Interview With "Familiar Touch" Star Kathleen Chalfant & Filmmaker Sarah Friedland

The Next Best Picture Podcast

Tv & Film

4.2 • 542 Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2026

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"Familiar Touch" is an independent drama film, written and directed by Sarah Friedland, that stars Kathleen Chalfant as an octogenarian woman transitioning to assisted living, contending with her relationship to herself and her caregivers as she navigates cognitive decline. Billed as a coming of (old) age film, it had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in 2024, where it won the Lion of the Future and the Orizzonti section Best Director and Best Actress prizes. Friedland and Chalfant were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to rent and own from Music Box Films. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to The Next Best Picture podcast, and this is Dan Baer's interview with the director and writer for Familiar Touch, Sarah Friedland, and the film star, Kathleen Chalfant.
0:13.4	It's time to get out now.
0:16.2	Keep breath out.
0:18.3	Sounds good.
0:20.0	I'm going to show you around and get you settled in.
0:22.6	Your room's right down this way.
0:24.6	I'm not one of those elderly people you have to watch constantly.
0:28.6	Of course.
0:29.6	My name is Ruth Goldman.
0:31.6	I was born on 6 March, 1937.
0:35.6	My house is at 1356 Flatbush Avenue.
0:38.6	Could somebody who had, you know what, have told you that?
0:44.2	Now, who the hell are you?
0:48.0	You said you wanted to be here.
0:50.6	You chose this place.
0:51.6	Welcome everyone to the next best picture podcast where we are talking with Sarah Friedland and Kathleen Shelfand, the writer-director and star A Familiar Touch.
1:04.6	Sarah, Kathleen, thank you so much for joining us today.
1:08.5	Thanks for having us.
1:10.3	I'm very excited to talk with the both of you about this film,
1:13.8	which has had a wonderfully long life on the festival circuit and in theaters for a bit,
1:19.6	and now on VOD.
1:21.8	I had so many questions that I wanted to ask you.
	...

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