FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Maria Speth, Director of the film Mr Bachmann and his class.

Maria Speth, director of Mr Bachmann and his class, screening in competition at the 71st Berlinale, just won the Silver Bear Jury Prize for her complete and detailed look into the life of unconventional and inspiring teacher Dieter Bachmann and his everyday work in a class composed by smart children, coming from different countries and backgrounds in the provincial German industrial town they live in. To quote Maria Speth’s words, Mr Bachman and his class’ 217 mins are: “an open- ended observation and the unprejudiced encounter with these people”. Even if Maria Speth points out that the film wasn’t a thesis about the reality of the Federal Republic as an immigration country or the presentation of an alternative pedagogic model, Mr Bachman and his class shows us a virtuous model and an inspiring teacher and the film does help people and the audience to open their mind.

Mr Bachmann and his class: an intimate documentary portraying the bond between an elementary school teacher and his students. His unconventional methods clash with the complex social and cultural realities of the provincial German industrial town they live in.

To discover more about the 71st edition of Berlin International Film Festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Jess Hall, Director of Photography of the series WandaVision.

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

While waiting for the final episode of WandaVision to be released on Disney+ around the world, director of Photography Jess Hall reveals the secrets behind his work as cinematographer on this ambitious, successful and experimental project. We all know that WandaVision managed to display the “adventures” of Wanda and Vision through different time periods along 9 episodes. Visually speaking, we have to thank Jess Hall for his playing with the references and influences from those time periods and the sitcoms from those years while making sure to give some continuity to the main story, the love story between the main characters. Jess Hall tells us more about the different lenses used for each episode and how he actually pursued and obtained that continuity and fluidity we enjoy in the show.

Marvel Studios’ captivating new series WandaVision, which premieres in early 2021 on Disney+. Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, “WandaVision” marks the first series from Marvel Studios streaming exclusively on Disney+. The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision-two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives-begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.

To discover more about WandaVision, click here.

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PODCAST |Chiara Nicoletti interviews Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat  Shurer, Adele Lim, Qui Nguyen, directors, producer and screenwriters of the film Raya and the last dragon.

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

Directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada along with producer Osnat Shurer and screenwriters Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen introduce the upcoming release on Disney + of their Raya and the Last Dragon, an epic adventure starring a young woman Raya and her battle to unite, with the blessing of a dragon power, the world she belongs to and that she saw being torned apart by differences and hate. The directors with the producer and screenwriters comment on the characters of the film being very nuanced and very far from being one-sided.

Raya and the last dragon: Long ago, in the world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, and her pet pill bug companion Tuk Tuk, to track down the last dragon in order to finally stop the Druun for good. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than dragon magic to save the world—it’s going to take trust as well.

The post Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer, Adele Lim, Qui Nguyen – Raya and the last dragon appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Norika Sefa, director of the film Looking for Venera.

A conversation with Norika Sefa, director of Looking for Venera, winner of a Special Jury Prize at the 2021 International Film Festival Rotterdam. This movie is a coming-of-age drama about a young girl’s growing desire for freedom and independence, set in a small town in Kosovo. It is also Norika Sefa’s feature debut. In this interview, we talk about her interest in the distinctive setting of the story, how she worked with her young cast and also how FirstCutLab helped her movie come to life.

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.

The post Norika Sefa – Looking for Venera #IFFR2021 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Felia Allum, curator of the Donne di Mafia Film Festival.

A conversation with Felia Allum, senior lecturer of the department of politics, languages and international studies at the University of Bath and curator of the Donne di Mafia Film Festival, organized and hosted by CinemaItaliaUK. This mini film festival will take place online on March 6-8, and sheds a light upon wommen in Italian mafias by exploring their portraial in contemporary Italian cinema. Along with a curated film program, the Donne di Mafia Film Festival will also feature Q&A sessions and panel discussions. Aside from speaking about the festival itself, Felia Allum shares with us here her thoughts about the portrayal of women in films about organized crime and her research on the topic of the role of women in transnational organized crime.

To discover more about the Donne di Mafia Film Festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Florian Weghorn, Programme Manager of the Berlinale Talents 2021.

With “Dreams” which is the theme of this year’s edition, the Berlinale Talents 2021 (19th edition – March 1 to 5, 2021) is ready to start its virtual edition with the promise of building the future on solid dreams and the hope for Hope. These are the words of program manager Florian Weghorn who describes the 19th edition as one that will try to get the positive aspects of the moment we’re living in. 200 invited participants from 65 countries, selected from a pool of 3,000 applicants will attend the Talents and will have the chance of networking, learning from each other and attend many events host by famous experts and alumni starting from Celine Sciamma, in competition at the 71st Berlinale with Petite Maman or the grandmaster of dream state cinema, Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Cemetery of Splendour) and filmmaker Ava DuVernay. These are only a few names among the many special guests connecting to Berlinale Talents to talk about their cinema and their connection to dreams. 55% of participants this year define themselves as female and since this is a continuous trend of the recent years at the Talents, this is a sign of a stabilizing situation of equity and diversity within the Talents program.

Berlinale Talents is a talent development programme that explores the how and why of movie making. Since 2003, it has grown to become a festival within the larger festival and a one-of-a-kind forum for film professionals and cinema lovers alike, featuring talks, workshops, networking events and screenings. While the Berlinale showcases films in all their facets, we delve into how they are made and how to see the world through a different lens.

To discover more about the Berlinale Talents, click here.

The post Florian Weghorn – Berlinale Talents 2021 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Cristiana Palmieri interviews Eddie Tamir, artistic director of the Jewish International Film Festival.

Artistic director Eddie Tamir talks about the challenges brought about by the pandemic in running the festival and the decision to postpone it to ensure the festival delivered in cinemas rather than online.

Despite the pandemic, JIFF presents a rich program, including films from the Official Selection at Cannes and premiered at the Berlinale. We see films about the Holocaust that mix past and present in compelling stories, a sign that the horror that happened 80 years ago still haunts our collective imagination.

To discover more about the Festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Karen Cinorre, director of the film Mayday.

A conversation with Karen Cinorre, director of Mayday, recently presented at the 2021 International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film revolves around a young woman who is suddenly catapulted to a parallel universe where a group of women are engaged in an endless war. In this interview, Cinorre talks about the feminist themes of Mayday, her fascination with The Wizard of Oz and how it led to the origins of this movie and more.

Mayday: In the fantasy-action film Mayday, waitress Ana, like some contemporary Alice in Wonderland, crawls into an oven and ends up in an unruly twilit limbo where a war between men and women is being fought. Ana is adopted by three hardened young female soldiers who inhabit a deserted submarine. Like latter-day Sirens, they entice male soldiers onto the rocks using a mayday signal – revenge for what men did to them and their sex.

The post Karen Cinorre – Mayday #IFFR2021 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Stephen DeBro, director of the film 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story.

A conversation with Stephen DeBro, director of 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story, which was chosen as the closing film of this year’s Slamdance Film Festival. This documentary tells the story of the iconic combat sports and entertainment Los Angeles venue, The Olympic Auditorium, now defunct. In this interview, DeBro talks about the importance of documenting story and preserving memories, the birth of his fascination with The Olympic Auditorium, future plans for the project to continue after the film and more.

18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story: The Olympic Auditorium opened in 1925, a massive, state-of-the-art arena built to match the ambitions of a city on the come. The Olympic was a wild, indestructible palace of violent entertainment for eight decades, and Aileen Eaton managed the mayhem for the better part of its existence. Taking over in the midst of World War II, Eaton thrived in the hyper masculine world of boxing and wrestling, building and influencing stars like Gorgeous George and Muhammad Ali, facing off against Mickey Cohen and the mob, and navigating the Olympic through changing times and tastes. When she retired in 1980, the Olympic became the largest punk rock venue in the U.S. and the launchpad for live music giant Goldenvoice. 18th & Grand dynamically recasts the L.A. story, featuring diverse, unforgettable voices, a forgotten heroine, and the battles that shaped a city.

The post Stephen DeBro – 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story #Slamdance21 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Isabelle Gattiker, director of the Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights.

A conversation with Isabelle Gattiker, director of the Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, which will take place this year on March 5-14. Gattiker, who is the co-founder of this annual event, talks a bit about its history and mission statement. She also talks about how this year’s edition will take place – considering the inevitable impact of the COVID crisis – and what is on offer, in terms of film programs, guests and various initiatives.

The FIFDH is the leading international event dedicated to film and human rights. For the past 18 years, the Festival has taken place in the heart of Geneva, the human rights capital, parallel to the annual main session of the UN Human Rights Council in March.

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