FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Desiree Akhavan, director of the film The Miseducation of Cameron Post.

Desiree Akhavan joins us in Rome to talk about her highly acclaimed second feature The Miseducation of Cameron Post, showcasing in Rome Film Fest’s new section Everybody is talking about it.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post: Adapted from the cult novel by Emily M. Danforth, The Miseducation of Cameron Post is directed by New York filmmaker of Iranian origin Desiree Akhavan, considered one of the most intense and original voices on the international independent scene. The film has marked Chloë Grace Moretz (Suspiria, Hugo Cabret) out as one of the finest young actresses in American cinema today. The story is set in a small town in Montana, in 1993: young Cameron Post, surprised kissing a girl at the school prom, is shipped off to a religious center, God’s Promise, to “heal her” of homosexuality by means of conversion therapy. Intolerant to discipline and to the center’s dubious methods, Cameron connects with her peers, and ends up creating a small and variegated community that can proudly reaffirm its own identity.

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The post Desiree Akhavan – The Miseducation of Cameron Post #RomaFF13 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Karl Spoerri, director of the Zurich International Film Festival.

Festival Director Karl Spoerri takes stock of ZFF’s life and reveals how a successful festival can be run: with always an open mind and ear towards the world and a good team that shares the same passion.

Karl Spoerri began studies at Zurich’s University of the Arts in 1993. During the summer of 2004, Karl Spoerri and Tim Geser brought the English digital film festival “Onedotzero” to Zurich. This small-scale event led to the development of the Zurich Film Festival and brought together its core team. The following seven years saw Spoerri and his colleagues develop a comprehensive network of agents and managers in Europe and the USA, offering him and his team a unique overview of prevailing trends and the latest talent. Spoerri was the managing director of Millbrook Pictures AG from 2008 until 2011. Millbrook financed and coproduced, amongst other things, Oliver Stone’s W and David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method with Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen, which subsequently sold to over 80 countries. In March 2010, Spoerri closed a first look deal with Marc Forster and his production company, a collaboration that led Millbrook to finance the development of further projects. In 2010 Karl Spoerri became the Chairman of the Zurich Summit (Film Finance Forum Zurich) – an international forum focussing on film financing and production, which takes place annually in Los Angeles, New York, Cannes, Moscow, Singapore and Zurich.

The post Karl Spoerri #ZFF2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Kevin McDonald, director of the documentary Whitney.

The acclaimed director Kevin McDonald reveals what he learnt from the making of his latest documentary Whitney. Whitney cracks a part of the incredible enigma that was Whitney Houston: arguably the most virtuoso voice in the history of pop music, as well as a troubled girl that had could not express – or simply be – herself.

Whitney: Whitney Houston was one of the most acclaimed solo artists of her time, yet her life was anything but a dazzling success story. From her early global breakthrough with Bodyguard to drug addiction and her untimely demise in 2012, her career has always been followed closely by the media. Yet, until this very day, her tragic fate still seems riddled with endless mysteries. Director Kevin Macdonald’s documentary-style portrait incorporates never before seen archive footage, private video recordings and conversations with family, friends, her ex-husband Bobby Brown and her co-workers to shine some light into the darkness. Whitney paints the story of the complex life of a vulnerable megastar – impressive concert recordings of what is perhaps the best pop voice of the 20th century are sprinkled with one or two piquant revelations.

To discover more about the film, click here.

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The post Kevin McDonald – Whitney #ZFF2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Wayne Roberts, director of the film Richard Says Goodbye.

Director Wayne Roberts is here in Zurich to present his second feature: the world premiere Richard Says Goodbye. Richard Says Goodbye is a comedy drama full of snappy humor and a pinch of craziness – a film that is as hilarious as it is touching. Acting icon Johnny Depp stars in the lead role.

Richard Says Goodbye: One day, Richard gets some devastating news: the burnt-out college professor is suddenly faced with an incurable illness and the inevitable end of his existence. Flinging all conventions out of the window, he decides to completely change his life. Richard wants to enjoy what time he has left to the fullest – as freely and impetuously as possible. He leaves no sin unsinned – he drinks, smokes, dives headlong into sexual escapades and doesn’t let anyone get in his way. An act of liberation that brings Richard back to life. But time is running out.

The post Wayne Roberts – Richard Says Goodbye #ZFF2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Jon Kasbe, X and Assan, director and protagonists of the documentary When Lambs Become Lions.

Jon Kasbe, accompanied here in Zurich by his two protagonists X and Assan, his latest work When Lambs Become Lions. In When Lambs Become Lions, over the course of three years, director Jon Kasbe followed his film’s protagonists, gaining their fullest confidence. The result is an extraordinarily complex and visually captivating perspective on the backgrounds and motivations of poachers who risk their lives hunting and defying public moral outrage in order to provide for their families.

When Lambs Become Lions: Asan is roaming the Kenyan savannah with his rifle, carefully observing a herd of passing elephants. As a ranger, he is on the hunt for poachers who secure their livelihood with illegal ivory trade. When Asan’s wife gives birth to their third child and the pay for his work as a gamekeeper fails to come through for several months, Asan finds himself under increasing financial pressure. In his growing despair, he turns to his cousin “X”: ironically, a very successful ivory trader… The rapidly declining stock of elephants in Africa has caught global attention. Increasingly harsh government policies, however, are putting pressure on poachers. Over the course of three years, director Jon Kasbe followed his film’s protagonists, gaining their fullest confidence. The result is an extraordinarily complex and visually captivating perspective on the backgrounds and motivations of poachers who risk their lives hunting and defying public moral outrage in order to provide for their families.

To know more about the documentary, click here.

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The post Jon Kasbe, X, Assan – When Lambs Become Lions #ZFF2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Bing Liu, director of the documentary Minding The Gap.

Minding The Gap, the lyrical debut work of Bing Liu here in Zurich in the international documentary competition, was created over a period of several years. In Minding The Gap, Liu succeeds in dealing with his friends in an extraordinary and highly emotional way to show the complexity of a biased, “difficult” youth.

Minding The Gap: Bing Liu skateboards behind his friends Zack and Keire through run-down parks, past crumbling facades and abandoned houses. The skateboarder clique has become a kind of substitute family for this group of youths from a rundown district of Rockford in Illinois. Avid filmmaker Bing captures the lives of his friends away from the skate park: Zack’s life is turned upside down when his girlfriend Nina suddenly becomes pregnant. The relationship soon begins to crumble and Zack, plagued by self-doubt and frustration, seeks solace in the bottle. Keire, who longs for reconciliation with his father, has not yet found his place in a multicultural society. And for Bing himself, it’s time to confront his mother with a dark chapter from his own past.

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The post Bing Liu – Minding The Gap #ZFF2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Arash Lahooti, director of the film Orange Days.

After establishing himself within the documentary genre – The Trucker and The Fox Comes To Mind – Arash Lahooti presents here in Zurich his first attempt in the world of fictional cinema: Orange Days. Orange Days stages the battle of a courageous woman in beautiful, richly coloured images and shows a side of Iran that is rarely portrayed in western media. Interpreter: Urs Gösken

Orange Days: Swiftly, Alban is walking through a lush green plantation, inspecting her workers as they bring in the harvest. The assertive forty-something woman has been involved in the male-dominated orange business for years. She employs a group of seasonal female workers to harvest orange trees in northern Iran. This year she has received the largest order in the region – a fact that is not readily accepted by her male competitors. As soon as the harvesting begins, so does the sabotage on Alban’s work and she is forced to deal with the numerous consequences: harvesting is running slow, money is running out and her worker’s motivation is dwindling. To top it all off, her husband Majid packs his bags and leaves her.

To know more about the documentary, click here.

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The post Arash Lahooti – Orange Days #ZFF2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews cinematographer Alex Pritz, involved in the making of the documentary When Lambs Become Lions.

Alex Pritz shares his experience on the making of When Lambs Become Lions, the latest documentary feature by Jon Kasbe. Alex was the additional cinematographer during the shooting (Jon directed, shot, and edited the film). It is a fantastic opportunity to hear his way of capturing images, and what it means to put yourself on the line for the sake of cinema and knowledge.

When Lambs Become Lions: Asan is roaming the Kenyan savannah with his rifle, carefully observing a herd of passing elephants. As a ranger, he is on the hunt for poachers who secure their livelihood with illegal ivory trade. When Asan’s wife gives birth to their third child and the pay for his work as a gamekeeper fails to come through for several months, Asan finds himself under increasing financial pressure. In his growing despair, he turns to his cousin “X”: ironically, a very successful ivory trader… The rapidly declining stock of elephants in Africa has caught global attention. Increasingly harsh government policies, however, are putting pressure on poachers. Over the course of three years, director Jon Kasbe followed his film’s protagonists, gaining their fullest confidence. The result is an extraordinarily complex and visually captivating perspective on the backgrounds and motivations of poachers who risk their lives hunting and defying public moral outrage in order to provide for their families.

To know more about the documentary, click here.

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The post Alex Pritz – When Lambs Become Lions #ZFF2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| David Martos interviews Judi Dench, actress of the film Red Joan.

We discuss with Judy Dench about how she likes her directors, getting new roles at her age and the possibility of retirement, that she heavily denies.

Red Joan: In a picturesque village in England, Joan Stanley, lives in contented retirement. Her tranquil existence is shockingly shattered as she’s arrested by MI5. For Joan has been hiding an incredible past; she is one of the most influential spies in living history… Cambridge University in the 1930s, and the young Joan, a demure physics student, falls intensely in love with a seductively attractive Russian saboteur, Leo. Through him, she begins to see that the world is on a knife-edge and perhaps must be saved from itself in the race to military supremacy. Post-war and now working at a top secret nuclear research facility, Joan is confronted with the impossible: would you betray your country and your loved ones, if it meant saving them? What price would you pay for peace?

To know more about the festival, click here.

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The post Judi Dench – Red Joan #66SSIFF appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| David Martos interviews John C. Reilly, actor of the film The Sisters Brothers.

The chat with John C. Reilly adresses how he produced the film from the beginning and a depiction of Joaquin Phoenix as an actor. We also discuss what kind of director he likes on the set.

The Sisters Brothers: The darkly comic, Western-inspired story takes place in Oregon and California in 1851. The narrator, Eli Sisters, and his brother Charlie Sisters are assassins that are sent to kill Hermann Kermit Warm, an ingenious and likable man, who is accused of stealing from the Sisters’ fearsome boss, the Commodore.

To know more about the festival, click here.

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The post John C. Reilly – The Sisters Brothers #66SSIFF appeared first on Fred Film Radio.