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Episode 264Dolby Creator Talks

Redefining the Romantic Comedy, with Materialists Director Celine Song

11 November 2025
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Should “Materialists” be considered a rom-com? What even counts as a rom-com these days? Academy Award®-nominated writer, director, and producer Celine Song joins us to discuss the state of the modern romantic comedy, as part of Dolby Creator Lab’s ongoing partnership with Sundance Collab. Joining the conversation are supervising sound editor & re-recording mixer Daniel Timmons, re-recording mixer Josh Berger, and composer Daniel Pemberton to discuss how they utilized sound and music to flesh out the world of “Materialists,” to turn the modestly budgeted film from A24 into an unexpected smash hit at the box office.

Stories about love and movies about love are often thought of as lighter fare, or not ‘serious cinema.’ My question in response to that is always, ‘why would matters of the heart — a universal theme and a great mystery, like love — be something that isn’t worthy of great cinema?’

Celine Song, Writer, Director, and Producer, “Materialists”

  • Be sure to check out “Materialists,” now streaming on HBO Max in Dolby Atmos®.
  • Learn more about Sundance Collab here.
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