Interview: Filmmaker Siân Heder Returns to Chat About the Controlled Chaos of Making ‘Being Heumann’

The last time Siân Heder helmed a film, it won the Oscar for Best Picture. That movie, of course, was CODA (which I spoke to her about here). For a follow up, Heder chose an historical biopic in Being Heumann, about disability rights activist Judy Heumann, known to some as the mother of the movement. While that might sound like homework, the flick certainly doesn’t force you to eat your vegetables. Instead, it couches an important story about a landmark moment for the rights of Americans in a story that’s chaotic, fun, and even a bit wild. In short, more than a worthy follow up for the Oscar winner. Yesterday, I shared my conversation with star Ruth Madeley (here) about the work. Today, it’s Heder’s turn to chat.

In my review of Being Heumann from the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (here), I said the following about Heder’s writing and directing:

Co-writer/director Siân Heder, working with co-writer Rebekah Taussig, leans in to how chaotic this moment in time was. Heder and Taussig are looking to entertain as well as inform, so there’s lots of laughs to be had, though never at the expense of the importance of the legislation. One might have wanted a bit more for Ruffalo to do, either to further humanize the character, or to set up more of a conflict between him and Madeley, but it’s a small critique. For the most part, Heder is once again on the money and knows how to warm the heart without resorting to simple cliches.

Below, you can hear my discussion with Heder. I was eager to hear about how she managed to wrangle that complicated set. She agreed with my terminology of how it must have been controlled chaos, and that topic leads us down some interesting paths. We talk about Madeley’s title character, Mark Ruffalo‘s portrayal of Joseph A. Califano Jr., scoring someone like Dylan O’Brien for a smaller role, and much more. As always, Heder was a delight. Being Heumann is still in theaters but as of today has hit Apple TV, so you have no excuse not to check this flick out immediately…

Here now is my interview with Being Heumann filmmaker Siân Heder. Enjoy:

Being Heumann is in theaters now and available to watch today on Apple TV!