FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Lone Scherfig and Søren Balle, showrunner and director of the series The Shift.

The Shift, first Tv series by showrunner Lone Scherfig is at the same time emotional and realistic as it is set in the Maternity ward of a very important Danish hospital. Directed by Søren Balle, the series stars Sofie Gråbøl as Ella, the head midwife and throws out of the window every medical drama rules ever applied to welcome a documentary approach which is very effective in terms of emotions, passion and empathy. Lone Scherfig and Søren Balle describe their work on the series whose first 4 episodes screened at the 72 Berlinale in the Series section.

The Shift : Birth is one of our few unifying experiences and its arena the maternity ward where, during a busy workday, the staff experience conflicts and heartfelt joys, while striving to be at their best. On the surface, they are full of goodwill, close-knit, often witty colleagues who understand one another better than their family. Sometimes they bow to the pressure of work and huge psychological demands. Like Head of Department Ella, who is surrounded by new life each day, while secretly wishing for her own children; but she has a hard time forming close relationships. Or pediatrician Jerry, whose marriage is falling apart, a fact his religious community is not supposed to know. They and those passing through are from all walks of life, representing all facets of society. Yet they all share this place, a venue of suspense, shame, guilt and insecurity, but also a world of triumphs, humor, trust, love and unfathomable bliss.

To discover more about the 72° edition of Berlin International Film Festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Jason Kohn, director of the documentary Nothing lasts forever.

They’re the ultimate symbol of committed love. Diamonds are forever, so they’ve been telling us and teaching us. At the 72nd Berlinale, in the Special section, Jason Kohn with Nothing lasts forever brings to light the Synthetic diamonds issue and their infiltrating into real and pure diamonds. With the help of Serbian gemologist Dusan Simic and the expert and writer Aja Raden, Kohn uncovers the issue of contaminated diamonds and use this discovery as a chance to analyze the real value of this gem into society and relationships.

Nothing lasts forever : The infiltration of the jewellery market by synthetic diamonds did not exactly make international headlines. Even more surprising then, that Jason Kohn should choose the topic – one so decisive for an industry based on discretion – as the starting point for a riveting investigation of the universal themes of value, the real and the symbolic. Having earned his stripes working with Errol Morris, as one senses from the interviews, and having dealt with other complex worlds (Brazilian organised crime in Manda Bala, professional tennis in Love Means Zero), Kohn uses his third outing as a director to once again push the documentary into thriller territory, with witnesses turning into antagonists as he leads us through trade fairs, mines, laboratories and conventions in the USA, Africa, China and India. This is a labyrinth where illusions and reality merge, where authenticity and imagination overlap, and questions arise about the value we place on the goods around us. In this sense, diamonds turn out to be exemplary: their exclusivity being the illusory effect of decades of marketing, and their meaning being based on values that synthetic gems, a product of fraud and market evolution, are now putting to the test.

To discover more about the 72° edition of Berlin International Film Festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Niklas Pollmann interviews Ursula Meier, director and writer of the film The Line.

Niklas talks with Ursula Meier about her current work The Line that was premiering in the Main Competition section of the 72nd Berlinale. Among other things, she talks about the importance of symbolism in her work, the use of situative comedy elements, and collaborations with actresses Stéphanie Blanchout and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi.

The Line : The tense relationship between the impulsive 35-year-old musician Margaret and her 55-year-old mother Christina erupts at the very beginning. Margaret beats up her mother so badly that she is forbidden by the police to come within 100m of her mother and her family. Her little 12-year-old sister Marion henceforth draws a line with paint around the perimeter of her mother’s house, defining a symbolic front line.

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PODCAST | Niklas Pollmann interviews Dale Dickey, actress of the film A Love Song.

Dale Dickey in a personal interview about her role as a widow in Max Walker Silverman’s A Love Story, her actor’s life between Indie cinema and “money jobs”, her first kissing scene and the reprentation of underprivileged classes in cinema.

A Love Song : Widow Faye (Dale Dickey) lives alone in her trailer on the American prairie, waiting for her childhood sweetheart Lito (Wes Studi) to come along on a date. When Lito arrives, they talk nostalgically about their past, grow closer and try to find out to what extent they can also have a future together.

The post Dale Dickey – A Love Song #Berlinale2022 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Niklas Pollmann interviews Max Walker-Silverman, director and writer of the film A Love Song.

Niklas talks with Max Walker-Silverman about the challenge of his first feature film, his roots and the crew of A Love Song.

A Love Song : Widow Faye (Dale Dickey) lives alone in her trailer on the American prairie, waiting for her childhood sweetheart Lito (Wes Studi) to come along on a date. When Lito arrives, they talk nostalgically about their past, grow closer and try to find out to what extent they can also have a future together.

The post Max Walker Silverman – A Love Song #Berlinale2022 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Niklas Pollmann interviews Charlotte Gainsbourg, actress of the film Passengers Of The Night.

Niklas talks with Charlotte Gainsbourg about Mikhaël Hers directing style, her natural acting and the utopia of the special dramaturgy of Passengers Of The Night.

Passengers Of The Night : The 80s of Mitterand’s France: Elisabeth has just been abandoned by her husband and is trying to support her two children when she gets a job at a nighttime radio station and with it perhaps her professional destiny: listening to other people and their problems. Talulah, an 18-year-old fixer who is also asked to talk about her life on the radio show, quickly becomes part of Elisabeth’s family.

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PODCAST | Angelo Acerbi interviews Dennis Ruh, director of the European Film Market.

Dennis Ruh, director of the European Film Market, discuss his idea of future film markets and explains how a new edition of an on line EFM was built and adapted for the second time, but with more knowledge and insightful decisions.

The post Dennis Ruh – European Film Market #Berlinale2022 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Angelo Acerbi interviews Maggie Peren, director of the film The Forger.

Maggie Peren with The Forger gets a double result: narrating a captivating real story happened towards the end of WWII in Berlin, and showing us how actual and unfortunately contemporary some dynamics in power and social politics still are. We talked about these issues in an interesting and enlightening chat at Berlinale 2022.

The Forger : Berlin, 1942. A young Jewish man, Cioma Schönhaus, refuses to let the Nazis take away his love of life. When he discovers his talent for forging documents – especially passports – he sees this as the ideal way to help not only himself but also others escape deportation. Thanks to his knack for creating new identities, he dares to venture out of hiding and navigates round the authorities with inventiveness and charm. He and his friends Det and Gerda are hiding in plain sight. Cioma even catches a fragile glimpse of love in seemingly hopeless times. But the more lives the trio saves, the more the noose tightens around them. Directed by Maggie Peren, who also wrote the screenplay, Der Passfälscher is based on a true story, the inspirational power of which she highlights and honours. One of the film’s great achievements lies in its cast which brings together terrific young actors Luna Wedler, Jonathan Berlin, and Louis Hofmann as the 21-year-old forger. The choice of Hofmann is impeccable, his previous work having demonstrated a rare ability to embody a certain mix of reluctant bravery, innocence and even purity in the darkest of circumstances – undoubtedly one of the keys to survival.

To discover more about the 72° edition of Berlin International Film Festival, click here.

The post Maggie Peren – The Forger #Berlinale2022 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Quentin Dupieux, director of the film Incredible but true.

Quentin Dupieux is the only director who can manage to depict real life issues such as the fear of time passing or getting old or a middle life crisis by using a surreal tone. The director does his magic with Incredible but true in Berlinale Special Gala at the 72 Berlinale and talks about his creative process and how his crazy ideas become a film.

Incredible but true : Alain and Marie are viewing a house in a quiet suburb. The real estate agent warns them that what lies in the cellar will turn their lives upside down. Amazed and excited by what they discover, the couple decides to buy the property. When Alain’s brash boss and his girlfriend come over for dinner, the temptation to share the incredible (but true!) piece of information is strong. Marie, however, is determined to keep it a secret. She becomes obsessed with the cellar and cannot help going down there … One of cinema’s most eccentric creators, Quentin Dupieux has a seemingly inexhaustible source of bizarre ideas on which he builds with comic brilliance. He has once again generously given his cast an opportunity to play unforgettably quirky characters and really, what more fun could an actor have? Contributing to a satirical discourse on human obsession with their youthful performances, popular French actors Alain Chabat and Léa Drucker lend their relatable traits to the couple facing an unusual challenge. Anaïs Demoustier’s portrayal of a promiscuous young woman has just the right amount of intelligent lightness. And what can one say about Benoît Magimel’s unhinged performance other than: this is clearly an actor at the peak of his career, who is capable of anything.

To discover more about the 72° edition of Berlin International Film Festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Li Ruijun, director of the film Return to Dust.

An unexpected love story between two outsiders, two people whose family and society targeted as unworthy. That’s the heart of Return to Dust by Li Ruijun. The chinese director talks about love that springs among two farmers. As in his previous films, the director chooses non professional actors and get his family and friends involved in the shooting. China is a country where the majority of population is composed by farmers and their stories should be portrayed more often on the big screen.

Return to Dust : Humble, unassuming Ma and timid Cao have been cast off by their families and forced into an arranged marriage. They have to combine their strength and build a home to survive. In the face of much adversity, an unexpected bond begins to blossom, as both Ma and Cao, uniting with Earth’s cycles, create a haven for themselves in which they can thrive. A story about eternal love, against the odds.

To discover more about the 72° edition of Berlin International Film Festival, click here.

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