FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | David Martos interviews Agnieszka Holland, director of the film Mr. Jones.

The director talks to FRED about the reasons that drove her to address the period prior to the Second World War, why we are nowadays kidnapped by technology and why she believes in quotas in order to promote the work of female directors.

Mr. Jones: James Norton plays the Welsh reporter who at great personal risk broke the story of the early 1930s Soviet Ukrainian Famine in Agnieszka Holland’s latest deep dive into historical memory. The entirety of the region’s grain production was sold abroad to finance the rapid modernization of Soviet industry, with the Stalin regime regarding the millions of ethnic Ukrainians who perished as a price worth paying for the new utopia.

The post Agnieszka Holland – Mr. Jones #ZFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Morfydd Clark, actress of the film Saint Maud.

A short interview with Morfydd Clark, one of the co-leads of the film Saint Maud, the horror debut of director Rose Glass, presented in the Official Competition of the 2019 BFI London Film Festival. Clark talks with us about her character, how she connected with her anxiety and the very real universal themes of the film, and tells us a little but about her experience working with Glass on this movie.

Saint Maud: Having recently found God, self-effacing young nurse Maud (Morfydd Clark) is untiring in her spiritual devotion. Landing a job as full-time private carer, she arrives at the plush home of Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), a hedonistic dancer left frail from a chronic illness. While they could not be more different – Amanda’s taste for the extravagant being the antithesis of Maud’s pious values – the mismatched pair are intrigued by each other, slowly building a brittle bond of co-dependency. But when a chance encounter with a former colleague throws up hints of a dark past, it becomes clear there is more to sweet Maud than meets the eye. As Amanda’s self-indulgent behaviour escalates, tensions between the couple steadily grow, leaving Maud convinced that she has been sent to serve a higher purpose. Rose Glass’ gothic-tinged psychological drama is a wickedly playful piece of work, by turns insidiously creepy, darkly humorous and heartbreakingly sad. The two leads crackle with palpable chemistry, with Jennifer Ehle’s beautifully nuanced performance proving the perfect complement to Morfydd Clark’s star-making turn as the unsaintly Maud. Consistently upending expectations, this thrilling one-of-a-kind is an almost religious experience.

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The post Morfydd Clark – Saint Maud #LFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Rose Glass, director of the film Saint Maud.

Director Rose Glass presented her horror debut in the official competition of the 2019 BFI London Film Festival in the United Kingdom. She introduces the film to us in this interview, including some of its key themes. Among them, the juxtaposition of religion and psychology and the idea that you never know what’s going on in another person’s head. Here she also talks with us about her interest in the horror genre and her first experience of working on a horror feature.

Saint Maud: Having recently found God, self-effacing young nurse Maud (Morfydd Clark) is untiring in her spiritual devotion. Landing a job as full-time private carer, she arrives at the plush home of Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), a hedonistic dancer left frail from a chronic illness. While they could not be more different – Amanda’s taste for the extravagant being the antithesis of Maud’s pious values – the mismatched pair are intrigued by each other, slowly building a brittle bond of co-dependency. But when a chance encounter with a former colleague throws up hints of a dark past, it becomes clear there is more to sweet Maud than meets the eye. As Amanda’s self-indulgent behaviour escalates, tensions between the couple steadily grow, leaving Maud convinced that she has been sent to serve a higher purpose. Rose Glass’ gothic-tinged psychological drama is a wickedly playful piece of work, by turns insidiously creepy, darkly humorous and heartbreakingly sad. The two leads crackle with palpable chemistry, with Jennifer Ehle’s beautifully nuanced performance proving the perfect complement to Morfydd Clark’s star-making turn as the unsaintly Maud. Consistently upending expectations, this thrilling one-of-a-kind is an almost religious experience.

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The post Rose Glass – Saint Maud #LFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Jennifer Ehle, actress of the film Saint Maud.

A short interview with Jennifer Ehle, one of the co-leads of Saint Maud, the feature horror debut by director Rose Grass. In this interview, Ehle talks with us about her character, her connection to the horror genre as a whole and her experience of working with Grass on this feature.

Saint Maud: Having recently found God, self-effacing young nurse Maud (Morfydd Clark) is untiring in her spiritual devotion. Landing a job as full-time private carer, she arrives at the plush home of Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), a hedonistic dancer left frail from a chronic illness. While they could not be more different – Amanda’s taste for the extravagant being the antithesis of Maud’s pious values – the mismatched pair are intrigued by each other, slowly building a brittle bond of co-dependency. But when a chance encounter with a former colleague throws up hints of a dark past, it becomes clear there is more to sweet Maud than meets the eye. As Amanda’s self-indulgent behaviour escalates, tensions between the couple steadily grow, leaving Maud convinced that she has been sent to serve a higher purpose. Rose Glass’ gothic-tinged psychological drama is a wickedly playful piece of work, by turns insidiously creepy, darkly humorous and heartbreakingly sad. The two leads crackle with palpable chemistry, with Jennifer Ehle’s beautifully nuanced performance proving the perfect complement to Morfydd Clark’s star-making turn as the unsaintly Maud. Consistently upending expectations, this thrilling one-of-a-kind is an almost religious experience.

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The post Jennifer Ehle – Saint Maud #LFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Nina Danino, director of the film I Die of Sadness Crying for You.

In the experimenta section of the 2019 London Film Festival, Nina Danino brings to the audience her affinity with vocal performance and her 7 years research on “copla”, a performance of women’s sorrow in I Die of Sadness Crying for You. By mixing archive footage like the performances by the diva of copla, Marifé de Triana, with newly shot footage, Nina Danino wonders if women of copla ever existed and while doing that, she investigates on the true meaning of experimental film.

I Die of Sadness Crying for You: A personal essay film on the powerful copla genre of Spanish music, a form of popular song that flourished in the 1930s and 40s. Copla communicates a specifically female sorrow and sadness from failed, often illegitimate, relationships that result in unrequited love or ostracism. Filmmaker Nina Danino reveals the strength and texture of copla performances, reappraising for a contemporary audience whilst revisiting her own memories of her mother singing.

To discover more about the film, click here.

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The post Nina Danino – I Die of Sadness Crying for You #LFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Abe Forsythe, director of the film Little Monsters.

Abe Forsythe is at the 2019 London Film Festival with his zom-com (zombie comedy) Little Monsters starring Lupita Nyongo, Alexander England and Josh Gad. Forsythe reveals that the character of the kindergarten teacher played by Lupita Nyongo is actually inspired by his son’s real teacher and that gives a great heart to the comedy. This teacher, trying to get her kids safe while being attacked by an orde of zombies is definitely a new kind of superhero, the one all parents are meeting everyday at their children’s school. Who would I want to be taking care of my kids during a zombie apocalypse? The answer is clear for Abe Forsythe. As Little Monsters could be considered a comedy, a zombie movie, an horror film because of its mixing genres, Forsythe talks about the balance he had to work on in the editing room especially when it came to Josh Gad’s character who was even more extreme than what we see on screen.

Little Monsters follows Dave (Alexander England), a washed-up musician who volunteers to chaperone his nephew’s kindergarten class field trip after taking a serious liking to the fearless schoolteacher, Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong’o). Dave’s intentions are complicated by the presence of the world’s most famous kids’ show personality and competition for Miss Caroline’s affections, Teddy McGiggle (Josh Gad). One thing none of them bargained for, however, is a sudden zombie outbreak. Will Dave rise to the occasion and have a chance at Miss Caroline’s heart, or will the zombies get there first?

To discover more about the film, click here.

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The post Abe Forsythe – Little Monsters #LFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | David Martos interviews Rupert Goold, director of the film Judy.

Rupert Goold describes how he helped Renée Zellweger transform into Judy Garland, helped by some audio recordings of the real actress. He refers to the Oscar talk sorrounding the film too.

Judy is a 2019 biographical drama film about the life of American actress and singer Judy Garland in 1969 as she arrives in London for a run of sell-out concerts at the Talk of the Town. Directed by Rupert Goold, it is an adaptation of the Olivier- and Tony-nominated West End and Broadway play End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter. The film stars Renée Zellweger as Garland, with Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, and Michael Gambon in supporting roles.

The post Rupert Goold – Judy #ZFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | David Martos interviews Nicolaj Coster-Waldau and Jonas Alexander Arnby, actor and director of the film Suicide Tourist.

The interviewees talk to FRED about the debates that the film raises (such as euthanasia), and Coster-Waldau addresses his life as an actor after his huge Game of Thrones success.

Suicide Tourist: Ever since Max learned about his incurable brain tumor and the associated threat of a personality change, he has tried, one way or another, to take his own life. Although he has not yet reached the age of 50, and is in a harmonious relationship with his girlfriend Lærke, he wants to end his life before he is no longer himself. When one day he stumbles across a euthanasia organization’s offer, his curiosity is aroused: it promises a beautiful and honorable end to life with professional guidance, in a remote mountain hotel. There is one catch: once one has signed the contract with “Hotel Aurora”, there is no turning back. Danish director Jonas Alexander Arnby sends his main actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on an equally daring and sensual journey between life and death in this mystery drama.

The post Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, Jonas Alexander Arnby – Suicide Tourist #ZFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Ursula McFarlane, director of the film Untouchable.

Internationally acclaimed director Ursula McFarlane, along with journalist and friend Neptune Ingwersen, sits down with us to talk about her latest work: Untouchable. The untouchable in question is none other than the former king of American independent cinema Harvey Weinstein. McFarlane’s film sheds a mature and shocking light on the systematic patterns that the producer used throughout the years to take advantage of young actresses and their dream of being part of the starry Hollywood world.

Untouchable: Visionary. Mogul. Bully. Monster. With his company Miramax, Harvey Weinstein achieved a brilliant breakthrough in the late 1980s to become one of the most influential producers in the American film industry. Until it all came crashing down with a barrage of allegations: harassment, blackmail, sexual assault, rape. How is it possible that it has taken more than three decades for Weinstein’s unscrupulous house of cards to collapse? What role did we play as a society? Based on the testimony of investigative journalists, former employees and the courageous female prosecutors, filmmaker Ursula Macfarlane records the incredible story of a rapid ascent – and an even deeper fall.

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The post Ursula McFarlane – Untouchable #ZFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Marjane Satrapi, director of the film Radioactive.

Marjane Satrapi’s latest film, Radioactive, is here in Zurich in the festival’s Gala Premiere selection. A biopic that focuses on the genius and incredible life of two-time Nobel laureate Marie Curie, Radioactive goes beyond the sheer simplicity of depicting the scientist’s life to show the influences that her work has had on our past and continues to do so for our future.

Radioactive: In the 1890s, Maria Sklodowska is one of only a few women of her time to study physics. For this purpose, the highly intelligent 24-year-old Warsaw-born woman is forced to move to Paris. When she meets fellow physicist Pierre Curie at university, she finally meets someone with whom she can discuss, argue and eventually fall in love with. While working together, the two make several scientific discoveries, the significance of which they cannot even begin to imagine. Marjane Satrapi’s biopic Radioactive is based on the graphic novel by Lauren Redniss. Interspersed with spellbinding animated sequences, the film tells the story of the life and impact of Marie Curie, the only woman to ever win a Nobel Prize in two disciplines, and yet had to face an endless struggle for recognition in a male-dominated domain.

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The post Marjane Satrapi – Radioactive #ZFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.