's pick is the 2019 Scottish period piece that will make you cherish friendship and yearn for a n...

In this compilation episode we celebrate three independent cinema gems that highlight magnificent and original queer stories. 

- We start with Cheryl Dunye's 90s indie-classic, The Watermelon Woman. 

- Second, we travel to Sweden and do a deep dive into the angsty teenage coming-of-age romance, Show Me Love. 

- Finally, we revisit our interview from last year's Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival. Filmmaker Faranak Sahafian joined the show to discuss her gripping and pertinent short film, Kisses and Bullets

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In this week's episode, we celebrate queer joy in movies with three hilarious films that are widely considered classics among the LGBTQ community. 

- We start with a bonafide classic. Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, and Gene Hackman star in the side-splitting Mike Nichols film, The Birdcage. 

- Second, Natasha Lyonne and Clea Duvall wow audiences in the creative and subversive cult gem, But I'm A Cheerleader.

- Finally, our audience voted for another cult favorite in the rom-com/spy thriller D.E.B.S. 

All of...

Happy Pride, everyone! In honor of Pride Month, we’re celebrating with a specially curated selection of some of the greatest queer love stories in cinema!

Join Nick and Bella as they discuss three of the most celebrated, impressive, and romantic queer love stories ever told. We’re talking all about the visual beauty of these films and the touching love stories within.

Bella introduces one of her all-time favorite films, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which she regards as the greatest romance film ever made.

Nick follows with the equa...

Is the theater experience back? Independent horror films like Obsession and Backrooms are making waves at the box office. Fresh stories like The Drama and Crime 101 have made their mark. So co-host Nicholas Ybarra and producer Sonja Mereu thought this was a great time to highlight some independent films that are absolutely worth seeing on the big screen while you still can. 

- We start with Boots Riley's highly-anticipated, pro-Union, Technicolor powerhouse, I Love Boosters. The film stars Keke Palmer and Demi Moore. 

- Second, Al...

Today's episode spotlights Claudette Colbert, a genuine icon of cinema. 

Colbert's career traversed multiple eras in Hollywood: the Silent Era, the Pre-Code Era, and the Golden Age. 

To kick it off, we discuss what is widely considered one of the all-time greats, It Happened One Night. Claudette Colbert co-stars opposite Clark Gable in this genre-defining classic. Next, Claudette Colbert sinks her teeth into the 1939 screwball comedy, Midnight.Finally, Colbert co-starred with Louise Beavers in Imitation of Life, a 1934 film that explored race and identity. 

Let us know what...

This week, The Gimme Three Podcast is proud to host two outstanding Latina filmmakers, Arianna Ortiz and Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel. Their film, The Birthday Gift, will have its West Coast Premiere at the 25th Annual LA Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF). 

Arianna and Cruz discuss the adaptation of the piece (from play to short film), their creative process, their approach to character-driven work, and the pertinent historical context of the film. 

Tickets to see The Birthday Gift on the big screen are available at https://laliff.org/.

And you can fo...

2026 is the year of Anne Hathaway. With five films being released this year, Nick and Bella are feeling the Hathaway fever. In this episode, the duo explores some of the prolific performer’s most iconic roles. 

We start with Anne Hathaway’s first Academy Award-nominated performance in Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married. Second, to commemorate the theatrical success of its sequel, we dive headfirst into the world of fashion. Anne co-stars with Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt in the modern classic, The Devil Wears Prada. Finally, the audience pick for this week was Anne Hathaway’s breakout...

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of many amazing films from the year 2001. In this episode, we go back in time to revisit some of our favorite episodes and discuss the ensemble casts from 2001. 

- We start by revisiting our episode in which we honored the late, great David Lynch. We explored the mind-bending, pulse-pounding thriller Mulholland Drive. 

- Second, we explored the early work of Wes Anderson in The Royal Tenenbaums, which features an all-star cast including Gene Hackman, Angelica Houston, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Danny Glover, Gwenyth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, and Bill Murray. 

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This episode marks the first in a brand new monthly series: Gimme Three A - Z. Each month, Bella and Nick will go through each letter of the alphabet and suggest one film that they love and think everybody should have on their watchlist. We also get feedback and suggestions from you, our audience. 

This month: the letter A!

We open with a submission from one of our listeners, Adriana Lopez Lacen, who suggested the Chris Columbus directorial debut, Adventures in Babysitting, starring Elizabeth Shue. Bella submitted the impactful, relatable, and emotionally-charged Academy Award-winning fi...

To commemorate the release of Michael, Nick and Bella explore some of the short films (yes, short films... not music videos) from the King of Pop. Jackson helped define this art form and brought the medium to a prominence that no other artist had approached. 

*Click on the titles of the films to watch them on YouTube*

- We start with what is widely considered to be the greatest music video of all time, the horror-inspired Thriller, directed by John Landis. 

- Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese directs MJ and Wesley Snipes in...

Put on your dancing shoes and crank up your favorite 80s beats, because on this episode of the Gimme Three Podcast, we're cutting some rug. Actor, writer, producer (and dancer) Hannelore Berlin joins Nicholas Ybarra as they deep-dive into three of the 1980s' most impactful dance films. 

- We start with perhaps the most iconic dance film of the decade, in which Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey made the entire world swoon in 1987's Dirty Dancing. 

- Second, we explore perhaps the most important film in hip hop history. Harry Belafonte produced this au...

Join the dangerous minds of Nicholas Ybarra and Bella Efstratis as they discuss one of the 21st century's most fabulous performers, Michelle Pfeiffer.

To celebrate Ms. Pfeiffer's birthday, Nick and Bella explore three wildly entertaining films from Michelle's filmography. In this episode, we discuss titillating Dangerous Liaisons, the outrageously deft The Witches of Eastwick, and the unique Jonathan Demme gem Married To The Mob.

And don't worry—show producer Sonja Mereu has Pfeiffer's iconic portrayal of Catwoman covered in Sonja's Movie Minute. 

Our only regret is that Mic...

Co-Host Bella Efstratis and Producer Sonja Mereu discuss the power of documentaries and how modern technology and ingenuity shaped some of 2025's most powerful films. 

- The Alabama Solution

- The Perfect Neighbor

- Mr. Nobody Against Putin

These films are not only a masterclass in editing but also an important tool for empathy and a call to action. Let us know what you think of these films and your favorite documentary of 2025. 

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On this week’s episode, we honor one of the greatest comedic minds ever to grace the silver screen. Catherine O’Hara. In particular, we explore her wildly impressive improvisational collaborations with Christopher Guest. These films highlight some of the most impressive elements of O’Hara’s talents: her improv skills, her dramatic range, her world-building, and her overall magnetic star power.

We start with the small-town mockumentary Waiting for Guffman, where O’Hara plays Sheila Albertson, a travel agent with big dreams of Broadway stages and Hollywood lights. Next, O’Hara plays Cookie Fleck in the iconic mo...

For Women’s History Month, the Gimme Three Podcast is spotlighting a filmmaker whose name was nearly lost to history: Alice Guy-Blaché.

Before Hollywood existed, before the language of cinema had even fully formed, one woman was already experimenting with storytelling on screen—directing hundreds of films and helping shape what movies could become.

So why don’t more people know her name?

In this episode, Nick and Bella explore three of Alice Guy-Blaché’s fascinating and wildly entertaining short films: Madame’s Cravings (1906), The Conseque...