Figgis Unfiltered

Filmmaker Mike Figgis on fear: from a violent childhood to the age of AI, why the media sells it, and how love and connection keep it at bay. Figgis Unfiltered S2 E6. Season 2 of Figgis Unfiltered examines the human emotions, one at a time. In Episode 6, director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) takes on fear — starting with a drunken speech to a room full of artists, a 9/11 theory that made him a pariah, and today’s dread of AI and drones. He traces fear through his own life: a colonial childhood among terrified adults in Kenya, the first real, physical fear of a violent Newcastle school, and why a great horror film can disturb us more than reality itself. He gets into fear of dying, flying and failure, the choice he made after Leaving Las Vegas to chase fun over a safe studio career, and a quiet moment on the London Underground that captures everything. Then he takes your questions: on whether we get wiser with age, whether the media is weaponising fear, and whether “perfect love casts out fear” — closing on connection, and the courage it takes to ask for help. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 A story to start — fear on stage 00:20 A drunken speech, and the fear of being judged 02:23 The 9/11 theory that made him a pariah 04:34 AI, drones and the fear of losing all control 05:53 Colonial Kenya, the Mau Mau and inherited fear 08:14 First real fear — a violent Newcastle school 10:02 Why horror films frighten him more than reality 11:12 The power of cinema to scare — The Spiral Staircase 12:36 What fear does to us, and how it shifts with age 14:17 Hollywood, with yourself at the centre of the universe 15:43 Fear of dying, flying & failure — the choice after Leaving Las Vegas 17:05 Choosing fun over the safe studio career 18:46 Courage, and the fear of being powerless 19:37 “Can I hold your hand” — a moment on the Tube 20:46 Listener questions — DPK (Toronto): do we get wiser with age? 26:02 James (Mississauga): is the media weaponising fear? 28:46 Don (Trenton): does perfect love cast out fear? 31:11 Closing — connection, and the courage to ask for help 🎬 Mentioned in this episode Films — Repulsion (Polanski) · Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (Lynch) · The Spiral Staircase · On the Waterfront · Timecode · Hotel · The Loss of Sexual Innocence · and Mike’s own Leaving Las Vegas People — Roman Polanski · David Lynch · Elia Kazan (his autobiography “A Life”) · Francis Ford Coppola · historian A.J.P. Taylor Idea — the line “perfect love casts out fear” 🎙️ Got a question for Mike? Send it as a voice note and it could feature in a future episode — DM us on Instagram: @figgisunfiltered 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell for new Season 2 episodes across all podcast platforms and here on YouTube. Follow: Instagram → https://instagram.com/figgisunfiltered Note: this episode discusses fear, violence and mental health, including references to war. #MikeFiggis #FiggisUnfiltered #Fear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Filmmaker Mike Figgis on sadness: why he thrives on it, how grief deepens with age, and what can make sadness beautiful. A candid episode on loss. Figgis Unfiltered S2 E5. Season 2 of Figgis Unfiltered examines the human emotions, one at a time. In Episode 5, director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) turns to sadness, grief and melancholy — the bedrock, he argues, that every moment of joy is measured against. He explores why grief deepens as we age, why we feel it in the heart, and how sad music and tragic drama, from the blues to Greek theatre to Tchaikovsky, work as a kind of catharsis and medicine. He shares some of his most personal stories: a first heartbreak waiting up until 3am, a bad LSD trip at 18 that cost him a year, and — most movingly — the loss of his sister, and the moment in an airport that first broke his grief open. Then he takes your questions: on where joy has gone in modern film, how he channels sadness into work, and how you make sadness beautiful again after losing someone you love. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Sadness, grief & melancholy 00:21 “I thrive on sadness” 01:03 Why Leaving Las Vegas works through sadness 02:22 Measuring sadness — and “the loss of a loved one” 03:33 Why grief deepens as you age 04:45 Why we feel grief in the heart 05:33 The three stages of sadness 06:44 His first heartbreak — waiting until 3am 11:04 Drawn to sadness in books, film and music 12:20 The blues, the minor third & Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique 13:46 “Grief is so beautiful” — sad music as catharsis 15:37 Greek drama and the sharing of grief 16:30 Losing loved ones — and valuing friends more 18:12 A bad trip, a year of fear, and facing it down 21:43 Listener questions — Philip (Oklahoma City): where did joy go? 24:28 Krista (Edmonton): notebooks, routine & sleep 27:00 Lena (Texas): making sadness beautiful after loss 33:34 Paul Mazursky, regeneration & a word on the joy to come 🎬 Mentioned in this episode Films — Leaving Las Vegas · Licorice Pizza People — Nicolas Cage · Elisabeth Shue · Jack Nicholson · filmmaker Paul Mazursky Music & ideas — Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony · the blues and the minor third · Greek tragedy · “The 36 Dramatic Situations” and its final one, the loss of a loved one · the funeral scene in Huckleberry Finn 🎙️ Got a question for Mike? Send it as a voice note and it could feature in a future episode — DM us on Instagram: @figgisunfiltered 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell for new Season 2 episodes across all podcast platforms and here on YouTube. https://youtu.be/t6tem3MA-Ek Follow: Instagram → https://instagram.com/figgisunfiltered Note: this episode includes candid discussion of grief, bereavement and drug use. #MikeFiggis #FiggisUnfiltered #Sadness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Filmmaker Mike Figgis on desire: the disruptive force behind every great story, why we’re drawn to the forbidden, and learning to enjoy it without acting on it. Figgis Unfiltered S2 E4. Season 2 of Figgis Unfiltered examines the human emotions, one at a time. In Episode 4, director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) takes on his favourite subject for drama — desire. Starting with Buñuel’s That Obscure Object of Desire, he argues that desire is fundamentally disruptive: the thing that arrives from left field and threatens all the stability we’ve built, from marriage to the modern dream of controlling even death. Drawing on the philosopher Georges Bataille, he explores why desire feeds on prohibition, why we’re pulled toward the forbidden, and how possession and destruction are never far apart. He tells the story of casting Richard Gere in Internal Affairs — the complex Hollywood outsider nobody wanted — then takes your questions: on desire left deliberately unresolved, how to tell a desire that’s truly yours from one shaped by others, and how desire becomes the engine of great drama. He closes on how desire changes with age — not as something to act on, but as a creative wellspring that “happens between your two ears.” ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Desire — Figgis’s favourite subject for drama 00:19 Buñuel’s That Obscure Object of Desire 01:13 Why desire is a disruptive force 01:55 Marriage, and the vow no one can really make 02:59 Bataille: desire needs a taboo to break 04:42 The fear of death and the urge to control everything 06:35 Internal Affairs — desire, power & Richard Gere 07:57 Casting Richard Gere, Hollywood’s outsider 10:37 Temptation, and the signal that someone’s “up for it” 12:19 The lure of the forbidden 14:09 Possession, and “if I can’t have it, no one can” 15:18 Listener questions — Dave (Toronto): desire left unresolved 19:56 Jada (Toronto): is a desire truly your own? 23:53 Eric (Seattle): desire as the engine of drama 26:17 Desire tempered by age — a creative wellspring 28:46 “You don’t have to act on it” — a final word 🎬 Mentioned in this episode Films — That Obscure Object of Desire (Luis Buñuel) · Internal Affairs · Fatal Attraction · Looking for Mr. Goodbar · Days of Heaven · and Mike’s own Leaving Las Vegas People — Richard Gere · Andy Garcia · Laurie Metcalf · writer Henry Bean · Georges Bataille · Jerry Bruckheimer Book — Diary of a Mad Old Man by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki 📸 Daniel Raczynski 🎙️ Got a question for Mike? Send it as a voice note and it could feature in a future episode — DM us on Instagram: @figgisunfiltered 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell for new Season 2 episodes across all podcast platforms and here on YouTube. Follow: Instagram → https://instagram.com/figgisunfiltered #MikeFiggis #FiggisUnfiltered #Desire Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Filmmaker Mike Figgis on love: why it never quite works, what makes true love closer to friendship, and the films and songs that get it right. Figgis Unfiltered S2 E3. Season 2 of Figgis Unfiltered examines the human emotions, one at a time. In Episode 3, director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) takes on the most complex subject of all — love. He begins with the love songs of the American songbook and asks why love has all but vanished from modern music, then turns to Einstein and the philosopher Georges Bataille to ask why desire so often curdles into disappointment, and why the truest love might look more like deep friendship than romance. Along the way: a year-long love affair sustained entirely through perfumed letters he couldn't actually read, why the suffering of love has always drawn him more than happy endings, the films that define love for him — from Elvira Madigan to Bonnie and Clyde — and what a single look on Billie Holiday's face reveals about the whole thing. Then he takes your questions: on inviting your exes to your wedding, whether love is worth the pain, and how love shifts across a lifelong marriage. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Love — the most complex subject of all 00:37 A roll-call of love songs — and what vanished from them 03:23 Einstein on marriage, desire and disappointment 04:20 Why his films are all about broken love 05:05 Georges Bataille: desire, and why marriage palls 07:51 "True love is deep friendship" 09:04 A fool for love — chasing the unattainable 09:51 The perfumed letters he couldn't read for a year 12:36 Why the suffering of love appeals to him 14:00 "I like you": how language fails love 14:47 Saying "I love you" — the point of no return 16:06 When a friendship turns into love 16:52 True love stories — Leaving Las Vegas & One Night Stand 17:36 Elvira Madigan — his favourite love film 20:04 Love as a clash of two forces 21:01 Listener questions — Nithya (Hong Kong): exes at your wedding? 25:28 Mark (Toronto): is love worth the pain? 31:11 Carol (Ottawa): love across a lifelong marriage 38:04 The most profound love on film — Billie Holiday & Lester Young 🎬 Mentioned in this episode Films — Elvira Madigan · Bonnie and Clyde · My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (Éric Rohmer) · One Night Stand · and Mike's own Leaving Las Vegas Thinkers — Albert Einstein · Georges Bataille (Story of the Eye) · Albert Camus · Michael Ondaatje Music — the American love-song standards · Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 · Billie Holiday & Lester Young, "Fine and Mellow" (from the 1957 TV special The Sound of Jazz, on YouTube) 📸 Daniel Raczynski 🎙️ Got a question for Mike? Send it as a voice note on Instagram: https://instagram.com/figgisunfiltered 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell for new Season 2 episodes across all podcast platforms and here on YouTube. Follow: Instagram → https://instagram.com/figgisunfiltered Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Filmmaker Mike Figgis on rage: the violence that shaped him, the fury he learned to turn into film, and why anger still needs an outlet. Figgis Unfiltered S2 E2. Season 2 of Figgis Unfiltered examines the human emotions, one at a time. In Episode 2, director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) takes on anger and rage — beginning with a man who insists he isn't angry, then tracing where that belief cracks. From a childhood thrown from colonial East Africa into a violent Newcastle school, to the friend who taught him to stand his ground, to the "psychedelic rage" of an out-of-body fantasy in a Hollywood studio meeting, he examines how a lifetime of watching for danger became both a survival instinct and a filmmaker's eye. He tells the story behind his near-fight with Ridley Scott in an edit suite — and how that exact moment became a scene in Leaving Las Vegas — then opens out into rage on screen (Taxi Driver, Network), the difference between anger and rage, and how punk turned fury into something a whole generation could use. Then he takes your questions: what he does with his own rage, when we shouldn't trust our instincts, and what Muhammad Ali might have made of the age of outrage. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 "I don't think of myself as an angry man" 00:20 From colonial Africa to a brutal Newcastle school 02:53 Reg Easton, and learning to fight back 04:07 A radar for violence — "always watch the room" 04:52 Hollywood, and a fantasy of "psychedelic rage" 08:02 Ridley Scott, The Browning Version & a near-fight 12:09 Turning that rage into a scene in Leaving Las Vegas 13:56 Repressed rage on screen — Taxi Driver & Network 14:54 Rage vs anger — and "creative anger" 16:35 Bad rage vs productive rage — punk and "mad as hell" 18:02 A digression: Network and Faye Dunaway 20:31 Listener questions — Mark (Ontario): what do you do with rage? 24:24 Annie (Mumbai): when should we not trust our instincts? 26:37 Bob (London): Muhammad Ali, Trump & the age of outrage 29:43 "Bring on the rage" — a closing note 🎬 Mentioned in this episode Films — Taxi Driver · Network · The Browning Version · Internal Affairs · Thelma & Louise · and Mike's own Leaving Las Vegas People — Ridley Scott · Albert Finney · Anthony Hopkins · Julian Sands · Elisabeth Shue · Faye Dunaway · David Lynch · Muhammad Ali · the Coen brothers · Powell & Pressburger Music — the rage of punk: the Sex Pistols and The Clash 📸 Daniel Raczynski 🎙️ Got a question for Mike? Send it as a voice note and it could feature in a future episode — DM us on Instagram: @figgisunfiltered 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell for new Season 2 episodes across all podcast platforms and here on YouTube. Follow: Instagram → https://instagram.com/figgisunfiltered Note: this episode includes frank discussion of childhood violence and abuse. #MikeFiggis #FiggisUnfiltered #Rage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Filmmaker Mike Figgis on happiness: why it's dangerous, the childhood moment that defined it, and why he distrusts happy endings. Figgis Unfiltered S2 E1. Season 2 of Figgis Unfiltered examines the human emotions, one at a time. In Episode 1, director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) begins with happiness — a kitchen table stripped at 3am, a boyhood night hearing Louis Armstrong's trumpet cut through the red velvet curtains of the Newcastle Odeon beside his father, and a lifetime spent watching people to understand what a genuine smile really is. He explores why happiness can only be measured against sadness (by way of John Berger's Ways of Seeing), the actor's exercise that exposes sadness as our default setting, the "mask of happiness" he strips away when taking portraits, and the newspaper photograph of a rescued Australian family that moved him to tears. Then he answers your questions — on what gets him out of bed, the spirituality running through his films, why he casts actors who've stepped away from the mainstream (Kim Novak, Nastassja Kinski, Richard Gere), and whether Leaving Las Vegas could be made in 2026. He closes with his own recommendations on happiness: two books, two live jazz recordings, and one perfect Hitchcock film. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Welcome to Season 2 — what happiness really is 01:14 A boy, his father & Louis Armstrong at the Odeon 04:04 Edinburgh: a failed comedian and his father's cough 05:18 Why happiness is dangerous — John Berger 06:13 "Show me happiness": the actor's exercise 07:33 Portraits and the mask of happiness 08:36 The Australian beach rescue that moved him 12:10 Listener questions — Clarissa (Toronto): what gets you out of bed? 14:16 Happiness is meant to be shared 17:14 A people-watcher's joy: stations & airports 19:06 Sasha (Ukraine): spirituality in his films 23:01 Doug (Boston): casting actors who stepped away 26:28 Jay (Amsterdam): could Leaving Las Vegas be made today? 29:22 Recommendations — books, live jazz & a Hitchcock film 33:22 Final thoughts: don't plan happiness 📚 Mentioned in this episode Books — A Fan's Notes (Fred Exley) · Something Happened (Joseph Heller) · Ways of Seeing (John Berger) · Diary of a Mad Old Man (Tanizaki) Music — Louis Armstrong's 1948 live all-star concert · Duke Ellington at Newport '56, "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" (Paul Gonsalves) Films — Notorious (Hitchcock) · Festen · and Mike's own Leaving Las Vegas 📸 Daniel Raczynski 🎙️ Got a question for Mike? Send it as a voice note and it could feature in a future episode — DM us on Instagram: @figgisunfiltered 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell for new Season 2 episodes across all podcast platforms and here on YouTube. Follow: Instagram → https://instagram.com/figgisunfiltered #MikeFiggis #FiggisUnfiltered #Happiness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his new book, Stay Alive: Berlin, 1939-1945, Ian Buruma explores the complexities of survival and daily life under Nazi rule. He talks to Mike about the book, his longtime interest in China and Japan, and their shared experiences with a legendary Dutch avant-garde theatre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Figgis and Josh Karp talk about what AI means for the movie industry, and whether there’s a positive side to the disruption. They also talk about what to do when the artists you love have done harmful things. And Mike recounts his thoughts after a trip to Berlin for the 30th anniversary screening of Leaving Las Vegas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike and Josh Karp discuss the Oscar nominations, a favourite that didn’t make the cut, and what Mike learned from attempting to get MEGADOC into the Academy screening rooms. Then, Mike shares more strange stories from Hollywood, his performance art roots, and being a concerned dad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike keeps a notebook filled with memories – those strange, touching, unsettling or funny moments that stick with you for one reason or another. Today, he opens up the notebook and shares some of his favourites, including a couple of near-death experiences, the time he bought a bootleg DVD of his own movie, and an extreme art performance that ended with the destruction of a Picasso. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike and Josh Karp dissect Quentin Tarantino’s brutal comments about Paul Dano, the bizarre process of getting an Academy Award nomination, and what they’ve been watching. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Leaving Las Vegas became a surprise hit, Mike was a hot name in Hollywood. He talks to writer Josh Karp about the bizarre ritual of the Oscars ceremony, his brief entry into the Hollywood club, and why he ultimately decided not to pursue big budget studio movies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More recollections of Leaving Las Vegas, this time focusing on the cast, the feel of the movie, and the three-week shoot. Mike talks to writer Josh Karp about what it was like working with Nicholas Cage, Elisabeth Shue and a dream list of actors in smaller parts, as well as battles to maintain the film’s iconic sound, and shooting a movie in a city that didn’t want them there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike talks about how bad experiences in the Hollywood studio system led to his decision to make Leaving Las Vegas. The film was made with a small budget and crew, from a book that he thought was unadaptable at first read. He talks to writer Josh Karp about what drove him to independent cinema and how the classic movie came together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike continues his conversation with legendary editor and sound designer Walter Murch. They talk about Murch’s sound work on THX 1138 and Apocalypse Now, surround sound, editing in a foreign language, and some of the early movies that shaped him. Walter Murch’s new book is called Suddenly Something Clicked: The Languages of Film Editing and Sound Design . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three-time Oscar winner Walter Murch ( The Godfather Trilogy , Apocalypse Now , The English Patient ) joins Mike Figgis to talk about a lifetime spent reinventing how films are cut, heard, and felt, from his early experiments in sound design to the insights behind his new book Suddenly Something Clicked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our third and final installment of Mike’s reflections from the set of Megalopolis, he talks to writer Josh Karp about what goes into editing a massive project like MEGADOC. He shares stories about how he learned to edit, his sometimes tense relationship with other editors on Hollywood projects, and insights on how the documentary industry has changed the craft. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike dives deeper into life on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis , this time turning his lens on the cast. From Coppola’s fiery love/hate dynamic with Shia LaBeouf, to unexpected moments of connection with Aubrey Plaza, to the quiet mystery of Adam Driver, Mike shares candid stories of how these larger-than-life personalities collide. Together, they reveal how Coppola’s unruly ensemble fuels the director’s anarchic vision. Writer Josh Karp joins Mike him once again. MEGADOC, the documentary about the making of Megalopolis, is in theatres. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Francis Ford Coppola spent over $100 million of his own money to make Megalopolis, an epic film set in an alternate future with a cast full of stars. When the movie came out, it was met with polarizing reviews. Some saw a master experimenting with form, and others saw an incoherent film jam-packed with competing ideas and styles. Mike was invited on set to make a documentary about the movie, and got extensive access to Coppola, the cast and the crew. He’s joined by writer Josh Karp to talk about watching Coppola make this passion project. MEGADOC, the documentary about the making of Megalopolis, is in theatres September 19. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Legendary filmmaker Mike Figgis pulls back the curtain on his life and work in Unfiltered: The Mike Figgis Podcast , a new series full of untold stories from a life in cinema. From behind-the-scenes access to his Megalopolis documentary to raw memories of Leaving Las Vegas and Timecode , Figgis offers rare insight into his creative world. With never-before-heard interviews and candid conversations, the podcast is part memoir, part masterclass, and wholly unfiltered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.