FRED Film Radio - English Channel

In a candid conversation, Xiaoxuan Jiang, the director of “To Kill a Mongolian Horse”, in Giornate degli Autori section, shares her deep personal connection to the film’s protagonist, Saina—a Mongolian herdsman who navigates a dual life between ranch work and performing as a horseback rider. The film, inspired by true events and the experiences of Jiang‘s friend Saina, delves into the stark contrasts between the glamor of performance and the realities of ranch life.

“Saina’s story captivated me,” Jiang reveals, referring to her friend who turned to horseback performances to supplement his income. She recalls attending a horse fair, where she was struck by the hyper-masculine atmosphere, laden with traditional notions of Mongolian masculinity. “These performers were subjected to a fetishized gaze, celebrating both their masculinity and ethnic identity,” Jiang notes. This observation became the foundation for a narrative exploring these complex dynamics.

Saina, who portrays himself in the film, constantly shifts between his role as a performer and the hardships of his daily life. “As the story progresses, Saina finds it increasingly difficult to reconcile the contrast between his roles and his reality,” Jiang shares. This tension serves as a powerful reflection on the challenges faced by individuals caught between two worlds.

When asked about her creative process, Jiang emphasizes her focus on Saina‘s emotional journey, rather than relying solely on the spectacle of the performances. “I was at a crossroads in my filmmaking career when I began writing this film,” she explains. Inspired by her struggles with authenticity versus performance, Jiang underscores how this dichotomy is central to Saina‘s journey, mirroring her own experiences.

Jiang‘s fascination with the behind-the-scenes dynamics of these performances also shaped the film. “I observed how performers would dress and apply makeup to transform into heroic figures. It’s not something that comes naturally—it requires time and preparation,” she says, highlighting the film’s exploration of identity and the layers people assume to present themselves to the world.

“To Kill a Mongolian Horse” is an international co-production involving Malaysia, the U.S., Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan. Jiang acknowledges the support and challenges faced during production. “Finding the right partner was challenging, but Pluto Film‘s adventurous spirit perfectly aligned with our goals,” she remarks. Working with a tight budget, Jiang saw it as an opportunity for creativity. “If a dream sequence required a blizzard, we had to wait for a real one,” she laughs, illustrating the practical hurdles faced by the crew. Despite these challenges, Jiang remains committed to working with smaller budgets for future projects, valuing the creative flexibility it provides.

Daniela Cölle, Managing Director and Head of Acquisitions at Pluto Film, praises Jiang‘s debut, recognizing its universal themes. “While set in a specific local context, the story resonates with anyone confronting changing socioeconomic realities,” she notes. Together, they stress the importance of bringing this powerful film to international audiences.

In conclusion, “To Kill a Mongolian Horse” captures the struggles of identity, tradition, and modernity through the lens of one man’s experiences in a changing world. Jiang‘s narrative approach invites viewers to reflect on the complexities of performing roles in life while remaining true to oneself.

The post “To Kill a Mongolian Horse,” interview with Director Xiaoxuan Jiang appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

FRED Film Radio met Savina Neirotti, head of program of the Biennale College Cinema to talk about the 2024 edition and the future of the high-level training, research and experimentation laboratory for the development and production of micro-budget feature films. The films produced this year are “My Birthday“ by Christian Filippi, “Honeymoon“ by Zhanna Ozirna, “The Fisherman“ by Zoey Martinson and “January 2“ by Zsófia Szilágyi.

Three female directors over 4 films this year. What kind of signal is that in an edition of Venice Film Festival rich of movies directed by women? “From the beginning, we have been very careful at making sure that we would have a lot of female directors. So I think for initiatives like ours, where we are both a development college but also a funding body in a way, it is very important that we guarantee equal access. It is part of the rules of the Biennale College that among the four final films there are two female directors. We have set it as a rule. I think there are incredible projects, you just have to look out for them as much as you have to look out for different nationalities, different voices. And I think our selection also represents how you can really explore different genres, different voices and, of course, different genders”.

Four very different films, in genre, tone and atmosphere. What makes Savina Neirotti proud of the work done so far? “I think what I’m more proud of having been the person who has ideated the College is that we have created a community atmosphere, sort of a real group of people. And it’s not only the films that are produced but also the films that might be produced in the future years. What I’m more proud of is this difference of voices but people working together. Because when you have teams like this with different films, working in the same room and discussing night and day, you create something, so each one of them keeps their individual voice. But they nurture themselves and they are different, the first audiences from each other’s films”.

Twelve years of Biennale College, but how Savina Neirotti sees its future? “Well, I see that it’s still functioning as a model, and it does work. This is not a manifesto, it has never been, meaning Biennale College is an opportunity among many others. It’s not the only way to do film, it doesn’t mean that you should only make micro-budget features. The new president actually talked about the initiative as something that he wants to continue, so I’m actually very happy. I think the future will be to continue in this path”.

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At 81th Venice Film Festival FRED Film Radio interviewed director Zhanna Ozirna and producer Dmytro Sukhanov to talk about “Honeymoon”, one of the four films made during the Biennale College Cinema 2024.

The biggest challenge of “Honeymoon” is to tell the story of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine without ever showing it but relying only on the sound, on the explosion of the bombs. “It was my own creative decision”, says Zhanna Ozirna. “The first reason is not because of low budget, but actually because I want to create this feeling of the evil neighbor next to you. You feel this horror much more and I don’t want to see the faces of the soldier. I just want to create this feeling of something very bad that you cannot avoid”.

“Honeymoon” is one of the films made during the Biennale College Cinema 2024. What does it mean for a producer to have this type of support? “Honestly, we have two things that help us a lot”, admits producer Dmytro Sukhanov. “I wouldn’t say micro budget was a problem. First of all, the film and story itself is quite compact for the production and it doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. I think it’s the opposite, because you don’t have bigger effects. You are quite naked and have to barely do something. And another thing: Ukraine is very cost-effective for us. For this money, we can have normal production, normal career. Of course, we will optimize everything, but we will not make any decisions or compromise because of the budget”.

In “Honeymoon” for almost its entire duration we only see the two main characters on screen, in their home. This aspect of the film resembles a play. “Actually, since this is a real situation – it happened with a friend of my friend – I did an interview with him and his family”, admits director Zhanna Ozirna. “Originally, the story was about the whole family. I just reduced it to the couple. I did a couple of different interviews with the people who survived the occupation, just to try to understand how they behaved, what was their feeling inside of the occupation. And also, some very practical things, kind of how you go to the toilet or how do you get the water or something like that”.

What does it mean to make a film in Ukraine today during the war? “It’s so simple and so big question, because the situation touches industry in all aspects”, says producer Dmytro Sukhanov. “In personal level, there are a lot of people in depression, under psychological pressure. Some of them are mobilized in the army as well. I have on my desktop maybe 15 photographers or people who were already killed from the people who I worked with. It’s a big migration process and even though we have a lot of money, now it’s a question like: ‘Could we make a cruise and all the level how we used to do before the war?’. But money is also a huge problem, because the first couple of years it was totally frozen and redirected to the army, which is totally logical. Now it’s become a lot more frozen, but I think we need to solve internal proper dialogue with institution and state, because it should be some proper strategy of filmmaking readjusted for the current moment and it’s not done yet”.

The post “Honeymoon”, interview with director Zhanna Ozirna and producer Dmytro Sukhanov appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Welcome to our daily insights from the 81. Venice International Film Festival, with Angelo Acerbi and Beatrice Borgia, President of  Film Commission Torino Piemonte.

Join us as we dive into exclusive interviews with filmmakers, actors, and festival insiders, uncovering the stories behind the most anticipated films.

Stay tuned for festival highlights, red carpet moments, and behind-the-scenes glimpses that you won’t want to miss.

Whether you’re a film buff or just curious, we’ve got all the excitement from Venice right here!

The post Venice Film Festival English Daily – 1st September appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Welcome to our daily insights from the 27 Times Cinema.

The 2024 edition of 27 Times Cinema will bring together ten former participants to serve as the jury for the GdA Director’s Award, marking the tenth anniversary of this accolade.

Together with their jury president, these former 27 Times Cinema participants will evaluate the films in competition with a fresh perspective, informed by their diverse experiences across various film-industry fields.

The post 8min of 10 27 Times Cinema – Gregor Valentovic – 1st September appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

At 81th Venice Film Festival FRED Film Radio interviewed director Zoey Martinson and producers Kofi Owusu Afriyie and Korey Jackson to talk about “The Fisherman”, one of the four films made during the Biennale College Cinema 2024.

Even if there is a lot of humor and “The Fisherman” is a fantasy comedy you also talk about what’s going on in Ghana these days because of globalization. How did Zoey Martinson manage to work on these two different elements? “Most of my time spent living in a rural fishing village in Ghana, I actually spent it laughing. I realised Ghanaians are really funny, it’s just a culture that has a really great sense of humour, and life can be hard, of course, sometimes less modern conveniences if you’re in the villages, but people are still laughing and having a lot of fun and making jokes. A lot of the films that I saw coming out of Ghana didn’t reflect sometimes the tone. I felt like that was the correct tone to tell the story, and also something I just hadn’t seen. My hope was that I could use a comedy to kind of look at that, and also address the result of global warming on a country that’s trying to keep up”.

“The Fisherman” was made over ten months as part of the Biennale College Cinema project. Ten months in which it was written, shot and post-produced.

“It was pretty intense, but we got through it with the help of our people because without their support, this wouldn’t have happened, and without the support of the Biennale, we know we couldn’t have done this, so we are eternally grateful to them”, says Kofi Owusu Afriyie. “And of course, we did have a few challenges here and there, but that comes with the job, and we understood what we were in for”. “On this budget level, we had a pretty ambitious film for the resources we had. So a lot of work was to plan very specifically how we were going to accomplish all of the things that we needed to accomplish to get this story told in line with Zoe’s vision. There were challenges along the way. So being able to adapt when needed to make sure we weren’t missing anything along the way was the biggest challenge, but I think we’re all very pleased with the result”, discusses Korey Jackson. “We’re actively speaking with people about the future of the film, and it will be in more festivals, and also talking about sales, and hopefully a distribution in all of the regions of the world”.

One of the characters, Sasha, struggles to find her place in a male-dominated environment and not to marry. How important was it for the director to write such a female character in “The Fisherman” ? “I wanted to talk about a woman who is trying to figure out where she fits into the world and with her identity, but also with her dreams and how she has to navigate that in a male dominated world. I think that translates to me as a female director in the US. I understand that feeling of being in a male dominated space and trying to cut my own path as a woman director. We’re experiencing weirdly the same thing, and so it was kind of my experience manifested into her experience and her life. And then just using the kind of situations that are going on in Ghana and dealing with all of that stuff and putting it in there I hope to open people’s eyes and hopefully they can see value and sometimes people they might toss aside or discredit”.

The post “The Fisherman”, interview with director Zoey Martinson and producers Kofi Owusu Afriyie and Korey Jackson appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

The Venice Production Bridge day in 4 minutes!

Welcome to our Venice Production Bridge Daily Snapshot, your quick 4-minute update on the latest happenings at the industry hub of the Venice Film Festival!

Join us as we delve into the world of film financing, co-productions, and market trends, bringing you exclusive insights, interviews with industry professionals, and behind-the-scenes highlights, all packed into a brief but informative segment.

The post The Venice Production Bridge day in 4 minutes – 01/09 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

At the 81st Venice International Film Festival, in competition, Justin Kurzel presents “The Order“.

Fred Film interviewed Jude Law co-producer and protagonist of “The Order“. In the film he acts the role of a veteran FBI investigator trying to stop a dangerous and cult-like group of white supremacists in 1982 USA.

Inspired by a real-life terror plot led by Robert Jay “Bob” Mathews, a longtime member of the neo- Nazi group Aryan Nations, The Order is a tense cat and mouse thriller that pits a seasoned FBI agent against the charismatic white supremacist leader played by Nicholas Hoult.

Jude Law explains that, despite the film being “an American story”, “If you look at it with a broader perspective, it’s about the need for community, understanding and safety”

As his character, Terry Husk, is not based on a real character but it’s more of a composition of different people, Jude Law reveals that with director Kurzel and writer Zach Baylin they had the chance of building with more freedom.

The post “The order”, interview with actor and producer Jude Law appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Every day from the Venice Lido, Rita Di Santo hosts in the studios of FRED Film Radio several critics from all over the world talking about this year’s Venice festival movies, the actors and actresses attending the festival, as well as takes you into the magical atmosphere of the Venice Film Festival.

The post Highlights and film critics from the 81th Venice Film Festival – episode 1/09 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

In a compelling interview, Shahab Fotouhi, the director of the film “Boomerang” in the section Giornate degli Autori, discusses the complex narrative structure of his movie, which contrasts a crumbling marriage with a budding romance, all set against the sociopolitical backdrop of Tehran. Fotouhi explains that instead of using a traditional, linear narrative, he chose a style that blends personal stories with broader societal issues. This non-linear storytelling approach encourages viewers to actively piece together the narrative, increasing their emotional connection to the characters.

The story centers on Sima, who feels trapped in her marriage to Behzad. She secretly searches for a new home for herself and her teenage daughter, Minoo. Meanwhile, Behzad tries to reconnect with his past by arranging a meeting with his ex-girlfriend. In contrast, Minoo takes a bold step by flirting with Keyvan at a traffic light, sparking a relationship that mirrors the exploration of youth amid the complexities of their environment.

One of the film’s most memorable scenes is when Sima and Behzad’s marital crisis is highlighted through a touching moment where they steal flowers, accompanied by the evocative song “Gaman Ba.” Fotouhi emphasizes that this scene captures the unraveling of their relationship, reflecting themes of longing and disconnection. He aims to show how personal struggles within a marriage often mirror larger societal issues, encouraging viewers to think about the emotional journeys of the characters set within Tehran’s sociopolitical realities.

Fotouhi points out a notable contrast between the older couple, Sima and Behzad, and the younger pair, Minoo and Keyvan. “This contrast serves to highlight the generational divide,” he explains. While Sima and Behzad wrestle with the breakdown of their relationship, Minoo and Keyvan explore hope and the possibility of love, representing the younger generation’s fresh perspective on life amid a challenging sociopolitical climate.

A key scene in the film involves a car ride with Sadaf, where the characters engage in dialogue that reveals their differing viewpoints over the course of a week. “I want the audience to feel the weight of the characters’ thoughts and emotions as they navigate their complex lives,” Fotouhi notes. This multifaceted storytelling invites viewers to deeply engage with the characters, slowly uncovering their experiences and emotions as the story unfolds.

In conclusion, “Boomerang” captures a week in the lives of its characters, offering a sociological portrait of modern Tehran. It shows the struggle of a man facing a decaying marriage while a youthful couple’s blossoming romance provides a glimmer of hope. Through his unique narrative style, Shahab Fotouhi invites audiences to reflect on the complex intersections of love, despair, and societal challenges that define the human experience.

The post “Boomerang,” interview with director Shahab Fotouhi appeared first on Fred Film Radio.