FRED Film Radio - English Channel

Jan Tesitel – director – David

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews Jan Tesitel, director of the film DAVID, which had its world premiere in the forum of independents section of the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

The film marks Jan Tesitel‘s feature directorial debut. We ask him about the challenge of making a first film, especially with a very low budget and also the challenges of representing mental illness on screen. We ask him where the inspiration for the story of the film came from and how he came to cast the lead actor Patrik Holubar in the difficult titular role.

DAVID: At age 20, David is increasingly aware of how his mental illness influences his parents’ behavior. So one evening he decides to run away to Prague where, alone, he has to face numerous tricky situations – as well as his own thoughts. This courageous and moody debut is crowned with a fine lead performance from Patrik Holubar.

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Doris Pack – coordinator – LUX Prize

FRED’s Matt Micucci meets Doris Pack, coordinator of the LUX Prize, at the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which once again hosted the unveiling of this year’s shortlisted films.

But on top of talking about this year’s edition, we reflect upon the previous successes of the LUX Prize and the reactions to last year’s LUX Prize award winner IDA by Pawel Pawlikowski going on to win the Academy Award earlier this year.

Doris Pack also talks about other initiatives supported by the European Parliament, that use cinema’s cultural power to promote European ideals, such as the LUX Film Days, in which the three finalist films are screened at a festival in each of the countries of the European union and the 28 Times Cinema project, which brings a young cinephile to the Venice Film Festival every year to represent each of the countries in the European Union.

LUX PRIZE: Since then, the European Parliament casts an annual spotlight on films that go to the heart of the European public debate. Beyond the stories they tell, these films explore and question European shared values, look at the level of support for the project of building Europe and address cross-border concerns such as immigration, justice, solidarity, public freedoms and fundamentals rights. Each film offers a glimpse into the lives of Europeans, their convictions and doubts and their quest for identity.

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Andy Becker – music composer – David

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews Andy Becker, composer of the music of the film DAVID by Jan Tesitel, which had its world premiere in the forum of independents section of the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Andy tells us how the collaboration, with whom he worked on previous short films, started and how he got involved in Jan Tesitel’s directorial feature debut. He also talks a little about the techniques he used to create a piece of music that would convey its feelings and emotions.

Aside from DAVID, we also talk about his more personal interests as a musician and his future projects.

DAVID: At age 20, David is increasingly aware of how his mental illness influences his parents’ behavior. So one evening he decides to run away to Prague where, alone, he has to face numerous tricky situations – as well as his own thoughts. This courageous and moody debut is crowned with a fine lead performance from Patrik Holubar.

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Mark Cousins – filmmaker – I Am Belfast / The Mark Cousins Hibrow Trilogy

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews Mark Cousins, whose latest work I AM BELFAST had its international premiere in the documentary competition of the 50th Karlovy Vary.

Mark tells us about what it was like to make a film about his hometown, the place he grew up in, after making so many other films set in places all over the world. He also talks about what it was like to once again collaborate with a director of photography – Christopher Doyle – and the creative influence and discourse that resulted from the collaboration.

Filmmaker Mark Cousins also presented the film 6 DESIRES: DH LAWRENCE AND SARDINIA at the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. 6 DESIRES marks the final feature in THE MARK COUSINS HIBROW TRILOGY, and he takes time to give us a brief and yet detailed description of each one of its films.

THE MARK COUSINS HIBROW TRILOGY launches this summer on a “Festival-to-Date” combining almost simultaneously four top notch European film festivals and VOD platforms.

I AM BELFAST: “I met a woman. She said that she is Belfast, the city in Northern Ireland where I grew up. The woman said that she’s as old as the city,” states Mark Cousins at the beginning of his meditative dialogue with the personification of Belfast. This cinematic essay abandons the parameters of classic documentary language, asking us to perceive the film as a magical-realist mix of reality, dreams, myths, and local storytelling.”

THE MARK COUSINS HIBROW TRILOGY: An essay film takes an idea for a walk. Mark Cousins three feature-length essay: 6 Desires: DH Lawrence and Sardinia, Here be dragons and Life may be & tackle, diverse subjects introducing a new way of visual thinking.

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Bianca Kronlöf – actress – Underdog

Bianca Kronlöf talks very passionately about her work as actress and comedian and her role as Dino in Underdog. She also explores the difficult living conditions of many young Swedish who leave Sweden for better job opportunities in Norway.

UNDERDOG: Bianca Kronlöf stars as 23-year-old Dino, one of thousands of young Swedish émigrés scrabbling for work in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. But her new life is caught in a destructive loop of temporary jobs, financial trouble and hard partying, until she lands a job as a housekeeper for a wealthy ex-sportsman. During a few sultry summer weeks she ends up in the centre of an odd and intense love triangle.

An unpredictable struggle for affection as well as dominance ensues which, combined with humour and wit, results in an unmerciful portrayal of the shifted power balance between Sweden and Norway.

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Adam Woronowicz – actor – The Red Spider

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews Adam Woronowicz, actor in THE RED SPIDER, the feature directorial debut by Marcin Koszalka which had its world premiere in the official competition of the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Adam plays the role of the apparently average man who, in reality, leads the double life of a serial killer. He talks with us about the challenges of playing such a role and understanding his character’s motives as an actor. He also gives us his own opinion on the figure of the serial killer, which is a figure that is examined in a unique way in this film.

THE RED SPIDER: This feature debut by a leading Polish documentarist and cameraman was inspired by actual mass murders committed in the 1960s. A precisely constructed psychological thriller, the film delves into an intricate story of the fascination with evil that hides in places we would never expect.

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Visar Morina – director – Babai

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews filmmaker Visar Morina, whose feature directorial debut had its international premiere in the official competition of the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Visar tells us about the challenges of shooting a first feature, and dealing with delicate themes such as that of emigration and opting for a human approach over a political approach.

He also talks about perspective, which balances between the central child’s perspective and one of realism.

BABAI: The story of ten-year-old Nori plays out in Kosovo, in Germany, and on the road between the two countries. His father Gezim dominates his entire world, however, one day he leaves for work in the “West” and Nori won’t be placated concerning his sudden disappearance. This feature debut from a talented Kosovan filmmaker is rendered with exceptional intensity and a flair for portraying the emotional complexities of the child’s situation.

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Matteo Cocco – director of photography – Babai

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews Matteo Cocco, director of photography of the film BABAI, the feature directorial debut by filmmaker Visar Morina that had its international premiere in the official competition of the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

In this interview, Matteo talks to us about his collaboration with director Visar Morina and the importance of a number of factors that shapes the visual style of the film – such as perspective, locations and other elements.

Matteo also shares with us stories about the difficulties and challenges he encountered throughout his production, and reveals to us his creed of not settling for anything and always seeking the best you can get.

BABAI: The story of ten-year-old Nori plays out in Kosovo, in Germany, and on the road between the two countries. His father Gezim dominates his entire world, however, one day he leaves for work in the “West” and Nori won’t be placated concerning his sudden disappearance. This feature debut from a talented Kosovan filmmaker is rendered with exceptional intensity and a flair for portraying the emotional complexities of the child’s situation.

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Filip Plawiak – actor – The Red Spider

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews Filip Plawiak, actor in Marcin Koszalka’s feature fiction directorial debut THE RED SPIDER, which had its world premiere as part of the official competition selection of the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Filip plays the role of a young man who becomes fascinated with a serial killer who is keeping Krakow, Poland in the late sixties in terror. He tells us about what attracted him to the role and about his collaboration with the director.

He also talks about what he believes to be the best aspects of the film, one of which is the way in which the story purposefully chooses not to spoon-feed the audience and manipulate their reactions to the on screen action.

THE RED SPIDER: This feature debut by a leading Polish documentarist and cameraman was inspired by actual mass murders committed in the 1960s. A precisely constructed psychological thriller, the film delves into an intricate story of the fascination with evil that hides in places we would never expect.

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Antoine L’Écuyer, Roy Dupuis – actors – The Sound of Trees

FRED’s Matt Micucci meets Antoine L’Écuyer and Roy Dupuis, who play the leading roles in the film THE SOUND OF TREES, the feature directorial debut by Francois Péloquin that had its world premiere in the official competition of the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Antoine and Roy tell us about the characters they portray and their character’s different relationships with life in the rural areas of Quebec, as well as their own familiarity with rural lifestyle in real life. They also tell us how they were able to achieve the genuine father and son chemistry for the film and the working relationship with the filmmaker.

THE SOUND OF TREES: At 17 Jérémie dreams of a life different from the one that awaits him at the family sawmill in the small Canadian town where he lives. Jérémie is more interested in pimping his car, listening to hip hop, and slacking off with his friends. This impressionistic debut, built upon convincing performances, tells of a summer that completely changed a teenager’s life.

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