{"id":2184,"date":"2026-05-20T15:27:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T15:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/?p=2184"},"modified":"2026-05-20T15:27:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T15:27:06","slug":"cole-webley-omaha-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/cole-webley-omaha-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Cole Webley\u2019s \u201cOmaha\u201d Road Map: A Director\u2019s Drive to Make Indie Drama Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After directing seven short films and over 300 commercials, Cole Webley made his feature film debut with \u201cOmaha\u201d (2025), a heartfelt, poetic drama about a broke father (John Magaro) hauling his children across the American West after losing the family home. Along the way, he wrestles with the ache of parenting on empty pockets while trying to plot a brighter future for his kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOmaha\u201d premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025, where it earned rave reviews thanks to Magaro\u2019s subtle yet powerful performance and Webley\u2019s assured direction. To mark the film\u2019s theatrical release on April 24, we talked to Webley about his journey to the project and his pointers for burgeoning filmmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shorts helped Webley transition to features.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

He may be a Clio\u2013 and AICP Advertising Excellence Award\u2013winning commercial director<\/a>, but Webley doesn\u2019t credit that for his film\u2019s success. Since the format trains filmmakers to believe a shot shouldn\u2019t last longer than five seconds, he feels that \u201cin a way, just directing commercials can make you a worse film director,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s dangerous to assume making commercials will help you make a good feature film.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, Webley credits his short films\u2014\u201cBirdland\u201d (2011), \u201cCon Amor\u201d (2016), \u201c10:17\u201d (2016), and \u201cDark Blue\u201d (2022)\u2014for growing his confidence behind the camera, especially when working with actors. \u201cYou might be working with less-talented actors who you\u2019re trying to pull a good performance out of, because sometimes you\u2019re not getting the cream of the crop,\u201d he explains. \u201cYou gain confidence in being able to sniff out bullshit and helping people find a sense of truth. That alone contributed to making \u2018Omaha\u2019 feel as real as it does.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Webley admits his younger self might be wondering why he didn\u2019t film a feature debut in his 20s or 30s, he\u2019s relieved to be steering such a complex story at an older age. \u201cIf I\u2019d made features at 25, they\u2019d have been OK, but I\u2019ve been able to infuse my life experiences, humanity, and the way I see the world into this film,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
(L-R) Molly Belle Wright, John Magaro, and director Cole Webley. Photo by Franck Castel\/ABACAPRESS.COM Credit: Abaca Press\/Alamy Live News<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He knew \u201cOmaha\u201d was the right script for his debut feature.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, Webley had circled a number of screenplays as he searched for the right debut. But after reading Robert Machoian\u2019s script for \u201cOmaha,\u201d he was instantly seized by a determination to bring the story to life. \u201c \u2018Omaha\u2019 had everything that I really loved about movies,\u201d he says. \u201cThere was the potential for great performances [through] a very impactful and emotional story, plus there was a pure and simple objective to it. Robert\u2019s script was so clearly a film on the page. I could just envision the movie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story also helped win over the film\u2019s actors. Webley set his sights on Magaro for the lead after being struck by his turns in \u201cFirst Cow\u201d (2019), \u201cNot Fade Away\u201d (2012), \u201cPast Lives\u201d (2023), and \u201cShowing Up\u201d (2022), and he used connections from 15 years of making shorts and commercials to get the script in front of the actor. \u201cA DP I\u2019d worked with a number of times got the script to John,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce he read it, he just knew this was a role he wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a father of four, Webley connected deeply to the plight of the film\u2019s characters. \u201cFamily is a source of our greatest joy and sometimes our greatest trauma,\u201d he says, noting that he had to balance raising his children with establishing himself as a director. \u201cI came out of film school and was dirt poor, trying to raise kids. My lived experience is different from the characters, but I certainly have a perspective on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sundance opened doors, but the road to release was still long.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Hollywood\u2019s aversion to character-driven dramas meant Webley knew he\u2019d have to make \u201cOmaha\u201d efficiently and for as little money as possible. Earlier scripts he\u2019d worked on were ensemble pieces that would have been tough to shoot on a low budget. \u201cOmaha,\u201d by contrast, had a \u201cscope and scale that was achievable,\u201d meaning he was setting himself up for success on a practical level. \u201cThere\u2019s just a succinctness and potency to this story,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film\u2019s acceptance to Sundance opened doors for getting it into the world. But despite critical acclaim, it still took 15 months for \u201cOmaha\u201d to land in theaters, since \u201cthe way in which it is brought into the marketplace is quite different,\u201d according to Webley. \u201cYou have to work with the right people and have everything in order so it\u2019s released in the right way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we learned was that emotional, human stories always rise to the top,\u201d Webley concludes. \u201cBut it also has to have a POV and be executed in such a way that you can feel the filmmaker\u2019s soul onscreen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cole Webley took the long way to his feature debut\u2014and arrived at Sundance with John Magaro and a heartbreaker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":2186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCole Webley on Driving \u201cOmaha\u201d to Sundance and Beyond<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The first-time feature director discusses choosing drama and surviving the indie release gauntlet.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/cole-webley-omaha-interview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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