In this episode Jérôme and Chris face a self imposed task: to assemble a ranked list of the 25 best movies of the 21st century (starting from 2001). The Idea is taken from the Podcast "The Big Picture", who called this exercise 25 for '25. These are the rules:

1. only 1 movie per director
2. only fiction feature films
3. these are only our opinions, make your own list ;)

A great film year comes to an end, which only means one thing: let the list-building commence.

In this episode Jérôme and Chris share their top 5 movies of the year. In addition they've asked some other Filmstelle members for their respective lists, which they gradually unveil across the episode. If you need to know what to catch up on from the last year, this is the episode for you.

In this second part on film festivals, Jérôme and Chris revisit their time at the Locarno Film Festival and discuss a wide range of different films: Including the two major Cannes winners (Sentimental Value, It Was Just an Accident ), gems from postwar british cinema (Passport to Pimlico, Pool of London) , swiss premieres (Le Chantier, affection affection) and many more. They also dive deep into the use of generative AI in Radu Jude's controversial new take on "Vlad, the Impaler" aka Dracula and they share some strategies to get a good seat on the piazza.

Timestamps:

00:11:01 "Dry Leaf"

00:16:18 "Celtic Utopia"

00:22:32 "Le Chantier"

00:29:10 "Silence"

00:33:16 "affection, affection"

00:38:18 Cinema Selection

00:41:56 The "Dracula" Discussion

00:51:57 British Postwar Cinema Retrospective

01:01:48 Alexander Payne

01:03:04 Language Fails

01:05:16 Piazza Grande

01:12:18 Un Simple Accident & Meeting Jafar Panahi

01:17:58 Which other Film Festivals do we want to visit?

The Podcaststelle is back! – at least for a little while. This is the first out of two episodes on the topic of FILM FESTIVALS. More specifically the ones in Locarno and Bologna, which Jérôme and Chris both attended this year. Hear them talk about their favs from the festival and what makes film festivals an absolute must for every movie fan.

0:01:54 What is it about Film Festivals?

0:11:54 What is "Il Cinema Ritrovato"?

0:14:15 The Festival Sections

0:19:27 Piazza Maggiore

0:26:55 The Time Machine

0:35:37 The Cinephile's Heaven

0:48:52 The Space Machine

0:58:15 Recap

Today, we settle all Family Business.

Il gran finale! It’s the goat. It’s The Godfather.

What more can be said about a film that’s been analyzed, celebrated, and quoted for over fifty years? Well — there’s only one way to find out.

For this last episode, we’ve gathered all the Italian representation we could find. For the first time, we’re joined by not one, but two guests: Amos and Dario! It’s an offer you simply can’t refuse.

(And if you stick around till the end, you might just catch a little teaser for our next program...)

Timestamps:

00:02:04 First Watch Experience

00:06:33 Production History & Anecdotes

00:16:20 Discussion

00:37:54 Teaser Next Program

60 years of Palestinian history in under two hours.

In the Time That Remains, Elia Suleiman captures the absurdity of the Palestinian experience through the lens of a family over two generations. His carefully composed images and deadpan humor evoke Buster Keaton, Jacques Tati, or even Wes Anderson—but Suleiman’s voice is entirely his own and he wields his humor as a distinct form of resistance.

In this Episode, we’re joined by longtime Filmstelle member Federico. We wouldn’t, and couldn’t, talk about this remarkable film without him.

Timestamps:

00:00:59 "The Place that is Ours"

00:07:38 "The Time That Remains"

00:40:30 Recommendations

00:48:10 Teaser "The Godfather"

Time for some Swiss pride on the podcaststelle!

With Visages d’enfants, Jacques Feyder created one of the greatest Swiss films of all time. Released in 1925, we're celebrating its 100-year anniversary (!). Featuring one of the most powerful child performances ever captured on film and camerawork and editing that still feel fresh and innovative to this day, there's no doubt it stands the test of time.

We’re joined by our most frequent guest – at this point he has really earned the third chair – its Mischa! As always he contributes with his unmatched expertise, from Griffith to Soviet montage theory, to help us unpack this silent masterpiece.

Timestamps:

00:03:21 Production History

00:12:12 Discussion "Visages d'enfants"

00:32:10 Recommendations

00:38:30 Teaser "The Time That Remains"

40,000 hand-drawn images. 12 years in the making.With Invelle, Simone Massi has created a truly singular animated debut — a quiet, powerful journey through Italy’s history, seen through the eyes of children across three generations. We’re once again joined by a new guest from the Filmstelle family: Nitschge is here to talk with us about this remarkable film.

Timestamps

00:03:44 Short Film "I Like Life a Lot"

00:08:17 "Invelle"

00:32:10 Recommendations

00:38:01 Teaser "Visages d'enfants"

Today we discuss a Japanese Cult classic: Yoshimitsu Morita's The Family Game is as bizarre as it is captivating. With its offbeat tone, stylized direction, and sharp social critique, this unique portrait of a middle-class family leaves plenty of room for discussion.

Timestamps:

00:00:57 "A Date with Your Family"

00:06:06 "The Family Game"

00:27:55 Recommendations

00:34:40 Teaser "Invelle"

It's one of the most iconic horror films of all time – and we finally get to talk about it! Rosemary’s Baby is a masterpiece of psychological terror and paranoia, capturing the immense weight that comes with starting a family.

We also took on the complicated legacy of director Roman Polanski, reflecting on what it means to revisit classics that come with troubling histories. As you can judge from the length of the episode – not an easy task.

Timestamps:

01:44 Roman Polanski's Legacy

17:01 Production History, Conflicts Behind the Scenes

25:01 Rosemary's Baby Discussion

44:47 Recommendations

48:02 Family Game Teaser