FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | Sarah Bradbury interviews Sandy Powell, costume designer of the film The Irishman.

Famed costume designer, Sandy Powell, shared her experience working on new Martin Scorsese film, The Irishman. The fourteen times nominated and three time Academy Award-winning designer told us about her process for developing the costumes and working with Scorsese and the all-star cast.

The Irishman: Martin Scorsese’s ninth collaboration with Robert De Niro finds the master filmmaker returning to the genre he has helped define, with a mystery that has never been solved. Who killed Jimmy Hoffa? A labour leader and the infamous head of the Teamsters union, whose connections with organised crime were wide ranging, his career ended with a conviction for jury tampering, attempted bribery and fraud, but he was pardoned by President Nixon in 1971. Not long after, he disappeared. Declared legally dead in 1982, various theories have circulated as to what happened to him. Few are as convincing as that told by Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran. The account he revealed to journalist Charles Brandt and published in the 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses, is the basis of this riveting, epic crime drama. Written by Gangs of New York collaborator Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List), Scorsese’s The Irishman weaves an engrossing and intricate web of connected events, audaciously cutting back and forth across decades. Presented through the prism of Sheeran’s (De Niro) memories of his criminal past, the film uses state-of-the-art visual effects to ‘de-age’ the cast from their 70s through their 30s. The seamless (and astonishing) post-production allows Scorsese to bring together a favoured megawatt cast, all on exceptional form: the former Goodfellas pairing of De Niro and Joe Pesci (out of retirement here for Scorsese), alongside Harvey Keitel, Stephen Graham, Anna Paquin, Jesse Plemons, Bobby Cannavale and Ray Romano. Al Pacino, appearing for the first time in a Scorsese film, gives a performance as Jimmy Hoffa so good you’ll want to watch scenes again straight away, not least the many two-handers with Pacino’s Hoffa and De Niro’s Irishman Sheeran, whose friendship forms the heart of the film. What a way to close the LFF – with a total showstopper.

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PODCAST | Sarah Bradbury interviews Santiago A Zapata, producer of the film Monos.

Producer Santiago A Zapata told us about winning Best Film for Monos, director by Alejandro Landes, at the BFI London Film Festival. He gave us a introduction to the film and its inspiration and shared what it means to him and Landes to be honoured with the award.

Monos: High in the mountains of South America, above the billowing clouds but with gunshots heard in the distance, a motley group of child and teenage soldiers train and wait for instruction. They stave off boredom by fucking, playing and fighting. This might be some teen rave gone feral, but for the deadly seriousness underlined by the presence of an American hostage, the Doctora. Monos has inspired feverish buzz wherever it has screened this year and comparisons to Apocalypse Now and Lord of the Flies are not off the mark in mapping out the film’s terrain. But this is also a wildly original vision from Landes and screenwriter Alexis dos Santos, referencing horrors on their own continent. The camera prowls over mud and organic decay, cutting swathes through the jungle, all to the strains of Mica Levi’s visceral score. Monos sparks with dark adrenal electricity and it’s completely, utterly thrilling.

Monos is released in UK cinemas across UK and Ireland on 25th October 2019. For more information visit the official website here , or visit the Facebook page, and find on Twitter #MONOSFILM.

To discover more about the film, click here.

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PODCAST | Sarah Bradbury interviews Fernando Meirelles, director of the film The Two Popes.

Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles spoke about what inspired him to make The Two Popes from the red carpet at the BFI London Film Festival. He shared how he already had Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce in mind for the roles, how their chemistry came alive on set and why he thinks it’s crucial to explore religion on the big screen.

The Two Popes: Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce tussle over the future of the Catholic Church in this thrillingly cinematic two-hander from Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener). Travelling from the streets of Buenos Aires to the hallowed halls of the Vatican, Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) has become disillusioned with the direction of the Catholic Church, even though he’s a contender for the top job. So when it’s Joseph Ratzinger (Anthony Hopkins) who gets the gig, becoming Pope Benedict XVI, Bergoglio is relieved. However, the institution faces a reckoning with itself. And when the two men are brought together for a few days over one summer, their clash of ideologies – forward-looking and progressive versus a stubborn adherence to tradition – makes for passionate debate. Terrific writing from Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, Darkest Hour) showcases the chemistry between Hopkins and Pryce, who relish the rich dialogue that crackles with humour. Director Fernando Mereilles’ technical bravura depicts – with rich textures – compassion, self-doubt, shame and pride as the intimate debate between these two powerful men progresses. And whatever your stakes in religion, Pryce and Hopkins are a joy to watch together on screen. Hallelujah!

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PODCAST | Sarah Bradbury interviews Anthony McCarten, screenwriter of the film The Two Popes.

Screenwriter Anthony McCarten told us about his inspiration for writing The Two Popes, directed by Fernando Meirelles, from the red carpet at the BFI London Film Festival. He shared his experience of working on the film, how his writing has provided roles for many actors later in their careers – and earned many of them Academy Awards.

The Two Popes: Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce tussle over the future of the Catholic Church in this thrillingly cinematic two-hander from Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener). Travelling from the streets of Buenos Aires to the hallowed halls of the Vatican, Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) has become disillusioned with the direction of the Catholic Church, even though he’s a contender for the top job. So when it’s Joseph Ratzinger (Anthony Hopkins) who gets the gig, becoming Pope Benedict XVI, Bergoglio is relieved. However, the institution faces a reckoning with itself. And when the two men are brought together for a few days over one summer, their clash of ideologies – forward-looking and progressive versus a stubborn adherence to tradition – makes for passionate debate. Terrific writing from Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, Darkest Hour) showcases the chemistry between Hopkins and Pryce, who relish the rich dialogue that crackles with humour. Director Fernando Mereilles’ technical bravura depicts – with rich textures – compassion, self-doubt, shame and pride as the intimate debate between these two powerful men progresses. And whatever your stakes in religion, Pryce and Hopkins are a joy to watch together on screen. Hallelujah!

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PODCAST | Sarah Bradbury interviews Rubika Shah, director of the film White Riot.

British director, Rubika Shah, told us about her film White Riot and winning the BFI London Film Festival award for Best Documentary. She explained the long process that went into making the film and how she sees the landscape now for female filmmakers.

White Riot: Revolution rock! Rubika Shah’s vital documentary profiles punky reggae protest movement Rock Against Racism, from grassroots beginnings through to a major multicultural event. Expanding her 2017 short, Rubika Shah’s energising film charts a vital London protest movement. Rock Against Racism (RAR) was formed in 1976, prompted by ‘music’s biggest colonialist’ Eric Clapton and his support of racist MP Enoch Powell. White Riot blends fresh interviews with queasy archive footage to recreate a hostile environment of anti-immigrant hysteria and National Front marches. As neo-Nazis recruited the nation’s youth, RAR’s multicultural punk and reggae gigs provided rallying points for resistance. As founder Red Saunders explains: ‘We peeled away the Union Jack to reveal the swastika’. The campaign grew from Hoxton fanzine roots to 1978’s huge antifascist carnival in Victoria Park, featuring X-Ray Spex, Steel Pulse and of course The Clash, whose rock star charisma and gale-force conviction took RAR’s message to the masses.

To discover more about the film, click here.

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PODCAST | Sarah Bradbury interviews Wash Westmoreland, director of the film Earthquake Bird.

British director Wash Westmoreland spoke to us from the BFI London Film Festival premiere of Earthquake Bird about his 1989 Japan-set thriller. He explained why he was inspired to adapt Susanna Jones’ novel, how lucky he was to cast an actress like Alicia Vikander who could play the cello and learn Japanese for the central role and the excitement of putting a female character at the centre of a genre traditionally dominated by men.

Earthquake Bird: Lucy (Vikander) is a buttoned-up, MUJI-clad translator who has been in Japan for five years and is desperate to blend in. Her reticent nature hides old scars. There’s also the fact that people around her keep dying – accidentally or otherwise. After a street encounter with hot photographer Teiji (Naoki Kobayashi), she quickly finds herself under his spell, despite all the warning signs. And the pot is stirred further when American nurse Lily (Riley Keough) – all blowsy sexual confidence and cultural naïvety – arrives in town and Lucy experiences some frightening impulses. Wash Westmoreland (Colette) has crafted a moody and intriguing update on 1980s psycho-sexual thrillers, shifting the emphasis onto the psychology of the female protagonist. Alicia Vikander is astonishing in a role that explores cultural fascination, belonging and obsession.

To discover more about the film, click here.

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PODCAST | Sarah Bradbury interviews Naoki Kobayashi, actor of the film Earthquake Bird.

Japanese actor, Naoki Kobayashi, told us about why he was drawn to the role of Teiji in Wash Westmoreland’s thriller Earthquake Bird from the red carpet at the BFI London Film Festival. He explained how he connected to the film set in 1989 Tokyo and his experience of working with Wash as a director and opposite actress Alicia Vikander.

Earthquake Bird: Lucy (Vikander) is a buttoned-up, MUJI-clad translator who has been in Japan for five years and is desperate to blend in. Her reticent nature hides old scars. There’s also the fact that people around her keep dying – accidentally or otherwise. After a street encounter with hot photographer Teiji (Naoki Kobayashi), she quickly finds herself under his spell, despite all the warning signs. And the pot is stirred further when American nurse Lily (Riley Keough) – all blowsy sexual confidence and cultural naïvety – arrives in town and Lucy experiences some frightening impulses. Wash Westmoreland (Colette) has crafted a moody and intriguing update on 1980s psycho-sexual thrillers, shifting the emphasis onto the psychology of the female protagonist. Alicia Vikander is astonishing in a role that explores cultural fascination, belonging and obsession.

To discover more about the film, click here.

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PODCAST | Steve Hargrave interviews Carice Van Houten, actress of the film Instinct.

After the huge success in Game of Thrones, Carice Van Houten partners with her friend Halina Reijn by producing and starring in her debut feature, Instinct. The film, a complex adult, sexual psychological drama, participating to the First Feature Competition at the London Film Festival, explores the complicated and controversial world of sexual and love relationships.

Instinct: In spite of her expertise and experience, a seasoned psychologist is completely infatuated by the sex offender she is treating in a penal institution.

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PODCAST | Angelo Acerbi interviews Eryk Rocha, director of the film Burning Night.

Eryk Rocha has his first fiction film after a career in documentaries. He does not see a difference in storytelling or importance in the two genre, he actually does not see the genre specification. He has a strong and clear view and cinema is his tool to tell it.

Burning Night: Down on his luck and recently divorced, Paulo (Boliveira) has begun driving a cab around Rio, hoping he’ll make enough to send his ex money to support their ten-year-old son. He mostly works nights, so in addition to his encounters with a colourful variety of customers, colleagues, cops and others, he must cope with loneliness, fatigue and new faces in his life.

The post Eryk Rocha – Burning Night #LFF2019 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Sarah Bradbury interviews Mirrah Foulkes and Mia Wasikowska, director and actress of the film Judy and Punch.

We spoke to Australian writer and director, Mirrah Foulkes, about her debut feature, Judy and Punch, and heard why she wanted to make an origin-style film about the classic English puppeteers. Lead actress Mia Wasikowska also explained what drew her to the role and her experience working with Mirrah.

Judy and Punch: Writer/Director Mirrah Foulkes delivers an audaciously brilliant first feature, with Mia Wasikowska splendid in this fairy tale with a feminist twist. Taking the strange, misogynistic 16th-century Punch and Judy puppet show as an initial point of departure, Foulkes creates an origin story of sorts, but one that re-imagines what might have happened if Judy decided not to take Punch’s incessant battery quite so meekly. In the town of Seaside, husband and wife puppeteers Punch and Judy stage their shows for rowdy, mob-minded locals for whom a great day out is usually the public stoning of a fellow citizen (invariably a woman accused of witchcraft or some other spurious crime). With a highly accomplished sense of style and directorial confidence that belies her newness to the craft, Foulkes creates a vivid, darkly comic fable – part revenge story, part fantasy epic. Damon Herriman (Justified, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) makes a brilliant Punch – dangerously egomaniacal, and yet somehow still pitiable. And at the heart of this film about the emergence of a reluctant heroine, Wasikowska is a wonderful Judy, who belatedly finds out just how powerful she is. Judy & Punch is rousing, inventive and so much fun.

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