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 Todd Haynes' new drama, Dark Waters.

Inspired by true events, the film tells the story of an environmental defense attorney who uncovers a dark secret hidden by one of the world's

largest corporations and risks his own career and family to bring justice to a community

dangerously exposed for decades to deadly chemicals. In addition to dark waters, Mr. Haynes'

credits include the feature films Wunderstruck, Velvet Gold Mine, Far From Heaven,

I'm Not There, and Carol, an episode of the television series Enlightened, and the entirety of the

miniseries, Mildred Pierce. Following a recent screening of the film at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles,

Mr. Haynes spoke with director Gus Van Sant about filming

Dark Waters. Listen on for their spoiler-filled conversation.

Well, thanks for letting me ask you questions, because Todd and I go pretty far back, I think,

early 90s. And both of us have lived for long periods of time in Portland, Oregon.

And so great to be here.

Thank you for doing this, Gus.

So I have a list of questions now,

I'm blanking on what they are, but I think one question is, you know, this is such a hard-hitting political film

that when I saw it, I felt I can only think of the Teflon in my bloodstream.

And it's such a, like, kind of strong critique and so political.

But I also, like, felt that, you know, thinking about all of your other projects and

all of your other films, that there's, you know, there are politics throughout, you know,

...