Join us for an exclusive interview with Darren Hughes, the Artistic Director of FILM FEST KNOX, as we dive into the exciting lineup of films for this year's festival, happening November 14-17, 2024. Discover the stories behind the curated selections, get insights into what makes this festival unique, and hear about some of the must-watch films scre…

The world looks very different a year after the Iran-orchestrated Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023. With Israeli counterstrikes in Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, and Iran itself—and with hatred for Israel reaching an all-time high around the world—it’s worth asking what it all means. In this episode, Marc LiVecche talks with Providence’s co-founder and Editor…

A solo podcast where I remember seeing the film Blade on opening night August 21st 1998 with my friend Ethan in the small town of Athens, TN.

Today we speak with the legendary former Creator/Director of the Knoxville Film Festival, Keith McDaniel! We catch up on what's going on Keith's life and feature a great news story about his work at Roane County High School.

In the midst of ongoing debate regarding the military service record of Democratic party vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, Providence's Marc LiVecche spoke with Marine Corps veterans Mac Owens and Keith Pavlischek to clarify the real issues. Focusing on the charge that Walz placed his own interests over his duty to his men by retiring rather th…

Jamison & Tiffie Stalsworth are East Tennessee filmmakers who create short form video under the name Dr Moon Rat. They are awesome. Check out their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/drmoonrat

Paul Harris and Curt Willis are creators of Film Fest Knox. For the first time ever they go DEEP on Elev8or Pitch Film Competition.

Actor Ronnie George is a legend in Knoxville. We hang out and talk about filmmaking and his recent engagement (and of course, Drew Barrymore)

Kelly Burke is a filmmaker for Knoxville, TN. His film won 3rd place at last year's Film Fest Knox Elev8or Pitch film competition. He discusses the making of the film and the mentorship after the festival that he was awarded as a result of the top finish.

Marc LiVecche hosts COL Keith Pavlischek, USMC (RET), long-time Providence contributor for a long-form discussion about the Israel-Hamas War. Points of focus include getting the meaning of proportionality right, the criticality of making basic distinctions between good and evil, right and wrong, causal and moral responsibility, and much else.Among …

Curt Willis is the Co-Founder/Director of Film Fest Knox - an international film festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, hosted by Visit Knoxville and the Visit Knoxville Film Office in partnership with Regal and The Public Cinema. The First Annual Film Fest Knox took place on November 9-11. I speak with Curt about the his first experience organizing a f…

Former Knoxville Film Festival Director Keith McDaniel gets in his undies. My reaction to the announcement from Film Fest Knox's Elev8or Pitch Film Competition

The Knoxville Comedy Film Festival takes place at Central Cinema on August 12th. It's FREE! Come hang out and watch some funny short films, make friends, be less lonely, find meaning in the meaninglessness.

Nick Crockett gets in his undies and talks about his new 4 part web series, Glass Valley. View the episodes on YouTube @nicholascrockettfilms Link to episode one: https://youtu.be/--pufjwYXWM

Knoxville filmmaker, Seth Young, talks about his experience in the Middle TN 54 Film Fest.

The Knoxville Film Festival closes its doors after 19 years of serving the viewing public. I speak with the Knoxville Film Festival's founder and director Keith McDaniel on his decision to end the festival and the wisdom he's gained over his years running a successful film festival. I also give Keith the opportunity to crown the greatest 7 day shoo…

I catch up with a couple friends at the Knoxville Horror Fest at the Parkway Drive-in Movie theater in Maryville, TN to discuss the 2022 Grindhouse Grindout trailers and the film festival in general. Featuring Daniel Fersner, Ronnie George and Tiffie Stalsworth.

Rebecca Munson—department chair for government and public policy at Liberty University’s Helms School of Government—talks with Mark Melton about how the United States has combatted human trafficking globally. She explains how big of a problem human trafficking is and assesses America’s role in combatting this crime while comparing it to the Europea…

Olivia Enos of the Heritage Foundation speaks with Mark Melton about how the Chinese government has been snuffing out liberty in Hong Kong. She discusses the recent arrests of Cardinal Zen and pro-democracy advocates and explains what they mean for religious liberty in the city-state. She also analyzes the Vatican’s deal with the Chinese Communist …

Jeff Snell calls in via burner phone while on the run to discuss the beefs between him and Kevin Wines, and also Tyler Broadway vs Bing Fu. According to Jeff, Keith McDaniel's video addressing the drama within the community is layered with hidden messages which we break down in this episode.

In this episode, Mark Melton speaks with Paul Miller about what may happen in Ukraine now that the Battle of Kyiv appears to be over and the war is moving into a new, probably longer phase. In addition to discussing the current situation in the country, Miller covers what Russia’s relations with the United States may look like in the medium to long…

In this episode, Mark Melton speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Tyson K. Wetzel (US Air Force) about how the United States can help Ukraine fight Russia effectively without NATO and Russia getting into a war. Wetzel helped conduct a survey and write a report for the Atlantic Council that created a “strategic risk calculator.” The survey asked foreign p…

In this wide-ranging and impassioned conversation about the war in Ukraine, Providence editors Marc LiVecche and Rebeccah Heinrichs, also of the Hudson Institute, discuss the latest developments, the intersection of just war reasoning and the facts on the ground, future options against Putin, how best to assist President Zelensky and his brave comp…

In this episode, Mariam Wahba and Adela Cojab talk about their new show "American-ish: Daughters of Diaspora", which covers the topics of faith, culture, religion, and more. Wahba is a Coptic Christian who was born in Menya, Egypt, and Cojab is a Syrian-Lebanese Jew born in Mexico City. They both now live in New York City. While talking with Mark M…

Weifeng Zhong and Christine McDaniel of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University talk with Mark Melton about the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. They cover how forced labor in China works and how the world knows this is happening. Zhong and McDaniel also discuss potential difficulties with how the law might be implemented and the dilemmas…

Rebeccah Heinrichs of the Hudson Institute speaks with Mark Melton about the Russian threat to Ukraine. She gives an update of the latest situation in Ukraine at the time of recording (the morning of February 7) and explains why Americans should be concerned about a Russian invasion of the country. Heinrichs details how the United States has respon…

Just saying Hi and talking some local film news and recent movies that I've seen.

In this special Dark Ops episode of the podcast, Mark Melton and Marc LiVecche discuss the 1946 movie It’s a Wonderful Life and the short story that inspired it, “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern. The film premiered in New York City 75 years ago on December 20, 1946. During the episode, Melton and LiVecche cover how the movie depicts th…

In this episode Mark Melton speaks with Igor Sabino about the political situation in Brazil and that country’s role in global affairs. They focus on the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, and Sabino explains the reasons why Brazilian evangelicals supported him. While courting the evangelical vote, Bolsonaro promised to improve relations with Israel, so …

Just a few years ago, Ethiopia was a darling of foreign policy observers, with some comparing it to Taiwan and South Korea in decades past. Meanwhile, its prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. But now civil war has changed the country’s trajectory. In this episode, Joshua Meservey discusses the ongoing war between Tigr…

Paul D. Miller speaks with Mark Melton about the current situation in Afghanistan as well as what might happen in the country next. In particular, they cover the perils that religious minorities and other vulnerable groups face, the possibility of civil war, the collapse of the Afghan economy, and the possibility of the US giving food aid to the co…

In this episode, Joel Rosenberg talks about his latest book, "Enemies and Allies: An Unforgettable Journey inside the Fast-Moving & Immensely Turbulent Modern Middle East." He reviews why he considers certain countries enemies and allies in the region, and points to troubling and positive trends. Rosenberg then discusses what he learned from his mu…

In this episode, Mark Melton speaks with Tugba Tanyeri-Erdemir and Aykan Erdemir about religious freedom issues in Turkey. In particular, they cover what reports from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) say about Turkey and how the Turkish government’s restrictions on the Kurdish language affect religious minorities there.…