FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | Listen to a clip from Vladas Rožėnas, Lithuanian ambassador at the 2016 edition of 28 Times Cinema at Venezia 73.

To listen to the podcast, click on the ► icon on the right, just above the picture

The post Vladas Rožėnas – 28 Times Cinema #Venezia73 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Vatche Boulghourjian, director, and Cynthia Zaven, composer of the film Tramontane from the 60th BFI London Film Festival.

A Lebanese young man, a blind musician looking to go on a tour of Europe with his choir, suddenly and accidentally finds out that he may not be who he thinks he is – or who he was told he is – when he encounters problems upon requesting a new passport. This is the starting point of Tramontane, directed by Vatche Boulghourjian, which tells a story about identity and past, but also of music and family among other things.

We ask him about his decision of having a blind character as the central character of Tramontane and he reveals the ways in which he used this element but also how this blindness affected the ways in which the film was made and, revealingly, how it was shot. In his answer, he also talks about the fantastic performance of the actor playing said character, who really is blind in his life as well as a talented musician.

Speaking of music, as mentioned earlier, music is a very important element in the film, also because it comes straight from the Lebanese tradition. This is why it was priceless to be joined by the music supervisor and composer of the film’s score, Cynthia Zaven. It is she who reveals that Boulghourjian is a musician himself, though he humbly refuses to be called a musician.

Nevertheless, his sensibilities to the dramatic nature of Lebanese music certainly influences this film as a whole, fittingly places in the BFI London Film Festival’s section named Journey, as it is indeed a journey – the journey of a man looking for his origins and making plenty of discoveries along the way.

TRAMONTANE. Things begin to unravel unexpectedly when young blind musician Rabih applies for a passport to go on tour with his choir – doubt is cast on whether his documents are real, setting into motion a quest for his true identity. Rabih’s mother is unable to give him answers, whilst his uncle, once a celebrated general, disappears as Rabih’s questions multiply. As he sets out for villages across Lebanon in search of the truth, we begin to understand the sheer magnitude of the layers of collective silence that permeate the country’s recent past. In his first acting role, real-life musician Barakat Jabbour’s portrayal of Rabih’s drive and persistence is deeply moving, and his musical performances are magnetic and defiant. Boulghourjian’s poetic and sensitive debut, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics’ Week, is also a poignant reminder of the role of culture and storytelling in relaying truths and understanding the amnesia that surrounds complex histories.

The post Vatche Boulghourjian, Cynthia Zaven – Tramontane #LFF2016 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla, director of An Insignificant Man from the 60th BFI London Film Festival.

Who is Arvind Kejriwal? In short, he was an outsider that successfully infiltrated Indian politics and went from being a whistleblower to a representative of the people in the Indian elections. Kejriwal, regarded a controversial and outspoken figure in Indian politics, is also the central subject of the documentary An Insignificant Man, directed and produced by Khushboo Ranka, Vinay Shukla, who we met with for an interview at the 60th BFI London Film Festival, where the film was screened in teh documentary competition.

They give us portrait of the man, who might be unfamiliar to international audiences, which is why we also ask them how they came to know that An Insignificant man would tell a story that could indeed be told to an international audience. We ask them about the filmmaking process, how they were able to get so close to Kejriwal and his party and whether they encountered any hostility during the filming.

AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN. This compelling documentary becomes a riveting political thriller as it delves deeper into the governmental machinations of India, the world’s largest democracy. The filmmakers were given unlimited access to the nascent political career of Arvind Kejriwal, from fiery activist calling for new anti-corruption laws to a controversial politician and the face of the latest force in Indian politics: The Common Man’s Party (AAP). Kejriwal is a charismatic but flawed hero, representing the public’s rage with the political elite as he reveals how inequality is engineered through back-door cronyism and neoliberal capitalism. It’s a classic David vs Goliath scenario, with Kejriwal’s appeal and the seemingly unstoppable trajectory of his populist bandwagon creating a power shake-up that brings him into conflict with India’s mighty political establishment. As tensions escalate and sinister elements enter the fray, the AAP become subject to increased pressure from all sides and finds itself fighting for survival.

The post Khushboo Ranka, Vinay Shukla – An Insignificant Man #LFF2016 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Dain Iskander Said, director of Interchange, from the 2016 BFI London Film Festival.

To this day, there are people and tribes who believe that a photography has the power to steal your soul. Dain Iskandar Said’s film Interchange, started from this concept – it particularly was inspired by a photography depicting an old Borneo tribe cleansing themselves in a river from the effects of having been photographed.

The story has the sense of a genre film, falling somewhere between fantasy, thriller and horror, and it takes place in the modern world. We speak with the director about the challenges of working within the horror genre, and whether he sets out to expand its limits or whether he likes to begin with a concept and see if he can adapt it to a particular genre. We also ask him about the effects, impressive also due to the fact that Malaysia and Indonesia, where the film was produced, do not have effects as advanced as other countries.

There is more to Interchange than effects, which is why we also reflect upon the various themes dealt with in the film, including that of heritage and the power of the photographic image, the latter due to the fact that the object of photography plays a key role in the narrative.

INTERCHANGE. In a drag club a man has been completely drained of blood. The killer has left two signatures – the victim’s empty veins arranged in a pretty mesh and a smashed glass negative from an old plate camera. A forensics photographer with peeping-tom tendencies and an understanding of arcane photography is brought in to investigate. But his obsession with an alluring neighbour in his apartment block is giving him all kinds of shivers. This supernatural thriller is shot with impeccable style and foreboding mood, complete with rainstorm rooftop fight scenes, a hooded man with massive finger claws and an ancient curse cast upon a tribe in Borneo a hundred years ago. Malaysian director Dain Iskandar Said studied in London, where he first encountered the anthropological images that inspired this tale. Beautiful and strange, it’s a rare species of thriller that truly captures the imagination as it spreads its wings.

The post Dain Iskander Said – Interchange #LFF2016 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Asli Özge, director, and Emre Erkmen, cinematographer of the film All of a Sudden from the 60th BFI London Film Festival.

All of a Sudden begins with a dramatic and tragic event. From there on, we witness the repercussions it has on the life of the film’s protagonist Karsten, whose life is turned upside down all of a sudden. Yet, the film keeps us in the dark about some of the things that go on in his head as he goes through it all. There is a constant aura of mystery that makes the watch uncomfortable.

All of a Sudden is director Asli Özge’s first German-speaking feature, and quite a gripping one at that. There are a number of elements to be found in it that go beyond the usual clichés of the thriller genre (the film is also appropriately presented in the London Film Festival’s self-explanatory Thrill section), one of which is the fact that despite the dark nature of the film, it does not restrict itself to a claustrophobic cinematography. This is an aspect that we discuss in this interview with the cinematographer of the film Emre Erkmen.

ALL OF A SUDDEN. The first German-language film by the highly talented Turkish writer-director of Men on the Bridge and Lifelong – both of which screened at LFF – is as bold, imaginative and impressive as its predecessors. A dark psychological drama that expertly combines suspenseful unease, social satire and ethical analysis, it centres on Karsten (Hülk), a popular young professional in a quiet provincial town whose life begins to unravel after a woman dies in mysterious circumstances in his apartment after an impromptu party. What exactly happened? Indeed, who was the dead woman? Even Karsten’s loyal girlfriend Laura (Jentsch) wonders about his account of events. Özge’s sharp, elegantly structured script is well served by strong but nuanced performances, by striking, expressive camerawork (by Özge’s regular collaborator Emre Erkmen), and by her own very assured handling of the unexpected twists and tonal shifts in what is a compellingly acerbic cautionary tale.

The post Asli Özge, Emre Erkmen – All of a Sudden #LFF2016 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Dan Brown, Ron Howard, Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Omar Sy and Irrfan Khan on the film Inferno.

FRED Film Radio attended the press conference and press junket for the world premiere of Inferno.

The city of Florence is the real protagonist of the film as 90% of Inferno, the third film adapted from Dan Brown’s novels, takes place there. In this third chapter of Robert Langdon’s adventures, the famous symbolist will have to solve an “Dantesque” enigma to prevent the world from falling under a pestilential plague which might be caused by a virus created by a crazy millionaire.

At Langdon’ side, a new entry, Felicity Jones playing doctor Sienna Brooks.

Since Florence is the main location in the film, the city was chosen ton host the World premiere and the official press conference. Dan Brown, Ron Howard, Omar Sy, Felicity Jones and protagonist Tom Hanks attended. They have their own detailed ideas on their own ideas of what hell would be like, or what hell represents.

Since overpopulation is portrayed in the film as the biggest threat for humankind, Tom Hanks explains that for him, it’s not overpopulation but Ignorance to be the world’s imminent danger.

INFERNO. When Robert Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Dr. Sienna Brooks, and together they must race across Europe against the clock to foil a deadly global plot.

The post Interview with actors, director and author of “Inferno” appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Paolo Cherchi Usai, one of the founders of the Pordenone Silent Film Festival and curator of its “Canon Revisited” section.

Paolo Cherchi Usai, who is among other things the Senior Curator of the Motion Picture Department at George Eastman House, was one of the founders of Le Giornate del Cinema Muto 35 years ago.

He is the curator of the section titled “Canon Revisited,” which puts silent films often highlighted by historians, critics and other such figures as landmark titles in the history of cinema to the test.

We talk about what a canon is and whether there is a need for it in cinema. He also discusses some of the titles in the program this year, picking out a number of highlights. Given the fact that he was among the founders of this wonderful festival, we take this opportunity to ask him how he believes the festival has evolved over the years.

The post Paolo Cherchi Usai – Giornate del Cinema Muto #PordenoneSilent appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews James Curtis, author of William Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Film to Come from the 35th Pordenone Silent Film Festival.

Having written a number of must-read biographies on such classic Hollywood greats as James Whale, W.C. Fields and Preston Sturges, James Whale released his book on William Cameron Menzies, titled The Shape of Film to Come, last year (the title comes from the Menzies film Things to Come, 1936).

This year, the 35th Pordenone Silent Film Festival dedicated a section of its program to Menzies and some of the highlights from the silent period. But who was William Cameron Menzies?

In short, he was an innovator. The birth of the “production design,” the part of filmmaking dedicated to coming up with a visual concept of the film, can be traced back to him. He won the first Academy Award for Art Direction – for The Dove, released in 1923 and of which only five reels survive to this day – and worked on such productions as Gone With the Wind, The Eagle and The Thief of Baghdad to name but a very few.

The latter, starring Douglas Fairbanks, is screened at Le Giornate del Cinema Muto as the closing film, and will be accompanied by a full orchestra and a restored original score.

Curtis introduces Menzies to any of our listeners who may not be fami liar with him and the impact he had on film. He also talks about some of his works as a director, including Our Town, Things to Come and Invaders from Mars.

The post James Curtis – William Cameron Menzies #PordenoneSilent appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Eva Hieschler, curator of the Other City Symphonies section of the 35th Pordenone Silent Film Festival.

The city symphony film was a type of film that was made in the interwar years during the 20’s and 30’s. It was really a style that emerged during the silent era, but its influence on the cinematic language is unquestionable. To talk about it in more detail, we met with the curator of a section at the 35th Pordenone Silent Film Festival, Eva Hieschler, who is an expert on the topic.

The program, named Other City Symphonies (also because it is a follow up of the program presented at last year’s edition) because it highlights films that reveal that city symphonies were not only a European thing, aside from the fact that they are films that are rarely talked about, aside from the well-known masterpieces of the genre, such as Walter Ruttamnn’s Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927).

Aside from talking about some of the films in this year’s program, Eva discusses what it is that defines this type of film as well as what type of directors were making them.

The post Eva Hielscher – City symphonies #PordenoneSilent appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews David Robinson, film critic and former artistic director of the Pordenone Silent Film Festival.

If you have an interest in film history and criticism, chances are, you have read at least some of David Robinson‘s writings on cinema. The usual FRED introduction here is skipped for a reason – the list of the things Robinson has done and continues to do would have been too lengthy. Also, given the fact that we are in Pordenone for the Silent Film Festival, it is almost obligatory about his almost two decades as the festival’s director and the festival’s evolution during this time.

This year, the festival celebrated its 35th edition, and it is the first edition of Robinson as a spectator: “now I know why people like this festival so much,” he says. After talking about the festival we get into a discussion of silent cinema in general and how silent cinema can be promoted to a modern audience, as well as whether or not an audience naturally reacts differently to silent cinema than contemporary cinema (or even just any ‘talkie’).

In the second part of the interview, Robinson, the official biographer of Charlie Chaplin, reveals some inside scoop on his latest book on Chaplin that he is currently writing, and will focus on the film that Chaplin was working on before he died, and which was therefore never made.

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