FRED Film Radio - English Channel

Frederick Wiseman – Director – In Jackson Heights

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews one of the most American documentary filmmakers of all time, Frederick Wiseman, who presented his latest masterwork IN JACKSON HEIGHTS out of competition at the 72nd Venice Film Festival – the edition which followed the one in which he was awarded with Venice’s lifetine achievement award.

He talks about Jackson Heights, a neighborhood in New York City defined by many cultural identities, and his distinctively observant style is a way for the viewer to explore the nature of its microcosm. Frederick Wiseman talks to us about the way in which he works and chooses the things to film in order to create an excellent portrayal of his subjects, but also his opinion on the manipulative nature of the documentary form.

IN JACKSON HEIGHTS: Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse communities in the United States and the world.

There are immigrants from every country in South America, Mexico, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and China. Some are citizens, some have green cards, some are without documents. The people who live in Jackson Heights, in their cultural, racial and ethnic diversity, are representative of the new wave of immigrants to America.

Some of the issues the film raises— assimilation, integration, immigration and cultural and religious differences—are common to all the major cities of the Western world. The subject of the film is the daily life of the people in this community—their businesses, community centers, religions, and political, cultural and social lives— and the conflict between maintaining ties to traditions of the countries of origin and the need to learn and adapt to American ways and values.

This is Frederick Wiseman’s third film in a trilogy about communities, the others being Aspen and Belfast, Maine. In these films, as in all his films, he is trying to present a broad and complex portrait of contemporary life.

The post Frederick Wiseman – In Jackson Heights #Venezia72 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Dito Montiel – Filmmaker – Man Down

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews filmmaker Dito Montiel, whose latest film MAN DOWN was featured in the Orizzonti section of the 72nd Venice Film Festival.

He tells us about where the inspiration for this film came from, and the adaptations of hints to post apocalyptic elements in a story that deals with numerous delicate issues. The film also marks another collaboration between Dito Montiel and actor Shia LeBeouf, and he mentions what their creative collaboration is like.

MAN DOWN: Gabriel Drummer is a 30-year-old marine discharged after a catastrophic error in Afghanistan irreparably changes his life. Gabriel’s counselor, Peyton Calvin, guides him in unraveling the thrilling puzzle of his experience and navigating the unstable boundary between perception and reality.

Viewers are led down a complex labyrinth of hard-hitting psychological twists and turns. Through disturbing foreshadowing of secrets and sustained gripping suspense, Man Down is a spellbinding thriller that spirals towards a shattering revelation which leaves a shocking imprint of a human time bomb left unmined by modern warfare.

The post Dito Montiel – Man Down #Venezia72 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Simon Stone (Director), Odessa Young (Actress) – The Daughter.

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews filmmaker Simon Stone and actress Odessa Young, here in Venice to present the film THE DAUGHTER, in the official selection of Venice Days, which it will also be closing, at the 72nd Venice Film Festval.

Director Simon Stone talks about how the rural Australian setting shaped this dense family drama, and also about the tricks of keeping a balance in a film with with multiple characters while at the same time allowing an exploration of each of the characters in order to make for a more rewarding exploration of the “human condition”.

Odessa talks about how she became involved in the project and even reveals that she had trouble liking the nature of her character right away, as well as her collaboration with the director in shaping her performance.

THE DAUGHTER: In the last days of a dying logging town, Christian returns to his family home for his father Henry’s wedding to the much younger Anna.

While home, Christian reconnects with his childhood friend Oliver, who has stayed in town working at Henry’s timber mill and is now out of a job. As Christian gets to know Oliver’s wife Charlotte, daughter Hedvig and father Walter, he discovers a secret that could tear Oliver’s family apart. As he tries to right the wrongs of the past, his actions threaten to shatter the lives of those he left behind years before.

The post Simon Stone, Odessa Young – The Daughter #Venezia72 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Adriano Valerio – Director – Banat.

Adriano Valerio speaks with Fred after the warm reception of his first feature BANAT, here in the Internation Critics’ Week’s official competition of the 72nd Venice Film Festival.

BANAT: Bari, a city caught in the relentless economic crisis. Ivo is an agronomist, but the lack of opportunities pushes him to accept a job in the fertile region of Banat in Romania.

Clara has just ended a relationship and is about to lose her job at the Bari harbor. Ivo and Clara meet by chance and seem to immediately understand each other. They spend only one night together before Ivo’s departure, but that is enough to create a bond and wanting to meet again. When Clara visit him in Romania, they fall in love. But is exile their only way to happiness?

The post Adriano Valerio – Banat #Venezia72 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Maxim Dashkin (Director), Anna von Dziembowska (Producer) – The Longest Birthday.

FRED’s Angelo Acerbi meets the director and producer of one of the projects pitched at the European Gap Financing Sessions, which took place at the 72nd Venice Film Festival. The project is entitled THE LONGEST BIRTHDAY.

The post Maxim Dashkin, Anna von Dziembowska – The Longest Birthday #Venezia72 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Renato De Maria – Director – Italian Gangsters.

Fred Film Radio has the pleasure to talk to Renato De Maria, this yes in venice with his experimental and very entertaining film “Italian Gangsters”, competing in the Orizzonti section.

Plot: An original, spectacular journey through the most sensational exploits of the local underworld. Thirty years of violent stories sanctioned by news and films. A gallery of faces, testimonies and period footage. A many-voiced portrayal following the trail of the main exponents of Italian crime that becomes a tumultuous tale of the social transformations that have run through the history of our country.

The post Renato De Maria – Italian Gangsters #Venezia72 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Anna Rose Holmer (Director), Lisa Kierulff (Producer) – The fits.

Anna Rose Holmer and Lisa Kierulff stop by our studio in Venice to talk about their film “The Fits”, one of the films produced under the Biennale College project 2015.

Plot: Toni, a tomboyish boxer, lands a spot on an after- school drill team in the West End community of Cincinnati. Enamored by the power and confidence of the team, Toni eagerly absorbs routines, masters drills, and even pierces her own ears to fit in. As Toni descends deeper into the girls’ world, the lingering nostalgia for her brother’s guidance fades away. We witness the joy of her first friendships and her discovery of dance. Yet, she grapples with her individual identity amid her newly defined social sphere. Shortly after Toni joins the team, the captain faints during practice. By the end of the week, most of the girls on the team suffer from episodes of fainting, swooning, and shaking in a seemingly uncontrollable catharsis. The adults in their community cannot explain the mysterious outbreak. Tension mounts. Soon, these fits transform into a rite of passage as the trauma draws the other girls closer together. Caught between her need for control and her desire for acceptance, Toni must decide how far she will go to embody her new ideals.

The post Anna Rose Holmer, Lisa Kierulff – The fits #Venezia72 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Rajendra Roy – Chief curator of film at MOMA.

FRED’s Angelo Acerbi talks with Rajendra Roy, chief curator of film at MOMA (Museum of Modern Art)

The post Rajendra Roy – MOMA #Venezia72 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Gabriel Mascaro – Director – Neon Bull.

Fred talks with Gabriel Mascaro, Brazilian filmmaker here in Venice with Neon Bull, in competition Orizzonti Section.

NEON BULL: Iremar works at the “Vaquejadas”, a rodeo in the North East of Brazil where two men on horseback try bring down a bull by grabbing its tail. It’s dusty and back-breaking work, but Iremar is a natural vaqueiro feeding, prepping and taking care of the bulls.

Home is the truck used to transport the animals from show to show which he shares with his coworkers; Galega, an exotic dancer, truck driver and mother to her spirited and cheeky daughter Cacá, and Zé, his rotund compadre in the bull pen.

Together they form a makeshift but close-knit family. But Brazil and the Northeast are changing and the region’s booming clothing industry has stirred new ambitions in Iremar. Swinging in his hammock in the back of the truck, his head is filled with dreams of pattern cutting, sequins and exquisite fabrics as he mentally assembles his latest sexy fashion designs…

The post Gabriel Mascaro – Neon Bull #Venezia72 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Gyt Scheynius – Director of Stockholm film festival.

FRED’s Angelo Acerbi talks with Gyt Scheynius, director and founder of the Stockholm’s international film festival.

The post Gyt Scheynius – Stockholm film festival #Venezia72 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.