SPECIAL: SCENE STEALERS #1 Judy Lung – TIFF at 50, Pulp Fiction, and a Midnight Medical Emergency

Scene Stealers: Stories from a TV Festival
Presented by the Atomic Café Podcast

Episode 1: Judy Lung – TIFF at 50, Pulp Fiction, and a Midnight Medical Emergency (English)

Directly from the Monte Carlo TV Festival 2025, we’re kicking off this mini-series with a bang—and a story involving Pulp Fiction, a midnight hospital visit, and the unsung heroes of cinema: volunteers. In the debut episode of Scene Stealers, host Holger Potye chats with the brilliant Judy Lung, Head of Communications at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), as it celebrates its 50th edition.

We trace Judy’s cinematic coming-of-age—from a one-screen town in rural Ontario to sneaking into Tarantino and pivoting from classical piano to Cinema 101 at the University of Toronto. She reflects on the evolution of TIFF, the future of festivals, and why watching a film at midnight with a cheering crowd is still the purest kind of movie magic.

Expect laughter, nostalgia, a little chaos, and a lot of love for the film community.

💡 What We Learned

1. Sneaking into R-rated films can be career-defining (don’t quote us on that).
2. A good volunteer is worth their weight in gold—and hospital wristbands.
3. TIFF isn’t just for celebs; it’s for everyone who loves the movies.
4. Toronto audiences are some of the most enthusiastic, diverse, and magical on Earth.
5. There’s no formula for the future of festivals—but curiosity and flexibility are a great start.

This episode kicks off our mini-series Scene Stealers with humor, insight, and a deep love of the moviegoing experience.

Scene Stealers Episode #1
Guest: Judy Lung
Interviewer: Holger Potye
Location:  recorded at the Monte Carlo TV Festival (2025)

BONUS Episode Scene Stealers Logo: Created with | by ChatGPT

MUSIC: „Guitar Songs“ provided by mobygratis

This is a "This Fox means Business Production“
Follow us on Instagram

Hosted by Babs Kaudelka, Holger Potye & Michi Reichelt
Producer: Holger Potye / Showrunner: Momo
Foto: by Julia Rotter
Logo: by Favoritbüro
Exec Producer: Julia Rotter
Social Media Rep: Babs Kaudelka
Invisible Producer: Tim
Additional Sound Effects by FreeSoundsxx|Freesound_community from Pixabay

Der Atomic Cafe Jingle ist eine gekürzte Version des Wahlkampfspots „Daisy“ aus dem Wahlkampf zwischen Lyndon B. Johnson vs. Barry Goldwater aus dem Jahr 1964. Copyright: Library of Congress