Film

When “Friendship” screenwriter Andrew DeYoung recently talked with WPR’s “BETA,” he praised Tim Robinson’s commitment to cringe, discussed drawing inspiration from Terrence Malick films and shared the personal reflection that planted the seed for “Friendship.”

Andy Kaufman came on the comedy scene in the mid-1970s and befuddled his audience from the beginning. Alex Braverman was intrigued by Kaufman’s cagy artistry, so he created the documentary, “Thank You Very Much,” as an homage to Kaufman’s brilliant career.

A new documentary, “Free for All: The Public Library” spotlights the people working to keep information free and accessible as public libraries face threats of closures and funding cuts.

WPR’s “BETA” sat down with Joseph Patel to find out what inspired the making of the documentary, “SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius).”

The film “Brady Street: Portrait of a Neighborhood” shares some of the history of the street, ranging from tales of Polish and Italian immigration to the transformation of the neighborhood into a counterculture hotspot in the 1960s and 70s.

“Gold,” the second film by an award-winning, Green Bay-based documentarian explores the lives of women who work as exotic dancers at the Gold Nugget, an exotic dance club in rural Wisconsin.

For the first screening, director Nathan Deming takes “February” to Stanley, near Chippewa Falls, on Feb. 1.

Actor Willem Dafoe in an interview with WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” explained how his time living, acting and seeing movies in Appleton and Milwaukee shaped who he is today.

A Cornell native turned filmmaker paid tribute to a small fire department in a new documentary titled “The Best of Us.” Of the 809 fire departments across Wisconsin, more than 75 percent are predominantly run by volunteers.

Comedian Sarah Silverman grapples with her grief in her stand-up tour, “Postmortem.” She spoke with WPR’s “BETA” host Doug Gordon about how her comedy has evolved, learning from failure and finding comfort in conversation with her audience.