Hi everyone and thank you for tuning into the 412th episode of Awards Chatter, the Hollywood

Reporters Awards podcast. I'm the host Scott Feinberg and my guest today is one of the

most significant independent filmmakers of the last 35 years. A daring writer and director

who was at the vanguard of what came to be known as new queer cinema, who has worked

with and is a favorite of many of the finest screen actresses of his time, including Julian

Moore, Kate Winslet, Kate Blanchett, and Rooney Mara, and whose explorations of identity

include some of the most admired films of all time, among them 1995 Safe, 2002's Far From Heaven

for which he received his sole Oscar nomination in the category of Best Original Screenplay,

and 2015's Carol. Now, decades into his career, he has ventured for the first time into the

world of nonfiction, with the documentary feature The Velvet Underground, which premiered at

July's Cannes Film Festival and has garnered raves and awards buzz ever since. A true master,

Todd Haines. Over the course of our conversation, the 60-year-old and I discussed his roots in

experimental film. His most important collaborators, including and especially his college classmate

turn producer Christine Vachon, his fascination with identity generally, and specifically with

the glam rock scene that produced the likes of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed, plus much more.

And so, without further ado, let's go to that conversation.

Todd, thank you so much for doing the podcast. Great to, I feel like I'm seeing you more than my

family lately. It was great that you were nice enough to come down to the Savannah Film Festival

to do our panel there, and we certainly come to the subject that we were talking about there,

which was this great new documentary you've made The Velvet Underground, but on this podcast,

we truly go back to the beginning. So, if you wouldn't mind sharing for our listeners, where were

you born and raised, and what did your folks do for a living? I was born and raised in this very

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