Celebrating Cinema

In anticipation of our first live podcast event where we will be revisiting the iconic Twilight (2008), we had the absolute pleasure to speak with director Catherine Hardwicke. Architect of this cultural phenomenon, Catherine recounts how she landed the role and the casting process that launched the careers of its stars, Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson. In this hour-long interview, we explore Catherine's journey into filmmaking as well as the distinct challenges of a female director in the industry, especially with directing blockbusters. Sadly as the only female director of the Twilight saga, we get an insight into just how rich stories can be that target an overlooked female audience and capture those first moments we all experience as when we come of age. Expect some golden  stories & for your Twilight nostalgia to be reignited!

Very few director's have their own adjective: Lynchian. But then again, there are very few directors like David Lynch. Walking the tightrope between the mainstream and the avant-garde, Lynch brought to the screen a singularly dark and disturbing view of reality. A nightmare world punctuated by defining moments of extreme violence, bizarre comedy, and strange beauty, his dreamlike films have conjured some of the great modern American images. Celebrating his newly restored and re-released masterpiece Mulholland Drive, our hosts Hugo, Tom and Elliot discuss his entire body of work, the many interpretations his films stir up and much more!

You can book your ticket here for our live podcast recording about Twilight on the 20th January.

Take a trip down the dark alleys of Film Noir, filled with unscrupulous men, state corruption and crimes waiting to be solve. Listen to our hosts' favourite urban thrillers, as they try to figure out what Film Noir even is. A genre? A style? Or a mode of production that dominated Hollywood post World-War II. Inspired by our current program Tales From Nightmare Alley, we dive deep into this infamous moment of American cinema that forever marked the cinematic landscape.

With our partners Mubi, you can enjoy 30 days free of handpicked cinema at mubi.com/lab111, including Amalia Ulman's El Planeta (2021) who we recently interviewed here on the podcast.

As part of our new partnership with Mubi, we had the exclusive chance to speak with Artist-turned-filmmaker Amalia Ulman about her feature debut El Planeta. This dark comedy, set in Amalia's childhood town Gijon, is a fresh twist on the precarious economic conditions the working-class can find themselves in. In this candid interview Amalia shares what it was like to make her first film, co-starring with her mother, and why her work across different mediums is so narrative driven. 

You can enjoy 30 days free of handpicked cinema at mubi.com/lab111, including Amalia Ulman's El Planeta (2021). 

Widely regarded as the bald bad boy of contemporary French cinema, Gaspar Noé has been disrupting movies and polarising opinions for the past twenty years with his visceral blend of provocative films. Joining filmmaker Kiriko, Gaspar discusses his latest film Vortex (2021), as well as his experiences working with legendary Italian 'giallo' maestro Dario Argento and his love for Tokyo, as depicted in Enter The Void. 

Special thanks to Paradiso Films for this amazing opportunity.

Have you ever wondered what made French director Jean-Luc Godard so great? Or did you never quite understand what exactly the 'French Nouvelle Vague' was? Well in true Godard-fashion, this is a real jump-cut style episode that untangles the life of a film genius. From his greatness to some ugly truths, this is a true ode to both a director and period of film that forever changed cinema. 

With our partners Mubi, you can enjoy 30 days free of handpicked cinema at mubi.com/lab111.

Director Martijn de Jong joins producer Elliot to discuss his feature debut Narcosis. Selected as this year's Dutch Oscar entry, this tender portrayal of familial love & mourning gives our audience a window to Martijn's approach to filmmaking. With a desire to move people and connect with his audience, together they explore his journey as a director from commercials to his first feature. While discussing cinematic moments that have impacted Martijn, he offers a unique insight into the Dutch film landscape as a whole - is a Dutch resurgence on the horizon? 

As longtime admirers of Mia Hansen-Løve's body of work here on the podcast, producer Elliot hosts a very candid and revealing conversation with the French director. In her latest film Un Beau Matin, Mia describes it as her most auto-biographical film to date. Mia shares how she is able to explore such existential questions from such an intimate portrait. Find out what moves Mia to make films and why cinema for her is a tool for understanding her life's journey.  

Directors Sarah Blok & Lisa Konno join to discuss their short trilogy of non-traditional immigrant story of fathers. With an exhibition at this year's Dutch Design Week and the release of their book, which you can buy here, we explore how this hybrid form of fashion-stylised documentaries can offer a more intimate portrayal of their subjects. Candidly, Lisa & Sarah share the inspiration behind this project and why they embraced a more honest lens through which they share these stories.

Joined by the programmers of Imagine Film Festival, the largest celebration for fantastic film in the Netherlands, showcasing the best in fantasy, horror and science fiction. Lauren & Stan along with Tom & Hugo reminisce their first turn down spooky lane. Along this nostalgic path of agreeable scarring, they question what really is a horror in today’s film landscape.

With our partners Mubi, you can enjoy 30 days free of handpicked cinema at mubi.com/lab111, and discover some of the Flick or Treats mentioned in this episode.