FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | Welcome to FRED Film Radio’s new weekly show, Big FRED Tuesday – your weekly round-up of all things related to cinema, featuring news from the world of film and interviews with various international guests.

In thi sfinal episode of the Big FRED Tuesday:

– A conversation with “unconventional” filmmaker Edgar Pêra;

– A celebration of the life and legacy of Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami;

– Archive interviews with Michael Pearce and Maggie Gyllenhall;

– An appreciation of Elvis Presley’s best film, Jailhouse Rock from 1957.

The post Big FRED Tuesday – Weekly Show – 1st February 2022 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Anders Emblem, director of the film A Human Position.

A conversation with Anders Emblem, director of A Human Position, presented in the Bright Future section of the 2021 International Film Festival Rotterdam. In this interview, Emblem talks about the confident, contemplative style of the film and the role, the characteristic melancholia of Norway and the role of Ålesund in the movie, beyond that of the backdrop for the action.

A Human Position: Long blue hours characterise summer nights in the sleepy Norwegian port town of Ålesund. Asta is a young journalist working for the local newspaper, where she is expected to report on local sports, historic preservation, and cruise ships. It is only when she stumbles across the strange story of a refugee’s forced deportation, that she finds new meaning in her work and life.

The post Anders Emblem – A Human Position #IFFR2022 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Pamela Hutchinson, programmer of In the Eyes of a Silent Star: The Films of Asta Nielsen. 

A conversation with Pamela Hutchinson, programmer of a retrospective on Danish silent film star Asta Nielsen, which will take place at BFI Southbank on February 3-March 15, 2022. The retrospective will take place theatricall and is titled In the Eyes of a Silent Star: The Films of Asta Nielsen. In this conversation, Hutchinson shares more info about Nielsen and the films that will be screened as part of this retrospective, and shares her thoughts on silent films in a contemporary world.

In the Eyes of a Silent Star – The Films of Asta Nielsen: A retrospective celebrating the vibrant career of Danish star of silent cinema Asta Nielsen, a performer with boundless range, unique sensitivity and unforgettably hypnotic eyes. Taking place at BFI Southbank from 3 February – 15 March, the season is programmed by film historian and writer Pamela Hutchinson and will showcase Nielsen’s incredible career, from early work such as her debut in the erotic melodrama The Abyss (Urban Gad, 1911), to her androgynous portrayal of the Danish prince in Hamlet (Svend Gade, 1921), through to her final dramatic film role, and first talkie, Impossible Love (Erich Waschneck, 1932). The season will launch on 3 February with a talk – The abc of Asta Nielsen – in which season curator Pamela Hutchinson will present an illustrated lecture on Nielsen’s life and incredible career, before she is joined by a panel of experts including the BFI’s curator of silent film, Bryony Dixon, to examine Nielsen’s performance, stardom and significance in depth. 

The post Pamela Hutchinson – In the Eyes of a Silent Star: The Films of Asta Nielsen appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Norika Sefa, director of the film Looking for Venera.

Screen daily Neil Young’s review on Looking for Venera quotes: Norika Sefa’s luminous debut Looking For Venera confirms tiny Kosovo is currently on a wave”. The director, in Trieste to present her film in the official competition at the 33rd TSFF, describes this wave and her work on her debut film, a coming of age drama showing how it feels to be growning up in a big family, a patriarchic society and a small town. With a documentary approach and almost non-professional actors ( the grandma in the film is Sefa’s grandma in real life) the film follows Norika’s quest for her identity while keeping well in mind that we never stop coming of age. Looking for Venera was presented, as a project, in the co-production market When East meets West some years ago and Norika Sefa talks about the feelings of bringing it back to Trieste where it all started. 

Looking for Venera : Calm, taciturn teenager Venera lives in a small village in Kosovo. At home, three generations are constantly under one another’s feet in their cramped house, so she has hardly any privacy. Outside too, on the streets and in the café, it’s not much better: the village is small and there’s always a brother, nephew or neighbour keeping a beady eye on her. A girl is expected above all else to protect her good reputation – and that of her family. All of which makes it difficult for Venera to go her own way. Her spirits are lifted when she makes friends with rebellious Dorina, who already has a boyfriend. The two girls go out having fun together, as far as Venera’s father allows. One thing they know for sure: they don’t want to end up like their mothers. In competition at the latest Rotterdam Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Award, Looking for Venera was selected also at Sarajevo and IndieLisboa film festivals.

To discover more about Looking for Venera, click here.

The post Norika Sefa – Looking for Venera #TSFF33 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Welcome to FRED Film Radio’s new weekly show, Big FRED Tuesday – your weekly round-up of all things related to cinema, featuring news from the world of film and interviews with various international guests.

In this episode:

– Film historian Pamela Hutchinson talks about an upcoming BFI Southbank retrospective on Danish silent film star Asta Nielsen (February 3-March 15, 2022);

– A celebration of the life and legacy of American filmmaker Frank Capra;

– An interview with Anders Emblem, director of A Human Position from the 2022 International Film Festival Rotterdam;

– This week’s #PopcornClassic: Badlands by Terence Malick from 1972.

The post Big FRED Tuesday – Weekly Show – 25th January 2022 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Bastian Meiresonne, one of the programmers of the Black Movie International Indipendent Film Festival.

A conversation with Bastian Meiresonne, one of the programmers of the Black Movie International Independent Film Festival in Geneva, Switzerland. This year’s hybrid edition of the festival will take place on Januar 21-30, during which 89 films will be shown, divided into nine thematic sections. Meiresonne tells us about what’s on offer and even tells us a bit about the history of the the Black Movie International Independent Film Festival and its mission statement.

During 10 days, the Black Movie Festival will show 89 films, including 50 feature films and 39 short films, divided into 9 thematic sections. An anthology of independent productions from 48 countries, including 70 Swiss premieres and no less than 17 first works among the feature films. While familiar figures return to the festival with new films (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Hong Sangsoo, Royston Tan, Sergei Loznitsa, Anca Damian, Karim Aïnouz), we are pleased to note a significant number of films shot by women directors (21 features and 27 short films). It should be noted that this year, the programming of the festival was established jointly by Maria Watzlawick, artistic director, and a team composed of Djia Mambu (consultant for Africa), Bastian Meiresonne (consultant for Asia), Victor Teta (Black Movie for Kids programmer and Black Movie assistant), and Pascal Knoerr (thematic programmer).

The post Bastian Meiresonne – Black Movie Geneva International Independent Film Festival appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Hong Sung-eun, director of the film Aloners.

A brief interview with Hong Sung-eun, director of Aloners, the award-winning South Korean drama presented at the 2021 Torino Film Festival. The film follows the story of a woman who lives alone but is forced to reflect upon her life after her neighbour is found dead. The director talks about the personal factors that inspired Aloners, as well as working with Gong Seung-yeon, who received an acting award at the Torino Film Festival.

Aloners: Jina is the top employee in a call center. However, at work as well as privately, she avoids other people. However, due to the death of her mother, she needs to meet her father to handle the inheritance. Moreover, some change is coming at work where Jina is supposed to train the new employee, Sujin. Additionally, Jina’s neighbour dies and a while later, the new tenant, the sociable Seonghun, moves in.

The post Hong Sung-eun – Aloners #TFF39 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Matias Rojas Valencia, director of the film A Place Called Dignity.

A conversation with Chilean filmmaker Matias Rojas Valencia, director of A Place Called Dignity, which was presented at the 2021 edition of Tallinn Black Nights. This narrative feature explores the horrors of Chile’s Colonia Dignidad. In this interview, the director talks to us about exploring such a difficult topic and the impact that filming in the Colonia Dignidad had on the cast and the production at large. He also talks about being part of a generation of filmmakers who can finally revisit the dark pages of Chile’s recent history.

A Place Called Dignity : Pablo, a 12-year-old boy, receives a scholarship to attend school in the mysterious and isolated Colonia Dignidad established in Chile by German settlers. It seems to be quite a privilege for a kid like him, and he quickly becomes the favourite of the leader of the colony, Uncle Paul. Over time, Pablo witnesses some kind of strange things which happen there and make him act differently than the other students.

The post Matias Rojas Valencia – A Place Called Dignity #PÖFF25 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Michael Pearce, director of the film Encounter.

A conversation with Michael Pearce, director of the Amazon Original thriller Encounter. The film talks about a man’s desperate attempt to rescue his children from a mysterious alien invasion. In this interview, Michael Pearce talks about the ambivalence of his lead character (played by Riz Ahmed), the way in which the narrative of Encounter reflects the tumultuousness of these times, his penchant for mixing realism with more fantastic aspects, including genre filmmaking, and more.

Encounter: A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from a mysterious threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind. 

The post Michael Pearce – Encounter appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Marija Zidar, director of the documentary Reconciliation.

A chat with Marija Zidar, director of the documentary feature Reconciliation about a blood feud between two sides of one family in the Albanian Highlands. The film was selected as part of this year’s edition of EFP’s EUROPE! Voices of Women in Film showcase at the Sydney Film Festival. In this interview, Zidar discusses her feature film debut, referring to her background in journalism. She also talks about connecting with the cultural context and traditions that she explores in Reconciliation, establishing a relationship with the protagonists of her documentary and more.

Reconciliation : An 18-year-old woman is killed by a bullet intended for her father. It is the tragic outcome of a bitter family feud. Her father’s cousin is found guilty by Albania’s judicial system and is serving a jail term for her murder. However, under the country’s ancient code of law (the Kanun), her father is entitled to take blood revenge. Religious and legal authorities, each with their own agenda, try to sway his decision. Marija Zidar’s epic documentary was filmed over five years in Albania’s mountainous north.

The post Marija Zidar – Reconciliation #SydFilmFest appeared first on Fred Film Radio.