At the 40th Lovers Film Festival, FRED Film Radio interviewed director Muneeb Hassan to talk about “All the Men I Met but Never Dated”, a short film presented at the International Short Film Competition.

“All the Men I Met but Never Dated” deals with balancing queer identity with one’s spiritual identity. Is that a process the director had to go through as well? “I think it’s just within yourself if you practice a religion. This is something between you and your God and if you separate that you’re good to go”, says Muneeb Hassan. “There are no problems within finding yourself, whoever you are. It’s just a matter of you and your God”.

The director lives in the United States. As a member of the queer community, is he concerned about the climate of hatred that the Trump administration has spread in the country? “We had Trump four years ago and for four years. People survived. I think people will still survive as long as there’s a resistance because if there’s then they will stop. That’s pretty much all”, says Muneeb Hassan. “It’s all about how you perceive it since we live in the major cities. It doesn’t really affect that much, but if you go on a federal level sometimes it does”.

There are many clichés that crowd queer cinema, losing the possibility of making films and TV series capable of showing believable characters and stories. “I think America is way behind in terms of putting up queer cinema because everything starts with sex and ends in the sex. There’s a third person in the relationship. I think it doesn’t connect with the majority of American audiences”, explains Muneeb Hassan. “The one film that I think that did change the stereotypes and the ideology of American people was Call Me By Your Name. A lot of people connected to it on a bigger level in America, as well with Brokeback Mountain and Moonlight. They were cinematic gems. But if you see other films you know they are just very extremely loud for no reason. And it just gives gags and laughs to a very small community but not on a larger scale which is kind of a problem. We have to create stories that would relate to the bigger audience”.

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At the 40th Lovers Film Festival, FRED Film Radio interviewed the director Matthew Fifer to talk about “Haze”, a film presented in competition.

How did the “Haze” project come about and how much of a personal aspect is there in the story it tells? “I moved back home for the pandemic and I rediscovered my town’s abandoned psychiatric center. In New York, I grew up down the street from a massive psychiatric center that had 9,000 patients at its peak. It had its own movie theater, its own water supply, its own grocery store. It was a village and it was run by the psych patients. When I moved there, it was just this cemetery. These abandoned buildings that couldn’t be taken down because of asbestos, which is a cancer-causing. And so I said: ‘Wow, this would be a great set for a film’”, says Matthew Fifer. “And at the same time, my mother said: ‘Do you know that the man who built our house also built the psych center?’. He would steal supplies to build our house, like bricks and windows and doors. And he was an alcoholic. He also took psych patients to the house, to build it. My whole house is like almost an extension of the psychiatric center”.

Was “Haze” inspired by other films visually or narratively? “We’re having a conversation with the Hays Code, the law from Hollywood back in the 30s. And it said you cannot have queer people in your film unless they’re villains or they get murdered. You can’t have profanity. You can’t have nudity. And so all of these films like Psycho, Dressed to Kill, Silence of the Lambs have the Hays Code woven into the fabric of the story and the visual language, either intentionally or unintentionally”, says Matthew Fifer. “The movie is having a conversation with those films. And one of the last sequences is inspired by Silence of the Lambs”.

The queer community in cinema has often been represented in a way that is disconnected from reality and full of clichés. But something has changed. “I think we’ve come such a long way in the last five to ten years. Weekend was like the first film I remember seeing in the theater that was gay. And I was like ok walking into the theater and walking out and hiding myself”, remember Matthew Fifer. “And that one was so beautiful because it was kind of about the scarcity of queer love and how even if you find it for a moment, it’s beautiful, it’s everything. It’s what we all experience coming from the suburbs or rural parts. And when we finally get it, even for a moment, we’re like: ‘Oh my God, I have it’. And then it’s gone”.

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At the 40th Lovers Film Festival, FRED Film Radio interviewed the director Liam Calvert to talk about “A Night Like This”, a film presented in competition.

In “A Night Like This” London plays a central role. It is like a co-protagonist. But although it is a city full of life and opportunities, it can also make those who live there feel lonely. “I moved to London a few years ago and upon moving there I learned the rules of the ciry where you don’t talk to people on the underground, you keep your eyes down, walk fast, don’t talk to people you don’t know. And I think even though there’s so many people around you it can make you feel more lonely and more isolating in some ways especially with things like social media where people are posting the fabulous times they’re having. If you don’t have that it can be quite a struggle”, says Liam Calvert.

The film avoids labels. In a historical moment in which there is a certain obsession with self-definition, how Liam Calvert hope this aspect will be received? “I think it is a tough dilemma because in some ways labels can be helpful in terms of finding other people like you, especially in the queer community, but also they can be quite limiting in a way they can almost be fences. You think: ‘Oh that person’s not like me so I can’t possibly have anything to do with them’”, says the director. “I think sometimes to have those to break those boundaries and to ignore those limits is really helpful and see each other as just as people. I think as well there’s an idea that fascinates me where the idea that every person you know knows a different version of you so the person your partner knows is different to the person your parent knows is different to the person your colleagues know. I think not all the labels will apply to all those people so it’s very good to just peel that back and peel all the layers back especially as we go through the film as well to see their different layers and they’re not the people you thought they were at the start. Those labels could have been irrelevant by the end”.

For a long time, the LGBTQIA+ community has been stereotyped in cinematic representation. How Liam Calvert think queer representation has changed in cinema? “I think representation has grown and it’s tough to say positive or negative but I think the best thing to do for representation is just to see as many different sides of it as you can because there’s no one way of being gay there’s no one way of being queer there’s so many different facets to it and no two people really live the same experience so I think what you really need is to show as much breadth of representation as possible so that’s why TV has helped show more long-form stories”, says the director. “I think it definitely used to be a lot more sad narratives a lot of coming outs that go badly a lot of more age stories and while those stories are still important and they still need to be told there’s much more around that can be shown”.

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At the 40th Lovers Film Festival, FRED Film Radio interviewed actor Alan Cumming who has been awarded the “Stella della Mole” prize. An award given to personalities who have left an indelible mark on the world of cinema and beyond.

There is a very high price to pay in terms of acceptance by others in deciding to be yourself to the fullest. Do you think it is only by having power over your own body that you can be truly free, despite everything and everyone? “I just don’t understand the obsession with people’s bodies,” says Alan Cumming. “Especially in America, I just don’t understand why they’re so obsessed with trans people’s bodies, women. As a Scottish person, I really believe in the act of self-determination. That you should decide what you do with who you are. I think Scotland should be able to self-determine as a country. I think women should be able to self-determine about their own bodies, governments, and especially usually white men should not be able to dictate to women what they can do. It’s terrible what’s happening right now in America that if you’re in a state where abortion is banned, if you leave that state to go to have an abortion elsewhere, you can be charged. And I think also trans people should be allowed to self-determine about their own bodies.”

There is the legitimization in politics of a violent and anti-inclusion language. Trump is an example but is not the only one. If those who govern us are the first that exclude the other, what kind of society can we build? “I really believe it’s about fear of the other and of the unknown”, says Alan Cumming. “And I think that right now, I feel we’re suffering a worldwide backlash because in the last decade or so, there have been great strides, especially in terms of trans people and non-binary people, and those concepts being more understood in the mainstream, that people understand. Like my old Scottish lady mom. I have some trans friends and she absolutely gets what is going on and she accepts that and is not afraid of it. But I think most people either don’t know about it or are angry in some way about it because it upsets the way we’ve been used to. And I think a lot of the anger against women, against trans people, against people of color as well, is all to do with the fact that we are going through a huge seismic shift in the world and we have much better communication so people are able to understand things about other people. We are changing in terms of the demographic, in terms of color and gender, and it’s just very scary for people. And I think mostly the people who are in power, and sadly right now it seems across the world they tend to be more right-wing, white, older men mostly, they are determined to stop this and it’s impossible to stop it. It’s like they’re playing the violin as the Titanic goes down. It’s not going to be stopped”.

Alan Cumming is returning to play Nightcrawler in “Avengers: Doomsday“. How important does he think it is to be a part of a film like this to reach a wider audience and represent queerness? “I’m very excited to go back and play this character”, says the actor. “I think actually the X-Men and comic books in general are very queer. The whole idea that they have to hide things about themselves and they’re apart from society and they’re kind of ostracized, it’s a very queer analogy. It’s great to sort of have a platform to talk about things but I think in a way, the X-Men and those characters themselves are pretty queer anyway and I love the fact that comic book culture is very queer friendly. It seems like a sort of little straight boy thing but actually it’s very queer friendly. I’m just excited to go back to something and have a better experience of doing it than I did the last time. I’m not one to hold back with my opinions and I’m very conscious of the fact that I have a platform and I want to make sure that people understand what it’s like to be queer and especially in America or places where people are being persecuted. That’s really important to me”.

What is the film, concert o tv show thanks to which What is the film thanks to which Alan Cumming felt represented for the first time on the screen? “I remember being little and seeing Elton John perform and thinking: ‘Oh’. But of course, he was closeted at the time. I was really perceptive, obviously. But I saw in him the kind of the sort of theatricality and the camp and his and it’s in a performative way. He was very comfortable with his sexuality. But of course, in real life, he wasn’t then. But I saw through it. ‘Of course, I am a superhero’”.

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With the blessing of its italian distribution company, Wanted, the complete trilogy by Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud composed by “Sex” (2024), “Love” (2024) and “Dreams” (2025) will be presented at the Bolzano Film Festival before landing in Italian cinemas. 

The Golden Bear winning film Dreams has already been released in italian Cinemas while Sex, presented in Berlinale 2024, will be out on May 15th and Love, which premiered in the Venice Competition, on April 17th. 

Vincenzo Bugno, director of the 38th Bolzano Film Festival declares about the trilogy: “Three films that speak of relationships, of sexuality, of dreams and desires, portraying the worlds of people of different ages. But there is something rare, something special in these three films, something that does not leave us indifferent, that draws us in, that carries us into the experiences of the characters and makes us feel as if we are part of them—almost as if there were no longer any difference between the stories shown on screen and our own lives. What is this special quality? Why do we feel so deeply connected to the characters and what they’re going through? I believe it’s empathy. Dag Johan Haugerud is a master of contemporary cinema and a master of empathy—able to convey it, to make it reach the audience.”

We finally talk to Dag Johan Haugerud about his complete trilogy and about his cinema and his references. 

Haugerud’s trilogy “is about what identity means” says the director who’s currently busy finishing up his new novel and thinking about his next film. 

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After world premiering in the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2025 – Tiger Competition, debut feature by actor and filmmaker Stefan Djordjević, “Wind, Talk to me“, lands in the 38° Bolzano Film Festival Bozen’s competition. 

While blending harmoniously fiction and documentary, the film is Djordjević’s cinematic way of dealing with the loss of his mother. 

Reuniting with his family to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday, the director, who also plays the lead, explores the different nuances of grieving while reflecting on his mother’s thoughts, beliefs, recommendations, dreams. 

Djordjević adds some footage of a dialogue he had with his mom in the final stages of her long illness while they discuss about the wind being able to talk to people (if you really listen). 

This way, his mother’s presence pervades the whole film as she’s there with her family all the time. 

As it deals with loss, with connecting to nature and with learning to listen to our inner self, the film feels both very personal and very universal.

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German director Christian Petzold was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 38° Bolzano Film Festival – Bozen. 

The festival directed by Vincenzo Bugno also showcased three very significant films in Petzold’s long career: Barbara, Transit and the recent Silver Bear winner Afire ( 2023). 

Petzold just finished shooting his new film “Mirror n. 3” with actress and muse Paula Beer. The film wasn’t supposed to be the third and final one of the Elements trilogy ( including Undine and Afire) but, as the director realized that the wind made an important part of the film, “Mirror n. 3” now officially marks the conclusion of this project. 

After a very warm and affectionate award ceremony on April 8th, Petzold has also participated in a special q&a for his 2013 hit “Barbara“, starring Nina Hoss. 

The director shares his memories of that particular moment of his career and the work he and his team did on the film while remarking on how actual and contemporary the film feels right now. 

In a conversation about the future of European Cinema and how it can really make the difference into the cinema industry, Petzold states: “The division between mainstream movies and Festival movies is not doing any good to European Cinema. Movies like Anora belong to both categories and the future is to make movies we can see in Festivals and in Cinemas”.

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The MASO – Short Film Training Programme just presented its first Pitching Event and the Launch of the second edition of the programme, MASO #2, at the FILMCLUB Capitol in Bolzano, Italy, during the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen 2025. 

The MASO programme, launched in april 2024 by IDM Film Commission Südtirol, Bolzano Film Festival Bozen, and with the support of the Cultural Departments of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and several other local and international partners, is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of filmmakers through training, mentorship, and financial support. 

With a focus on diversity and inclusivity, MASO aims to empower filmmakers and promote stories from underrepresented communities and peripheral regions, helping them bring their unique voices to the screen. 

Renate Ranzi, Project coordinator of MASO and Coordinator film Location at the IDM Film Fund & Commission tells us about the experience with the first edition, MASO #1 which selected 8 projects out of 132 applications received from 45 countries worldwide. 

Ranzi then launches the MASO #2 Call for Entries. 

This second edition of the programme will offer ongoing support to emerging filmmakers, emphasizing cross-border collaborations and fostering industry recognition at prestigious festivals.  

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Almost an year has passed since David Cronenberg premiered “The Shrouds” in the Cannes Film Festival’s competition. 

The film is finally coming out in Italian Movie theaters, distributed by Europictures, on April 3rd, 2025. 

The visionary director, inventor of the body horror genre, couldn’t make it to Italy to present the film but joined us in a deep conversation about the themes of his film. 

The film, starring Vincent Cassel in the role of Karsh and Diane Kruger continues Cronenberg’s exploration of the boundaries between technology, body, and mind, merging influences from his most extreme early cinema with a mature and conscious reflection on pain and memory, inspired by an autobiographical event. 

In his director’s notes, Cronenberg writes: “ I wrote this film while coping with the pain of losing my wife, who passed away seven years ago. For me, it was an exploration—not just a technical exercise, but also an emotional one. In a way, the Shrouds my protagonist invented are cinematic devices. They create their own cinema: a post-mortem cinema, a cinema of decay. Before writing the screenplay, I was aware that the shrouds had a cinematic quality, creating a kind of strange ‘cinema of the grave,’ a ‘cemetery cinema.’ In The Shrouds, it is suggested that Karsh realizes that his creation involves a form of cinematic technology—something rich and complex”. 

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After world premiering at the last Toronto Film Festival in September 2024 and many festival participations, such as the 20th Zurich Film Festival, third feature film by Gia Coppola, “The Last Showgirl” lands in Italian movie theaters 

On April 3rd, thanks to Be Water Film and Medusa, the film will be released. 

With Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd and always astonishing Jamie Lee Curtis as supporting actors, “The Last Showgirl” marks Pamela Anderson’s flashy and moving comeback to the big screen.

The actress who owes her popularity to the 90’s internationally guilty pleasure TV series “Baywatch“, is finally showing her acting multifaceted talent by playing Shelly, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. 

During her attendance at the 20th Zurich Film Festival, with Gia Coppola by her side, Anderson declared: “This film didn’t feel like a second chance for me, it feels like the beginning of my career”. 

Besides Shelly (Pamela Anderson) there’s another protagonist in The Last Showgirl: Las Vegas. 

Coppola leaves out of the picture Vegas’ flashing lights to introduce us to a different world, the one behind the scenes made of entertainment business’ working class that Shelly represents and no one talks about. 

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