TORONTO — In celebration of International Podcast Day on September 30, broadcaster Hollywood Suite announced today it is launching its first-ever podcast, A Year in Film, which aims to offer lively, informative debate and insights into some of the most game-changing films and movie moments in history.
Premiering October 1, 50-minute episodes will be released on the first and 15th of each month on various podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and Stitcher.
The bi-monthly podcast will be hosted by Becky Shrimpton, who along with Hollywood Suite film experts Alicia Fletcher and Cameron Maitland will invite listeners to revisit a different era of film, tracking the top trends and forgotten milestones that defined each year and continue to influence us today.
Produced by Ryan Mains, the 12-episode first season of A Year in Film: Podcast will feature the four years highlighted in season one of the Hollywood Suite original TV series A Year in Film (1978, 1983, 1992 and 2007), highlighting films and subgenres that didn’t make the final cut for broadcast.
“Our new podcast is a natural evolution, diving deeper into the ethos of the decades profiled in our highly successful first original television series, A Year in Film,” said Julie Kumaria, vice-president of marketing and content distribution at Hollywood Suite, in a press release. “As you saw in our on-air series, we explored the art of film and filmmaking, with expert insight into how films reflect the events, mood, politics, and culture of their eras. In our podcast, listeners will get layers of expert opinion, cultural commentary, and a lot of humour when our triad of film gurus unpack the blockbusters, hidden gems, cult classics and sleeper hits.”
The premiere episode on October 1, “Disco and Truckers Rule”, dissects the year 1978 and dives into the films The Eyes of Laura Mars, The Wiz, Convoy and Every Which Way But Loose.
Subsequent episodes are as follows:
Episode 2 – “Elaine May and Beatlemania”
Release date: October 15, 2020
Year: 1978
Films: California Suite, Heaven Can Wait, I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Episode 3 – “Hong Kong New Wave and British Animation”
Release date: November 1, 2020
Year: 1978
Films: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Drunken Master, Watership Down and Lord of the Rings
Episode 4 – “The Reign of Stephen King and Porky’s Spawns”
Release date: November 15, 2020
Year: 1983
Films: Christine, Cujo, Screwballs and Losin’ It
Episode 5 – “Prepare for Nuclear War and Gender Swaps”
Release date: December 1, 2020
Year: 1983
Films: War Games, The Day After, Mr. Mom and Flashdance
Episode 6 – “Fashion Vampires and Rock ’n Roll”
Release date: December 15, 2020
Year: 1983
Films: Liquid Sky, The Hunger, Get Crazy and Rock & Rule
Episode 7 – “Women Take Over – Indie Renaissance and New Queer Cinema”
Release date: January 1, 2021
Year: 1992
Films: The Long Day Closes, Just Another Girl on the IRT, Orlando and Gas, Food, Lodging
Episode 8 – “Women Take Over – Fully Loaded and Rappers’ Delight”
Release date: January 15, 2021
Year: 1992
Films: Gun Crazy, My New Gun, Juice and Trespass
Episode 9 – “Women Take Over – Thrillers and Competing Columbuses”
Release date: February 1, 2021
Year: 1992
Films: Love Crimes, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, 1492: The Conquest of Paradise and Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
Episode 10 – “Mental Health Comedies and Subverting Disney”
Release date: February 15, 2021
Year: 2007
Films: Eagle vs. Shark, Lars and the Real Girl, Enchanted, and Stardust
Episode 11 – “Horror Debuts and Naughty Musicals”
Release date: March 1, 2021
Year: 2007
Films: The Host, REC, Hairspray and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Episode 12 – “Serial Killers and White-Collar Criminals”
Release date: March 15, 2021
Year: 2007
Films: Hot Fuzz, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Michael Clayton and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
For a trailer of the podcast series, please click here.
In addition, season two of Hollywood Suite’s A Year in Film TV series will premiere in December and look at the influential films of 1975, 1986, 1994 and 2000.
