FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST: Chiara Nicoletti interviews Adrian Goiginger, director of The Best of All Worlds presented at the 12th Rome Film Fest.

 Director Adrian Goiginger presented his film, The Best of All Worlds, in the Alice nella Cittá strand of the 12th Rome Film Fest in Italy. Before its Rome screening, The Best of All Worlds was successfully presented at this year’s Berlinale. Goiginger points out that the film aims to represent a special mother-son relationship rather than focus on drugs and addiction, even though its protagonist, Helga, can’t seem to be able to escape her heroin addiction no matter how hard she tries. The Best of All Worlds was awarded the top prize of the 2017 Alice nella Cittá: the Young Adult Prize.

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PODCAST: Chiara Nicoletti interviews directors Miranda Harcourt and Stuart McKenzie, and actress Erana Jones of The Changeover from the 12th Rome Film Fest.

The Changeover, a naturalist romance written by Margaret Mahy in 1984, has always been a classic of New Zealand’s literature for young adults. Thirty-three years later, Miranda Harcourt and Stuart McKenzie have finally adapted it for the big screen. Their work was screened as part of the Alice della Citta’ strand of the 12th Rome Film Fest, where we met the directors along with the lead actress of the film, Erana James. They describe the genesis of the film, which dates back to when Harcourt was a fresh-faced drama school student and read Mahy’s book on National Radio – one of her first ever jobs. Later, at one of her acting classes, she met James and found that she resembled the image of the book’s heroine, Laura Chant, that she had in mind when she read the book. Years later, Harcourt married McKenzie and got him on board for the project. James had just turned 16; the perfect age to play the lead character. When Timothy Spall finally accepted to intepret the role of the villain, the project got financed and The Changeover became real.

THE CHANGEOVER. In post-earthquake Christchurch, teenager Laura Chant (Erana James) cares for her younger brother Jacko (Benji Purchase) while their mum Kate (Melanie Lynskey) is at work. After school one day Laura loses Jacko, only to find him playing in a pop-up shop filled with strange toys. The creepy old shop-owner, Carmody Braque (Timothy Spall) gives Jacko a stamp on his hand and sends them on their way.But Jacko suddenly begins to get sick and Laura realises there’s more to Braque, and the stamp, than she had first realised. Fearing that something supernatural is at work and desperate to save her little brother, Laura seeks help from Sorensen Carlisle (Nicholas Galitzine), a prefect at her school to whom she is mysteriously drawn.Laura discovers that Sorenson is from a family of witches. Sorensen’s mum (Lucy Lawless) reveals the only way Laura can save Jacko is to ‘change over’ and become a witch to defeat the evil ancient spirit, Braque.

For more information, go to http://www.thechangeovermovie.com/

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PODCAST| Chiara Nicoletti interviews Rosamund Pike, actress of the film Hostiles.

Rosamund Pike is the protagonist of the western film Hostiles opening the 12th edition of Rome Film Fest. She explains how director Scott Cooper’s script was so detailed that she only had to experience this journey through her character and nothing more. Pike remarks on the fact that her Rosalee Quaid is a strong woman behaving as a woman and not imitating men as heroines are often portrayed nowadays in films. She is a female counterpart to Christian Bale’s character and the only one capable of convincing him of his good qualities as a captain and as a human being.

Hostiles: 1892. The legendary army captain Joseph J. Blocker reluctantly agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne Indian chief and his family back to their tribal lands. The two erstwhile antagonists face a voyage that is a genuine odyssey: a thousand-mile march from Fort Berringer, an isolated outpost in New Mexico, to the prairies of Montana. During the journey they meet a young widow whose family has been murdered in those very prairies, and now they will all struggle to stay alive in that pitiless landscape, with its hostile Comanche tribes.

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PODCAST| Chiara Nicoletti interviews Janus Metz Pedersen, director of the film Borg McEnroe.

When we think about tennis rockstars and important matches, the first names that still come into our mind, even before Sampras/Agassi or Federer/Nadal are Borg/McEnroe and their legendary duel back in Wimbledon finals of 1980. With Borg McEnroe director Janus Metz Pedersen decided not only to bring this final match to the big screen but to get deeper into the childhood and psychology of these two great champions to show the world and the audience how great athletes and sportsmen think alike, struggling to excel and reach something extraordinary. Borg McEnroe just won the Audience Award at the 12th Rome Film Fest and it might be because it focuses as much on the characters as it does on the geometry of the game and its esthetics. Janus Metz Pedersen also comments on the big efforts and great work of the protagonists Sverrir Gudnason (Borg) and Shia Lebeouf (McEnroe) and how Bjorn Borg’s son played the part of his father when he was 14 years old. Leo Borg is also a professional tennis players, among the best in his category.

Borg McEnroe  is a film about one of the world’s greatest icons Björn Borg and his biggest rival, the young and talented John McEnroe and their legendary duel during the 1980’s Wimbledon tournament. It’s a story about two men that became legends and the price they had to pay.

For the official website of the film, click here.

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PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Gerard Butler, actor of the film Geostorm, distributed in Italian cinemas from November 1st.

Who controls the weather, controls the world – the logline to the new film starring Gerard Butler, Geostorm. Directed by Dean Devlin, the film deals with the world after climate change has had its effects on the Earth and only a network of satellites created by Jake Lawson (Gerard Butler) can control the natural disasters. In Rome for the Italian release of the film, Gerard Butler describes how he felt connected to the story through its family elements, the father-daughter relationship and the complicated one Jake Lawson has with his little brother Max Lawson (Jim Sturgess). According to Butler, a disaster movie mixed with a conspiracy theory, targeted at a bigger audience, can be more effective than other forms of art in creating awareness on climate change and the ecological crisis the world is going through at the moment. Butler, who in the past has acted and sung in musicals (The Phantom of the Opera) admits he misses singing and playing in a musical and promises to think about a comeback.

Geostorm:  After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world’s leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong—the system built to protect the Earth is attacking it, and it’s a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything…and everyone along with it. Dean Devlin (writer/producer, Independence Day) makes his feature film directorial debut with suspense thriller Geostorm, starring Gerard Butler (Olympus Has Fallen, 300), Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas), Abbie Cornish (Limitless), Alexandra Maria Lara (Rush), Daniel Wu (The Man with the Iron Fists, Warcraft: The Beginning), with Oscar nominees Ed Harris (The Hours, Apollo 13) and Andy Garcia (The Godfather: Part III). Butler stars as Jake, a scientist who, along with his brother, Max, played by Sturgess, is tasked with solving the satellite program’s malfunction. Cornish stars as Secret Service agent Sarah Wilson; Lara as Ute Fassbinder, the ISS astronaut who runs the space station; Wu as Cheng, the Hong Kong-based supervisor for the Dutch Boy Program; with Garcia as U.S. President Andrew Palma; and Harris as Secretary of State Leonard Dekkom. The film also stars Adepero Oduye (The Big Short, 12 Years a Slave), Amr Waked (Lucy, Syriana), Robert Sheehan (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Season of the Witch) and Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included). The film, written by Dean Devlin & Paul Guyot, is being produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Devlin, and Skydance’s Dana Goldberg. Herbert W. Gains and Electric Entertainment’s Marc Roskin are the executive producers. Rachel Olschan of Electric Entertainment and Cliff Lanning co-produce. The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Roberto Schaefer (Finding Neverland, Quantum of Solace), production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli (White House Down), costume designer Susan Matheson (The Big Short,Safehouse) and VFX supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun (Clash of the Titans, The Day the Earth Stood Still). A Warner Bros. Pictures and Skydance presentation, Geostorm is a joint venture between Skydance and Electric Entertainment, Inc. Set to hit theaters October 20, 2017, it will be distributed in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX, by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

For the official website of the film, click here.

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PODCAST| Chiara Nicoletti interviews Sakaris Storà, director of the film Dreams By The Sea.

FRED’s Chiara Nicoletti interviews Sakaris Storà, director of Dreams By The Sea, film in competition at Alice nella Città 2017. The film is set in the Faroe Islands where the director was born and it is a coming of age depicting the friendship between two girls, Ragna and Ester, both facing the demons of growing up in a very different way. According to Storà, there are many coming of age moments in life and it doesn’t only happen when reality, in adolescence, starts to kick in and changes our dreams and destiny. The director explains how he decided to experience this difficult moment in everybody’s life by looking at the feminine side of the story as it was more challenging, interesting and nuanced.

Dreams By The Sea: Ester lives with her religious parents on an isolated island. When new girl Ragna moves to the island, Ester gets to experience a summer of fun, young love and big dreams. But summer doesn’t last long on the Faroe Islands, and soon reality catches up with the girls.

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PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Aida Begic, director of the film Never Leave Me.

Filmmaker Aida Begic presented her latest feature film, Never Leave Me, at the inaugural edition of the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival in China. Her new feature tells the story of children and post-war trauma. In preparing the film, she spent months working with aid groups and displaced Syrian families and orphans. She talks about the process, and how Never Leave Me mixes reality and fiction, something that interests her and informs her work as a filmmaker. Begic also discusses the fact that despite the serious and dramatic context of Never Leave Me, the film feels optimistic in representing the complexity of life, which is never truly black and white.

Never Leave Me:  This is a story about pain, search for meaning in life and friendship of orphaned. Syrian boys – Isa, Ahmed, and Muataz – who live a difficult life as refugees in the magical, mythical Turkish city of Sanliurfa. In their search for recovery from traumatic past, the children will cross the path from destructiveness and hostility to meaningfulness and love. By finding friends in each other, the boys will find their inner peace.

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PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Jia Zhang-ke, founder of the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival.

Filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke has spearheaded Chinese films in the international film festival scene for many years, with such titles as Mountains May Depart (2015) and the Golden Lion winning feature Still Life (2009). Having traveled with his own movies to various film festivals all over the world, he launched this year the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival in the ancient city of Pingyao, in his native region of Shanxi, China. In this interview, he talks about the history and culture of the city and the region, and the process of cultural development that is currently taking place in Shanxi, a process in which Jia Zhang-ke is playing a major role. He also talks to us about the Pingyao Crouching Tiger International Film Festival, the idea behind it and how, for instance, the use of the title of the famous and celebrated Ang Lee movie describes it.

Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival (PYIFF) was initiated by Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke and prestigious festival director Marco Müller. The inaugural edition of PYIFF will take place between October 28th to November 4th, 2017. Held in the magnificent ancient city of Pingyao, PYIFF will celebrate the latest achievements in international cinema, as well as promoting works from young Chinese directors.

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PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Marco Müller, artistic director of the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival.

Marco Müller is the artistic director of the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival in Pingyao, Shanxi, China. A new and exciting festival, launched this year, and subtitled Pingyao Year Zero, Müller defines it as a “boutique festival,” and tells us what he means by that. The reaction of the festival has been encouraging, and Müller does not hide his excitement. He tells us about the inaugural program, and the healthy and vibrant mixture of titles from both China and the international scene, pointing out that screenings and events have been attended by many young spectators who have traveled from all corners of the country. Beyond the spectacle provided by the screening, Müller sees the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival as an opportunity for interaction and exchange of ideas in what he claims will soon become the most international film market in the world.

Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival (PYIFF) was initiated by Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke and prestigious festival director Marco Müller. The inaugural edition of PYIFF will take place between October 28th to November 4th, 2017. Held in the magnificent ancient city of Pingyao, PYIFF will celebrate the latest achievements in international cinema, as well as promoting works from young Chinese directors.

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PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Lai Kuo-An, director of the film A Fish Out of Water.

Filmmaker Lai Kuo-An talks to FRED about his feature film, A Fish Out of Water, which was screened at the inaugural edition of the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival in China. Lai Kuo An’s film is an interesting family drama, apparently simple, but concealing a fascinating philosophy of life, which he describes in this interview.

A Fish Out of Water:  A young boy searches a small fishing village for his parents from a past life.

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