285 | Train Dreams Writer/Directors Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley On Daring To Slow Down

The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Meg LeFauve & Lorien McKenna

Tv & Film

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2026

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The fabulous duo behind Sing Sing and this years Oscar nominee, Train Dreams, Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley join TSL to talk about their inspiring partnership and the process of Train Dreams. Greg and Clint give us a sense of their unique partnership; Who is the glass half full, how they decide who writes and directs and the intricacies of their writing process. Joe Forte joins Meg on this episode to talk with Greg and Clint about the special film, Train Dreams, and all that went into the challenges of crafting a feature from a 118 page novella. --- Looking for more support on your writing journey? Join Meg and Lorien inside ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TSL Workshops⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Episode Links: Train Dreams is available on ⁠https://www.netflix.com/title/82020378⁠ Check out the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TSL merch shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TSL on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Screenwriting Life is produced and edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Alcheh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	300 years of expertise in every twining sleep blend.
0:06.0	100 hours of craft in every cup.
0:10.0	Eight natural ingredients in every sip.
0:14.0	One night of winding down in every drop.
0:18.0	Your moment of serenity. Brought to you by twining sleep. Twinings. Alive in every drop.
0:29.9	Hey everyone, welcome back to the screenwriting life. I'm Meg Lofof. I have a special co-host with me today.
0:35.3	He's been on the show before, and he also happens to be my
0:38.3	partner in both life and writing. Welcome, Joe Forte. Thank you, Meg LaFoeh. Happy to be here.
0:44.1	Okay, today we are so excited to have Clint Bentley and Greg Gwydar with us, the team behind
0:49.8	the beautiful film, incredible film Train Dreams, which they co-wrote with Clint directing.
0:55.7	Clint and Greg are longtime creative partners whose collaborations also include
0:59.9	Transpicos, Jockey, and one of my favorite films of all-time Sing Sing.
1:04.2	Their films have premiered at Sundance, TIF, and South by Southwest, and earned multiple
1:09.1	audience awards. They have been named to the AFI and National
1:12.8	Board of Review top 10 lists. Sing Sing, which they co-wrote and produced, earned them an Academy
1:17.9	Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Together, they've built a distinctive partnership in which
1:23.6	they co-write and alternate directing their films through their production company ethos,
1:28.9	which is focused on artist-driven, equitable filmmaking.
1:32.4	Beyond film, Clint is also an accomplished fiction writer.
1:35.6	His short stories have appeared in the Iowa Review
1:38.3	and the Baltimore Review,
1:39.6	and he received a 2026 push cart prize
	...

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