FRED Film Radio - English Channel

Austrian screenwriter and director Johanna Moder presents her 3rd feature film, "Mother’s Baby", in competition at the 75th Berlinale. 

The film, described as very personal from the director herself, is a story about the hidden side of motherhood.

Moder follows the story of this woman, Julia, a successful conductor finally having the baby she has always dreamed of and feeling distanced from her son and the whole new life she is somehow forced to embrace.

“My film is about the challenge of dealing with the expectations of motherhood and finding yourself” explains Moder who declared that she chose to tell "Mother’s baby" as a psychological thriller since the the film plays with visual darkness and juxtapositions of beauty and pain.

In the role of Julia, the enigmatic German-Swiss actress Marie Leuenberger while in the villain role of awkwardly calm Dr Villefort, danish actor Claes Bang.

Swiss director Lionel Baier is at the 75th Berlinale with his new film "La Cache - The Safe house" in competition. 

The film is inspired by a small but poignant paragraph of Christophe Boltanski’s "La Cache", set in Paris, May ’68. 

The secret to managing this apparent impossible challenge of adapting Boltanski’s text, was focusing on this very short period of time, mixing the words of the book’s author with elements from Baier’s own family story. 

Baier confirms that “May 1968 was a fascinating era to film because it’s the very root of our current period. For better or worse”. 

In the role of the grandfather, in the family the film portrays, french actor Michel Blanc in his last performance on the big screen. He died on on Friday, October 4, 2024. 

Lionel Baier describes his experience in directing him and declares that he was the obvious choice for the role.

At the 75th Berlinale, director Lemohang Mosese presents his latest film, "Ancestral Visions of the Future", a deeply personal and poetic meditation on memory, loss, and displacement. In this exclusive interview, Mosese reflects on his creative process, the interplay between text and image, and the emotional core of his work.

A Lamentation of Memory and Identity

Described by Mosese as a lamentation, "Ancestral Visions of the Future" explores the tension between childhood memories and the shifting reality of home. The film does not seek to reconstruct the past but rather to express the feeling of searching for something that no longer exists.

Cinema as Poetry

For Mosese, cinema is closer to poetry than prose. His approach to filmmaking is instinctive, fragmented, and deeply symbolic, embracing both real and imagined memories. He trusts his gut feeling, even when certain elements feel surreal or abstract.

A Tribute to Motherhood

A central theme in "Ancestral Visions of the Future" is the figure of the mother—both as a personal and symbolic presence. Mosese credits his mother with shaping his identity and artistic confidence, making the film a tribute to maternal love and resilience.

The Transformative Power of Cinema

Moses describes cinema as his saviour, a force that has shaped his life and given him a voice. Though he rarely watches films, he remains deeply connected to storytelling as a means of self-expression. "Ancestral Visions of the Future" is his most introspective work yet—a raw and unfiltered outcry that invites audiences to interpret its meaning for themselves.

Denis Côté comes back to Berlinale , this time with a documentary film about a man, "Paul", who decides after many years of depression, of  hiding himself and not being in the outside world, to try a new version of interaction: becoming a simp, a kind of slave for young women whom he does free cleaning  for. This is the beginning of a new life and a good motivation ofr the director to observe the peculiar life of Paul.

It is a portrait through pure observation, with no judgment at all

Denis Côté decided to just observe, making "Paul" a non-judgmental film, letting us into the life of this man, whose life is lonely and peculiar, in the moment when he is trying his way out of a shell he forced himself into years ago.Denis Côté does not care how Paul chooses to do that, his choices are his and he is just peeking into this world from outside, like a passenger.

It was complicated to convince him , but once he agreed, the movie happened quickly

Denis Côté tells us that it has been complicated to convince Paul to let himself and his life filmed: Paul did not talk to man, any man, he was shy and did not like being in company of men. This obstacle was overcome, Paul developed a genuine love with the camera and his ego blossomed transforming his shyness in boldness.

Argentinian director Ivàn Fund presents at the 75 Berlin International Film Festival his 8th feature film, El Mensaje - The Message.

The film tells the story of a young girl (newcomer Anika Boots) with the gift of communicating with animals, in particular domestic pets such as dogs. 

Her family force her to live traveling on the road and make this “communicating to pets” a business.

Ivàn Fund chooses black and white and relies on the incredible performance of Boots who rarely talks but speaks loudly than words. 

While traveling along Argentina, the film reflects also its current reality: the economic and social crisis affecting urban centers and its ripple effects in small towns and rural outskirts. 

Though believing a film must not have a message to deliver, Ivàn Fund confirms that the film is an in invitation to stay more connected to nature, to animals, to people.

"Drømmer (Dreams)" is the third part of the trilogy written  and  directed by Dag Johan Haugerud, showing at Berlinale in the official Competition. This delicate, intelligent and realistic movie closes the trilogy of "Love" and "Sex"; it is the story of the coming of age of a young woman Johanne whose first love for her teacher is upsetting her world. We had a talk with the director and the actress to dig more into the motivations and the uplifting lesson of such a wonderful movie.

This was supposed to be the second part of the trilogy. A personal memory

Even if "Drømmer (Dreams)" was supposed to be the second and not the third episode of the trilogy, as the director Dag Johan Haugerud told us, still the film holds its force and sense as closing the circle. the reason of the choice of first love , as devastating as it is, and sweet as well, is based on memories of his personal first crush, that is replicated without any melodrama or melancholy, but with the typical sweet and sour taste those moments hold.

An all-woman story

In "Drømmer (Dreams)" we have three generations of women, each linked and depending on the others, but with the younger one (Johanne)  being the motor for a reconsideration of their lives and choices by the mother and the grand mother. These women talk, discuss and disagree as well, but there is a strong bond of respect and love.

At the 75th Berlinale, director Emilie Blichfeldt presents her daring debut feature, "The Ugly Stepsister", in the Panorama section. This twisted body horror adaptation of "Cinderella" shifts the focus to the infamous stepsister, exploring the Grimm fairy tale on a different side.

The Inspiration Behind The Ugly Stepsister

Blichfeldt shares that her personal struggles with body image and beauty standards led her to reimagine the stepsister’s story. “I suddenly saw her as someone who desperately wanted to fit in,” she explains. “I, too, have felt like an outsider, struggling to meet impossible beauty ideals.”

Beauty, Feminism, and Internalized Expectations

The film explores female identity, societal expectations, and inherited pressures surrounding beauty. “Women have historically been valued for their looks,” says Blichfeldt. “Even today, we internalize these expectations, making it difficult to break free from them. "The Ugly Stepsister" critiques how women are often pitted against each other, much like in fairy tales where only one can be the “perfect” woman.

A Dark Fairy Tale with Stunning Visuals

Creating a visually cohesive fairy-tale world was a major challenge. “There were costumes, dance sequences, prosthetics, and body horror effects—all in a limited timeframe,” recalls Blichfeldt. Lead actress Lea Myren delivered intense physical performances, adding depth to the film’s psychological horror elements.

A Mother-Daughter Story at Its Core

Beyond the Cinderella rivalry, the film also examines the complex relationship between mothers and daughters. “Beauty standards are passed down through generations,” Blichfeldt reflects. “Breaking free from these expectations is incredibly difficult but necessary.”

The Future of Female Storytelling

When asked about her wish for cinema’s future, Blichfeldt hopes audiences continue embracing bold, challenging films in theatres. “We need to create stories that demand to be seen on the big screen,” she says.

With his second feature film, "What Marielle Knows", German director Frédéric Hambalek is in competition at the 75th Berlinale. 

Starring Julia Jentsch and Felix Kramer, the film develops the possible answer to a question: "What would parents do if they were monitored by their kids?” while coming up with the idea of a girl suddenly listening to all her parents thoughts. 

It all came to Hambalek when he first discovered the existence of baby monitors with a camera that could watch their every move. 

"What Marielle Knows" is a film about privacy and its importance especially in this particular moment when we all seem to give it up more and more every day.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz presents her directorial debut, "Hot Milk", in competition at the 75th Berlinale.

The film is an adaptation of the 2016 novel by Deborah Levy and it stars Fiona Shaw and Emma Mackey as mother and daughter in a difficult co-dependent relationship.

When asked to write the script for this screen adaptation, Lenkiewicz thought this was the right project to finally make the big step of becoming a director. She told film producers Christine Langan and Kate Glover: “I won’t be able to let this one go, I will adapt it only if I can direct it”. 

In the role of Ingrid, the fascinating independent woman, Mackey’s character Sofia falls for, German actress Vicky Krieps. 

Lenkiewicz and Krieps talk about the project being a women’s story, a project where th most important things are the ones being told without being spelled out. 

Hot Milk will be distributed by Mubi worldwide.

Directorial debut by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, "Hot Milk", is in competition at the 75th Berlinale. 

Distributed by Mubi worldwide, the film is an adaptation of the 2016 novel by Deborah Levy. 

It follows Rose (Fiona Shaw) and her daughter Sofia (Emma Mackey) as they travel to Spain to find a cure for Rose’s mysterious illness. 

The co-dependent relationship between the two is destined to be shaken up as Sofia meets a woman she enters a passionate affair with. 

Fiona Shaw and Emma Mackey discuss their approach to this women’s story which is very universal in its core and reveal how they worked in this film that speaks even more to its audience when words are not involved.