FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Andrzej Jakimowski, director of the film Once Upon a Time in November.

An interview with Andrzej Jakimowski, director of Once Upon a Time in November, screened at the 2018 Istanbul Film Festival. The director talks about the unusual mixture of reality on fiction employed in the making of the film, which originated when he found himself in the caught in the midst of the annual nationalist march in Warsaw in 2013, where he saw innocent people become victims of violence. Yet, Once Upon a Time in November is also the story of the people who find themselves evicted from their homes and vulnerable to this violence; it is not a war movie, Jakimowski explains. In this interview, we discuss at length this interesting approach and the influence of the narrative within it. Jakimowski also elaborates on some of the key themes and cultural backgrounds of his film, talks about actors in the film – leads Grzegorz Palkowski and Agata Kulesza, and a bit part by Edward Hogg – and praises the work of his own wife, Ewa Jakimowska, which he describes as quite challenging.

Once Upon a Time in November: Agata, a laid-off teacher, is evicted from her house which she lived in with her law student son Mareczek. They desperately wander from one hostel to another, and from homeless shelters to abandoned plots all over Warsaw. Over time they are joined by a stray dog they named “Buddy.” In a social system where nobody cares about the poor and rules are more important than empathy, these two educated people have to face new indignities every day. Polish director Jakimowski employs a journalistic approach as he confronts us with the harrowing fact that the middle class is just a few missteps away from being homeless in his film that follows in the footsteps of Ken Loach, Oliver Stone, and Michael Moore. Premiering at the Warsaw Film Festival, Once Upon A Time In November stars Agata Kulesza, the aunt in Ida as Agata.

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PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Blerta Zeqiri, director of the film The Marriage.

Director Blerta Zeqiri talks about her film, The Marriage, which was screened during the 2018 Istanbul Film Festival. Given the challenging situation experienced by LGBT communities in Kosovo, it is remarkable to see a film from the country that directly tackles the issue in the way that The Marriage does. Zeqiri, in this interview, highlights her wish to make a film that would promote love. However, she also shares with us that she feared the film would not be warmly received, and she prepared for the worst while working on it. The director also discusses the role of memory and flashbacks in the film, talks about its lengthy production time, the work by the actors, and more.

The Marriage: Anita is a young woman who is still scarred by the Kosovo War. She has a loving relationship with her fiancée Bekim, until however, one day Bekim’s musician friend Nol, returns home from Paris to prompt a change in their relationship Anita can’t quite put her finger on. Directed by Blerta Zeqiri, this absorbing first film impresses with the performances of all three principals and questions a society that can’t confront its past as it relates the pains of building a new life on top of secrets.

To discover more about the film, click here.

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PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Yves Hinant, director of the film So Help Me God.

Director Yves Hinant talks about So Help Me God, which he co-directed with Jean Libon, and was screened at the 2018 Istanbul Film Festival. The film follows Judge Anne Gruwez, who is described in the festival program as a woman with a “common touch and uncompromising stance.” Hinant talks about making the film and whether he keeps his distance from his protagonists while filming them. He emphasizes the aim of shooting reality through a good story and the need to find good characters, as well as why he thinks documentaries most documentaries are boring and he hates doing interviews.

So Help Me God : Judge Anne Gruwez of Brussels is an outspoken woman full of surprises. With her unusual approach to defendants and cases, she surprises people while gaining their admiration with her common touch and uncompromising stance. Directed by Yves Hinant and Jean Libon, the creators of cult docu-show Strip-Tease, which has been on the air in France and Belgium for 20 years, this documentary paints a tragicomical portrait of the Belgium judicial system as it observes Judge Gruwez on the bench. Using an unfiltered language and bordering fiction with its potent black humor, the politically incorrect So Help Me God premiered at San Sebastian Film Festival.

The post Yves Hinant – So Help Me God #istfilmfest appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Matan Yair, director of the film Scaffolding.

An interview with Matan Yair, director of Scaffolding, which was presented at the 2018 Istanbul Film Festival. Yair explains to us that he likes to make documentary like fiction and fiction like documentary, and his feature debut blends the line between the two. The film is also constructed with personal influences that, as Yair explains, come from his own life and from his own artistic interests. He also talks about Asher Lax, who is the protagonist of the film, a non-actor from a very similar background to that of the character he portrays, and more.

Scaffolding : In Scaffolding, director Matan Yair, who used to be a high school history and literature teacher to academically challenged kids, casts one of his students to play himself and takes an engrossing look at the institutions of education, masculinity, and family. 17 year-old Asher is preparing for his matriculation exams, but he is struggling with lack of concentration, and anger management issues. He works for his father’s scaffolding business and the only other father figure in his life is his teacher Rami, who is the only person who appreciates his dedicated efforts. However, this delicate arrangement cannot last forever. Premiered at the ACID section of Cannes, Scaffolding is the feature-length debut of Matan Yair. Asher still works with his father erecting scaffolding in real life.

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PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews director Ildikó Enyedi.

We have the honour to meet Ildikó Enyedi, the highly acclaimed Hungarian director who through the years has spoken a unique and emotive cinematic language, able to warm even the coldest of hearts – film critics beware!

The European Cinema Festival in Lecce will dedicate the section “The Protagonists of European Cinema” to the director and writer Ildikó Enyedi, awarding her with the Olive Tree for her career achievements. The festival will screen the complete retrospective of her films, including the 4k restored copy of My XX century, which had its world premiere at the 68th Berlinale.

The post Ildikó Enyedi #fceLecce appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Marie Garel-Weiss, director of the film The Party’s Over.

Marie Garel-Weiss tells us the origins and the get-go of her first feature The Party’s Over, here in Lecce’s European Cinema Festival in its official competition. The Party’s Over is a study on addiction as well as today’s youth, with its paradoxical ways of living and struggling. Brilliantly performed by Zita Hanrot and Clémence Boisnard, The Party’s Over is a powerful work that sheds a refreshing and original light on a topic that is too often overlooked or dangerously simplified.

The Party’s Over is the story of a revival, that of Céleste and Sihem. Having arrived on the same day at a rehab facility, they will seal an indestructible friendship. It will be as much a force as an obstacle when, expelled from their shelter, they are left on their own, facing the true world and its temptations. The real fight will then begin; fight for sobriety and freedom, fight towards life.

To discover more about the film, click here.

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PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Bas Keizer, actor of the film Cobain.

Bas Keizer shares his memories on the set of Nanouk Leopold’s latest work Cobain. As his very first time as an actor, Bas has only profited from this experience: he will continue to act while learning about shooting and being a filmmaker.

Cobain (15) tries to get his pregnant mother Mia to quit her self-destructive lifestyle. When she refuses to clean up her act, Cobain takes over.

To discover more about the film, click here.

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PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Michael Onder, director of the film Taksim Hold’em.

Michael Onder, director of Taksim Hold’em, is here in Lecce at the 19th edition of the European Cinema Festival. Taksim Hold’em is a wonderfully written and brilliantly sharp comedy, which finds remarkable depths and strengths while being physically confined in a comfortable middle class apartment in Instanbul. Softly attenuated by double-glazed windows, the clashes in Taksim square are just a distant noise. What we are left with are the clattering and hilarious contradictions that imbue Onder’s characters. Their morals and consequent actions are at stray, laid bare on the green felt of a poker table.

Taksim Hold’em: On a Saturday night in Istanbul, despite the pleas of his fiancée, cynical Alper refuses to join the anti-government protests happening on his doorstep. He just wants to stay home for his weekly dose of poker, played with his regular crew of high-school friends. Alper’s game is threatened as his friends set off on a series of passionate, and at times ill-thought-out, squabbles on whether they should join the demonstrations or not.

To discover more about the film, click here.

The post Michael Onder – Taksim Hold’em #fceLecce appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews Cemre Asarli, associate producer of the film Yellow Heat.

Cemre Asarli talks to us about her experience as associate producer on the film Yellow Heat, by Fikret Reyhan, here in Lecce’s official competition. Focusing mainly on Yellow Heat‘s festival strategy, Cemre confesses that, ultimately, the most valuable advice for all the producers out there is to simply and firmly believe in the project they are part of. We second that emotion.

Yellow Heat: In a field surrounded and squeezed by increasing industrialization, an immigrant family, deep in financial debt, struggles to survive through traditional farming. Their son, Ibrahim, determined to find his own way, dreams of a different future for himself. Ibrahim is surrounded by not only his family’s feudal circumstances but also the merciless system of the region. However, he finds that it is not so easy to turn a dream into reality. His actions will have many unexpected consequences for both himself and for his family. Yellow Heat aims to tell the story of people who are affected by the change of production relations and in parallel by the change of the capital.

The post Cemre Asarli – Yellow Heat #fceLecce appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Nicolò Comotti interviews director Michael Winterbottom at the European Cinema Festival in Lecce.

Fred has the pleasure to sit down with Michael Winterbottom, here in Lecce’s European Cinema Festival to receive the Golden Olive Tree Award. Winterbottom’s approach to cinema has always given a hard time to critics, who have been struggling to pin him with the conventional “Auteur” label. In turn, Winterbottom’s limitless love for the medium has provided us with a body of work so exciting and prolific that showcases the unique strength of a director capable of achieving the highest results while tackling the most heterogenous topics and styles.

One of the most eclectic and unpredictable directors in contemporary British cinema, Michael Winterbottom is a great narrator who holds the most classical taste along with daring stylistic choices. Highly revered by the world’s most authoritative festivals, he has been awarded in Berlin with In This World and Road to Guantanamo, in San Sebastian with Genova. Here in Lecce, Winterbottom will receive the Golden Olive Tree for his career achievements.

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