FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST| Chiara Nicoletti interviews Marcelo Martinessi, director of the film Las Herederas (The Heiresses).

For many years, Paraguay’s cinema simply ceased to exist and now directors like Marcelo Martinessi are taking over the job and giving the country a voice and an audiovisual world. At the 68th Berlinale is the first time director Martinessi presents Las Herederas – The Heiresses portraying a 60 year old woman whose life changes completely in a few months. First time directors often decide to treat coming of age stories but Marcelo Martinessi’s choice is due to the fact that he believes there’s no limit to a coming of age, we can always start all over again and we can always grow and learn new things. These women’s tales are also a way through which Martinessi managed to portray Paraguayan’ society.

Las Herederas (The Heiresses):  Chela and Chiquita, both descended from wealthy families in Asuncion, Paraguay, have been together for over 30 years. But recently their financial situation has worsened and they begin selling off their inherited possessions. But when their debts lead to Chiquita being imprisoned on fraud charges, Chela is forced to face a new reality. Driving for the first time in years, she begins to provide a local taxi service to a group of elderly wealthy ladies. As Chela settles into her new life, she encounters the much younger Angy, forging a fresh and invigorating new connection. Chela finally begins to break out of her shell and engage with the world, embarking on her own personal, intimate revolution.

To discover more about the film, click here.

The post Marcelo Martinessi – Las Herederas (The Heiresses) #Berlinale2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Katherine Fairfax Wright, director.

Katherine Fairfax Wright is the director, editor, cinematographer, and producer of the feature-length documentary Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall, which premiered at SXSW 2017 and is now available digitally on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, etc.  Prior to that, Wright produced the Watts-set gangster drama Imperial Dreams, which won the Best of NEXT Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and is now a Netflix Original. Wright is the director (along with Malika Zouhali-Worrall), editor, and cinematographer of the critically-acclaimed feature-length documentary Call Me Kuchu, which tells the story of the last year in the life the first openly gay man in Uganda. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, went on to play 200+ festivals, win 20+ awards.  It’s been distributed around the globe and continues to screen for high level diplomatic audiences and at advocacy events worldwide. Wright’s print and video work has been published by The New York Times, Human Rights Watch, CNN, The Huffington Post, and Human Rights Watch. Katherine is an alumnus of the Chaz and Roger Ebert Directing Fellowship, the Film Independent Documentary Lab, and the Film Independent Producing Lab.  Filmmaker Magazine named her one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” Katherine was raised in Los Angeles and graduated with a double-major in Film Studies and Anthropology from Columbia University.

Discover more about Katherine here.

More information about Call Me Kuchu here.

The post Katherine Fairfax Wright – Berlinale Talents appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Angelo Acerbi interviews Alonso Ruizpalacios, director of the film Museo.

Alonso Ruizpalacios wanted to make a heist film, but then he realized that the genre was not enough for this story; so he turned the film into a road movie, and a coming of age movie and a perfect depiction of what urban Mexico was in those days, the fabulous 80’s.

Museo:  Perennial students Juan and Wilson are planning a daring coup. They intend to break into the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and steal precious Mayan, Mixtec and Zapotec artefacts, in particular the funerary mask of King Pakal. While their families celebrate Christmas they get down to business, just like a couple of seasoned criminals. Everything goes off without a hitch and, with their sports bags stuffed full of treasures, they return home to see on the news how their deed is described as an attack on the entire nation. Only now do they realise the gravity of their actions. Feeling more than a little queasy, they set about fencing their haul. The ensuing road movie takes us from the impressive Mayan ruins of Palenque to the chic seaside resort of Acapulco. Even when Juan and Wilson are behind the wheel, their endeavour has long since gone off the rails. Revisiting the true events of 1985 when it was initially thought that professionals had pulled off the heist, the film is as surprising as the original case. Like its heroes, it too has a crafty way of getting down to the nitty-gritty, reinventing itself with every twist, and nodding to several film genres along the way.

The post Alonso Ruizpalacios – Museo #Berlinale2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Angelo Acerbi interviews Kathrin Resetarits, actress of the film L’ Animale.

Kathrin Resetarits talks with us about her role in L’ Animale, where she plays a mother and wife betrayed by her husband’s inevitable choices, while she witnesses unconsciously her daughter’s coming of age. An intense role, for a character she understands, even if she would have reacted in a totally different way, as she wants to point out…

L’ Animale:  In Austria the final school exam is known as the ‘Matura’. Unlike the German word ‘Abitur’ (from the Latin ‘abire’ meaning ‘to walk away’), the Austrian term also includes the notion of coming of age. Mati wants to become a veterinary doctor, like her mother, and therefore leave the confines of her small-town universe for Vienna. But is she ready for this future? Standing in her ‘Matura’ dress with her long hair scraped back into a tight bun and her neck hair shaved bare, she’d be the first to admit she looks like a clown. Mati loves to spend time with the boys bombing around the quarry on her motocross bike. When one of the girls from her school resists when one of Mati’s mates begins sexually harassing her at a disco, Mati spits in her face. But, just like her parents’ marriage, Mati’s motocross gang also ruptures once notions of friendship, love and sexuality become more pressing. In her second feature-length drama, Katharina Mückstein uses clear words and images and cool synthesiser beats to tell the story of an inscrutable young woman on the brink of ‘walking away’. Her parents’ silence tells us that being mature and facing up to the future doesn’t have anything to do with your age.

The post Kathrin Resetarits – L’ Animale #Berlinale2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Angelo Acerbi interviews Katharina Mückstein, director of the film L’ Animale.

Katharina Mückstein directed a film about self conscience, a moment of struggle and growth for a young girl, but also in a different way for her father . A strong statement about the problems our world has to deal with sexuality and self recognition. She has clear idea on which will trigger the social discussion and development in the future and she helps understand her film more.

L’ Animale:  In Austria the final school exam is known as the ‘Matura’. Unlike the German word ‘Abitur’ (from the Latin ‘abire’ meaning ‘to walk away’), the Austrian term also includes the notion of coming of age. Mati wants to become a veterinary doctor, like her mother, and therefore leave the confines of her small-town universe for Vienna. But is she ready for this future? Standing in her ‘Matura’ dress with her long hair scraped back into a tight bun and her neck hair shaved bare, she’d be the first to admit she looks like a clown. Mati loves to spend time with the boys bombing around the quarry on her motocross bike. When one of the girls from her school resists when one of Mati’s mates begins sexually harassing her at a disco, Mati spits in her face. But, just like her parents’ marriage, Mati’s motocross gang also ruptures once notions of friendship, love and sexuality become more pressing. In her second feature-length drama, Katharina Mückstein uses clear words and images and cool synthesiser beats to tell the story of an inscrutable young woman on the brink of ‘walking away’. Her parents’ silence tells us that being mature and facing up to the future doesn’t have anything to do with your age.

The post Katharina Mückstein – L’ Animale #Berlinale2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Angelo Acerbi interviews Paul Williams, director of the film Gurrumul.

Paul Williams directed a documentary film about a music icon who did not like to be interviewed, who did not want to be alone, who was blind since his birth and that was a incomparable huge natural talent. Internationally acclaimed, Gurrumul never wanted or needed to become famous, because his real and only world were his family and his village community.

Gurrumul:  Three days after Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu approved the film, he died. In Yolngu lore the name, image and voice of the recently departed is retired from all public use. A very rare exception has been made by Gumatj and Gälpu clan leaders to make Gurrumul’s legacy available for everyone. The self-taught musician with the ‘voice of a higher being’ (Sting) was born blind and played the guitar left-handed and upside down. His family and community in the remote Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island) gave their shy boy unconditional support in the knowledge of his great gift. His music was propelled into Australia’s mainstream in the 1990s by Michael Hohnen and Mark Grose of Skinnyfish Music, two white fellas with strong bonds to the Yolngu people. Hohnen became Gurrumul’s close companion, both on and offstage, when his musical career also took off internationally. Combining Yolngu and more contemporary Western rhythms and melodies, this intricate portrait builds a bridge between contrasting worlds. Director Paul Williams respectfully delves into the Aboriginal community through unobtrusive cinematography and provides an integral sense of this amazing man’s spirit.

The post Paul Williams – Gurrumul #Berlinale2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Angelo Acerbi interviews Michael Hohnen, actor of the film Gurrumul.

Micheal Hohnen is a musician and producer who met Gurrumul 20 years ago and became his friend and counsellor and music partner, bringing him through a professional and personal journey, with albums and tours and personal crisis, in a continuous balancing between the village and family world Gurrumul was not willing to leave and the modern and hectic music industry.

Gurrumul:  Three days after Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu approved the film, he died. In Yolngu lore the name, image and voice of the recently departed is retired from all public use. A very rare exception has been made by Gumatj and Gälpu clan leaders to make Gurrumul’s legacy available for everyone. The self-taught musician with the ‘voice of a higher being’ (Sting) was born blind and played the guitar left-handed and upside down. His family and community in the remote Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island) gave their shy boy unconditional support in the knowledge of his great gift. His music was propelled into Australia’s mainstream in the 1990s by Michael Hohnen and Mark Grose of Skinnyfish Music, two white fellas with strong bonds to the Yolngu people. Hohnen became Gurrumul’s close companion, both on and offstage, when his musical career also took off internationally. Combining Yolngu and more contemporary Western rhythms and melodies, this intricate portrait builds a bridge between contrasting worlds. Director Paul Williams respectfully delves into the Aboriginal community through unobtrusive cinematography and provides an integral sense of this amazing man’s spirit.

The post Michael Hohnen – Gurrumul #Berlinale2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Erik Poppe, director of the film Utøya 22. Juli.

Erik Poppe unveils a few of the many thoughts and dilemmas he has had through the making of Utøya 22. Juli, his latest feature that makes the audience relive the terror perpetrated by Anders Breivik 7 years ago. In competition at 2018’s Berlinale, Utøya 22. Juli will surely divide the critics and the public, but with the hope of becoming a vessel for remembrance and self-analysis for today’s society.

Utøya 22. Juli:  On 22 July 2011 five hundred young people attending a summer camp on the island of Utøya were attacked by a heavily armed right-wing extremist. The murderous attack claimed the lives of 69 victims. It was a trauma that rocked Norway to the core, and still does to this day. Director Erik Poppe has dared to attempt to turn the events of that summer into a film. His drama opens with documentary footage of Oslo where, shortly beforehand, the same attacker had exploded a car bomb killing eight people; the scene then shifts to the island. The camera follows 19-year-old Kaja who is spending a few days of the holiday here with her young sister Emilie. The two are quarrelling because Emilie is in no mood for the camp and has absolutely no desire to go to the barbecue. And so Kaja ends up going alone. Suddenly, the first gunshot is heard. This first shot marks the beginning of a breathless 72-minute-long reconstruction of events, filmed in a single take, as seen through the eyes of the victims. Kaja’s desperate search for Emilie. The fear in the eyes of the young people. Their escape into the forest. Their desperate hope of rescue. And the unknown assassin, getting closer and closer.

The post Erik Poppe – Utøya 22. Juli #Berlinale2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Chiara Nicoletti interviews actor Willem Dafoe at the 68th Berlinale.

He has attended Berlinale and visited Berlin so many times but Willem Dafoe’s presence at the 68th Berlinale was special and unique. He’s the recipient of this year’s Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement that was handed to him by Wim Wenders and Berlinale Artistic Director Dieter Kosslick. In a conversation after the ceremony, Dafoe tells FRED’s Chiara Nicoletti that he feels often overwhelmed by compliments so that it is actually easier for him to stand the critics. Oliver Stone told the Hollywood Reporter that Willem Dafoe’s secret for a long and gorgeous career was that he never wanted to be a movie star but he stayed an actor. Dafoe elaborates on Stone’s comment revealing a simple secret on how to stay true to his acting “mission”. As we’re in the Awards season and Willem Dafoe is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Sean Baker’s Florida Project, we discuss the Oscar’s vote mechanism and the difficulty of comparing two totally different actor performances. Willem Dafoe has been married to director Giada Colagrande for more than 10 years and while talking about the MeToo Movement and all its good and bad reflections and consequences in the film business, he reveals how he saw the struggles his wife had to face in order to have access to the same financing and possibilities as her male colleagues to direct a film.

Willem Dafoe:  The 68th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival is dedicating this year’s Homage to American film and theatre actor Willem Dafoe and presenting him with an Honorary Golden Bear in recognition of his life’s work. To accompany the awarding of the Honorary Golden Bear, a screening of Daniel Nettheim’s film The Hunter (Australia 2011) will take place following the official presentation at Berlinale Palast on Tuesday, February 20, 2018. The film programme for the Homage is curated by Deutsche Kinemathek. Willem Dafoe has participated in more than 100 film productions, enriching them with his expressive performances and formidable presence. His enormous technical range as an actor extends all the way from the personification of the unfathomably evil to the portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth. In addition to his celebrated cinematic appearances, Dafoe has also pursued a parallel career in theatre, his other passion. “Willem Dafoe is a close friend of the festival and has often been a guest at the Berlinale in the past in the scope of film screenings and even as a member of the International Jury in 2007,” comments Festival Director Dieter Kosslick. “I am really looking forward now to welcoming him to the 2018 edition of the festival as a guest of honour and recognising his lifetime achievement with the Honorary Golden Bear.” Willem Dafoe began studying theatre formally at the age of 17. In 1977, he was one of the founding members of the renowned New York theatre ensemble “The Wooster Group”, where he remained a member for several decades. In addition to his activities on stage, Dafoe increasingly began to turn his attention to film work starting in the early 1980s. He first gained exposure through his appearance in Kathryn Bigelow’s debut film The Loveless (1981) and in Streets of Fire (1984) by Walter Hill. In William Friedkin’s police thriller To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) he played ruthless counterfeiter Eric “Ric” Masters, a villain who will stop at nothing in order to neutralise his adversaries. In 1986, Dafoe’s portrayal of Sergeant Elias Grodin in Oliver Stone’s anti-war drama Platoon would expose him to a wider audience. He received his first Academy Award nomination for his performance in the break-through film. Two years later, Martin Scorsese successfully recruited him to fill the leading role as Jesus Christ in his hotly debated literary adaptation The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Still in the same year, Dafoe co-starred alongside Gene Hackman in director Alan Parker’s civil-rights-era drama Mississippi Burning (1988). In the film, Dafoe plays a young FBI agent fighting against racism and the Ku Klux Klan. Many multifaceted roles would follow, in films such as Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Wim Wenders’ In weiter Ferne, so nah! (Faraway, So Close! 1993) and The English Patient (1996). In the year 2000, Dafoe shined as Max Schreck in the horror film Shadow of the Vampire by director E. Elias Merhige. His brilliant turn as a member of the undead earned him his second Academy Award nomination. In 2002 Dafoe appeared under the direction of Paul Schrader in the biopic Auto Focus. In 2004 Dafoe collaborated with director Wes Anderson on the latter’s The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Parallel to these appearances, he slipped into the role of Norman Osborn, aka the villainous “Green Goblin”, three times for the Spider-Man movie franchise (in 2002, 2004 and 2007). In 2009 Danish director Lars von Trier cast him as the male lead alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg in his psycho-thriller Antichrist — the film became the subject of controversy due to scenes featuring graphic sex and violence. In 2011 Dafoe put on an extraordinary acting performance once again as a lonely hunter in Daniel Nettheim’s thriller The Hunter. Three years later, in Abel Ferrara’s biopic Pasolini Dafoe portrayed the Italian filmmaker in the final period of his life, shortly before his murder. On stage he has worked with Richard Foreman in Idiot Savant at The Public Theatre and two international productions with Robert Wilson: The Old Woman opposite Mikhail Baryshnikov and The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic. For the latter project, Italian actor and director Giada Colagrande followed the rehearsals with her camera, capturing footage that would later form the basis for a documentary film (2012). Willem Dafoe most recently performed a new theatre piece, The Minister’s Black Veil, based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story and directed by Romeo Castellucci. Last year Dafoe appeared in Kenneth Branagh’s feature Murder on the Orient Express (2017). The German-American joint effort The Sleeping Shepherd (directed by Frank Hudec) is currently in pre-production. He has also finished filming under the direction of Julian Schnabel for At Eternity’s Gate, in which he plays Vincent van Gogh. From March 2018 onwards, German cinema audiences will be able to see Willem Dafoe in the much feted feature The Florida Project (directed by Sean Baker). Dafoe’s role in The Florida Project earned him both a nomination for the British BAFTA Awards and recently his third nomination for an Academy Award, in the category of Best Supporting Actor.

To know more about this Award, click here.

The post Willem Dafoe – Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement #Berlinale2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Angelo Acerbi interviews Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio, director of the film Retablo.

Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio directs a wonderful film about family love and respect, and desires. In astounding surroundings we discover also what a Retablo is and which importance it has in the Peruvian culture. It is amazing to know the building of the acting process with the kid playing the lead role, and the process of choosing him among 650 other kids….

Retablo:  ‘Are you not happy working with him?’ · ‘I want to see other things. You will get lost out there.’ · ‘Why can the others go and I can’t?’ · ‘Because you are an artisan not a peasant.’ Segundo sees silence as his only option for dealing with his father Noé’s secret. The 14-year-old lives with his parents in a village high up in the mountains of Peru. Noé is a respected artisan and Segundo’s role model. With loving eye for detail, he artfully crafts altarpieces for church and homes, and is preparing his son to follow in his footsteps. But cracks form in their tight bond. The film takes an unflinching look behind the facades of a seemingly intact village community, in which patriarchal rules are imposed with unrelenting violence. In saturated colours, a panorama view of a world in which a young artist is finding his place.

The post Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio – Retablo #Berlinale2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.