From Pusher to Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn reflects on a career built on provocation, visual excess, and refusing to compromise.
If you weren’t lucky enough to make it out to Montreal last night for Fantasia’s deep dive into the career of Nicolas Winding Refn, fear not—I’ve got you covered.
Moderated by film critic Katie Rife, the masterclass discussion held July 17, 2026 at Fantasia was far more than a simple career retrospective. While the conversation touched on the major milestones that have defined Refn’s career, from Pusher to Drive and beyond, Rife proved to be the perfect moderator, guiding the filmmaker past the easy sound bites and headline-making quotes into the deeper motivations behind them.
That’s what made the discussion so fascinating: Rife wasn’t interested in simply letting Refn drop a provocative statement and move on. She pushed further, unpacking the ideas, experiences, and creative impulses behind some of the filmmaker’s most talked-about comments over the years. The result was a rare glimpse behind the curtain at an artist who has built a career on challenging audiences, challenging himself, and refusing to make the expected choice.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy this deep dive into the mind of Nicolas Winding Refn.
