INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: Oscar Inside & Indie Cinema Discussions

Luis Valdez, LA BAMBA, ZOOT SUIT, Chicano cinema, and El Teatro Campesino take center stage in AMERICAN PACHUCO: THE LEGEND OF LUIS VALDEZ, director David Alvarado's documentary about a groundbreaking American artist.

From performing on flatbed trucks for farmworkers with El Teatro Campesino to bringing ZOOT SUIT to Broadway and directing LA BAMBA, Luis Valdez transformed American theater and cinema — creating space for Chicano stories, history, humor, and identity.

In this episode of INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, hosts Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge speak with David Alvarado about making AMERICAN PACHUCO, tracing Valdez's extraordinary career, and examining the cultural movement that grew alongside his work.

It is more than the story of one pioneering artist. It is the story of who gets to be seen, who gets to belong, and whose experiences become part of the American canon.

Find screenings and learn more about AMERICAN PACHUCO: https://www.americanpachuco.com/

CHAPTERS
00:00 From Farmworkers to American Cinema
01:09 INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE Introduction
02:13 Meet Director David Alvarado
05:18 Discovering the Story of Luis Valdez
09:02 El Teatro Campesino and the Farmworker Movement
13:07 Bringing ZOOT SUIT to Broadway
17:12 The Story Behind LA BAMBA
21:04 Chicano Identity and American Culture
25:02 Preserving Luis Valdez's History
28:17 The Legacy of a Cultural Pioneer
30:17 Closing Thoughts

Follow the film and filmmakers on Instagram:
AMERICAN PACHUCO: @luisvaldezdoc
Insignia Films: @insigniafilms
El Teatro Campesino: @elteatrocampesino

Hosts: @laemmle and @OfficialRaphaelSbarge

Please subscribe to INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE for more in-depth conversations with the filmmakers shaping independent, international, and documentary cinema. Like, comment, and share — and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

#AmericanPachuco #LuisValdez #ChicanoCinema
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Celebrate Bastille Day with highlights from four filmmaker conversations featuring Rebecca Zlotowski, François Ozon, Louise Courvoisier, and Laura Piani—and the films A Private Life, The Stranger, Holy Cow, and Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.

To mark Bastille Day, we’re revisiting four conversations from the INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE archive—highlights from interviews with the filmmakers behind some of the most compelling contemporary French films.

Director Rebecca Zlotowski discusses family, memory, identity, and the mysteries hidden within our closest relationships in A Private Life, starring Jodie Foster.

Director François Ozon reflects on reimagining Albert Camus’ L’Étranger for a new generation in The Stranger.

Director Louise Courvoisier explores the warmth, humor, and lived-in authenticity of rural France in Holy Cow.

Director Laura Piani discusses love, literature, creative ambition, and writing a heroine whose aspirations matter as much as her romances in Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.

Four films. Four distinctive voices. One enduring tradition: French cinema’s appetite for stories that are bold, intimate, provocative, and deeply human.

Celebrate Bastille Day with this special selection from the INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE library of filmmaker conversations.

Follow INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and please leave us a rating and review. It helps other film lovers discover the show.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Celebrating Contemporary French Cinema01:24 A Private Life — Director Rebecca Zlotowski on Memory, Mystery & Identity10:14 The Stranger — Director François Ozon Reimagines Albert Camus19:10 Holy Cow — Director Louise Courvoisier on Rural France, Family & Authenticity24:28 Jane Austen Wrecked My Life — Director Laura Piani on Love, Literature & Self-Discovery
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David Wain joins us to talk about his new comedy, Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass — a Sundance 2026 Official Selection starring Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, and John Slattery, from Sony Pictures Classics.

The premise is deliberately, gloriously absurd: a Midwestern bride-to-be discovers her fiancé has used his "celebrity pass" to cheat — and sets off for Los Angeles to even the score with her own pass, Jon Hamm. What follows is a full-tilt Hollywood comedy that never apologizes for being exactly what it is.

We talk with Wain about writing the film with longtime collaborator Ken Marino, assembling a cast that spans three generations of comedy, shooting an original comedy entirely on location in Los Angeles, and why comedy for comedy's sake has become an increasingly rare thing to see on screen.

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is directed by David Wain, written by Ken Marino & David Wain, and releases in theaters July 10, 2026, from Sony Pictures Classics.

0:00 Intro: David Wain on Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
0:52 Clip: The Hollywood Journey Begins
1:45 Meet David Wain
2:25 Why Make a Pure Comedy Now?
5:10 The Celebrity Pass Premise
8:42 Clip: The Joke Gets Complicated
9:28 Casting Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm & John Slattery
12:40 From The State to Wet Hot American Summer
16:05 Why This Comedy Refuses to Apologize
20:15 Shooting an Original Comedy in Los Angeles
23:30 Building Ensemble Chaos
26:40 Clip Breakdown: Absurdity and Emotion
27:50 Why Comedy Belongs in Theaters
31:05 Audience Reactions and Festival Buzz
34:30 What David Wain Hopes Viewers Feel
36:50 Closing Thoughts

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE is an in-depth conversation series with filmmakers across independent and arthouse cinema. Hosted by Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge in partnership with Laemmle Theatres.
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Documentary filmmaking, indie films, and arthouse movies take center stage in this special Fourth of July episode of Inside the Arthouse — a film podcast dedicated to independent film, indie cinema, and the voices that define American storytelling.

While much of the industry turns to reboots, sequels, franchises, and superheroes, we're turning to a different kind of American story — films driven by voice, risk, authenticity, and the courage to see the world differently.

In this special edition, we revisit a curated selection from our library of more than 100 filmmaker interviews — five films that remind us why independent film remains essential to American film culture.

These are the films that don't just entertain us. They ask us to look closer, feel more deeply, and think beyond the familiar. From arthouse movies rooted in character and place to indie films powered by pure creative vision, this is the American cinema that matters.

As America marks its 250th birthday, we celebrate the documentary and independent storytellers who prove that American cinema is at its best when it dares to be independent.

Join us for this special Fourth of July edition of Inside the Arthouse: American Independents.

0:00 Introduction: American Independence in Cinema
1:17 Eephus — Carson Lund on Baseball, Mortality & Cannes
7:37 Sponsor: Carsey-Wolf Center
8:51 Northern Lights — Rob Nilsson on Prairie Populism & Independent Film
15:57 La Cocina — Alonso Ruizpalacios on New York & Immigrant Stories
19:49 If You See Something — Oday Rasheed on Asylum, Belonging & America
27:04 The American Southwest — Ben Masters on the Colorado River & Conservation

Inside the Arthouse is a digital series featuring in-depth conversations with filmmakers across independent and arthouse cinema. Hosted by Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge in partnership with Laemmle Theatres, the series explores film distribution, the creative process, and the evolving landscape of cinema.

Find Inside the Arthouse on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
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Carla Simón’s new film ROMERÍA follows Marina, a young woman who travels to Galicia in search of the truth about the parents she never really knew. What begins as a practical errand becomes something harder to name — an excavation of memory, silence, and the stories families carry across generations.

In this conversation, Simón reflects on the autobiographical roots of the film, the challenge of transforming private history into cinema, working with young performers, and the delicate balance between grief, imagination, and discovery.

Following the international success of SUMMER 1993 and ALCARRÀS, ROMERÍA may be her most personal film yet.

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE is hosted by Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge in partnership with Laemmle Theatres. New episodes every week — follow wherever you listen.

Episode Guide:

0:00 Introduction: The Inspiration Behind ROMERÍA2:17 Exploring Personal Grief and Memory5:51 Historical Memory and the Heroin Crisis in Spain7:09 Connecting with Biological Roots8:34 Clip: Investigating the Past11:34 The Mystery of Memory and Family Secrets14:01 Using Personal Letters as Narrative Tools15:51 The Casting Process: Mixing Non-Actors and Professionals18:01 The Benefit of Three-Month Rehearsals26:01 Trailer Analysis and Cinematic Approach30:05 Defining the Title: ROMERÍA as Pilgrimage and Celebration33:04 Cinema as Personal Therapy34:03 Audience Reception and Future Projects
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