One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5

Interview with Martina Radwan, Director/Cinematographer

Describe the film for us in your own words

One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 is an in-depth look at the creation of the last season of Stranger Things. Embedded on the Atlanta-based set for a full year, as well as in the writers’ room in LA, I was granted unprecedented access to the Duffer Brothers, their long-term collaborators and the beloved cast. Far from a conventional behind-the-scenes featurette, the film offers an intimate, immersive chronicle of the Duffer Brothers’ imagination, creative process and passion, while capturing the immense pressure of concluding one of the most influential series of our time. Mirroring the show, the documentary is not only a coming-of-age story - the cast, as well as the directors - but also reflects an end of an era.

What drew you to this story?

I always was a Stranger Things fan. The show is such a beautiful throwback to the movies I grew up with and loved and yet it always felt so current. As a film lover and documentary filmmaker, I really wanted to see how it’s done, the creative process, the execution and collaboration of it all. I loved that the show itself is celebrating filmmaking and I wanted to convey that in the doc.

What do you want people to think about?

When I started the doc, I’d have said that I want filmmakers, especially young filmmakers, to be inspired to dream big and then figure out how to do it. That is still true. I also hope that young filmmakers watch all the movies the Duffers are celebrating, it’s an incredible entry into the rich 80’s movie culture, when many filmmakers were extremely innovative and ballsy.

After having spent a year on the set, I want the audience to think about what it means to stay true to your vision against all odds. Stranger Things could have easily not happened, if it wasn’t for the Duffer’s visionary script and insistence to direct themselves, Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen understanding that they had a gem on their hands and subsequent support, as well as Netflix’s brave move to green light the show. Filmmaking is a truly collaborative effort, and it takes a village to make a film, but it also takes guts and a willingness to take risks if you want to archive greatness.

What was the biggest challenge in making this?

The biggest challenges to make this doc lay in the abundance of riches. I was embedded for a year, shooting every day, following the Stranger Things’ crew every move. There were so many amazing stories, so much mind-blowing process.

I had started out in the fiction world, before I pivoted to documentary, for me it was a sort of home coming and I enjoyed watching this incredible crew working. Everyone was on the top of their game, from the department heads to the PAs (Production Assistants) so it was pure joy to document their work. During the shooting we weren’t 100 percent sure what the format of the film would be, so once in the edit room, we had to make hard choices. Very hard choices.

Credit: Tudor Jones

What was the development process? How did you get green lit?

The doc was Matt & Ross’s brainchild. Growing up, while making movies - and we are talking about when they were 10, 12 years old - they thought that Hollywood was far away, out of their reach. That changed when they watched the behind-the-scenes documentaries for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ an on-the-ground films that showed the real nuts and bolts of how a massive production actually gets made. Suddenly becoming a filmmaker felt possible. Knowing that Stranger Things would come to an end, they wanted to give back and allow their audience and fans that same inside look. Thankfully Netflix said yes. Zana Lawrence and Andrew Hahn, EPs and Head of Original Documentaries at Netflix, were incredibly supportive producers throughout the entire production. They teamed up with MakeMake Productions, Angus Wall’s LA-based company, with Terry Leonard and Kent Kubena as producers. Terry and I had collaborated on another project several years ago, so he threw my name into the hat. After the initial conversation with Matt, Ross and Hilary Levitt, where we discussed our vision and approach for the film, Upside Down Pictures decided to go with me as a director/cinematographer. I had started out in the fiction world, so I was familiar with how sets are run, and as a documentarian, my ‘specialty’ is observational filmmaking, which was the only way to do it. We had to become invisible, and since time is the most precious commodity on a film set, 50% of the task is to stay out of the way, not distract anyone and still capture the scene in an intimate, conclusive way.

In preparation for the shoot, I devoured everything I could find about Stranger Things and watched every Duffer interview. You want to go into production with a clear idea what you are looking for, which story you want to follow and highlight. Of course, you have to be open to pivot and discover new ideas, follow happy accidents, but if you have no idea what you want to say, you can get easily lost in process, and there was a lot of process. While I believe that you can find a story in the edit room, I don’t agree that the film is solely made in the edit room. You have to have a POV when you are shooting.

What inspired you to become a storyteller?

Stories allow us to discover, to be curious, to say things we wouldn’t say otherwise. Stories allow us to connect and learn from each other; to people you normally have no access to. Stories teach us to have empathy and grow. I don’t know where I would be without movies, they were my school of life.

The visual language of movies fascinated me from an early age. You can say so much with an image, with a moment of silence, which gives movies a universal power. If made well, I can watch a movie made in Afghanistan or Ukraine and still understand what’s happening without having to understand the spoken words.

What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

The best advice I ever received was to stay true to my vision. That can be tough, especially when your vision isn’t exactly mainstream (whatever that means, mainstream isn’t fixed) In the same vein, the worst advice I got was to do something that had been done 100 times before because it’s safe.

Sure, we don’t make films in a vacuum, they are expensive and time consuming, and no one wants to make a film that is not seen by an audience. But that goes back to the Duffers envisioning Stranger Things, wanting to make a film about kids, not for kids, wanting to combine coming of age and horror. And yet, it did.

What advice do you have for other female creatives?

I suppose I’d pass the baton and would tell them to stay true to themselves and their vision. Work as much as you can and create a diverse portfolio, be brave, make bold choices and develop your own artistic voice.

Filmmaking is a collaborative art, find people, women and men, you want to collaborate with and develop relationships. Advocate for and support other. Be kind to each other and yourself. Don’t shy away from asking questions, it shows that you think.

Women are still in the minority in the film business, they often still get paid less, unless they are in the union, be transparent. If you can, don’t let fear of scarcity rule your artistic decisions, I know we need to pay rent and eat, so it’s a balance. And don’t let men gaslight you. I have been in many situations where it was just me, being confronted by a row of men, trying to make me feel small. Don’t let them, know your worth, even if have to surrender.

There is a rich history of women filmmakers, not just directors, but producers, editors, costume designers, and on and on. Many got written out of history, it’s our responsibility to keep their names and work alive.

Name your favorite woman directed film and why.

It’s impossible to name just one. I’d say Agnes Varda will always be on the top of my list, and so is Andrea Arnold. Kelly Reichardt has such a distinct voice, so does Claire Denis. I admire Kathryn Bigelow’s action driven films and Chloé Zhao’s emotional debt. And I am totally in awe of Sarah Polley, each of her films is a surprise and revelation. Then there is Payal Kapadia, her work is just beautiful. Kaouther Ben Hania’s films are incredible; she consistently pushes boundaries.

Feel free to share anything else you would like people to know about this film.

One of the things that stood out for me about the Stranger Things set is the Duffers’ never-ending curiosity about filmmaking, which leads them to push their own and everyone’s boundaries. They love to challenge themselves. That has a ripple effect, everyone on that set was cut from the same cloth. There were so many incidents when people threw up their arms, lamented they can’t do it, and they turned around and do it anyways. It’s contagious. Everyone worked so hard. I have no idea how the Duffers did it, sometimes they had three sets running simultaneously. They know exactly what they want and are extremely detail oriented, but once they trust someone, they give their collaborators incredible freedom to come up with their own ideas and approach.

Being able to witness them was incredible inspiring. I don’t shy away from challenges myself, but damn, the first couple months were rough, and then you do it. One step at the time. And of course, I didn’t do it alone either, I had a great team myself. Shout out to the editors, Alex Ricciardi and Carol Martori and the post-production team at MakeMake Productions.

BIO

Martina Radwan, a German-Syrian, based in New York City, is an accomplished cinematographer. After moving to New York City in the mid 90’s, she DP’ed several fiction films before she developed a deep interest in documentaries. In 2024, she received an Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program for her DP work on GIRLS STATE. Her recent work includes THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA, the 2025 Academy Award Winner for Short Documentary, FOLLOWING HARRY, ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE?, FOOD AND COUNTRY, THE FIRE THAT TOOK HER, the 2023 Emmy Winner for Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary, INVENTING TOMORROW, winner of the 2020 Peabody Award, and THE FINAL YEAR. SAVING FACE, the 2012 Academy Award Winner for Short Documentary and Emmy winner, earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography in 2013.

Her narrative work ranges from dramas like Rubaiyat Hussein’s acclaimed UNDER CONSTRUCTION, the first female directed feature in Bangladesh, to Gideon Raff’s thriller THE KILLING FLOOR and horror film TRAIN, as well as Maria Govern’s RAIN, the first female directed Bahamian feature. Furthermore, Radwan has collaborated with numerous international artists, like ANOHNI for whom she shot the video background for her 2016 HOPELESS TOUR, as well as conceptual artists like Andrea Geyer, Josiah McElheny and Wu Tsang. Continuing to push her own boundaries, Radwan directed two award winning shorts that played on national and international festivals. In 2023 she directed TOMORROW, TOMORROW, TOMORROW, her first feature-length documentary as director. Radwan is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences and the BAFTA Documentary Branch, as well as the Television Academy’s Documentary Programming.