FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | Melita Cameron-Wood interviews Marie Pons, dance film producer at All We Can Do Is Dance and dance critic.

Marie Pons works as a short dance film producer and dance critic. She is passionate about improvised dance and the way in which the camera can be used in an equally improvisatory fashion to capture this unique form of movement. She explains how short dance films are a relatively new form and her excitement at the room for experimentation and innovation that they provide. We met at Lago Film Fest, where her recent film Ocean’s Memories (directed by Bertrand Guerry and Thibault Ras) was screened as part of the Moving Bodies section of Lago Film Festival. Marie Pons is interested in collaborating with local dancers in European towns and cities in order to create a selection of European dance films that incorporate improvised dances and unique locations. This project is always looking for people who might be interested in working together with the team and Marie encourages people to get in touch if they feel there is some common interest. Ocean’s Memories is an exploration of four dancers’ interactions with the outside world. As the name suggests, the beach and the ocean provide a scenic backdrop for the dancers’ movements. The ocean tide comes back and forth, just like memories are written and then gone with time. The imprint of our memories is outlined and then fades away inexorably. Ocean’s memories unfolds as an encounter between a dancer and a musician, musing along on a deserted beach. In the cold light, in the wind, by the water and the golden sand, the elements mix to accompany their vivid choreography. As the dancers and the landscape carry us away we are swept into the swirl of moving bodies and moving images, leaving us in anticipation of what the world of dance films will bring us.

Ocean’s Memories: four dancers emerge on a beach. The movements of nature and the human body combine in wondrous harmony. A physical exploration of love, loss and the power of the elements takes us on an unexpected journey.

For the official website of the film, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Emer Reynolds, director of the film The Farthest.

Director Emer Reynolds talks about her latest documentary feature, The Farthest. The film had its Irish premiere at the 29th Galway Film Fleadh and, as Reynolds tells us in this interview, it brings together her love of space travel and her love of films. The director also tells us that she was always very aware of the story of Voyager, the little spaceship that was shot off into space in the late 70’s – “a very spacey age” – with the aim of, among other things, reaching out to “occupants of interplanetary crafts” by carrying a Golden Records bearing recordings and images of Earth. In this interview, she talks about the various elements that led to the final film, from the stunning cinematography and special effects to the clever use of archive footage, and the contributions of the people who played key roles in the Voyager mission, and more.

The Farthest: it is one of humankind’s greatest achievements. More than 12 billion miles away, a tiny spaceship is leaving our solar system and entering the void of deep space – the first human-made object ever to do so. Slowly dying within its heart is a nuclear generator that will beat for perhaps another decade before the lights on Voyager finally go out. But this little craft will travel on for millions of years, carrying a Golden Record bearing recordings and images of life on Earth. In all likelihood, Voyager will outlive humanity. The Farthest will celebrate these magnificent machines, the men and women who built them and the vision that propelled them farther than anyone could ever have hoped.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Gerard Walsh, director of the film Release.

Director Gerard Walsh talks about his latest feature film, Release, which was presented at the 29th Galway Film Fleadh. In this interview, Walsh tells us about his interest in mixed martial arts and “redemption films,” and how they influenced the film. He also tells us that the style and story of Release were very much influenced by his earlier short film, Bound. Walsh also tells us about the journey of making the film and the various challenges he encountered along the way. “I like to have the pressure on,” he says.

Release: after spending several years locked up for armed robbery, disgraced boxer Andrew Keating is granted early release. As he struggles to find his purpose in life, he finds the sport of mixed martial arts and begins to thrive, but when his criminal past rears its ugly head, Andrew must face his demons in order to live his life.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews James Creedon, director of the film Thanks to Your Noble Shadow.

Director James Creedon talks about his documentary, Thanks to Your Noble Shadow. The film was shown during the 29th Galway Film Fleadh. Thanks to Your Noble Shadow looks at the life of Jennie O’Sullival, one of Ireland’s last Catholic missionary nuns. She spent 75 years in Japan before returning to her native land. Just after her 100th birthday, she decided to have her memories recorded by her younger cousin, James. In this interview, Creedon talks to us about the journey of the making of Thanks to Your Noble Shadow – one that, as he says, totally transformed him as a person. The film, he explained, evolved during production. Here, he also discusses some of the themes dealt with in the film, such as mortality and the Catholic religion. He also tells us about the use of archive footage in Thanks to Your Noble Shadow and the challenges of making his first feature.

Thanks to Your Noble Shadow: after 75 years in Japan, Jennie O’Sullivan has returned to her native Ireland. Just after her 100th birthday, this energetic, elderly nun agrees to have her memories recorded by her younger cousin, James. Over one year, they voyage together through the various episodes in her epic life story. It begins in the staunchly Catholic Ireland of her youth, which she left in 1935, and continues in Paris where the Order she belonged to was founded. Later in Japan, James discovers a wellspring of love for Jennie amongst a legion of adoring past pupils. What is it about this woman that sees past pupils travel thousands of miles to visit her in Ireland? Interspersed with archive footage of Ireland and Japan in the early 20th century, this biographical film weaves a journey through Irish and Japanese history as well as Eastern and Western spiritual traditions.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Katrina Costello, director of the film The Silver Branch.

Director Katrina Costello talks about The Silver Branch, her feature debut, which had its world premiere at the 29th Galway Film Fleadh. The film is a poetic documentary inspired by the wild landscape of the Burren in County Clare, Ireland. It is also driven by the words and presence of Patrick McCormack, a farmer and poet who has lived off the Burren like his descendants. Costello talks about the experience of making her first feature and what prompted it to make it about the Burren. She also discusses the aspects of her filmmaking journey through the movie, from the cinematography to the editing process, and shares with us her thoughts on the deeper themes concealed in The Silver Branch.

The Silver Branch is a philosophical vision-poem on the life of farmer/poet Patrick McCormack, descendant of the generations of farmers who have lived off the wild landscape of the Burren in County Clare. Patrick and his rural community are drawn into a divisive battle with the Government, leading him and a small group of friends to the Supreme Court to decide on the fate of this iconic wilderness. Through Patrick’s eyes, and in his words, this beautifully shot film immerses us in the exquisite texture of the natural world, bringing us a rare glimpse of a disappearing way of life with all its richness and roguery, and leading to a deep connection with the Earth and our ancestral wild spirit. And though it is centred around one man’s life and a bitter-sweet end-of-era evocation, it explores much deeper themes: the relationship between man and landscape, between tradition and spirit, between body and soul. The Silver Branch is a story of hope – hope that we as individuals can make a difference to our universe.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Robert Mullan, director of the film Mad to Be Normal.

Robert Mullan presented his latest film, Mad to Be Normal, at the 29th Galway Film Fleadh. The film talks about R.D. Laing, a Scottish psychiatrist who wrote extensively on mental illness, and is particularly remembered for his radical LSD experiments in the 1960’s. Mullan talks about why he decided to make a movie about Laing, and the fact that he wanted to avoid stereotyping mentally ill people. He also talked about his collaboration with his cast – headed by David Tennant in the role of Laing, and featuring Elizabeth Moss and Gabriel Byrne – and crew. Mullan also discusses his personal opinion on Laing’s psychiatry, his upcoming project based on the life of James Joyce, and more.

Mad to Be Normal reveals the story of R.D. Laing, the famous psychiatrist and one of Scotland’s greatest ever minds. Working out of Kingsley Hall in East London throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Laing performed various daring experiments on people who were diagnosed as mentally disturbed. His revolutionary methods involved experimenting with LSD on his patients and practicing a form of self-­healing known as metanoia, causing outrage and controversy in the medical profession and radically changing attitudes and perceptions of mental health around the world.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Patrick Farrelly, co-director of the film Jaha’s Promise.

Patrick Farrelly presented his film Jaha’s Promise, which he co-directed with Kate O’Callaghan, at the 29th Galway Film Fleadh. This documentary talks about the life of Jaha Dukareh, a Gambian anti-female genital mutilation campaigner and activist her country of birth to confront the harmful tradition. Farrelly talks the challenges of making a documentary about this particularly delicate topic and approaching a documentary without knowing what the outcomes and developments of the story will be. Other topics discussed in the interview include the origins of the project, how Farrelly was able to connect with West Africa (a place he had never been to before), and more.

Jaha’s Promise is the story of a young woman’s battle against extraordinary odds to eradicate the practices that almost destroyed her life: child marriage and female genital mutilation. When Jaha was 15 she was brought to New York from her native Gambia to marry a middle-aged man she had never met before. Jaha escaped the ‘marriage’ and 10 years later returned home to launch a campaign that puts her on a collision course with her own family and society’s traditions. The documentary is the story of that struggle, a narrative of success and setbacks until she achieves a stunning victory that brings radical change to her society. For the girl who was powerless in the face of those who diminished and banished her, it is a moment when she feels close to recovering her identity, closer to finding peace.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews James Demo, director of the film The Peacemaker.

Director James Demo presented his film The Peacemaker at the 29th Galway Film Fleadh. The documentary is an intimate portrait of international peacemaker Padraig O’Malley. But, as Demo himself states in this interview, it is more about the “why” he does what he does than the “how.” The director also explains that he didn’t necessarily set out to make a documentary, but that Padraig’s story was very unique. He tells us what it is that interested him about Padraig, the personal connection between Padraig and his work, how he was able to establish a level of trust with him, and more.

The Peacemaker is an intimate portrait of international peacemaker Padraig O’Malley, who helps make peace for others but struggles to find it for himself. The film takes us from Padraig’s isolated life in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to some of the most dangerous crisis zones on Earth – from Northern Ireland to Kosovo, Nigeria to Iraq – over five years – as he works a peacemaking model based on his recovery from addiction. We meet Padraig in the third act of his life in a race against time to find some kind of salvation for both the world and himself.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

The Peacemaker – Trailer from Central Square Films on Vimeo.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Aisling Walsh, director of the film Maudie.

Aisling Walsh talks about her film Maudie, which was featured in the program of the 29th Galway Film Fleadh. The film is based on the life of Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis, here interpreted by the great actress Sally Hawkins. Ethan Hawke is also featured in the movie and plays the part of Maud’s husband. Walsh talks about Maud Lewis and how she became involved in the project. Later in the interview, she also talks about how her training in painting influences her filmmaking. Other topics discussed include working with Hawkins and Hawke on the film, the “love story” aspect of Maudie, the importance of landscape in the film, and more.

Maudie is based on the true story of folk artist Maud Lewis (Sally Hawkins) and the unlikely romance between Maud and a hardened reclusive bachelor, Everett Lewis (Ethan Hawke). Maud, a bright-eyed, intelligent woman, hunched with crippled arthritic hands, yearns to be independent from her overprotective family. She escapes her solitary existence through her art, dreaming away the days, until in her early 30s she finds, and answers, an ad for a housekeeper. Everett Lewis is a 40-year-old bachelor. Tall, skinny and shabby, abandoned by his parents at a very young age, he has nevertheless managed to become a proud and self-sufficient man, largely by collecting scraps and peddling fish. He lives in a 10×12 foot house that has neither running water nor electricity, but at least it’s all his.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Tom Holland and Jon Watts, actor and director of the film Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Director Jon Watts and actor Tom Holland have traveled around the world to introduce Spider-Man: Homecoming, the first chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe dedicated to the teenager superhero. In Rome, Tom Holland reveals how he wanted his Spider-Man to be a real teenager, enthusiastic about his superpowers but at the same time having to face adolescence and its big and complicated issues. Spiderman is an entry level superhero and so is the villain he has to fight against: The Vulture played by Michael Keaton. After Batman and Birdman, the actor portrays a working class villain who thinks capitalism has ruined the world. In the Marvel cinematic universe where everything takes place, capitalism is represented by Tony Stark/Iron Man aka Robert Downey Jr. Tom Holland shares a lot of anecdotes with the audience, from his “unusual” way of finding out he got the part to the first time he wore the Spiderman costume and his weird first encounter with Robert Downey Jr.

Spider-Man: Homecoming: young Peter Parker/Spiderman (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.

For the film official website, click here

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