FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Isabél Zuaa, actress of the film Good Manners.

An interview with Isabél Zuaa, one of the lead actresses of Good Manners, which screened at the 2018 Istanbul Film Festival. Having met the directors of the film, Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra, last year in Locarno Film Festival, we meet Zuaa in the midst of Good Manners‘ festival run, during which it has captured the hearts of viewers all over the world. “Love is a universal feeling,” she tells us, and love is a driving force in the film. The actress, who plays the role of Clara, tells us that it was a challenging movie for her and explains how she landed the part, as well as how she worked with the directors during the project. she also tells us about what she feels the film represents and why it is important, as well as the role of the music in the film, and having to use her imagination in the parts of the movie that required CGI.

Good Manners: The directing duo Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra’s multi-award-winning new film is a contemporary tale that marries social thriller and fantasy genres. Good Manners follows Nurse Clara who lives alone in São Paulo. A pregnant woman hires Clara as a nanny, and with time, the two get closer to each other, but an unexpected event forces them to reevaluate their dynamic. Starring the impressive Angola-born Portuguese dancer-actress Isabél Zuaa, the film scrutinises bodily transformation and sexual desire as it comments on the concepts of motherhood, social class, and family.

The post Isabél Zuaa – Good Manners #istfilmfest appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews György Kristóf, director of the film Out.

An interview with György Kristóf, director of Out, featured in the program of the 2018 Istanbul Film Festival. The film is about a 50-year-old man travelling East from Slovakia to find work, and his encounter with extravagant characters and situations as he pushed on. The director tells us about many aspects of the film, including the significance of the age of the film’s protagonist, sense of humour, the link between countries of the former Eastern Bloc that remains to this day, the reactions that the film has received internationally, and more. He also tells us more about Sándor Terhes, the lead actor of the movie, who makes his debut as lead actor in a film in Out.

Out: Feeling lonely, useless, and aimless, and now jobless, 50-year-old Slovak power-plant engineer Ágoston heads to Latvia in the hopes of fishing or maybe finding a job. On the way, he encounters many strange things ranging from a congenial woman and a grim Russian man to a stuffed rabbit. Taking its name from its hero’s gradual casting “out” of society, Out is a road film with an absurdist point of view that blends gorgeous scenery with xenophobia in Europe. Inspired by real events from the life of Hungarian director György Kristóf, who was born in Slovakia like his protagonist Ágoston, this feature debut premiered at A Certain Look section of Cannes.

The post György Kristóf – Out #istfilmfest appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Andrzej Jakimowski, director of the film Once Upon a Time in November.

An interview with Andrzej Jakimowski, director of Once Upon a Time in November, screened at the 2018 Istanbul Film Festival. The director talks about the unusual mixture of reality on fiction employed in the making of the film, which originated when he found himself in the caught in the midst of the annual nationalist march in Warsaw in 2013, where he saw innocent people become victims of violence. Yet, Once Upon a Time in November is also the story of the people who find themselves evicted from their homes and vulnerable to this violence; it is not a war movie, Jakimowski explains. In this interview, we discuss at length this interesting approach and the influence of the narrative within it. Jakimowski also elaborates on some of the key themes and cultural backgrounds of his film, talks about actors in the film – leads Grzegorz Palkowski and Agata Kulesza, and a bit part by Edward Hogg – and praises the work of his own wife, Ewa Jakimowska, which he describes as quite challenging.

Once Upon a Time in November: Agata, a laid-off teacher, is evicted from her house which she lived in with her law student son Mareczek. They desperately wander from one hostel to another, and from homeless shelters to abandoned plots all over Warsaw. Over time they are joined by a stray dog they named “Buddy.” In a social system where nobody cares about the poor and rules are more important than empathy, these two educated people have to face new indignities every day. Polish director Jakimowski employs a journalistic approach as he confronts us with the harrowing fact that the middle class is just a few missteps away from being homeless in his film that follows in the footsteps of Ken Loach, Oliver Stone, and Michael Moore. Premiering at the Warsaw Film Festival, Once Upon A Time In November stars Agata Kulesza, the aunt in Ida as Agata.

The post Andrzej Jakimowski – Once Upon a Time in November #istfilmfest appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Blerta Zeqiri, director of the film The Marriage.

Director Blerta Zeqiri talks about her film, The Marriage, which was screened during the 2018 Istanbul Film Festival. Given the challenging situation experienced by LGBT communities in Kosovo, it is remarkable to see a film from the country that directly tackles the issue in the way that The Marriage does. Zeqiri, in this interview, highlights her wish to make a film that would promote love. However, she also shares with us that she feared the film would not be warmly received, and she prepared for the worst while working on it. The director also discusses the role of memory and flashbacks in the film, talks about its lengthy production time, the work by the actors, and more.

The Marriage: Anita is a young woman who is still scarred by the Kosovo War. She has a loving relationship with her fiancée Bekim, until however, one day Bekim’s musician friend Nol, returns home from Paris to prompt a change in their relationship Anita can’t quite put her finger on. Directed by Blerta Zeqiri, this absorbing first film impresses with the performances of all three principals and questions a society that can’t confront its past as it relates the pains of building a new life on top of secrets.

To discover more about the film, click here.

The post Blerta Zeqiri – The Marriage #istfilmfest appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Yves Hinant, director of the film So Help Me God.

Director Yves Hinant talks about So Help Me God, which he co-directed with Jean Libon, and was screened at the 2018 Istanbul Film Festival. The film follows Judge Anne Gruwez, who is described in the festival program as a woman with a “common touch and uncompromising stance.” Hinant talks about making the film and whether he keeps his distance from his protagonists while filming them. He emphasizes the aim of shooting reality through a good story and the need to find good characters, as well as why he thinks documentaries most documentaries are boring and he hates doing interviews.

So Help Me God : Judge Anne Gruwez of Brussels is an outspoken woman full of surprises. With her unusual approach to defendants and cases, she surprises people while gaining their admiration with her common touch and uncompromising stance. Directed by Yves Hinant and Jean Libon, the creators of cult docu-show Strip-Tease, which has been on the air in France and Belgium for 20 years, this documentary paints a tragicomical portrait of the Belgium judicial system as it observes Judge Gruwez on the bench. Using an unfiltered language and bordering fiction with its potent black humor, the politically incorrect So Help Me God premiered at San Sebastian Film Festival.

The post Yves Hinant – So Help Me God #istfilmfest appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Matan Yair, director of the film Scaffolding.

An interview with Matan Yair, director of Scaffolding, which was presented at the 2018 Istanbul Film Festival. Yair explains to us that he likes to make documentary like fiction and fiction like documentary, and his feature debut blends the line between the two. The film is also constructed with personal influences that, as Yair explains, come from his own life and from his own artistic interests. He also talks about Asher Lax, who is the protagonist of the film, a non-actor from a very similar background to that of the character he portrays, and more.

Scaffolding : In Scaffolding, director Matan Yair, who used to be a high school history and literature teacher to academically challenged kids, casts one of his students to play himself and takes an engrossing look at the institutions of education, masculinity, and family. 17 year-old Asher is preparing for his matriculation exams, but he is struggling with lack of concentration, and anger management issues. He works for his father’s scaffolding business and the only other father figure in his life is his teacher Rami, who is the only person who appreciates his dedicated efforts. However, this delicate arrangement cannot last forever. Premiered at the ACID section of Cannes, Scaffolding is the feature-length debut of Matan Yair. Asher still works with his father erecting scaffolding in real life.

The post Matan Yair – Scaffolding #istfilmfest appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews director Ildikó Enyedi.

We have the honour to meet Ildikó Enyedi, the highly acclaimed Hungarian director who through the years has spoken a unique and emotive cinematic language, able to warm even the coldest of hearts – film critics beware!

The European Cinema Festival in Lecce will dedicate the section “The Protagonists of European Cinema” to the director and writer Ildikó Enyedi, awarding her with the Olive Tree for her career achievements. The festival will screen the complete retrospective of her films, including the 4k restored copy of My XX century, which had its world premiere at the 68th Berlinale.

The post Ildikó Enyedi #fceLecce appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Marie Garel-Weiss, director of the film The Party’s Over.

Marie Garel-Weiss tells us the origins and the get-go of her first feature The Party’s Over, here in Lecce’s European Cinema Festival in its official competition. The Party’s Over is a study on addiction as well as today’s youth, with its paradoxical ways of living and struggling. Brilliantly performed by Zita Hanrot and Clémence Boisnard, The Party’s Over is a powerful work that sheds a refreshing and original light on a topic that is too often overlooked or dangerously simplified.

The Party’s Over is the story of a revival, that of Céleste and Sihem. Having arrived on the same day at a rehab facility, they will seal an indestructible friendship. It will be as much a force as an obstacle when, expelled from their shelter, they are left on their own, facing the true world and its temptations. The real fight will then begin; fight for sobriety and freedom, fight towards life.

To discover more about the film, click here.

The post Marie Garel-Weiss – The Party’s Over #fceLecce appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Bas Keizer, actor of the film Cobain.

Bas Keizer shares his memories on the set of Nanouk Leopold’s latest work Cobain. As his very first time as an actor, Bas has only profited from this experience: he will continue to act while learning about shooting and being a filmmaker.

Cobain (15) tries to get his pregnant mother Mia to quit her self-destructive lifestyle. When she refuses to clean up her act, Cobain takes over.

To discover more about the film, click here.

The post Bas Keizer – Cobain #fceLecce appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Michael Onder, director of the film Taksim Hold’em.

Michael Onder, director of Taksim Hold’em, is here in Lecce at the 19th edition of the European Cinema Festival. Taksim Hold’em is a wonderfully written and brilliantly sharp comedy, which finds remarkable depths and strengths while being physically confined in a comfortable middle class apartment in Instanbul. Softly attenuated by double-glazed windows, the clashes in Taksim square are just a distant noise. What we are left with are the clattering and hilarious contradictions that imbue Onder’s characters. Their morals and consequent actions are at stray, laid bare on the green felt of a poker table.

Taksim Hold’em: On a Saturday night in Istanbul, despite the pleas of his fiancée, cynical Alper refuses to join the anti-government protests happening on his doorstep. He just wants to stay home for his weekly dose of poker, played with his regular crew of high-school friends. Alper’s game is threatened as his friends set off on a series of passionate, and at times ill-thought-out, squabbles on whether they should join the demonstrations or not.

To discover more about the film, click here.

The post Michael Onder – Taksim Hold’em #fceLecce appeared first on Fred Film Radio.