Hello, and thanks for tuning in to another episode of The Directors' Cut,

brought to you by the Directors Guild of America,

featuring today's top directors sharing behind-the-scenes stories of their latest films

and insights into the craft of directing.

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This episode takes us behind the scenes of director Roxanne Dawson's new biographical drama,

Breakthrough. Based on Joyce Smith's memoir, The Impossible, the miraculous story of a mother's faith and her child's resurrection, the film tells the true story of how all hope seemed lost

after Smith's adopted son, John, fell into an icy Missouri lake and afterwards lay lifeless in a hospital.

Even in the face of every scientific prediction and medical case history, Smith's

refusal to give up and steadfast belief inspired those around her to continue to pray for

John's recovery. Breakthrough is Ms. Dawson's feature film directorial debut. Her other credits include

the pilot and first two episodes of Mercy Street, as well as episodes of numerous shows,

including The Americans, The Shy, Runaways, The Deuce, and The Good Wife.

Following a recent screening of the film at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles,

Ms. Dawson spoke with director Alan Arcush about filming Breakthrough.

During their conversation, Ms. Dawson discusses the way she identified with the film's

protagonist, how she convinced Chrissy Metz to star in the film, and how she executed the

film's crucial ice sequence, which required shooting on a frozen lake and a water tank.

Okay. How long have we known each other?

A really, really long time.

Decades, I think. So tell me what attracted you to this movie and the material.

Well, it was first just sent to me by my agent and I read through it and I couldn't believe it.

...