FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Jon Kasbe, X and Assan, director and protagonists of the documentary When Lambs Become Lions.

Jon Kasbe, accompanied here in Zurich by his two protagonists X and Assan, his latest work When Lambs Become Lions. In When Lambs Become Lions, over the course of three years, director Jon Kasbe followed his film’s protagonists, gaining their fullest confidence. The result is an extraordinarily complex and visually captivating perspective on the backgrounds and motivations of poachers who risk their lives hunting and defying public moral outrage in order to provide for their families.

When Lambs Become Lions: Asan is roaming the Kenyan savannah with his rifle, carefully observing a herd of passing elephants. As a ranger, he is on the hunt for poachers who secure their livelihood with illegal ivory trade. When Asan’s wife gives birth to their third child and the pay for his work as a gamekeeper fails to come through for several months, Asan finds himself under increasing financial pressure. In his growing despair, he turns to his cousin “X”: ironically, a very successful ivory trader… The rapidly declining stock of elephants in Africa has caught global attention. Increasingly harsh government policies, however, are putting pressure on poachers. Over the course of three years, director Jon Kasbe followed his film’s protagonists, gaining their fullest confidence. The result is an extraordinarily complex and visually captivating perspective on the backgrounds and motivations of poachers who risk their lives hunting and defying public moral outrage in order to provide for their families.

To know more about the documentary, click here.

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PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Bing Liu, director of the documentary Minding The Gap.

Minding The Gap, the lyrical debut work of Bing Liu here in Zurich in the international documentary competition, was created over a period of several years. In Minding The Gap, Liu succeeds in dealing with his friends in an extraordinary and highly emotional way to show the complexity of a biased, “difficult” youth.

Minding The Gap: Bing Liu skateboards behind his friends Zack and Keire through run-down parks, past crumbling facades and abandoned houses. The skateboarder clique has become a kind of substitute family for this group of youths from a rundown district of Rockford in Illinois. Avid filmmaker Bing captures the lives of his friends away from the skate park: Zack’s life is turned upside down when his girlfriend Nina suddenly becomes pregnant. The relationship soon begins to crumble and Zack, plagued by self-doubt and frustration, seeks solace in the bottle. Keire, who longs for reconciliation with his father, has not yet found his place in a multicultural society. And for Bing himself, it’s time to confront his mother with a dark chapter from his own past.

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PODCAST | Nicolò Comotti interviews Arash Lahooti, director of the film Orange Days.

After establishing himself within the documentary genre – The Trucker and The Fox Comes To Mind – Arash Lahooti presents here in Zurich his first attempt in the world of fictional cinema: Orange Days. Orange Days stages the battle of a courageous woman in beautiful, richly coloured images and shows a side of Iran that is rarely portrayed in western media. Interpreter: Urs Gösken

Orange Days: Swiftly, Alban is walking through a lush green plantation, inspecting her workers as they bring in the harvest. The assertive forty-something woman has been involved in the male-dominated orange business for years. She employs a group of seasonal female workers to harvest orange trees in northern Iran. This year she has received the largest order in the region – a fact that is not readily accepted by her male competitors. As soon as the harvesting begins, so does the sabotage on Alban’s work and she is forced to deal with the numerous consequences: harvesting is running slow, money is running out and her worker’s motivation is dwindling. To top it all off, her husband Majid packs his bags and leaves her.

To know more about the documentary, click here.

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PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews cinematographer Alex Pritz, involved in the making of the documentary When Lambs Become Lions.

Alex Pritz shares his experience on the making of When Lambs Become Lions, the latest documentary feature by Jon Kasbe. Alex was the additional cinematographer during the shooting (Jon directed, shot, and edited the film). It is a fantastic opportunity to hear his way of capturing images, and what it means to put yourself on the line for the sake of cinema and knowledge.

When Lambs Become Lions: Asan is roaming the Kenyan savannah with his rifle, carefully observing a herd of passing elephants. As a ranger, he is on the hunt for poachers who secure their livelihood with illegal ivory trade. When Asan’s wife gives birth to their third child and the pay for his work as a gamekeeper fails to come through for several months, Asan finds himself under increasing financial pressure. In his growing despair, he turns to his cousin “X”: ironically, a very successful ivory trader… The rapidly declining stock of elephants in Africa has caught global attention. Increasingly harsh government policies, however, are putting pressure on poachers. Over the course of three years, director Jon Kasbe followed his film’s protagonists, gaining their fullest confidence. The result is an extraordinarily complex and visually captivating perspective on the backgrounds and motivations of poachers who risk their lives hunting and defying public moral outrage in order to provide for their families.

To know more about the documentary, click here.

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The post Alex Pritz – When Lambs Become Lions #ZFF2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| David Martos interviews Judi Dench, actress of the film Red Joan.

We discuss with Judy Dench about how she likes her directors, getting new roles at her age and the possibility of retirement, that she heavily denies.

Red Joan: In a picturesque village in England, Joan Stanley, lives in contented retirement. Her tranquil existence is shockingly shattered as she’s arrested by MI5. For Joan has been hiding an incredible past; she is one of the most influential spies in living history… Cambridge University in the 1930s, and the young Joan, a demure physics student, falls intensely in love with a seductively attractive Russian saboteur, Leo. Through him, she begins to see that the world is on a knife-edge and perhaps must be saved from itself in the race to military supremacy. Post-war and now working at a top secret nuclear research facility, Joan is confronted with the impossible: would you betray your country and your loved ones, if it meant saving them? What price would you pay for peace?

To know more about the festival, click here.

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PODCAST| David Martos interviews John C. Reilly, actor of the film The Sisters Brothers.

The chat with John C. Reilly adresses how he produced the film from the beginning and a depiction of Joaquin Phoenix as an actor. We also discuss what kind of director he likes on the set.

The Sisters Brothers: The darkly comic, Western-inspired story takes place in Oregon and California in 1851. The narrator, Eli Sisters, and his brother Charlie Sisters are assassins that are sent to kill Hermann Kermit Warm, an ingenious and likable man, who is accused of stealing from the Sisters’ fearsome boss, the Commodore.

To know more about the festival, click here.

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PODCAST| David Martos interviews Alexander Payne, Jury President at San Sebastian Film Festival.

The interview with Alexander Payne adresses his role as president of the Official Selection Jury, his thoughts about comedy and the conflict between Netlfix and Cannes Film Festival.

Alexander Payne presides over the Jury (Official selection) in San Sebastian 2018. He’s delivering the Golden Seashell with peers Rossy de Palma (actress) or Constantin Popescu (director).

To know more about the festival, click here.

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PODCAST| David Martos interviews Pawel Pawlikowski, director of the film Cold War.

Our chat with Pawel Pawlikowski addresses the success of Ida and Cold War in Poland (his homeland), the political background of his last film and the populist movements that surged all around the world in the last decade.

Cold War: Based on the director’s parents story, this love story follows two very different lovers throughout the Cold War-era, across Europe. Linked by passion and music, the two protagonist will fight for their feelings in this black and white melodrama.

To know more about the festival, click here.

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PODCAST| David Martos interviews actor Danny DeVito at 2018 San Sebastian Film Festival.

Legendary actor Danny DeVito talks to FRED about the beginning of his career, his love for acting 60 years after that start, the “Popular Oscar” announced by the Academy and his preference for watching fims in the cinemas.

Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series Taxi (1978–1983), which won him a Golden Globe and an Emmy. A major film star, he is known for his roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Man on the Moon, Romancing the Stone, Batman Returns, Big Fish or L.A. Confidential. He’s in San Sebastian to receive a Donostia Award and to promote his new animated film Smallfoot.

To know more about the festival, click here.

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PODCAST| Marco Berti interviews actress Valeria Solarino at the Italian Film Festival in Sydney.

Valeria Solarino compares her experience performing in cinema and in theatre, and explains how these two worlds are different but at the same time they intertwine with each other. She talks about how she never picks “easy” roles, instead she always chooses to play characters that enable her to explore social and psychological themes. She also reflects on her experience working with different directors, ranging from new emerging talents (Sibilia), to established Hollywood stars (Muccino).

The post Valeria Solarino #ItalianFF appeared first on Fred Film Radio.