There’s no shortage of film podcasts out there. Most will keep you up to date with releases or offer quick-fire opinions you forget by the next day. The ones below do something more interesting. They deepen your relationship with film, stretch what you notice, and often reshape how you think about the stories you watch.
1. Screenshot
Hosted by Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode, this podcast moves beyond standard reviews into themed explorations of cinema. Episodes roam across unexpected territory, from niche genres like survival films to hyper-specific lenses such as Yorkshire on screen or even fishing in film.
What makes it stand out is its curiosity. It treats film less as a release schedule to keep up with and more as a vast landscape to explore. You come away noticing patterns, tropes, and connections you would have otherwise missed.
Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/screenshot/id1597470341
2. Films To Be Buried With
Hosted by Brett Goldstein, this podcast takes a simple but brilliant premise: guests imagine their death and discuss the films that shaped their lives on the way to the afterlife.
It’s funny, often chaotic, and surprisingly revealing. With guests ranging from Charlie Day to Chris Columbus, the conversations quickly move beyond film trivia into memory, identity, and taste. You start to see how deeply film is tied to personal experience, not just entertainment.
Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/films-to-be-buried-with-with-brett-goldstein/id1408585620
3. Kermode & Mayo’s Take
Featuring Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo, this is essential listening if you want to stay plugged into new releases.
On the surface, it’s reviews, interviews, and industry chat. But what elevates it is the chemistry between the hosts and the depth behind the criticism. Whether you listen before a film or after, it sharpens your perspective. You don’t just hear whether something is good or bad, you understand why.
Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/kermode-mayos-take/id1616559297
4. The MUBI Podcast
Each episode of this podcast is a deep dive into a single film, often drawing from across different eras, countries, and styles.
It’s less about keeping up and more about slowing down. The analysis is thoughtful and layered, giving space to films that might otherwise be overlooked. You come away with a deeper appreciation not just of the film in question, but of cinema as an art form.
Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/mubi-podcast/id1569229544
5. Total 90s Recall
Hosted by Chloe Sackur and Molly, with Chloe bringing her perspective as a former City podcast alumni, this podcast focuses on one of the most distinctive decades in film.
It blends nostalgia with critique, revisiting the films that defined the 90s while questioning how they hold up today. What makes it interesting is that it doesn’t just celebrate the era, it interrogates it. You start to see how much of modern film culture is rooted in that decade, for better and worse.
Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/total-90s-recall/id1851444148
Most film content is designed to help you decide what to watch next. These podcasts go further. They change how you watch in the first place, adding context, memory, and meaning to something that can otherwise feel disposable.
