FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Mariana Oliva, director of the documentary Piripkura.

The feature documentary Piripkura, a prize winner at the previous edition of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, had its French premiere in the program of the 31st International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes (Fipa) in Biarritz, France. It is here that we met and interviewed one of its director, Mariana Oliva, credited alongside Renata Terra and Bruno Jorge for making this powerful documentary about a search through the Amazon forest for two known survivors of the Piripkura people, members of an indigenous tribe of Brazil, who live in a protected area in the middle of the forest, with a troubled and tragic history. Oliva explains some of this history and just how much we can learn from these seemingly uneducated people and the way they live. In this interview, she also talks about one of the lessons of her documentary, an environmental message, the brutality and violence but essential beauty of the Amazon forest and the experience and challenges of filming there, and more.

Piripkura:  “The indigenous Piripkura are an unacculturated tribe of which only three members remain, two of whom continue to live traditionally somewhere in the Amazonian wilderness, cherishing a burning ember given them by an officer of the agency responsible for their protection in 1998. The officer must find them again to prove that the region, coveted by industries responsible for deforestation and livestock, can still legally be considered an indigenous area. We follow the incredible search for the last two existing members of their kind from another age.” (Text taken from the official webstite of Fipa, http://www.fipa.tv/en/)

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PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Mike Christie, director of the documentary Hansa Studios: By the Wall 1976-90.

Director Mike Christie presented his documentary, Hansa Studios: By the Wall 1976-90, at the 31st International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes in Biarritz, France, where it had its French premiere. The documentary tells the previously untold story of the legendary recording studio of Berlin that stood by the Berlin wall and where dozens of pop band recorded many great albums from the late 70’s to the early 1990’s, beginning with David Bowie’s Low, recorded in 1976 and released in 1977. “Berlin before the wall came down was a fascinating city to tourists,” explains Christie in this interview. “It felt like a dangerous place and yet it was incredibly liberal and to some extent relatively lawless … I think that really appealed to artists.” It is no accident that many of the albums discussed in the film were made by artists who were also, essentially tourists, including Iggy Pop, Depeche Mode, and U2 – the later was, in fact, the last big band to record the last album of the “golden era” of Hansa Studios: Achtung Baby, released in 1991. Christie recalls reading about the studio in the mid-80’s in an article about a new Depeche Mode article; he never thought he would go on to make a documentary about it. He was also surprised to find that not only were many big-name artists he approached interested in collaborating on the project, but they were also eager to visit Hansa Studios again; Christie says “it was kind of like an old love affair that they were all revisiting.” Despite the title, the documentary looks at the studio’s taciturn gap period that followed the fall of the Berlin wall and its rebirth, when bands like R.E.M. and Supergrass recorded albums there in later years. Christie also talks about how the architecture of Hansa Studios influences the film; along with his interest in architecture, also having made a number of films about architecture in the past, he says “I wanted the viewer to feel like being in a time machine … and I wanted to really communicate the spaces as well.”

Hansa Studios: By the Wall 1976-90: Few recording studios in the world can claim to rival the incredible list of musicians hosted by Berlin’s Hansa Studios. Between 1976 and 1991, this studio complex was nestled against the Berlin Wall. Here, David Bowie immortalized the Wall in Heroes and his flatmate Iggy Pop sang the rock’n’roll anthem Lust For Life. Prominent international artists followed, including Depeche Mode, Nick Cave and U2, making Hansa Studios one of the most important music factories of the 20th Century.

The post Mike Christie – Hansa Studios: By the Wall 1976-90 #FIPA2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Mordechai Vardi, director of the documentary The Field.

Director Mordechai Vardi presented his documentary, The Field, at the 31st edition of the International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes (FIPA) in Biarritz, France, where it had its European Premiere. The documentary follows Roots, a Palestinian centre of nonviolence, created by Ali Abu Awwad on his family’s field. At the time of filming, not more than three hundred metres away, there were many terror attacks taking place, which involved, as Vardi says, army special soldiers “with their faces covered and weapons in their hand.” On the other hand, thanks to Roots, Palestinians and settlers sat down and talked with one another; “this is a real place for peace,” Vardi explains in this interview, “where everyone can say what they feel.” He also adds, “maybe politicians on both sides prefer that the conflict goes on, but the real people on the grown want to go on with their lives.” He reveals that he hopes this film will push politicians “to find a formula of how we can live together.”

The Field: Gush Etzion junction, between Jerusalem and Hebron: Ali Abu Awwad offers his family’s field as a Palestinian centre for nonviolence. Despite his life experiences (four years in an Israeli prison, his mother’s own five-year sentence, a brother killed by an Israeli soldier) Ali creates ”Roots” with local Israeli settlers to promote grass-roots work towards enabling political reconciliation. The film accompanies the initiative for 2.5 years and documents the changes transpiring on both sides.

The post Mordechai Vardi – The Field #FIPA2018 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Stephane Kaas, director of the documentary Etgar Keret: Based on a True Story.

Stephane Kaas presented his documentary feature Etgar Keret: Based on a True Story at the 31st Festival of Audiovisual Programmes (FIPA) in Biarritz, France. The film is based on the Israeli author Etgar Keret; particularly, as Kaas tells us in this interview, it is about “how Etgar creates fiction out of his own life.” Kaas had been a fan of Keret for a long time and had played around with the thought of making a movie based on one of his short story. With the assistance of his co-screenwriter, Rutger Lemm, he ended up making a film about the man himself and during the interview points out another objective: “We think Etgar is one of the best storytellers we have in the world and we though if we studied Etgar we could maybe learn how to tell good stories ourselves.” Etgar Keret: Based on a True Story takes us inside the world of the author in a number of different ways and through different techniques, such as by blending the line between reality and fiction (echoing the surrealist vibes of Keret’s work itself), through animation, and more. In this interview, we find out more about the style of the film and the techniques, as well as whether Kaas thinks Keret is a liar (a question he asks Keret’s friends throughout the documentary) and more, including that it is illegal to film with monkeys in Tel Aviv.

Etgar Keret: Based on a True Story: In his short stories, Israeli writer Etgar Keret mixes fantasy and reality. His own life story also comes across as a modern fairy tale. In this hybrid documentary, the filmmakers investigate why storytelling is essential for Keret’s survival.

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PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Emily Loizeau, Ambassador of FIPA 2018.

Singer-songwriter and composer Emily Loizeau was the ambassador of the 31st International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes – indeed, the first ever FIPA ambassador in the history of the festival. Loizeau is interested in her activity as a composer for audiovisual projects, claiming that the process if different from when she writes her own albums; “Having to plunge into a story that does not come from your imagination is extremely inspiring.” She is also interested in experimenting with other art forms, claiming that she worries about being stuck in a repetitive pattern, and emphasizing that it is an artist’s duty to refrain from being stuck in a bubble and to reflect the times (much like Nina Simone once said).

To discover more about the Festival, click here.

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PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, actors and director of the film The Post, that will be realesed in Italian cinemas on February 1st.

 “The Free press are the guardians of democracy, that’s what I was raised to believe and what I found to be an incontrovertible truth”. These are the words used by Steven Spielberg to introduce his latest film The Post to the Italian audience, in company of the protagonists Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. The Post comes at the right moment in history when the freedom of the press is under attack as much as or maybe even more so than in 1971, when the film is actually set. “This script was bought 6 days before the election and we thought it would be a nostalgic look back on how far we’ve come as women, and with a female president as everyone thought this would happen. And then election happened and the film became the story of how far we’ve not come” says Meryl Streep talking about the reasons why she was drawn to the project. Tom Hanks describes how it felt for him to fill a newspaper editor-in-chief’s shoes and how he empathised with the struggle his character went through not only to find a good story to tell but also to find the story to publish.

The Post: Steven Spielberg directs Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in The Post, a thrilling drama about the unlikely partnership between The Washington Post’s Katharine Graham (Streep), the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks), as they race to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned three decades and four U.S. Presidents. The two must overcome their differences as they risk their careers – and their very freedom – to help bring long-buried truths to light. The Post marks the first time Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have collaborated on a project.

For the official website of the film, click here.

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The post Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg – The Post appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Zac Efron and Zendaya, actors of the film The Greatest Showman.

One of the final significant tracks of The Greatest Showman, the new musical film starring Hugh Jackman, From Now on quotes : “And we will come back home”. That’s how the film felt for Jackman’s co-protagonist Zac Efron, who started his career in a musical and is finally showing all his singing and dancing skills again. The actor along with Zendaya reveal how they easily related to their characters and how difficult but rewarding the whole experience was. Together in the film they prove that love can overcome differences, discrimination and racism.

The Greatest Showman: Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

For the official website of the film, click here.

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The post Zac Efron, Zendaya – The Greatest Showman appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Hugh Jackman, actor of the film The Greatest Showman.

It is because of the energy, talent and perseverance of Hugh Jackman if The Greatest Showman, the musical film directed by Michael Gracey, has been made and is out in cinemas worldwide. The actor tells us the story behind the making of the musical in a special Skype interview in company of his co-stars Zac Efron and Zendaya and director Gracey. The Tony Award winner is obviously not new to the musical genre and he was the one who suggested Gracey to direct the film, as his first feature film. The two had previously met during the shooting of a commercial and Jackman became very fond of this young but talented director. In the film Jackman plays P. T. Barnum, the man who invented the Circus as we know it today by believing in those who were bullied and put aside by society because of their being different, because of their diversity and oddness. The Greatest Showman is a modern and musical homage to diversity as what makes us all special.

The Greatest Showman: Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

For the official website of the film, click here.

Follow film-related events on Twitter and on Facebook.

The post Hugh Jackman – The Greatest Showman appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews actor Udo Kier, who received a career award at the 2nd International Film Festival & Awards Macao.

Actor Udo Kier received a career award at the 2nd International Film Festival & Awards Macao. Kier tells us that he didn’t always want to be an actor, yet, he has starred in over two-hundred films; so many, in fact, that he has lost count, although he believes that at least fifty of the films in which he starred are good. In this interviews, Kier tells us about some of the many highlights of his career. He talks about his beginnings, being cast in such roles as Dracula and Frankenstein in the films of Paul Morrissey. He also talks about working with Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Curiously, Kier knew Fassbinder years before they worked together. Kier also tells us why actors who worked with Fassbinder didn’t work with the other prominent German directors of the 60’s and 70’s, a golden era for German cinema, Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog. Although Kier tells us here that he will be taking a break, many films featuring him have been screened this year, including Brawl in Cell Block 99, directed by Craig S. Zahler, and he has about 10 films that will be released in the new year, including one, which he tells us about, that will premiere in Berlin. Kier also talks about his one attempt to direct one, years ago, and why it failed despite its fascinating story.

The post Udo Kier – Career Award #IFFAM2017 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Xavier Legrand, director of the film Custody.

Director Xavier Legrand presented his feature debut, Custody, at the 2nd International Film Festival & Awards Macao. The film has been very successful this year and was already celebrated at the Venice Film Festival, where Legrand picked up the award for best director. Custody is, indeed, a powerful film that talks about the horrors of domestic violence. Although Legrand, in this interview, tells us that the film was not inspired by a situation he experienced first hand, it was in his interest to explore this nightmarish situation, which, as he says, is frighteningly common in France. Custody explores the horrors of the patriarchal society in a naturalistic way, and Legrand appears to be completely in control. We ask him about this, as well as the importance of suspense of the film.

Custody:  Myriam and Antoine Besson have divorced, and Myriam seeks sole custody of their 12 year-old son Julien to protect him from a father she claims is violent and abusive. Antoine effectively pleads his case as a scorned man and the appointed judge rules in favor of joint custody. But his disturbed father really does have ulterior motives to regain control of his traumatized ex-wife’s life, and Julien is held hostage to the escalating conflict between his parents. The boy is pushed to the edge to prevent the worst possible outcome.

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