FRED Film Radio - English Channel

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.

The power over our body

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.”

You can't stop change

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”.

Avengers: Doomsday

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”.

Elton John

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'”.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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”.

"William Tell" by Nick Hamm with Danish Actor Claes Bang in the role of the man/myth/legend and archer is coming out in Italian movie theaters on April 3rd, distributed by Eagle Pictures.

After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film was presented at the 20th Zurich Film Festival where we met director Nick Hamm along with actors Claes Bang, Jonah Hauer-King and Ellie Bamber. 

As Hamm clarifies, nobody knows if William Tell ever lived but the legend and the story about his shooting the famous apple on the top of his son’s head survived all over the centuries. 

When asked why, Nick Hamm answers promptly: “The “legend” of William Tell survived because with it, you’re debating the notion of liberty and what it means, how you achieve it and maintain it”.

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.

During the 39th edition of BFI Flare, Fred Film Radio sat down with director August B Hanssen to discuss his documentary feature, "Fatherhood", made alongside Even G Benestad.

He shared how gay throuple, Kris, Sindre and David, approached them to share their complex journey to becoming parents, and despite some initial hesitation, an increasingly toxic environment in Norway and beyond for the trans community gave Hanssen and Benestad the impetus to take on the project.

Hanssen explained his desire to tell a personal, intimate, human story, to foster empathy and compassion, as well as shed light on the harsh rules whose impacts are still being felt, such as trans people having to face sterilisation as recently as 2016.

Although it shares a very specific story about this non-conventional family, it also touches on many universal elements of becoming a parent and navigating relationships, bridging the gap between audience and subject.

The filmmaker also reflected on the importance of the BFI Flare as a platform for a diverse range of LGBTQIA+ films, and his excitement for showing his documentary to a London audience.

At the 16th Bari International Film & Tv Festival, FRED Film Radio interviewed the director Tom Nesher to talk about “Come Closer”, a film presented at the Meridiana section.

The transition between adolescence and adulthood

“Come Closer” deals with many different themes, one of these is the transition between adolescence and adulthood. A transition that implies, in a certain way, a loss. “Being a teenager is such an interesting time because you remember from those times only the most highlighted events”, says Tom Nesher. “You're so emotional in that time and you're saying goodbye to a lot of parts of yourself and parts of your life and you're becoming an adult. And this thing is something that you can see throughout the film. The main character is losing her brother, she is losing her family in some way but then she's finding her own independent way and her way to become a more mature person which could be sad but could also be a beautiful thing that happens in nature that you find your place as an adult”.

The audience reception of the film

At the heart of "Come Closer" is the love story between the two protagonists that arises after a loss that affects both of them. How was the film received by the Israeli audience? "It was so beautiful. The movie was hugged by the Israeli public in such a powerful way", explain the director. “I tell this story that comes from a very personal place of my own life and I feel like my generation could have less boundaries and you don't need to be identified as lesbian or as anything else to be able to fall in love with a person who happens to be a woman or to have this meaningful relationship with someone because they also lost someone that you both love and you mourn together over that person. So it's really beautiful to see the way that the generations changed".

Society remains in the background

In 'Come Closer', the director shows a montage on the phones of the two protagonists that tells about the society in which the girls live. But everything remains in the background. "In this montage you see a protest and children that go to the school trip to Auschwitz. These are two very dramatic things in Israeli society. But still the film is not about that. Those events are just in the background of this love story", says Tom Nesher. "You see them texting, laughing, falling in love and that is the main thing of that scene. I chose to write it because I wanted to see how even the most dramatic backdrop for a teenager, it's just a backdrop. You're so invested in your personal story, in your loss, in your love".