FILMdetail Podcasts: interviews

The classic 1966 war film THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS got a re-release in UK cinemas back in 2007 and it was then I spoke to Saadi Yacef, who produced and starred in the film. He was one of the leaders of Algeria’s National Liberation Front during his country’s war of independence. Whilst imprisoned by the French, he wrote his memoir of the actual Battle of Algiers, which was published in 1962. After the war Saadi helped produce Gillo Pontecorvo‘s film and he even stars in it as a character based on his own experiences. With its strikingly realistic depiction of modern warfare and terrorism the film has gone on to become highly influential. So much so that the The Pentagon screened it in 2003 as a useful illustration of the problems faced in Iraq. Saadi went on to become a Senator in Algeria’s People’s National Assembly.

The character of Big Bird on Sesame Street has enchanted generations of viewers on the children’s show Sesame Street. A new documentary explores the life and career of Caroll Spinney, the man inside the iconic yellow costume. We spoke to him recently about his childhood, a chance meeting with Jim Henson that changed his life and what it was like travelling the world in a big suit of yellow feathers. The DVD is out in the UK on June 1st and for more information visit iambigbird.com

We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks is the new documentary from director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Darkside, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God) and explores the organization started in 2006 by Julian Assange.

Charting the various people involved in the leaking of secret information, including hackers, journalists and activists who during 2009-2010 leaked information about the the Icelandic financial collapse, Swiss banks evading tax and toxic-waste dumping.

It then focuses on the case of Bradley Manning, the army private who leaked an enormous amount of classified information about the Afghan and Iraq wars, as well as over 250,000 diplomatic cables.

Since the film premiered at Sundance in January, Bradley Manning has pleaded guilty, some Wikileaks supporters have taken issue with the film and Assange remains holed up in diplomatic limbo at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Added to this, another leak of seismic proportions rocked the US government in early June when a new whistle-blower named Edward Snowden released details of PRISM, a top secret spying program of unprecedented scope and size.

As I write this both Snowden is in diplomatic limbo at Moscow airport, but although some of the events and issues raised in the film are ongoing, there was much to chew on when I spoke with Gibney at the end of June.

Neighbouring Sounds is the first full length feature from Brazilian director Kleber Mendonca Filho and explores life in a middle-class neighbourhood in Recife, Brazil.

With its fine acting, steady pace and distinctive visual style, it is one of the most impressive films to emerge from Brazil in years.

It is out on DVD and Blu-ray from June 24th

Two short films recently premiered at BAFTA in London as part of a project to support emerging talent.

Me and My Latitude is a collaboration between BAFTA and Festival Republic, organisers of Latitude, the yearly arts and music festival.

Last year two filmmakers were chosen to each make a short film about an artist preparing to perform at Latitude 2011, with the aim of reflecting the diversity and inventiveness of the UK arts scene.

Caroline Bridges has made Knife Edge, which shows dance theatre company Lost Dog in action at the festival, whilst Sameer Patel has directed She Want Soul, a portrait of poet and writer Sabrina Mahfouz.

Both films screened last night at BAFTA’s Run Run Shaw Theatre in London and will also feature in the line-up for Latitude’s Film & Music Arena in 2012, which is partly programmed in partnership with BAFTA.

I spoke with Catherine and Sameer about their experiences making the films just after the screening.

The Latitude Festival takes place from July 12th – 15th and the Orange British Film Academy Awards is on February 12th

> BAFTA: http://www.bafta.org

> Latitude Festival: http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk

Back in 2004 I spoke with Billy Bob Thornton about his role in Terry Zwigoff’s comedy Bad Santa.

The film was produced by the Coen brothers and Thornton played the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime.

It was a year after the US release and the film has since gone on to become something of a cult favourite as an alternative Christmas film.

For some reason it never aired on radio but you can now listen to it here.

Page One: Inside the New York Times is a new documentary about the challenges facing the famous US newspaper in the digital age.

Director Andrew Rossi was granted access to parts of the paper during an eventful year, which included the Wikileaks affair, US troops pulling out of Iraq (sort of), the decline of US print journalism and the rise of social media platforms including Twitter.

As certain US papers go out of business, the film also focuses on two contrasting media reporters, David Carr and Bryan Stelter, as they report on the realities of the Internet era and the struggles their paper faces.

Andrew Rossi previously directed the HBO documentary Le Cirque: A Table In Heaven (2007) and was was also associate producer on Control Room (2004).

I spoke with him recently in London about the film and the related issues surrounding it.

Official website: http://pageoneinsidethenewyorktimes.com/

Since the events of September 11th 2001, several films have come out about the events of that day.

I’ve had the opportunity over the last few years to interview people directly connected with tragedy and films related to it.

The first major Hollywood film to deal specifically with 9/11 was United 93 (2006), which dramatised the events surrounding United Airlines Flight 93 after it was hijacked during the attacks.

In 2006, I spoke with Ben Sliney, the FAA National operations manager responsible for grounding all air traffic that day, who director Paul Greengrass hired in an advisory role before casting him as himself in the movie.

Later that summer I spoke with Will Jimeno, the Port Authority Police officer who survived the World Trade Center attack and was buried under the rubble for a total of 13 hours, along with fellow Port Authority officer John McLoughlin.

Their story was the basis for Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center (2006), which starred Nicolas Cage as McLoughlin and Michael Pena as Jimeno, and we spoke about the day, his long rehabilitation process and the movie.

Two years later James Marsh directed the documentary Man on Wire (2008) about Frenchman Philippe Petit, who conducted an illegal wire walk between the Twin Towers in August 1974.

I spoke with Philippe about his extraordinary act and the subsequent film, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary.

Music Credits: ‘Dedication’ by John Powell from United 93; ‘Jimeno Sees Jesus’ and ‘Alison at the Spotlight’ from World Trade Center by Craig Armstrong; ‘Fish Beach’ by Michael Nyman from Drowning by Numbers; ‘Gymnopedie No. 1’ by Anne Queffélec and composed by Erik Satie

The Eagle is a historical drama directed by Kevin MacDonald and adapted from Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1954 historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth.

Set in Britain during 140 AD, it tells the story of a young Roman officer (Channing Tatum) and his slave (Jamie Bell), who venture to the North of England in order to find the eagle standard of an ill-fated legion who disappeared several years before.

Duncan Kenworthy has produced several British films, including Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Lawn Dogs (1997), Notting Hill (1999) and Love Actually (2003) and he has wanted to make this film for a number of years.

I recently spoke with him about its development, the historical accuracy of the piece, choosing Kevin MacDonald as director and the current state of the British film industry after the closure of the UK Film Council.

Bobby Fischer Against The World is a new documentary about the rise and fall of the legendary American chess player and his 1972 match with Boris Spassky.

The film explores Fischer’s rapid rise to national fame and the political significance of his clash with Spassky, which attracted global media coverage as a wider Cold War confrontation between America and Russia.

It then delves into the later years of his life as he effectively retired at the peak of his career and became a wandering enigma, exiled from his own country, making controversial statements after 9/11, before eventually retreating to Iceland where he died in 2008.

Directed by Liz Garbus, it premiered at Sundance earlier this year and mixes rare archive footage and photos with interviews from those close to Fischer as well as figures such as Gary Kasparov and Henry Kissinger.

I recently spoke to Liz in London at the offices at Dogwoof, who are releasing the film in the UK on July 15th

Find out more about the film at www.bobbyfischermovie.co.uk