FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews James Toback, director of the film The Private Life of a Modern Woman.

James Toback presented his latest film, The Private Life of a Modern Woman, out of competition at the 74th Venice International Film Festival. He stopped by our studio in Venice to talk about it. He tells us that he has been a fan of Sienna Miller, the lead actress of the film, for many years and, indeed, that the film was conceived and written for her. Toback also talks about the dreamlike feel of the movie, and more.

The Private Life of a Modern Woman:  Vera Lockman, a successful actress, living alone in a stunning New York loft, thrashes during a nightmare in which she struggles with, shoots and kills her drug-dealer, ex-boyfriend, Sal. Jolted awake, she reveals in her journal that the killing in her nightmare actually occurred the day before and that Sal, dead, lies in a trunk in her living room. Leon, Vera’s lover, arrives and is dismissed, permanently. Franklin, a filmmaker/ friend, stops by, concerned. He grills Vera, provoking confusion and a hint of dread. Vera drives the trunk to an isolated area and rolls it into a lake. She returns to her loft and is startled by a narcotics detective, McCutcheon, who asks about Sal. Vera believes that McCutcheon accepts her false story. Vera serves dinner to her beloved but decaying grandfather, Arthur, and her mother, Elaine. Carl Icahn, Arthur’s former high school classmate, stops by afterward. Vera and Carl connect emotionally. The next day Vera, calm for the first time, writes. Her mood is shattered by the crescendo of police sirens. She springs to the window and sees McCutcheon. Their eyes meet. Arrest awaits her.

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PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews George Clooney, Julianne Moore, Matt Damon and Alexandre Desplat, director, actors and composer of the film Suburbicon.

George Clooney presented Suburbicon in competition at the 74th Venice International Film Festival. The film is based on a Coen Brothers screenplay and features among its cast Julianne Moore and Matt Damon. It was also scored by Alexandre Desplat, who not too long ago headed the cometition jury of this very same festival. All three mentioned stopped by our studio for a quick chat about the film, answering questions about their characters, the power of cynical comedies, and more.

Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns… the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge must navigate the town’s dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit, and violence. This is a tale of very flawed people making very bad choices. This is Suburbicon.

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PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Emre Yeksan,  director of the film The Gulf.

FRED has the pleasure to meet Emre Yeksan, director of The Gulf, here in Venice in the International Critic’s Week selection.

The Gulf: leaving behind a ruined career and a bitter divorce, Selim returns to his hometown Izmir. Unwilling to make plans for the future, he wanders around revisiting his past: family, schoolmates, an ex-lover. He runs into Cihan, a friend from the military service, an idler with a charming energy. As people start leaving Izmir due to a terrible smell caused by a mysterious maritime accident, Selim finds himself gradually drawn to a new world where he will go back embracing the possibilities of life.

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PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Tzahi Grad and Ala Dakka, director and actor of the film Ha Ben Dod.

Tzahi Grad and Ala Dakka join us in our Venice studio for a brief and yet intense introduction to their film Ha Ben Dod, a portrayal of a big issue through the lives of a small reality in Israel.

Ha Ben Dod : a well-intentioned Arab-Muslim handyman upends the day-to-day lives of the locals in a small Israeli village. Shortly after his arrival, a young woman is assaulted and the community quickly turns accusatory. His employer is the only one who believes him, but even those loyalties are tested as more information and secrets are uncovered.

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PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Frederick Wiseman, director of the film Ex Libris – The New York Public Library.

FRED has the honour of meeting Frederick Wiseman, once again at the Lido with his latest work Ex Libris – New York Public Library.

Ex Libris – New York Public Library: Frederick Wiseman’s film, Ex Libris – The New York Public Library, goes behind the scenes of one of the greatest knowledge institutions of the world. The film reveals the library as a place of welcome, cultural exchange and learning to 18 million patrons and 32 million online visitors annually. There are 92 library branches throughout Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. The NYPL is committed to being a resource for all the inhabitants of this multifaceted and cosmopolitan city. It is accessible, open to everyone and exemplifies the deeply rooted American belief in the individual’s right to know and be informed. The library is one of the most democratic institutions in America—all races, social classes and ethnicities are welcome and are active participants in the life and work of the library. The library strives to inspire learning, advance knowledge and strengthen communities.

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PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Verena Paravel and Lucien Castaing Taylor,  directors of the film Caniba.

Verena Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor are the directors of Caniba, a documentary on the life and psyche of Isei Sagawa, a man who satisfied a primordial instinct of humanity: anthropophagy.

Caniba is a fresco about flesh and desire. It reflects on the discomforting significance of cannibalism in human existence through the prism of one Japanese man, Issei Sagawa, and his mysterious relationship with his brother, Jun Sagawa.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Sara Forestier, director of the film M.

Sara Forestier talks to FRED about her latest work, M, presented in the Giornate degli Autori of the 74th Venice International Film Festival. She also plays the leading role in the movie. We discuss the themes the film talks about, especially love and language, and the story behind her decision of playing the lead character of M as well as directing and writing the movie. During the interview, she also voices her love of and influence from silent cinema. (We also thank Lilia Pino Bluin for her assistance in the recording of this interview).

M: Lila and Mo meet at a bus stop. Lila has a paralysing speech impediment. Mo is chatty and exuberant. Lila is preparing for her exams. Mo illegally races cars for a living. Opposites attract, and they fall in love. But Mo carries a secret burden.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Kirsten Dunst and Pilou Asbaek,  directors and actors of the film Woodshock.

Woodshock by Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy was presented at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in the Cinema nel Giardino strand. The director stopped at our studio in Venice to chat about it, alongside the actors in the film, Kirsten Dunst and Pilou Asbaek. During the interview, the name of Tarkovsky is brought up, as this is we talk about Woodshock as a hypnotic exploration of isolation, paranoia, and grief where things “happen,” as well as a film that has a real “skin.” We also ask the actors what it was like to connect with this psychological energy of the film during their process of connecting with their respective characters, and another interesting terms pop up, some related to the concept of “artistic freedom.”

Woodshock is a hypnotic exploration of isolation, paranoia, and grief that exists in a dreamworld all on its own. Theresa, a haunted young woman spiraling in the wake of profound loss, is torn between her fractured emotional state and the reality-altering effects of a potent cannabinoid drug. Immersive, spellbinding, and sublime, Woodshock transcends genre to become a singularly thrilling cinematic experience.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews James Lester,  director of the film Getting Naked: A Burlesque Story.

Director James Lester presented his documentary, Getting Naked: A Burlesque Story, at the Giornate degli Autori of the 74th Venice International Film Festival. The documentary takes a look at the world of burlesque dancing in a verité style: he tells us more about why he decided to use this particular approach and why he became interested in burlesque. Lester also tells us about working on various projects at the same time, and the positive impact it ultimately had on his final work.

Getting Naked: A Burlesque Story peels back the curtain to reveal the sexy sub-culture of the neo- burlesque scene in New York City. This vérité documentary intimately follows four performers, each of whom has discovered a newfound identity and belonging in a world of bawdy comedy and striptease. However, they find that all that glitters is not necessarily gold, as this liberating community does not insulate from the harsh realities of sexism, illness and existential crisis. Getting Naked explores what it means to be an artist, an entertainer, and a woman in the toughest city on Earth..

For the official page of the film on the Festival website, click here.

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