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Film Fights With Friends

Film Fights With Friends

Written by: Film Fights With Friends
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Best Podcast at the 2024 Dramatic Action Awards! What do you get when you mix movies, fights, & friends? You get the FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS podcast! Paul and Steve are career martial artists, stuntmen, and filmmakers who co-founded Breakfall Studios in 2015. In this action filmmaking podcast, they take to the airwaves with an industry guest each episode for a deep dive into a singular fight scene from a film or television production. THE HOSTS: STEPHEN KOEPFER Stunt performer, filmmaker, renowned coach and martial artist. Stephen is the head coach and owner of NY Combat Sambo in NYC. As an independent filmmaker, he has produced and directed several documentaries and short films that reflect his passion for collaborative storytelling. PAUL VARACCHI Martial artist, stunt and motion capture performer, celebrity chef and has worked extensively in television production in various roles from PA to department head. At the age of 8 Paul’s dad took him to see Robocop and the rest is history! ® Film Fights With Friends, LLCCopyright 2026 Film Fights With Friends Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • 221: Put Your Big Foot Forward
    Feb 13 2026

    Garrett Schulte is known for his role as Wilmot Dow in the western drama about a young Teddy Roosevelt, ELKHORN (2024-2025). Garrett also appears in THE SKY’S FOREST (2025), which he also wrote, directed and edited. THE SKY’S FOREST is now available on-demand on Amazon and Apple. Schulte has a background in engineering and is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego. He has been involved in various projects, including volunteering with Fresh-Go to donate food during events.

    MENTIONS:

    Feeding America Drive: https://teamfeed.feedingamerica.org/participants/NYCombatSambo

    Garret IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8183653/?ref_=ttrv_fcr_2_1

    The Sky’s Forrest YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSkysForest

    FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS

    Do you listen to our show as an audio podcast? Give video a try. Subscribe to our Youtube for the video version with awesome behind the scenes pics and video! https://www.youtube.com/@FilmFightsFriendsPod?sub_confirmation=1

    Dig the show? Consider supporting our Patreon. There are some cool perks! http://patreon.com/FilmFightsFriendsPodcast

    Join our e-mail list! Hit us up here: fightingwithfriendspod@gmail.com

    Instagram: http://instagram.com/FilmFightsFriendsPod

    Facebook: http://facebook.com/FilmFightsFriendsPod

    Steve’s Instagram: http://Instagram.com/sambosteve

    Steve’s IMDB: http://imdb.me/stephenkoepfer

    Paul’s on Instagram: http://Instagram.com/KravMagaChef

    Paul’s IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8062990/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

    Breakfall Studios’ Instagram: http://Instagram.com/breakfallstunts

    SPONSORS

    Stunt Contact (use discount code FFWFPOD for 25% off a daily subscription and 15% off a weekly)

    https://stuntcontact.com/

    Stunt Access

    https://stuntaccess.com/

    PRODUCERS

    Executive Producers:

    Stephen Koepfer

    Paul Varacchi

    Produced by:

    Press Record Studios

    -Matthew Kaplowitz

    -Richard Butler

    -Andrea Levine

    http://www.pressrecordstudios.com

    Video Editor

    Matthew Kaplowitz

    Original music by:

    Ahrue Luster

    Brought to you by Breakfall Studios

    ®Film Fights With Friends LLC

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 30 mins
  • 220: Dropping Stories Like a Toilet Seat
    Jan 30 2026

    Robert Radler is the director of the cult classic Best of the Best (1989) starring Eric Roberts, Phillip Rhee and James Earl Jones. Numerous guests have cited this film as a pivotal moment in their martial art and film careers, not the least of which are our two co-hosts! This film, Radler’s debut feature, was also a launching pad for the likes of debut stunt coordinator Simon Rhee and performer James Lew. Rhee went on to receive SAG Award nominations for Heroes in 2008 and Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2012. He won for Heroes in 2009 and Inception in 2011. Similarly, Lew took home the 2017 Emmy for Outstanding Stunt Coordination of a Drama Series for Luke Cage.

    Outside of Best of the Best and its 1993 sequel, Radler went on to direct Showdown (1993), several episodes of Jerry Bruckheimer’s Soldier of Fortune, Inc., and countless episodes of television, including Hercules, Silk Stalkings, Police Academy: The Series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo and LA Heat. A guitar player himself, he has directed music videos for George Thorogood & The Destroyers; Jackson Brown; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Survivor as well as the award-winning Turn It Up (2014), a celebration of the electric guitar. Radler’s passion project since quitting NYU grad school for film (some might say an obsession since first setting foot on the ship in 1975) has been an ongoing documentary series about the SS United States beginning with SS United States: Lady in Waiting (2008), SS United States: Made in America (2013) and the forthcoming Superliner: The Enduring Legacy of the SS United States, to be released in 2026.


    MENTIONS:

    Feeding America Drive: https://teamfeed.feedingamerica.org/participants/NYCombatSambo


    Robert Radler IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0705675/?ref_=ttrv_fcr_1_1

    Final fight between Simon (Dae Han) and Phillip Rhee (Tommy Lee): https://youtu.be/AYGvR8tWOBY?si=uVU-FZDr-qDPi0BM

    Best of the Best bar fight: https://youtu.be/RI_1e8XMIeQ?si=M_nITbFC1fDIVBAy

    Best of James Earl Jones in Best of the Bets: https://youtu.be/NXanR80AtQQ?si=lVxH0RiXjF3OdfgH


    SS United States: Lady in Waiting (full film): https://youtu.be/9pNdyTKz_8g?si=aSlttblepcuQdH34

    SS United States: Made in America (full film): https://www.ssusc.org/made-in-america


    SS United States documentary to show ship's journey from Philly to sea floor:

    https://www.phillyvoice.com/ss-united-states-documentary-2026/


    Turn it Up (full documentary): https://youtu.be/AlE-2TISwBw?si=deGOTGDqa9oHN42K

    Bads to the Bone Music Video:

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 14 mins
  • 219: What is the Future of Action?
    Jan 16 2026

    As a stunt coordinator on student films from nearly every film school in NYC and guest lecturer at the School of Visual Arts Masters in Directing program, our co-host Stephen Koepfer has noticed that up-and-coming filmmakers seem to be more attracted to practical action than ever before. This seems contrary to what one might assume to be the case in today’s film industry.

    There is a weird paradox in the action filmmaking community. Practical action has never been more popular. It is actively used to promote and market big budget productions. Behind the scenes videos go viral on social media. As a result more people are trying to become stunt performers than ever before. Young filmmakers are craving practical action. Yet simultaneously, existing performers in the industry are petrified of being replaced by digital stunt doubles, generative AI, declining numbers of productions, etc. So, we wanted to dig into the issue of practical vs. AI and the future of action film.

    To do so we invited a group of emerging filmmakers on the show. Joining us on are Darren Tun and Jeffrey Colangelo of Code 10-10, the NYC stunt team that won the 2025 installment of 87 North’s prestigious Stunt Design Showdown. Also on the show are Bryan Uvaldo and Amanda Whyte. Bryan’s NYU thesis film, Playin’ Around, took best stunt performance at the Art of Movie Making Film Festival as well as honors from other festivals. These accolades are due in very large part to Amanda’s incredible performance in the film. Together we peer into the mind of these emerging filmmakers and answer the question: What is the future of action?

    MENTIONS:

    Feeding America Drive: https://teamfeed.feedingamerica.org/participants/NYCombatSambo

    Code 10-10’s 87 North Stunt design Showdown winning previs: https://youtu.be/_jtwMLJ4RY8?si=GCPSUPBcBFIiKS6Q

    Variety Magazine’s Stunt Showdown coverage: https://variety.com/2025/artisans/news/pete-davidson-david-leitch-stunt-design-showdown-1236563986/

    Playin’ Around. TAMMIES winning NYU thesis film: https://youtu.be/_W2Kq_nPOPg?si=iBbSAkc6pLiHcHhE

    Playin’ Around website: https://www.bryanuvaldo.com/directorial/playin-around

    FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS

    Do you listen to our show as an audio podcast? Give video a try. Subscribe to our Youtube for the video version with awesome behind the scenes pics and video! https://www.youtube.com/@FilmFightsFriendsPod?sub_confirmation=1

    Dig the show? Consider supporting our Patreon. There are some cool perks! http://patreon.com/FilmFightsFriendsPodcast

    Join our e-mail list! Hit us up here: fightingwithfriendspod@gmail.com

    Instagram: http://instagram.com/FilmFightsFriendsPod

    Facebook: http://facebook.com/FilmFightsFriendsPod

    Steve’s Instagram:

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins
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