FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Ahmed Abdullahi, director of “Francis” from Future Frames at the 51st KVIFF

Does cinema have the power to make an impact and talk about delicate and strong messages? Our conversation with AhmedAbdullahi, director and Swedish participant of the European Film Promotion’s Future Frames platform, a platform highlighting up and coming talent in the European filmmaking landscape, involves this question due to the provocative nature of the film which was screened in Karlovy Vary and directed by him; Francis.

In the film, Abdullahi tells the story of a group of West Africans working in Sweden planting trees, and their poor working conditions gradually beginning to resemble something close to slavery. On top of discussing his short film, we also talk about his experience at Future Frames and ask him to reveal some future projects and ambitions of his.

FRANCIS: Francis and nine other west Africans travel to Sweden to work planting trees. They hope to be able to earn money for their families. But once they have arrived they end up working in conditions that resemble slavery. The work is hard and the days are long – and their wages are much lower than had been promised. They work on commission and don’t earn enough to even afford a ticket home. They are stuck. Francis refuses to accept this situation. But when he protests his boss dismisses his complaints as laziness. He is told that he has to work harder. One evening Francis returns from the plantation area after what appears to have been a day of hard work. He seems to have planted every sapling. His foreman is very pleased. But his childhood friend Eric suspects that something else is going on. When Francis is then given the job of being his friends’ foreman, things come to a point. Can he be loyal to his friends and at the same time satisfy his boss? Francis is a film about friendship, loyalty and human values, about racism, greed and betrayal.

For more information on Future Frames, go to http://www.efp-online.com/en/project_talent_promotion/future_frames.php

The post Interview with Ahmed Abdullahi, director of “Francis” #FutureFrames appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Karen Vázquez Guadarrama, director of “Flower of a Thousand Colours” from Future Frames at the 51st KVIFF.

A sensorial experience. A poetic portrait. Wonderful words used by filmmaker Karen Vázquez Guadarrama to briefly describe her work, the film Flower of a Thousand Colours, with which she was selected at the 2016 edition of Future Frames, the European Film Promotion’s platform dedicated to up and coming talented directors from the European territory. There is more, as she says that she is currently entertaining the thought of re-examining the place in which the film is set, a remote Bolivian mining camp, for a feature length film this time. The subject of the film and its meditative contemplation begs the question of whether or not such studies receive different reactions from people, especially in terms of perspective from a Western viewpoint looking upon a setting that may seem

The subject of the film and its meditative contemplation begs the question of whether or not such studies receive different reactions from people, especially in terms of perspective from a Western viewpoint looking upon a setting that may seem impoverished. As Vazquez Guadarrama insists, the woman who is the central subject in the film may appear to live a sad life, but it is in fact not so, as that woman herself is quite happy and used to her routine. Besides talking about her film and the reaction the film received in Karlovy Vary, we talk about her experience as a participant in Future Frames.

FLOWER OF A THOUSAND COLOURS is an intimate portrait of Emiliana, a single mother who tries to survive in a remote Bolivian mining camp at 4897 meters above sea level. Emiliana lives with her children in the middle of the paradise like mountains of Mina Argentina. But appearances are deceptive: the life in the camp is fierce. Those who find tin eat, does who don’t, don’t eat. And because the excessive alcohol consumption in the camp, Emiliana has to be constantly aware of the dangers surrounding her family.

For more information, go to http://www.efp-online.com/en/project_talent_promotion/future_frames.php

The post Interview with Karen Vázquez Guadarrama, director of “Flower of a Thousand Colours” #FutureFrames appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Tonći Gaćina, director of “Tourism!”from Future Frames at the 51st KVIFF

A documentary about people working in the tourism sector in Croatia, in the summer. This is the charming concept of TonciGacina‘s short, Tourism!, screened as part of European Film Promotion’s 2016 Future Frames program, which highlights the up and coming talented filmmakers from all over Europe.

We talk about how he shot the film, how many hours of footage he was left with before editing and whether or not his selective editing process was based upon feeling or a general knowledge of what he wanted to have in the film before he made it. In addition, we talk about his experience at Future Frames and ask him about any future project he is currently working on, as well as whether he sees himself as a documentary filmmaker or one that may eventually dip his fingers in the fictional world.

TOURISM!: Every summer towns and cities on the Croatian coast double their population through the influx of tourists from all over the world. Tourism is today the biggest part of the Croatian economy, and it often looks like it may be the only one. Tourism! traces the fragments of various stories along the Croatian coast. Some of the locals catch and farm fish, some prepare it, and some entertain the guests… The life cycle appears never to end; faces, identities, emotions and results transcend towns and locations.

For more information on Future Frames, go to http://www.efp-online.com/en/project_talent_promotion/future_frames.php

The post Interview with Tonći Gaćina, director of “Tourism!” #FutureFrames appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Klara Kochańska, director of “Tenants” from Future Frames at the 51st KVIFF

Klara Kochańska was selected to participate in European Film Promotion’s 2016 Future Frames platform, intended to highlight the work of up and coming filmmakers from different parts of the European continent.

Her film Tenants, she reveals, was inspired by a true story and she also talks about some of her influences in making the film; among them, Roman Polanski (who made a similarly titled psychological thriller in 1976, The Tenant.) Besides talking about Tenants, Kochanska also offers her insightful observations on her experiences at Future Frames this year and what a learning experience it has been. Besides this we also talk about he future plans and projects, one of which seems quite adventurous.

TENANTS: Justine, a lonely woman in her thirties, buys an indebted apartment on a bailiffs auction. On the day she wants to move in, she discovers that the keys she was given don’t match the door. The faith will test her endurance, character and morals. Sometimes a dream fulfills as a nightmare…

For more information on Future Frames, go to http://www.efp-online.com/en/project_talent_promotion/future_frames.php

The post Interview with Klara Kochańska, director of “Tenants” #FutureFrames appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Maria Luz Olivares Capelle, director of “Forest of Echoes” from Future Frames at the 51st KVIFF

Maria Luz Olivares Capelle, born in Argentina and living in Austria, was one of the participants of Future Frames, the European Film Promotion’s platform highlighting up and coming talented filmmakers from different European countries.

The story of her film Forest of Echoes is quite interesting, particularly due to its journey beginning through research from a documentary she worked on herself, which then developed into a fiction film. While the film stars children and it is a film with children, it is not, as she says, a film for children (at least not exclusively). Aside from talking about this film, we also discuss her experience at Future Frames in Karlovy Vary and she reveals to us some future ambitions, plans and projects.

FOREST OF ECHOES: A teenager, Christina, loses her friends in the forest. Looking for them she finds the bodies of three drowned kids on the shore of a lagoon. On summer holiday, deep in the woods, three kids, cousins, are playing around a lake when they find a drowned young woman drifting in the water. Games, lies and rituals unfolding into a circular time in which death loses its ultimacy. What is real and what is a mirage? Who is dreaming and who is being dreamed?

For more information on Future Frames, go to http://www.efp-online.com/en/project_talent_promotion/future_frames.php

The post Interview with Maria Luz Olivares Capelle, director of “Forest of Echoes” #FutureFrames appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Mariam Kakabadze, producer of Father by Davit Pirtskhalava from Future Frames at the 51st KVIFF

Georgian director Davit Pirtskhalava was selected for the 2016 Future Frames program organized by the European Film Promotion to highlight the works of up and coming talented filmmakers from different parts of Europe.

With the director indisposed, a representative, in fact, a producer of the film that was screened at Future Frames, Father, was present on his behalf. Mariam Kakabadze, producer of Father, talks to us about the film and, appropriately about the production, as well as the way in which director Pirtskhalava likes to work, planning everything meticulously before the shoot. In this case, the fact that the crew was on friendly terms aided communication throughout the production. Aside from Father, we also talk about future projects and her experience at Future Frames.

FATHER: Lado is nineteen when his father comes back home unexpectedly after a very long absence. The young man tries desperately to get some answers from his parent, but in vain. When his father leaves again, Lado goes back to his life of crime, together with his younger brother. He is left to answer the questions their father would not hear. For more information, go to http://www.efp-online.com/en/project_talent_promotion/future_frames.php

The post Interview with Mariam Kakabadze, producer of “Father” #FutureFrames appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Michal Bregant, director of Czech Film Archive (NFA) from the 2016 Cinema Ritrovato.

The Czech Film Archive (NFA), one of the most important film archives in the world, was well represented by its CEO at both Il Cinema Ritrovato and the 2016 FIAF Congress that also took place in Bologna.

Furthermore, during the program of Il Cinema Ritrovato, two recent restorations projects of the Czech Film Archive were screened – one being White Paradise (1934) and Such is Life (1930). In this interview, we talk about these two projects and films as wells as some fascinating more recent and upcoming ones.

In addition, we talk about more topic, including an overview of the archives, the challenges that it faces in sustaining such a large collection of films and Ponrepo, its very own cinema in the heart of Prague.

For more information on the Czech Film Archive, go to http://nfa.cz/en/

The post Interview with Michal Bregant, CEO of Czech Film Archive (NFA) #CinemaRitrovato appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Anke Wilkening, restorer at Murnau-Stiftung on the restoration of Destiny (Der müde Tod) by Fritz Lang, screened at the 2016 Il Cinema Ritrovato.

Destiny (original title Der müde Tod) is arguably Fritz Lang’s greatest early masterpiece as well as one that influenced the life and career of such celebrated names as Luis Bunuel and Alfred Hitchcock. Recently, the film has been recently digitally restored by Murnau-Stiftung, and we caught up with restorer Anke Wilkening to talk about it during Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, where the film was screened. Aside from the insight on the process of restoration and digitisation, a vital part of this restored version of

Aside from the insight on the process of restoration and digitisation, a vital part of this restored version of Destiny was its colorization. This version of the film is, in fact, colorized from a pre-existing black and white version, which was the only existing one for decades. Now, the film is seen in a version that aims to reproduce something close to what was originally intended, and in order to achieve this, old techniques of tinting and colour treatment were employed.

Our interview with Wilkening is one of our first interviews providing insight on film restoration, but also one of the first appearances by a representative of Murnau-Stiftung on our programming. We took the opportunity to talk bout its institution, its future restoration projects (restoration being part of the preservation program) and its criteria in selecting films to be restored.

For more information on Murnau-Stiftung, go to http://www.murnau-stiftung.de/

The post The restoration of Fritz Lang’s “Destiny” (1921) #CinemaRitrovato appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Julie Ward, British MEP, from the 51st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Julie Ward is a British Member of the European Parliament, serves on the Parliament’s Culture & Education Committee, the Regional Development Committee and the Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Rights. She is also a member of the Labour Party’s Policy Commission on Education and Children. For a long time, she has been an advocate for film education and film literacy, strongly believing in its

For a long time, she has been an advocate of film education, believing it a cultural asset, a means for cultural exchange as well as a means to lead a child to a path on a career. Yet, for many, the very subject of film education remains a strange and trivial one – that is why our first question to her is “what do we mean when we talk about film education and film literacy.” This question is then followed up shortly after by one on the current state of film education in Europe in general as well as one on what could be done in her opinion to promote it and encourage it. Ward, as an artist as well as a politician, understands that a way in which the concept of film education can be promoted properly is, for instance, with the support of members of the film industry itself, bringing the industry closer to the schools for a more direct interaction. These are, however, dramatic times within the European Union. The UK, following a referendum, has just voted itself out of the EU by a close margin. Does the vote truly reflect the beliefs of the British population? What is going to happen now, what can be done now, and how will this affect, more specifically, her activities as a champion of cultural exchange within the European Union through

These are, however, dramatic times within the European Union. The UK, following a referendum, has just voted itself out of the EU by a close margin. Does the vote truly reflect the beliefs of the British population? What is going to happen now, what can be done now, and how will this affect, more specifically, her activities as a champion of cultural exchange within the European Union through film (and arts)? Listen to the interview to find out!

The post Interview with Julie Ward, British MEP, on film education #KVIFF2016 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Paul Feig, director of Ghostbusters.

32 years after the release of Ivan Reitman’s 1984 film, the Ghostbusters make their return to the big screen in an all-female reboot. This time around, it will be up to Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), Julian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) to rescue New York citizens from the invasion of supernatural creatures and ghosts.

FRED’s Chiara Nicoletti caught up with director Paul Feig to talk about his involvement in the project. We soon discover that he was the man behind the idea of doing a female fronted reboot instead of a sequel, which was initially Ivan Reitman and Sony Pictures‘ idea. The director famously helmed the successful film Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy. In this interview he discusses the misogynist attacks to the film that got the whole reboot operation very complicated and politically involved.

As for the distinctive traits of the Ghostbusters series, Feig explains how he worked with his co-writer Katie Dippols to include them while trying to give them a fresh and brand new look. After all, there’s no Ghostbusters without the logo, the Ecto-1 and Slimer.

GHOSTBUSTERS makes its long-awaited return, rebooted with a cast of hilarious new characters. Thirty years after the beloved original franchise took the world by storm, director Paul Feig brings his fresh take to the supernatural comedy, joined by some of the funniest actors working today – Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth. This summer, they’re here to save the world!

The post Paul Feig, director of “Ghostbusters” appeared first on Fred Film Radio.