As part of our new summer US project States of Independence we’ve invited our favourite 30 American curators, magazines, creatives and institutions to takeover Dazed for a day.

Roman Coppola put his thang down, flipped it and reversed it by founding director’s collective The Directors Bureau, a who’s who of directing superstars like Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola and CANADA. For Dazed, The Directors Bureau chart the changes in indie cinema, and challenge young filmmakers to pick up a camera. Read more

A respected, Oscar-winning actor Benicio Del Toro is a man of many intense parts – none more so, he tells Leigh Singer, than his epic portrayal in two new films of revolutionary icon Che Guevara.

Actors and biopics: it’s like releasing moths into a light bulb factory, and little wonder. Star power plus historical credibility is a heady combination, one that often leads to critical acclaim and awards by the dozen. It helps if the performer bears some physical resemblance to their subject (Denzel Washington as Malcolm X, Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles), but even that isn’t essential (Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon). Read more

Vampire flick Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart as a pair of star-crossed teens, and IGN recently caught up with them to discuss the hit film’s romantic chemistry, sexual tension – and dealing with crazy screaming fans. Read more

IGN caught up with man-of-the-moment Mark Strong at the British Independent Film Awards this past weekend and grabbed a word with him about Sherlock Holmes, Kick-Ass, Nottingham and all-round villainy. This is what he had to say, though beware of minor spoilers ahead. Read more

Cult stop-motion animated comedy Robot Chicken is the brainchild of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Austin Powers star Seth Green and colleague Matt Senreich. Their quick-fire toy figure sketches lovingly spoof pop culture from the biggest blockbusters to forgotten cartoon shows, often getting big stars from Burt Reynolds to Scarlet Johansson to take part. The first season recently hit DVD in the UK. Read more

Brit thesp Jason Statham is fast becoming the biggest action star in the world, with hits like The Transporter, Cellular and Crank to his credit. This week sees the release of Death Race, Paul WS Anderson’s big-budget remake of the Roger Corman cult classic. In it Statham plays Jensen Ames, a former race car driver imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit and forced to take part in a deadly series of televised races. IGN caughtup with him to discuss the film. Read more

Oldboy director Park Chan-Wook on vampires, vengeance and his new film Thirst, which hits Blu-ray and DVD in the UK today. Read more

Best known for his dazzling, visceral, taboo-breaking “vengeance trilogy” – Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance – Korean filmmaker Park Chan-Wook rewires expectations with his latest, a whimsical romantic comedy entitled I’m A Cyborg and set in a mental hospital with a girl who fancies herself as something of a Terminator… Read more

It’s not that Anton Yelchin doesn’t want to talk about his role in the new Star Trek; it’s more that whatever the 19-year-old actor does say about playing Starship Enterprise navigator Pavel Chekov – and he’s obviously sworn to secrecy on any major disclosures – is likely to take on a existence of its own: life, Jim, but not as he knows it. Read more