FRED Film Radio - English Channel

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Michal Bregant, director of Czech Film Archive (NFA) from the 2016 Cinema Ritrovato.

The Czech Film Archive (NFA), one of the most important film archives in the world, was well represented by its CEO at both Il Cinema Ritrovato and the 2016 FIAF Congress that also took place in Bologna.

Furthermore, during the program of Il Cinema Ritrovato, two recent restorations projects of the Czech Film Archive were screened – one being White Paradise (1934) and Such is Life (1930). In this interview, we talk about these two projects and films as wells as some fascinating more recent and upcoming ones.

In addition, we talk about more topic, including an overview of the archives, the challenges that it faces in sustaining such a large collection of films and Ponrepo, its very own cinema in the heart of Prague.

For more information on the Czech Film Archive, go to http://nfa.cz/en/

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Anke Wilkening, restorer at Murnau-Stiftung on the restoration of Destiny (Der müde Tod) by Fritz Lang, screened at the 2016 Il Cinema Ritrovato.

Destiny (original title Der müde Tod) is arguably Fritz Lang’s greatest early masterpiece as well as one that influenced the life and career of such celebrated names as Luis Bunuel and Alfred Hitchcock. Recently, the film has been recently digitally restored by Murnau-Stiftung, and we caught up with restorer Anke Wilkening to talk about it during Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, where the film was screened. Aside from the insight on the process of restoration and digitisation, a vital part of this restored version of

Aside from the insight on the process of restoration and digitisation, a vital part of this restored version of Destiny was its colorization. This version of the film is, in fact, colorized from a pre-existing black and white version, which was the only existing one for decades. Now, the film is seen in a version that aims to reproduce something close to what was originally intended, and in order to achieve this, old techniques of tinting and colour treatment were employed.

Our interview with Wilkening is one of our first interviews providing insight on film restoration, but also one of the first appearances by a representative of Murnau-Stiftung on our programming. We took the opportunity to talk bout its institution, its future restoration projects (restoration being part of the preservation program) and its criteria in selecting films to be restored.

For more information on Murnau-Stiftung, go to http://www.murnau-stiftung.de/

The post The restoration of Fritz Lang’s “Destiny” (1921) #CinemaRitrovato appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Julie Ward, British MEP, from the 51st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Julie Ward is a British Member of the European Parliament, serves on the Parliament’s Culture & Education Committee, the Regional Development Committee and the Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Rights. She is also a member of the Labour Party’s Policy Commission on Education and Children. For a long time, she has been an advocate for film education and film literacy, strongly believing in its

For a long time, she has been an advocate of film education, believing it a cultural asset, a means for cultural exchange as well as a means to lead a child to a path on a career. Yet, for many, the very subject of film education remains a strange and trivial one – that is why our first question to her is “what do we mean when we talk about film education and film literacy.” This question is then followed up shortly after by one on the current state of film education in Europe in general as well as one on what could be done in her opinion to promote it and encourage it. Ward, as an artist as well as a politician, understands that a way in which the concept of film education can be promoted properly is, for instance, with the support of members of the film industry itself, bringing the industry closer to the schools for a more direct interaction. These are, however, dramatic times within the European Union. The UK, following a referendum, has just voted itself out of the EU by a close margin. Does the vote truly reflect the beliefs of the British population? What is going to happen now, what can be done now, and how will this affect, more specifically, her activities as a champion of cultural exchange within the European Union through

These are, however, dramatic times within the European Union. The UK, following a referendum, has just voted itself out of the EU by a close margin. Does the vote truly reflect the beliefs of the British population? What is going to happen now, what can be done now, and how will this affect, more specifically, her activities as a champion of cultural exchange within the European Union through film (and arts)? Listen to the interview to find out!

The post Interview with Julie Ward, British MEP, on film education #KVIFF2016 appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Paul Feig, director of Ghostbusters.

32 years after the release of Ivan Reitman’s 1984 film, the Ghostbusters make their return to the big screen in an all-female reboot. This time around, it will be up to Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig), Julian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) to rescue New York citizens from the invasion of supernatural creatures and ghosts.

FRED’s Chiara Nicoletti caught up with director Paul Feig to talk about his involvement in the project. We soon discover that he was the man behind the idea of doing a female fronted reboot instead of a sequel, which was initially Ivan Reitman and Sony Pictures‘ idea. The director famously helmed the successful film Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy. In this interview he discusses the misogynist attacks to the film that got the whole reboot operation very complicated and politically involved.

As for the distinctive traits of the Ghostbusters series, Feig explains how he worked with his co-writer Katie Dippols to include them while trying to give them a fresh and brand new look. After all, there’s no Ghostbusters without the logo, the Ecto-1 and Slimer.

GHOSTBUSTERS makes its long-awaited return, rebooted with a cast of hilarious new characters. Thirty years after the beloved original franchise took the world by storm, director Paul Feig brings his fresh take to the supernatural comedy, joined by some of the funniest actors working today – Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth. This summer, they’re here to save the world!

The post Paul Feig, director of “Ghostbusters” appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Alejandro Bachmann, head of education and curator of the Austrian Film Museum, from the 2016 FIAF Congress

The Austrian Film Museum has a reputation in Europe that speaks for itself. FRED goes one step further and allows its listeners an insight into its activities and operations. Having interviewed the head of its film collection Oliver Hanley, we took the opportunity to meet up with its head of education and curator Alejandro Bachmann.

In terms of film education, Bachmann explains that it is a very organic endeavor that extends to all ages, from the younglings to the older folks. There are activities that introduce people to filmmaking itself but also, as Bachmann tells us, treasure the “passivity” of the cinema going experience, particularly relating to understanding and treasuring the personal impact that a film can have upon viewing, and even more particularly, relating to experimental filmmaking. Speaking of experimental filmmaking, Bachmann also happens to be a curator of such films at the Austrian Film Museum and he shares with us some series of screenings and special events that recently took place there, as well as some very interesting upcoming ones.

For more information on the Austrian Film Museum, go to https://www.filmmuseum.at/en

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews David Francis and Joss Marsh, co-creators and co-curators of The Kent Museum of the Moving Image, from the 2016 Il Cinema Ritrovato

How can anyone not get excited about a project like this? The Kent Museum of the Moving Image – at the time of the interview yet to officially open – aims to immerse visitors and researchers in the history and pleasure of the visual spectacles of the past, not only cinema but the “moving image as a whole.”

The project is co-created and co-curated by David Francis O.B.E., who was for 15 years Curator of the British National Film Archive, where he was one of the two co-founders and builders of the Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) on the South Bank in London, and Joss Marsh, archival scholar and, until June 2013, Associate Professor of Victorian Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. Both are qualified for the ambitious task at hand, but what really drives this vision and makes it unique is their passion, excitement and determination – all of which can be heard in this interview; all they need is an initial question to share as much information as they can for the benefit of our listeners. From its aforementioned vision, to their personal background and previews of ideas of upcoming exhibitions as well as the design of the museum, how it will aim to become an interactive experience for all of its visitors, how it relates to

From its aforementioned vision, to their personal background and previews of ideas of upcoming exhibitions as well as the design of the museum, how it will aim to become an interactive experience for all of its visitors, how it relates to Kent (UK, little over an hour away from London by train) and much, much more. The Museum is currently scheduled to open in the early part of 2017 and fans of film and the “moving image” in general, after listening to this interview, might want to keep an eye on their official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KentMOMI/?ref=br_rs

For more information, go to https://kentmomi.wordpress.com/

The post David Francis and Joss Marsh on the Kent Museum of the Moving Image #CinemaRitrovato appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Jay Weissberg, director of Le Giornate del Cinema Muto (Pordenone Silent Film Festival), from the 2016 Il Cinema Ritrovato.

A delightful and fascinating conversation with the newly appointed director of Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, the Silent Film Festival in Pordenone, considered to be the most important of its kind. Jay Weissberg, long-time respected film critic for Variety as well as other publications, gives us an overview of the festival and even anticipates some of the things that we can expect at its upcoming edition (which will take place from the 1st to the 8th of October later this year).

Mr. Weissberg also shares with us the importance of some elements relating to the exhibition of silent films, such as music and in more general terms a reflection on whether he considers silent cinema seperately from cinema in general, a reflection on a provocative question on the fact that silent cinema may have been a form of art in its own right, rather than an incomplete era in cinema awaiting the coming of sound. Finally, given the fact that this interview was conducted during Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, we also ask him about the films he watched so far and some stand-out titles of this year’s program.

For more information on Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, go to http://www.cinetecadelfriuli.org/gcm/default.html

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PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Kate Guyonvarch, managing director of The Chaplin Office, from the 30th Il Cinema Ritrovato.

Charlie Chaplin, to this day, remains one of the most beloved figures in cinema. Thankfully, unlike some of the greatest cinema stars of his time, he has also left a wealth of films, documentation and other items for the world to keep enjoying his work and revel in his legacy, hopefully, forever.

The Chaplin Office is in Paris represents the Chaplin rightsholding companies, as well as the Chaplin family managing its archive the Chaplin archives, approve certain Chaplin-related projects, and sometimes help out on such projects. We caught up with Kate Guyonvarch, its managing director, to talk about it as well as some of its most recent projects. One of these is Chaplin’s World, a museum – but more than a museum as you will hear from Guyonvarch herself – dedicated to the creator of The Tramp, located in Vevey, Switzerland. Another one is the ongoing collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna on The Charlie Chaplin Archives.

Furthermore, during this 30th edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, a number of Chaplin screenings are planned. One of these had taken place at the time of this interview, a screening of his masterpiece Modern Times in Piazza Maggiore, attended by approximately 7,000 people. Another, which was yet to happen, was a very special screening of another one of his greatest films, The Kid. With so much to talk about, we also find time to ask Guyonvarch on her opinion on Chaplin’s legacy and what makes him such a timeless and beloved icon all over the world.

The post Interview with Kate Guyonvarch, The Chaplin Office #CinemaRitrovato appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Martin Koerber, head of the film archive at Deutsche Kinemathek, from the 2016 FIAF Congress in Bologna.

As a major film archive in Germany, the Deutsche Kinemathek boasts one of the most impressive film archives in the world, preserving film and film related items in its homebase. Its activities go beyond that, however, and this conversation with Martin Koerber, the head of its film archive enlightens us on its various activities and areas of interest. Besides preservation, which as Koerber tells us, is quite demanding and precise work, the Deutsche Kinemathek restored films. Moreover, it has a museum which hosts a permanent exhibition on the history of Germany cinema and constant temporary ones.

As a take-home point, we also take the opportunity to ask Koerber about various pressing issues regarding film archiving; some talked about, such as the issue of digitization of film and other which people are less aware of, such as the neglected practice of storing new films in film archives – which the Deutsche Kinemathek is also involved in prominently – and an insightful observ ation about film exhibitions, and the danger of fewer projectionists being properly trained to handle the film archive copies with care.

Find out more about the Deutsche Kinemathek at https://www.deutsche–kinemathek.de/en

The post Interview with Martin Koerber, Deutsche Kimenathek #CinemaRitrovato appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Oliver Hanley, head of the film collection at the Austrian Film Museum, from the 2016 FIAF Congress in Bologna.

Two years ago, around this time, FRED met one of the founders of the venerable Austrian Film Museum – the legendary experimental filmmaker Peter Kubelka. Now, it is only fair, as our interest in film archiving, preservation, exhibition and more grows, to take a first-hand look at the present and future of the very same institution. We meet the head of its film collection, Oliver Hanley.

We ask him about the collection, the wide variety titles as well as the conditions required for these artefacts to be preserved properly and respectfully. The description is revelatory and insightful, particularly for those not aware that film archiving is incredibly hard work that requires a certain skill, meticulousness and care. The titles included in the collection cover a wide range of films from different eras, and Mr. Hanley goes through the different sections in which they could be divided.

Aside from this, we talk about some recent pressing issues in terms of film archiving. One of these, of course, is digitisation. The issue of digital conservation is certainly a delicate and pricey one. “The tools are a little different,” he tells us. “Better?” we ask. “Well…” is the word that marks the start of his reply.

For more information on the Autrian Film Museum, go to https://www.filmmuseum.at/en

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