Her Name Was Moviola: A Conversation with Howard Berry

The latest episode of The Filmumentaries Podcast features filmmaker and historian Howard Berry, whose documentary Her Name Was Moviola takes a deep dive into the lost craft of film editing on a Moviola. The film features legendary editor Walter Murch, known for his work on Apocalypse Now and The English Patient, as he reconstructs the meticulous, hands-on editing process that shaped cinema for decades.

Bringing a Forgotten Craft Back to Life

Howard Berry has spent years preserving film history through his Elstree Project, an oral history series documenting the experiences of those who worked at Elstree Studios. That work eventually connected him with Walter Murch, who had been contemplating a documentary about Moviola editing for over 16 years. Howard seized the opportunity and decided to make the film a reality.

To do so, he needed to recreate a fully functional Moviola editing suite—a significant challenge in an age of digital filmmaking. Scouring eBay and industry connections, Howard tracked down vintage editing equipment, including a numbering machine mislabeled as a lamp and two separate Moviolas to ensure everything worked. One of the biggest hurdles was finding rare numbering tape, which was eventually sourced from Pixar, the same stock that had once saved a Ken Loach film.

Securing Mike Leigh’s Footage

Beyond the technical logistics, the film also needed real footage to demonstrate the editing process. Walter Murch suggested approaching Christopher Nolan, given his passion for film preservation, but Howard ultimately reached out to Mike Leigh—a director known for his unique, organic filmmaking style. Leigh agreed to provide rushes from his film Mr. Turner, and he even appears in Her Name Was Moviola, critiquing Walter’s edit on camera.

This moment of real-time feedback between director and editor became a standout part of the documentary. Howard described the tension in the room as Mike took a long pause before commenting on Walter’s choices—a rare glimpse into the editor-director relationship.

The Ballet of Editing

A particularly fascinating aspect of the documentary is seeing Walter Murch and his assistant, Dan Farrell, fall back into the rhythm of Moviola editing. As they navigate the tight editing space, their movements become almost choreographed, demonstrating the deep muscle memory that editors develop over years of practice.

Walter later reflected that editing on a Moviola felt more natural and instinctive than modern digital editing, which lacks the same physical engagement.

A Film Festival Success

Since its completion, Her Name Was Moviola has gained significant recognition, premiering at Sheffield DocFest, screening at Telluride and the Lumière Festival, and earning a four-star review in The Guardian. It has also been nominated for an American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Award.

Howard is currently working on securing distribution, with hopes that the film will find a home on a platform like BFI Player or MUBI.

Where to Keep Up to Date

While Her Name Was Moviola is still making the festival rounds, updates can be found at MoviolaTheMovie.com and on Twitter (@MoviolaTheMovie).

For more conversations like this, subscribe to The Filmumentaries Podcast and follow me on Twitter (@jamieswb) and @filmumentaries on Threads, Instagram, and Facebook.