The Conversations with Filmmakers Series is part of the University Press of Mississippi which is sponsored by Mississippi's eight state universities. The mission of the Series is to publish collected interviews with world-famous directors. The current Filmmakers Series editor is Gerald Peary, a noted film critic and Professor of Communications and Journalism at Suffolk University, Boston. Peary was appointed to this position following the death of the Series’ original general editor, Dr. Peter Brunette.
The series was launched in 1998 with Gerald Peary's Quentin Tarantino: Interviews. It was favorably reviewed by MovieMaker magazine which found a balance and depth throughout saying, "Contemporary giants like Soderbergh, Oliver Stone and John Sayles are treated with just as much esteem as legends like Wilder and John Huston."