FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | Samantha Sartori interviews Akihiro Shiota and Yuki Mamiya, director and actress of the film Wet Woman in the Wind – Kaze ni Nureta Onna.

At the North American Premier of Wet woman in the wind we met the director Akihiro Shiota and the protagonist Yuki Mamiya. We talk about how Shiota was involved in this project and the challenge for Yuki Mamiya to play a very physically intense role in this unique and unforgettable interpretation of a genre that reveals a new twist: the role of the woman. Thanks to the interpreter Yuko Torihara.

Wet Woman in the Wind – Kaze ni Nureta Onna: a tornado of unbridled sexual desire is unleashed when a free-spirited seductress sets her sights on a reclusive playwright in this stream-of-consciousness tale. This striking entry in Nikkatsu’s “Roman Porno” redux series transcends its sexploitation raison d’être by featuring a character who overturns the inhibitions of all who cross her path. Director Shiota cuts to the chase, taking advantage of the subgenre’s sparse requirements: there’s a sex scene every ten minutes with a total running time no longer than 80 minutes. The gleefully anarchic plot explores the human psyche through sexuality within a psychodrama that is as hilarious as it is titillating. Featuring a tour de force performance by Yuki Mamiya, Wet Woman in the Wind may prove to be the visceral climax of the series. North American Premiere.

For the official page of the festival, click here

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PODCAST | Samantha Sartori interviews Mikhail Red and Arnold Reyes, director and actor of the film Birdshot.

We meet Mikhail Red, a new talent from the Philippines. The 24 year-old director talks about his second feature film, Birdshot, already awarded the “Asian Future Best Film Award” at Tokyo International Film Festival 2016. Red was also recognized as best New Director at Vancouver Film Fest for his first feature film, Rekorder. The star of the movie, Arnold Reyes, joined our conversation and discussed his experience on the set of one of the strongest movies of this year’s festival.

Birdshot: in this intense, slow-burning thriller, farm girl Maya inadvertently commits a crime while practicing her rifle skills out in the wild. As the local police start investigating this incident they make a shocking discovery that leads to a different, truly disturbing case. Young altruistic policeman Diego pursues this mystery but is hindered by his world-weary and corrupt senior officers. Featuring a tour de force performance by newcomer Mary Joy Apostol as Maya, Birdshot folds biting social commentary into a cleverly nuanced screenplay. Buoyed by dynamic visual storytelling rich in metaphor, this deliberately paced parable about modern day Filipino society sinks its claws into you, proving director Mikhail Red one of the most eloquent voices in Asian cinema today.

For the official page of the festival, click here

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Rachel Israel, director of the film Keep the Change.

Director Rachel Israel presented her feature film Keep the Change, a romantic comedy set within a community of adults on the autism spectrum, in the official competition of the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In this interview, Israel reveals to us that the cast, also on the autism spectrum, was committed to the project before the writing of the screenplay began, and that they were very much involved in the creative process during the making of the film. Nonetheless, she also reveals that it was never her intention to make a film about autism; it was more important for her to make a movie about these particular characters. Other topics discussed include some movies that influenced her while making Keep the Change, the way in which the film’s New York’s setting influenced the movie, the use of contemporary elements in a traditional story, and more.

Keep the Change: stylish but apathetic, David meets bundle of energy Sarah at a support group. While he’s just fulfilling a court-ordered obligation, she is thrilled to be there. But as they move past their initial conflicts, they become participants in an uncommon romance that won’t yield to convention. Keep the Change is a different kind of romantic comedy about people who are not the same – like most of us.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Gustavo Salmerón, director of the film Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle.

Gustavo Salmerón presented his directorial feature debut, Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle, in the documentary films competition of the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. For his feature, Salmerón turned the camera towards his mother, as well as his family as a whole, whom he filmed for 14 years. The result of this lengthy filming process was 400 hours worth of material, which was then shaped into possibly the most charming and funniest documentary of the year. Indeed, the film is so funny that in his introduction to the movie of this interview, Salmerón calls it a “comedy” before mentioning the word “documentary.” In this interview, Salmerón talks in detail about the production, and what his mother’s reaction to this movie has been (“she doesn’t understand why this film has been selected for festivals,” he tells us). Salmerón also tells us about his background as an actor and why he decided to make a movie, as well as his ambitions of eventually making a downright fiction feature.

Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle: Julita always wanted lots of kids, a monkey, and a castle. After finally realizing these wishes, however, her family loses their property in the economic crisis. But they have not lost the disarming ease and kindheartedness that mark their domestic squabbling. A film chronicle with elements of absurd humor that serves as a madcap allegory for the contemporary situation in Spain.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Václav Kadrnka, director of the film Little Crusader.

Director Václav Kadrnka presented his second feature Little Crusader in the official competition of the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The film is based on a little-known poem by Jaroslav Vrchlicky, one of the greatest Czech lyrical poets. Kadrnka talks about how he came across this poem and why he decided to turn it into a film. He also tells us whether the fact that the poetic original source material prompted him to approach Little Crusader in a poetic way. Kadrnka defines the film as a type of “medieval road movie.” The journey is that of a father in search for his lost son. Actor Karel Roden plays the role of the father, and the director talks to us about what he asked of him, and why Roden appreciated working on this particular project. Among the many topics discussed in this movie, Kadrnka finds time to share reflect upon the prominent religious themes of Little Crusaders, how his theatrical studies shape his work as a filmmaker, and more.

Little Crusader: Little Jan, the only descendant of the knight Borek (Karel Roden), has run away from home. His anxious father sets out to find him but his despair at the fruitless search gradually starts to overpower him. Václav Kadrnka has turned out a stylistically well-contoured adaptation of the poem by Jaroslav Vrchlicky, where he employs a taciturn film form in order to encourage our imagination to engage in a poetic, cinematic pilgrimage.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Onur Saylak, director of the film More.

Director Onur Saylak talks about his film More, his first feature, presented in the official competition of the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. More is based on a novel, which was adapted into a screenplay by its author, the award-winning writer Hakan Gunday. In this interview, Saylak talks about his creative collaboration with the author – a collaboration that began with Saylak’s previous short film. He also discusses the challenges of dealing with the darker aspect of the film, such as refugees to the Zola-like endless cycle of violence handed down from generations to generations, gives us an overview of the visual style of the movie, and more.

More: fourteen-year-old Gaza lives with his father Ahad on the shores of the Aegean Sea. The intelligent kid would like to continue his studies, but Ahad sees his son’s future differently. He gets Gaza to help with his side business – smuggling refugees from the Mideast. A directing tour de force, this disturbing psychological study of an adolescent boy’s transformation under the influence of those around him bears dark tidings about the contemporary world.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Michal Blaško, director of the film Atlantis, 2003.

Fred Film Radio is media partner of the European Film Promotion (EFP) Future Frames, which presents ten outstanding young directors with their latest work at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Director Michal Blaško, from Slovakia, was among those selected this year, and he presented his short film Atlantis, 2003, at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In this interview, Blaško tells us about the road trip structure of the film, the cultural context of his film, how the credibility of the intimacy between the two leading actors of his short was essential, about his experience as part of this year’s Future Frames, and more.

Atlantis, 2003: a young Ukrainian couple plan their getaway to Germany. It’s 2003, four years before Slovakia integrates into the Schengen Area. The Slovak-Ukrainian border is controlled by smugglers and human traffickers – Martin and Denisija have no idea of the traps that await them. They only have each other but they are willing to sacrifice much to fulfill their dream.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Matei Lucaci-Grunberg, director of the film Bones for Otto.

Fred Film Radio is media partner of the European Film Promotion (EFP) Future Frames, which presents ten outstanding young directors with their latest work at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Director Matei Lucaci-Grunberg, from Romania, was among those selected this year, and he presented his short film Bones for Otto at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In this interview Lucaci-Grunberg tells us about how this film dared him to explore grounds that went well beyond his comfort zones, the challenges that this entailed, his desire and need to work both in theatre and cinema, his experience at this year’s Future Frames, and more.

Bones for Otto: two women playing the world’s oldest profession meet on a deserted road. Their employment motivations and experience, however, differ greatly. One knows the street inside out, the other is just discovering the secrets of professional prostitution. This lightly comic film presents women we often notice but rarely understand.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Maria Eriksson, director of the film Schoolyard Blues.

Fred Film Radio is media partner of the European Film Promotion (EFP) Future Frames, which presents ten outstanding young directors with their latest work at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Director Maria Eriksson, from Sweden, was among the ones selected for this year’s edition and presented her short film Schoolyard Blues at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In this interview, Eriksson reveals to us that the movie originated from her conversations about life with screenwriter Pelle Radstrom at around the same time that they fell in love. She also talks about the challenges of making a movie about children and how she facilitated her young cast’s performances. Furthermore, Eriksson talks about her experience at Future Frames and more.

Schoolyard Blues: the first day of school is generally a happy occasion full of expectation, but little John experiences it somewhat differently. His 11-year-old brother Mika unexpectedly turns up to help him with the challenges he’ll have to face in the coming years. They have a different kind of family, and Mika does everything he can to prevent it from affecting his little brother.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Liene Linde, director of the film Seven Awkward Sex Scenes. Part One.

Fred Film Radio is media partner of the European Film Promotion (EFP) Future Frames, which presents ten outstanding young directors with their latest work at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Director Liene Linde, from Latvia, was among those selected this year, and she presented her film Seven Awkward Sex Scenes. Part One. In this interview, Linde tells us that the movie talks about sex and filmmaking and that they are two things that go together well. Besides elaborating on this statement, the director also talks to us about her opinions on the representation of sex in cinema and even whether the internet is any better at representing sexuality, talks to us about the frustrations of getting a film financed and how it affects the creative process, her experience as part of this year’s Future Frames, and more – such as why the title of her short refers to it being a “part one”.

Seven Awkward Sex Scenes. Part One: a young filmmaker struggles to defend a film about her own life. Director Liene Linde plays a director who struggles for the right to shoot a film, screen it before an audience, and not back down even one inch concerning what she wants to express. Employing humor and understanding, she comments on the lives of contemporary young women, but also on the challenges of making a movie.

For the official website of the festival, click here.

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