If you’re interested in watching some of the best and most exciting directors working today talk amongst themselves about craft, process, and challenges, reserve an hour of your time for this excellent director’s roundtable interview. As part of The Hollywood Reporter’s roundtable interview series, which is timed to awards season and features folks from some of the more prominent contenders of the season, directors Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman), Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite), and Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born) sat down for a full hour to chat about making movies.

The conversation obviously revolves mostly around these specific films that are in awards contention, but THR assembled a diverse and opinionated group of filmmakers here that results in some great conversation. They talk about whether filmmakers are ethically obligated to put a “message” in their films, the benefits and drawbacks of film school, working in the studio system vs. working independently, major influences, and of course the massive hurdles and challenges they encountered to get these specific movies made.

Of particular note is Cooper talking about the long development history of A Star Is Born and why it took so long to make, how Lee landed on the ending of BlacKkKlansman and the ethical consideration that brought up, Heller speaking about the benefit of having a background in acting rather than filmmaking, and Coogler talking about the creative freedom he enjoyed working with Marvel.

If you’re a film nerd, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in this insightful conversation. Watch it below.

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Image via Marvel Studios
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Image via Warner Bros.
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Image via Netflix