Lights, Camera, Disruption: Breaking Taboos By Challenging Status Quo
“Is there any more common experience that has not been hit to death, right?”
Jul 07, 2025
This week on the No Film School Podcast, GG Hawkins presents two riveting conversations that push boundaries and challenge cultural taboos. First, she interviews Michael Taylor Jackson, writer, director, and star of the radically inventive film Underground Orange (Bajo Naranja), a satirical, punk-infused narrative born out of the Argentine quarantine. Then, she speaks with Kate Downey, creator and host of the podcast CRAMPED, which explores the hidden pain and social invisibility surrounding menstruation.
Together, these conversations highlight how bold, personal storytelling can become an act of protest and empowerment.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How Orange Underground merges satire, street art, and protest cinema to confront U.S. neocolonialism
- The creative process of blending real-life social media storytelling with scripted filmmaking
- How Argentina's unique film funding system and underground economy supported an international indie film
- Kate Downey’s journey from theater to podcasting, and how CRAMPED sheds light on the mystery of period pain
- Why menstruation remains a cultural and cinematic taboo, and how media can normalize it through better representation
- The power of representation in shaping societal understanding of women's health and lived experiences
Guests:
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This episode of The No Film School Podcast was produced by GG Hawkins.
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