TFV's Matt Micucci wraps up his showcast coverage of the 2023 San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain by highlighting "A Journey in Spring" from the festival's official selection. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Taiwanese filmmakers Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang, who talk about weaving a tale that explores a man's profound grief for his late wife.

In this conversation, the directors talk about wanting to explore the theme of mortality and their film's deliberate choices of style and pacing, and discuss the genesis of their creative partnership. (We'd also like to extend our gratitude to Luis Roucero Mayor for his translation.)

(Featured photo: Being Film and Art Co.)

Our Showcast coverage of the 2023 San Sebastián International Film Festival continues by highlighting a remarkable work from its New Directors section, "The Gamma Rays." TFV's Matt Micucci is joined by its director Henry Bernardet, whose social realist drama delves into the lives of a group of young Canadians from immigrant communities, navigating through their everyday existence and experiencing a wide range of formative events.

In our discussion, the director talks with us about being inspired by Montreal's multicultural landscape and his fascination with crafting a coming-of-age drama of young individuals and their contemporary experiences. He also shares insights into collaborating with a youthful ensemble of non-professional actors, highlighting their instrumental role in moulding the storyline of "The Gamma Rays" through their imaginative contributions to their fictional counterparts' daily trials and tribulations.

(Featured photo: H264)

TFV's Matt Micucci's podcast coverage of the 2023 San Sebastián International Film Festival continues with a conversation with Japanese filmmaker Kei Chika-Ura. His second feature film, "Great Absence," celebrated its European Premiere in the festival's official selection.

The film chronicles the forced reunion between a son and his long-estranged father after 20 years. In this podcast, we talk with the director about the personal experiences that shaped the narrative and the intricate representations of dementia in cinema. Other topics explored include the origins of his own interest in filmmaking and his experience of working on this project with a legend of Japanese film, actor Tatsuya Fuji, who was awarded the Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance for his role in the movie.

The latest episode of the SHOWCAST is a candid conversation about "The Successor" one of the most talked-about films from the official selection of the 2023 San Sebastián International Film Festival. Joining TFV's Matt Micucci are its director Xavier Legrand (already an award-winner at the 2017 Venice Film Festival with "Custody") and its lead actor, Marc-André Grondin.

Briefly, the film explores a fashion designer's life unravelling after his estranged father's death. In this podcast, we speak with our guests about its critique of patriarchy and the theme of masculinity at large, and we also ask Legrand about his interest in flirting with genre techniques, most notably horror film conventions, to make a powerful statement.

This latest episode of the Showcast from the 2023 San Sebastián International Film Festival finds TFV's Matt Micucci joined by an animation luminary, Isabel Herguera, making her feature debut with "Sultana's Dream," featured in the festival's official selection.

The film is inspired by the feminist utopian sci-fi short story of the same name, penned by Begum Rokeya at the dawn of the 20th century and exploring the mythical Ladyland. The narrative of the movie follows the journey of a fictional young artist, Inés, and draws from Herguera's personal experiences and passions.

During our discussions, Herguera provides insights into her multi-year undertaking on "Sultana's Dream," the influential moments and stories that shaped it and the profound impact of animation as an artistic medium.

We also delve into her artistic influences, the portrayal of women in media and what continues to make Rokeya's original short story an enduring and resonant masterpiece.

(Featured photo: Square Eyes)

Producer Kateryna Shevchenko and music composer Luke Corradine join TFV's Matt Micucci for a Showcast conversation about Ukrainians for the Arts, Culture and Education, also known as UFACE, at the 2023 San Seastián International Film Festival.

This relatively new association is dedicated to nurturing and celebrating the rich tapestry of Ukrainian artistic values and heritage through a range of Spanish and international projects. Among them, a captivating series of live shows for silent Ukrainian films, including Alexander Dovzhenko's 1930 masterpiece "Earth," with brand-new scores by Corradine, which made their debut at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles and July.

In this conversation, we delve into the heart of UFACE, its mission, vision and exciting upcoming projects, and discover the importance of preserving national heritage and nurturing artistic excellence through this passionate endeavour.

TFV's Matt Micucci explores one of the highlights of the 2023 San Sebastián International Film Festival's Horizontes Latinos section in the latest Showcast episode, featuring a conversation with Guto Parente, the talented Brazilian director of "A Strange Path."

The film tells the story of a filmmaker who returns to Brazil to screen a movie at his hometown's film festival but when the pandemic derails his plans, he's left with no other choice but to reconnect with his estranged and eccentric father. Unusual events unfold in this work, which marks the fusion of Parente's background in experimental filmmaking with genre conventions.

We talk about this fusion in our conversation, as well as the autobiographical elements that inspired the story of "A Strange Path," the origins of the director's cinephilia and much more.

(Featured photo: Lights On)

TFV's Matt Micucci shares a conversation with Cristi Puiu, one of the trailblazers of the fabled Romanian New Wave, from the 2023 San Sebastián International Film Festival. The acclaimed director shared a portrait of the COVID era through a series of provocative fictional vignettes in his latest film, "MMXX," presented in the festival's official selection.

Puiu defies conventions and truly embraces the art of free-flowing dialogue. We're really tearing up the script in this latest episode of the Showcast, which covers not only some of the main themes of MMXX but also such wide-ranging topics as the illusion of control and the filmmaker's great admiration for Elvis Presley.

(Featured photo: Gari Garailade)

CHAPTERS

TFV's Matt Micucci continues his podcast coverage of the 2023 San Sebastián International Film Festival with a conversation with the talented Belgian filmmaker Delphine Girard about her feature directorial debut, "Through the Night."

This gripping cinematic experience, part thriller and part exploratory drama, recently earned acclaim in Venice and Toronto, and kicks off with a heart-pounding car sequence, a woman in danger and a fateful call to the police. Join us as we uncover the film's complexities and artistic brilliance, and gain insights into Girard's own influences and ambition.

(Featured photo: Playtime)

TFV's Matt Micucci continues his exclusive coverage of the 2023 San Sebastián International Film Festival, sharing a conversation about one of the gems from its New Directors section. "Achilles" is the brainchild of Crystal Bear-winning Iranian director Farhad Delaram.

Inspired by autobiographical events, Achilles tells the story of a young filmmakers in the throes of a personal crisis who forms a bond with a mental patient with a mysterious past. The two take to the road and their short trip becomes a profound journey of self-discovery.

In this conversation, Delaram shares some of the challenges, including personal struggles, that he overcame to make "Achilles," and reflects on his path to this moment, post-Berlinale success and the crisis that shaped his artistry.

(Featured photo: Visit Films)