Celebrating Cinema

It's the big bang of both our 10th episode and the origins of the summer blockbuster, although this episode is not quite like the high-end production of your usual Hollywood films! With Hugo at Venice film festival, Kiriko & Tom attempt to determine the definition of a (summer) blockbuster, is it more than just a "box-office hit"? In conjunction with the upcoming Suspicious Minds program, a retrospective of Denis Villeneuve's work, we also explore what is a so-called "intelligent blockbuster", skeptical of Christopher Nolan and his apparent pioneering of this heightened term.  By exploring the history of the summer blockbuster, we attempt to resolve what the future of this historic marketing strategy has in an industry now dominated by streaming platforms.

Make sure to leave us your review of Arrival (Denis Villeneuve, 2016) at [email protected] and expect to hear Tom read it out in one of his many film impersonations next episode!

Before our Celebrating Cinema podcast takes a summer hiatus, we had the chance to check in with our film critic Hugo, for a special episode on Cannes Film Festival! Hugo, part of a jury in Cannes and chatting to us from the French Riviera, joins LAB111 programmer Tom, who wrestles with his fomo, as Hugo considers this the greatest edition of the renowned festival. With his love for lists Tom runs us through his own picks and potential inspirations for future programs at LAB111, mixed with Hugo’s anecdotes of socialising with Adèle Haenel.

A director is much like a chef, and it is no surprise that directors often use cooking analogies when describing their own process. However, what is perhaps unclear is how a tomato actually symbolises the very essence of cinema, and why eating a blood sausage or a strawberry risotto could correlate to watching a Quentin Tarantino or Sofia Coppola film. Joining us in this celebration of food and cinema is film critic Joost Broeren-Huitenga, who together with his wife, Nienke Huitenga, also explores this unique relationship on their website Een Bord Vol Cinema. Tell us your own stories of food and cinema at [email protected], if you have any questions or topics you can also write to us.

We are back in business! Cinemas have finally reopened and we are here to celebrate. 4 proclaimed cinephiles and yet only one of us has enjoyed the grand reopening. We have our first casualty already caught up in the summer blockbuster heatwave. Join us as we revel in all the glories cinemas have to offer now they are finally open again! Tell us what has made cinemas reopening so special to you - [email protected]

Eroticism should be found in balance! Now isn’t it about time that women in cinema got to look back, shifting the gaze back on to the male, or at least express what it is like to be looked at through the male gaze that has dominated cinema. Basje Boer, film critic and author, joins us in celebrating female desire in cinema and exploring the complex gender dynamics within cinema and the effect it has on us as an audience. Our film club choice The Beguiled (Sofia Coppola, 2017) kickstarts our discussion, a hot take on what happens when you equalise desire. As always, if you have any questions you would like us to discuss or stories about cinema you would like to share then please email us at [email protected]

Western cinema has mostly defined our movie crushes to be predominantly white, often leaving non-white characters to be reduced to caricatures, particularly East-Asian characters. To celebrate the 4K restoration release of some Wong Kar-Wai classics, we are joined by author, filmmaker and activist Pete Wu to dissect the representation of East-Asian characters in Western cinema and how WKW directly opposes such limited portrayals. We even have an exclusive from Wong Kar-Wai himself who adds his own voice to this insightful discussion. As always, if you have any questions you would like us to discuss or stories about cinema you would like to share then please email us at [email protected]

The month of May is always a period of remembrance, commemorating all those who lost their lives during the Second World War both as victims of genocide and those fighting for their freedom. With screenwriter, director, and fellow list-lover Kim Kokosky Deforchaux, we take a look at how different countries through cinema and film deal with trauma and this particular period of history. As always, if you have any questions you’d like us to discuss or stories about cinema you would like to share then email us at [email protected].

What should be a light-hearted reflection on the films of nightmares & nostalgia, which helped form our presenters and their viewing habits, quickly reveals itself to be a psychoanalysis of the 3 different approaches to parenting and movie-watching. If that is not enough drama for you, Tom returns with even more lists, reflecting on the best and worse rehashing in cinema as well as considering what the future may entail. If you have more questions you’d like us to discuss, or stories worth sharing then send us an email at [email protected]

That’s right people, it’s Oscars time! We’ve certainly got that Oscar fever, but more a fever of chaotic distress. Instead of the usual baseless predictions, we try to make sense of the Academy Awards and this American institution that seems to dominate the industry. Our equally chaotic film choice for this episode, The Congress (Folman, 2013), certainly helps us dissect the flaws within the current institution. All the while, Tom tries grappling with the power of lists, and his picks of Oscar Award moments; Kiriko provides a perfect rendition of her favourite acceptance speech, despite her indifference to the whole ceremonial affair, and Hugo remains the tortured film critic divided between love and duty. We also tackle a question from one of our listeners, and discuss the importance of forming our own individual opinions regardless of lists. If you have more questions for us to discuss then please write in to [email protected]

We are delighted to welcome Miriam Guttmann, director of the recent VPRO documentary Seeds of Deceit (Het Zaat Van Karbaat), who joins us for a discussion on the ethics of documentary-making. Miriam provides a very candid insight into the large web of complexities she found herself navigating through, during the filming of her Sundance selected film. In this episode we explore the purpose of a documentary maker, a director’s relationship to the characters of the story they’re directing and where their duty lies. We unpack these more abstract questions through the lens of Miriam’s brilliant short docuseries, so make sure to check it out! We always love to hear from you, so please do keep writing in ([email protected]).