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After winning the Palme d’Or in 2021, Julia Ducournau is back competing at the 78th Cannes Film Festival with her new film “Alpha“. The film is a a coming-of-age exploring themes the French director has already explored in her previous works, like Raw and Titane: Transformation, parent-sons relationships Besides young Mélissa Boros playing the lead as Alpha, at the centre of the story there are Alpha’s mother, on screen by Goldshifteh Farahani and her brother, Alpha’s uncle, Amin, astonishingly played by Tahar Rahim. The actor lost almost 20 kg to play the part as he had to embody a person struggling with addiction. He tells us: “This part was a gift for me and I knew that it was inherent to the project to physically match the part.  I had to be thin and at a certain point I was thin enough to make it believable but I decided I needed to go further because I needed to experience that void the people that are struggling with addiction are trying to fill up with the product”. The post “Alpha”, interview with actor Tahar Rahim appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

French director Julia Ducornau is back in Cannes, the 78t edition with her third film, “Alpha“. After winning the Palme d’Or in 2021, the filmmaker is again exploring the them of a young girl going through a transformation. She describes the transformation as an on-going mutation, something that began before the start of the film and continues on after the film is over. The film is a coming of age as it deals with Alpha (Mélissa Boros)’s struggle to emancipate from the bond she has with her mother, played on screen by Goldshifteh Farahani. Julia Ducornau introduces, in the film, the threat of a new virus that, similar to Aids in the way it is transmitted and the stigma surrounding it, it turns people’s skin into marble. The director drives us into this idea of the marble virus and explains how she came up with the idea. The post “Alpha”, interview with director Julia Ducornau appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Pauline Loquès, a former student in Literature and Law who first quenched her thirst for writing by turning to journalism, then trained as a screenwriter, has developed a distinctive signature since her first film, the 30-minute short “La Vie d’une jeune fille“, on a young woman about to celebrate her hen weekend who learns upon arrival that her fiancé doesn’t want to get married anymore, and can’t bring herself to tell her girlfriends. In “Nino“, her debut feature, screened in competition at the 64th Critics Week, and in the running for the Caméra d’or of the 78th Cannes International Film Festival, not only does she work from a similar premise, but she also confirms her interest in small, simple things and her desire to depict her characters as earnestly as possible. Loquès tells us more about the echos between her film and Agnès Varda‘s “Cleo from 5 to 7“, about approaching reality through small, daily things and the deceptive essence of the uneventful, as well as about Nino’s trajectory, suspended time, a certain cup, and the choice of Théodore Pellerin to play the title character, amongst other things. Time, space, movement, and what happens “I don’t know why, but I like all the movies which take place in one day, one weekend, or three days, because you can’t avoid time – which sometimes goes fast, and sometimes can feel very slow… When nothing happens, what happens? Nothing big happens, but there’s things happening inside you, around you. […] Life always continues, I mean when he gets out of the hospital, life is still in movement. He’s alive amongst other lives, it’s not like there’s a brutal stop. There’s always movement all the time, even small movements, but in different spaces in the hostile city… The spaces are different so the conversations are different, so the atmosphere is different, which creates different connections.“ On the camerawork    “We were searching for the distance between Nino and the other people, all the time. Sometimes he is inside himself, and sometimes he feels very far away from himself. Sometimes he feels very close to people, and sometimes very far, and that’s how we chose to film the movie, following his feelings towards himself and others. It was all about that distance and that closeness.” The post “Nino”, an interview with director Pauline Loquès appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

After “Plan 75” , Chie Hayakawa is back in Cannes, at the 78th edition, in competition with “Renoir. The film depicts an entrancing poetic journey about resilience, the healing power of the imagination and a traumatized family struggling for connection. The protagonist is a 5th grade girl, Fuki, who is trying to make peace wit the idea that her father is dying of cancer. A coming of age story that Chie Hayakawa took inspiration from her own experience when she was little. She says: “While the surrounding plots and circumstances are entirely fictional, the emotions of vague fear and guilt, the breadth of imagination, and the innocent awe felt toward toward fine works of art are drawn from my own youthful emotions” The post “Renoir”, interview with director Chie Hayakawa appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

After directing the successful short film “Lizard“, Nigerian director Akinola Davis Jr is at  Cannes 78, in the Un certain regard with his debut feature “My Father’s shadow.“ Co-written with his brother Wale, the film is a semi- autobiographical tale set in 1993’s Nigerian election crisis and it follows two brothers on a trip with their estranged father. “My Father’s shadow” manages to tell us  about the history of a country through the filter of one’s personal experience. Davis Jr. lets us breathe Nigeria of that particular political moment in time but at the same time he makes a delicate coming of age. “My Father’s shadow” , is also the first film from Nigeria to be selected to play in the Cannes Film Festival. The post “My father’s shadow”, interview with director Akinola Davis Jr. appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

At the 78th Festival de Cannes, we spoke with director Neeraj Ghaywan about his powerful new film “Homebound“, presented in the Un Certain Regard section. Set in a small North Indian village, “Homebound” follows two childhood friends from a marginalized community as they pursue a police job they believe will grant them dignity—only to find themselves tested by desperation, identity, and their evolving bond. A Story of Friendship, Dignity, and Discovery Neeraj Ghaywan describes “Homebound” as “a very universal story of two friends who come from a marginalized background.” The pursuit of a police job becomes a symbolic escape—“They think that if they get a police job, they won’t be shamed again… they won’t be treated badly.” Yet, the deeper journey is one of self-discovery and emotional reckoning. Inspired by a real-life story published in The New York Times, Ghaywan fictionalized the lives of two boys “traveling during COVID times” to explore themes of systemic injustice and the desire for human dignity. From Statistics to Souls One of the film’s strongest ethical currents is its insistence on humanizing the unseen. As Ghaywan explains, “Migrants, people of color, minorities—they are only seen as a statistic. But what if we actually find two people out of that statistic?” This is where Homebound breaks from the pattern of tragedy-only narratives. His intention is clear: “Maybe that is when people will see the human side… and we’ll want to have empathy and kindness.” Realism over Performance For Ghaywan, authenticity trumps dramatic flair. “Just good acting is not enough,” he says. To prepare the cast, he had actors “live in villages, soak in the atmosphere… sit in homes, eat, speak to the people.” The goal: to adopt lived truth rather than imitate it. He even created a set rule called “code 360,” an emotional protocol where “everyone talks in hushed tones” to match the sensitivity of the scene. This immersive method aims to “replicate the tone of real life on screen.” A Film That Embraces Joy and Pain While the story is rooted in hardship, Ghaywan insists on emotional balance. “I didn’t want to only show pathos. I wanted to show the humanity—how they love, what jokes they make, what they eat.” Quoting Rilke—“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror—no feeling is final”—he frames Homebound as an emotional mosaic, blending humor, struggle, and warmth. This commitment to complexity is also a critique of the “urban gaze”, which often patronizes marginalized characters. Ghaywan pushes back: “They also have joy, ambition, teasing, fun… I just didn’t want to make it like ‘two poor people going through life.’” A Filmmaker’s Responsibility In an era of silenced voices, Ghaywan sees cinema as a moral action. “For us artists, the only way to speak is through our art,” he says. While he avoids imposing his politics on characters, he believes that storytelling itself is an “act of patriotism… to help people understand what others are going through.” His influences—Ken Loach, the Dardenne Brothers, and Federico Fellini—speak to his ethos: art should entertain, move, and provoke reflection. Escape and Return Asked whether “Homebound“ is a film of escape or return, Ghaywan replies: “Wow… actually it is both.” His characters seek to flee their social realities, but also “come back home… accept their identities.” The journey is one of maturation, heartbreak, and ultimately, a return to self. A Decade Since Masaan Ten years after his acclaimed debut Masaan, Ghaywan reflects on his path: “A lot of studios wanted to make films with me… but I was my own enemy.” He waited for a story that “touches my deepest core.” And with “Homebound“, he found it. The post “Homebound”, interview with the director Neeraj Ghaywan appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

“The Phoenician Scheme” marks Wes Anderson’s fourth time inn competition in Cannes . The film sees Mia Threapleton pairing up with Benicio Del Toro in a father-daughter’s story set in the 1950s. The new feature film follows the magnate “Zsa-Zsa” Korda (Benicio del Toro), one of the richest men in Europe, and his daughter Liesl, an aspiring nun played by Mia Threapleton in a spy mission’s adventure to accomplish Zorda’s plan to expand and save his empire. Along this mission, they will be ed by a Norwegian entomologist played by Michael Cera, will meet Prince Farouk, played by Riz Ahmed, in his first Anderson film and will be interrupted many times by terrorist and long time friend of Zorda’s, Sergio (Richard Ayoade). We met Mia Threapleton, Riz Ahmed and Richard Ayoade to know more about their experience on the set of Wes Anderson and to hear their description of his universe. The post “The Phoenician Scheme”, interview with actors Mia Threapleton, Riz Ahmed and Richard Ayoade appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Wes Anderson is back in Cannes Competition for the fourth time with“The Phoenician Scheme“. His first time was in 2012 with “Moonrise Kingdom“, then there was “The French Dispatch” and finally, two years ago, Asteroid city. “The Phoenician Scheme“, as every Anderson’s film, can count on a numerous cast led by Benicio Del Toro in the role of “Zsa-Zsa” Korda, one of the richest men in Europe and including newcomers Mia Threapleton as Korda’s nun daughter Liesl and Michael Cera as the Norwegian entomologist Bjorn. Returning on a Wes Anderson’s film set are, among others, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Ayoade, Bill Murray and Rupert Friend. As he did in the past, with The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited, Wes Anderson goes back to exploring family ties, now from a father’s point of view as he tells a story of a father and a daughter who actually learn to build a relationship, how to consider each other “family”. In this family, as confirmed by Benicio Del Toro and Michael Cera, enters Bjorn and they form an unusual trio. About the role of protagonist Zsa-Zsa” Korda, Anderson wrote: “Del Toro was the only actor I ever imagined the part, at least in the modern era. The kind of character who might have been played by Anthony Quinn, or maybe Lino Ventura, or Jean Gabin.” Benicio Del Toro and Michael Cera comment the vintage look of this film that might have been made in Hollywood’s old era. The post “The Phoenician Scheme”, interview with actors Benicio Del Toro and Michael Cera appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

At the 78th Festival de Cannes, we met with director Kirill Serebrennikov and actor August Diehl to discuss their new film, “The Disappearance of Josef Mengele“. A Cannes Premiere at this year’s festival, the film goes beyond the individual horror of one man’s crimes to explore the systems and silences that made his disappearance possible. Humanizing the Inhuman The film follows Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor known as the “Angel of Death,” as he evades justice by escaping to South America. But Kirill Serebrennikov is quick to clarify: “The idea that each war criminal deserves the punishment doesn’t work, unfortunately. Because they avoided it easily.” Instead, the film opens a space for viewers to confront the uncomfortable proximity between monstrosity and humanity. For August Diehl, portraying Mengele was a deep ethical challenge: “At the beginning I thought—why should I do the embodiment of evil?” But the turning point came with a chilling realization: “It is easy to say these people are monsters… but the real problem is that they’re humans.” The Banality—and Network—of Evil Referencing philosopher Hannah Arendt, the team delves into the banality of evil, presenting Mengele not as a cinematic villain, but as “weak, vulnerable, and banal.” As Diehl notes, “There is nothing irable in this. He’s not a man with vision.” But as Serebrennikov emphasizes, the real story is larger than the man himself: “Mengele is not the main point of it… it’s about the people who made Mengele possible.” The film becomes a portrait of collective complicity—those who took bribes, ignored documents, or quietly looked away. A System That Protects Monsters Serebrennikov and Diehl are clear: The Disappearance of Josef Mengele is not just a historical narrative, it’s a warning. “Evil is somewhere very close to us,” Serebrennikov warns. “We need to protect ourselves against this terrible nightmare.” In Diehl’s words: “War is the best possibility for the people like Mengele to grow up. Mengele is not unique… people like him exist right now and will exist in the future.” Cinema’s Moral Responsibility So what is the role of cinema when confronting evil that looks ordinary? For both director and actor, it’s about breaking the silence. “We’re not here to excuse,” they agree. “We’re here to remind.” By offering no redemption or catharsis, “The Disappearance of Josef Mengele” forces its audience to look directly at the quiet architecture of horror and the very human hands that built it. The post “The Disappearance of Josef Mengele”, interview with the director Kirill Serebrennikov and the actor August Diehl appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

The young Diego Céspedes arrives in Cannes with his first feature film “The Mysterious Glaze Of the Flamingo“, a wonderfully intense and unpredictable tale of inclusion, acceptance and resilience in a small queer community in Chile. The film, developed also through the Torino Film Lab programme, has been included in the Un Certain Regard selection. Inspired by his mother’s friends and her love for them Diego Céspedes recalls his childhood days that inspired “The Mysterious gaze of the Flamingo“. His mother, a hairdresser, had gays friends and colleagues who were part of Diego’s life as well. When AIDS broke and many of them died, Diego’s mother was shocked and started to be obsessive with him about it. This deep love and huge concern were the starting points for the creation of the story of the film , and the building of such strong characters as Flamingo. Fierce and unapologetic The queer family described in “The Mysterious Gaze of  the Flamingo” is utterly fierce. They keep fighting stupid hearsay that wants them the cause of the plague, and are unapologetic about their lives. Diego Céspedes finds these features very common to the queer people in Chile and in the world and the creation of such a varied family is his dedication to the fights that were fought by the community. The post “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo”, interview with the director Diego Céspedes appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Belgian director Valéry Carnoy, highly praised at international festivals for his short films “My Planet” and “Titan“, presented his debut feature, “Wild Foxes”, starring the up and coming young actor Samuel Kircher (known for his stunning performance opposite Léa Drucker in Catherine Breillat‘s “Last Summer“), at the Director’s Fortnight. This arresting, both realistic and poetic film, revolving around a reflection on the way teenage boys are still led to build their minds and bodies according to an idea of masculinity inextricably tied up with patriarchy, invisible pain, friendship, and the need for a teenager to escape what has been imposed on him to grow up into who he really is or wants to be, is also a contender for the Caméra d’or of the 78th Cannes Film Festival. On masculinity in a community of teenage boys who are also training to become boxers   “It was important for me to talk about virility/masculinity, and all the injunctions that go with it, and about what is it to be a man, I mean what is it to be a man today, because in a patriarchal society, it’s always a big deal.“ On the choice of becoming a boxing champion “When you’re a teenager and you train at a sport at a very high level, there is the question of when you decided to do this and in the film, it happened when he was very young, so he didn’t really decide to do this. And boxing at a competitive level, it’s hard: you have to punch other people and you have to get the punches… And he got friends thanks to that, and because he’s good, he got even more friends, and popularity, but he didn’t really decide that that was what he wanted… It’s just the others who decide for him…And suddenly, because of the accident and all the psychological things happening to him, he understands that he doesn’t want to punch someone else, but because of the male pressure, because of all the things happening to him, because he is good, he has to keep going and going and this is very unfair, because he understands that as a teenager, he is not that and it’s not that what he wants to do… I thought all this struggling would make for a good script.“ About the encounter with Yas, a taekwondo student who also plays the trumpet in secret “Yas wants to practice taekwondo, and she wants to make music: she just wants to be happy. She’s another kind of kid, she’s a bit of a guide for Camille, because she shows him that he doesn’t need to take himself too seriously: he can just be himself. That’s why this is an initiatory film, because Camille understand Yas and follows Yas, and discovers another way to be that the others don’t understand.“ The post “Wild Foxes”, an interview with director Valéry Carnoy appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

21 years after co-directing “Take out“ with Sean Baker, director and producer Shih-Ching Tsou is competing, at Cannes 78, at the Semaine de la critique with “Left-Handed Girl“. The film, produced, co-written and edited by Sean Baker, is Shih-Ching Tsou’s first solo project. A family story inspired by a  vivid memory, says Shih-Ching Tsou: “my grandfather once told me not to use my left hand because it was the devil’s hand”.  “Left-Handed Girl“, as the title suggests, is a female lead story set in Taiwan and it follows a single mother and her two daughters trying to make it in Taipei. Shih-Ching Tsou starts from “the left hand’s belief” in order to dismantle it in favor of women taking their own path despite their fear of judgment or rejection. The post “Left-Handed Girl”, interview with director Shih-Ching Tsou appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Italian director Mario Martone is back in Cannes’ competition with “Fuori“. Last time he competed with “Nostalgia“. “Fuori” stars Valeria Golino in the role of writer and author of “The Art of joy“, Goliarda Sapienza along with Matilda De Angelis and Elodie in the role of two inmates the writer befriends during her brief incarceration. Based on two books by Sapienza, “L’università di Rebibbia” and “Le certezze del dubbio“, the film follows Goliarda in the Rome summer of 1980, living her best life with a rediscovered freedom. Matilda De Angelis plays Roberta, a woman Goliarda meets in jail. A charming and strong character that Sapienza might have really meet  although it might also come from her imagination. De Angelis became internationally known in 2020 because of her role in the limited series “The Undoing” acting alongside  Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. After that she has become the star of two TV series: “The Law According to Lidia Poët“, on Netflix and “Citadel: Diana“ on Prime Video. In 2018, she was selected to represent her country, Italy,  at the Berlinale Shooting stars. In collaboration with the European Film promotion (EFP), founder of the Shooting stars programme, we interviewed Matilda De Angelis among the 16 former Shooting Stars in the Cannes line-up this year. The EFP is a network of film institutions from 37 European countries, bringing European films and talent to the attention of the international industry and media and the Shooting stars project brings ten promising, versatile European acting newcomers to the Berlin International Film Festival each year. The post “Fuori”, interview with actress and Shooting Star 2018 Matilda De Angelis appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

For her debut feature, “Love Letters“, at the Cannes’ Semaine De la Critique, Alice Douard chose Canadian actress (and director) Monia Chokri and Ella Rumpf. Set in 2014, the film tells the story of Celine (Rumpf) who’s about to have a child with her wife who’s pregnant but, in order to be recognized as her daughter legal parent, she has to undergo scrutiny and paperwork to officially adopt. Love letters is inspired by Alice Douard’s real story with her wife so, as Rumpf confirms, the journey the couple has to embark in the film, is a pretty detailed and emotional one. Ella Rumpf, who became well known to the festival audience by starring in Julia Ducornau’s debut feature “Raw“. She then was at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 with  “Marguerite’s Theorem” directed by Anna Novion. In 2020, she was selected to represent her country, Switzerland, at the Berlinale Shooting stars. In collaboration with the European Film promotion (EFP), founder of the Shooting stars programme, we interviewed Ella Rumpf, among the 16 former Shooting Stars in the Cannes line-up this year. The EFP is a network of film institutions from 37 European countries, bringing European films and talent to the attention of the international industry and media and the Shooting stars project brings ten promising, versatile European acting newcomers to the Berlin International Film Festival each year. Ella Rumpf tells us about her memories from that Berlinale 2020, “right before the world changed”. The post “Love Letters”, interview with actress and Shooting Star 2020 Ella Rumpf appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Fatih Akin comes back to Cannes Film Festival, presenting out of competition his last movie “Amrum”. Our interview revolves around the production and themes of a film inspired by a friend’s childhood experiences during World War II. The director, initially hesitant, took on the project due to personal and professional commitments. The film aims to portray the everyday struggles and human aspects of the war, contrasting with the usual spectacular depictions. It explores the complexities of love and humanity, using natural elements to emphasize human connections. “We are humans, but in the end, we are animals”, he says. Than the director emphasizes the relevance of the film to contemporary , highlighting the resurgence of far-right extremism and the importance of ing historical atrocities to prevent their recurrence. Fatih Akin emphasizes the growing importance of film festivals in today’s media-saturated world, where it’s increasingly difficult for films to gain attention amidst the abundance of content, including series. They argue that festivals are crucial for providing films with the attention and curiosity they need from audiences. The post “Amrum”, interview with directon Fatih Akin appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Chilean director Sebastián Lelio is at the 78th Cannes Film Festival to present “La Ola” in the Cannes Premiere section. The Oscar Winner for “A Fantastic Woman” is again portraying women, in a musical he produced with Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín and Rocío Jadue about the historic feminist occupation and massive protests in May 2018. With a screenplay he wrote with acclaimed writers Manuela Infante, Josefina Fernández and Paloma Salas, the film relies on a cast of brilliant new faces such as Daniela López as the protagonist Julia, Lola Bravo as Rafa, Avril Aurora as Luna and Paulina Cortés as Tamara. Mixing entertaining and political, the film not only talks and “sings” about the struggles women still have to face when it comes to redefining their relationship with men who are still carrying a patriarchal system but, at the same time focus on the Latin American situation which, in some cases, have still a lot of battles to fight and win. The post “La Ola”, interview with director Sebastián Lelio appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

A quiet but powerful portrait of displacement, femininity, and the elusive meaning of home, Or Sinai’s debut feature Mama had its Special Screening at the 78th Festival de Cannes. A Story Born from Real Encounters “Mama” follows Mila, a 50-year-old Polish immigrant who, after years working for a wealthy family in Israel, returns to her native village in Poland—and to the family she left behind. But the homecoming is far from simple. As Sinai explains, “She thinks she belongs to both homes… but actually, it’s not true.” The film was inspired by Sinai’s real-life experience. “My mother has Parkinson’s, and a few years ago they took in an immigrant worker… I started talking to her, and she told me stories about her lover in Israel and her family in Ukraine.” Those conversations sparked a fascination with the inner lives of women often viewed only through the lens of sacrifice or service. Beyond the Clichés: Mila as a Woman, Not Just a Migrant Sinai resists the typical narrative of the suffering caregiver. “We’re used to seeing immigrant women as poor, sacrificing… but Mila has desires, femininity. She didn’t let go of herself.” That emotional complexity is what makes Mama feel so layered. It’s not just about return—it’s about the haunting dissonance between who you were, who you’ve become, and who you pretend to be. A Film Built on Dualities The production itself reflects Mila’s split identity. Sinai worked with separate costume and production design teams in Israel and Poland. “It didn’t make sense that an Israeli designer would build a Polish home, and vice versa,” she notes. The contrast between these worlds isn’t just visual—it’s emotional, cultural, and deeply human. The houses in the film become symbols of belonging and illusion. “She has this illusion that she belongs to all of them, but slowly all of it collapsed.” Sinai once considered calling the film Home—but the eventual title, Mama, carries its own irony. “She wants to be the best mother but she doesn’t know how to do it. The word has this warmth… and Mila is the opposite of that.” A Visual Language of Intimacy Sinai and cinematographer Matan Radin created a visual style that draws us into Mila’s emotional world. “We let the actors move freely, and only then built the camera around them,” she says. The result is an organic intimacy—sometimes raw, sometimes distant—that mirrors Mila’s inner tension. The Fragility of Filmmaking Making “Mama”  wasn’t easy. The film was originally set in Ukraine before the war broke out in 2022. “Our co-producer went to the military. We lost funding. It was tough to believe in cinema again.” On top of that, Sinai directed in a language she didn’t speak. “I’m a control freak… but when I let go, it was beautiful. You don’t need the words—you feel the emotions.” Redefining ‘Home’ In a final reflection, Sinai touches on what “home” means to her now: “Especially now, with what’s happening in Israel… home is not so clear. But maybe it’s about being true to your instincts. About finding yourself.” The post “Mama”, interview with the director Or Sinai appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

French-Tunisian director and producer Erige Sehiri opened the Un Certain Regard section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival with “Promised Sky (Promis le ciel)“, a colourful and energetic tale on three Sub-Saharan women of different ages, backgrounds and situations – a pastor, a student, and an exiled mother, played by Aïssa Maïga, Laetitia Ky and newcomer Déborah Christelle Naney, respectively – stuck in Tunis on their way to a (hypothetical) better life. “Promised Sky” is Sehiri‘s second feature film after “Under the Fig Trees“, screened in Cannes in 2022, at the Directors’ Fortnight, and chosen as the Tunisian submission for the Academy Award for the Best International Feature Film. Before that, she made and produced, through her company Henia, various Tunisian author-driven documentaries, including her breakout feature documentary, “Railway Men” (2018). On the situation of in-betweenness of the three main protagonists we meet in Tunis “I felt like there were many stories about migration, but we were missing a link in the chain: we have stories about people arriving in Europe, migrants struggling in Europe, but we don’t have the stories from before, when they are stopped somewhere, stopped or stuck, depending on the character. Now there is a barrier in Europe, so North Africa becomes this stop.“ On the female solidarity and community that shines since the very first minutes “The idea is that what you arrive in the foreign country, you can live with people with whom you would never live in your own country. That’s what happens here: Marie the pastor is welcoming the student and she welcoming a child, and she’s welcoming Naney, a girl who’s doing shady businesses. In real life, if they were from the same country but from different social classes, their paths probably wouldn’t cross so much, but because they’re in a foreign country, where it’s difficult, they become a family.“ On the presence of Kenza, the little isolated girl whose very origins are difficult to trace “A few months before the shoot, when I was going to Sunday services for my research and spending time with the community, I met this little six-year-old girl, and one day, I went back to the church and I asked where she was, because I didn’t see her anymore (…), and I was told that she crossed over with her mother, and that they died in the Mediterranean Sea, that unfortunately they didn’t make it. I was devastated and I started thinking about the children, who didn’t choose that. And then I heard of survivors, children survivors, who don’t know where their parents are. For me, it asks the question of who is responsible for these children: is it the state they’re in, even though the state is against them as a community, or is it the community itself.“ On the energetic, thoughtful, and colourful cinematography  I have the best DOP, Frida Marzouk, she’s a friend, and we talked a lot about the colours and when I went to Naney’s place, her room in real life, and she opened her closet, she had a lot of pink, and she had the pink dress that is in the film, and I said ‘Oh my God, that’s the colour of Naney!’ And the blue of course is the sea, the sky, and all these promises of something else, And those became the two colours of the film: blue and pink.”   The post “Promised Sky”, an interview with director Erige Sehiri appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

With “I Only Rest in the Storm“, Portuguese director Pedro Pinho is back on the Croisette – eight years after presenting his first fiction feature, the nearly 3-hour-long social musical/spoken film “The Nothing Factory“, at the Directors Fortnight –, this time in the Un Certain Regard sidebar. His new formidable effort (at three hours and a half which frankly go by without one’s noticing or minding), incredibly nuanced and humanistic, set in Guinea-Bissau around the story of a Portuguese expert meant to evaluate the ecological and social impact of the construction of a road through traditional rice plantations, opens a vertiginous array of paths of reflection upon his presence and the presence of other expats (from former Portuguses colonies, humanitary organisations) and foreign workers, the variety within the local population, certain power dynamics… On the continuity between this film set in Africa and Pedro Pinho’s first feature, set in a factory “The proposal of this film was to take further the possibility of working with the word, the spoken word and political views as cinematic material. How can we transform something that is not cinematic at all into something that has cinematic value.“ About the fact that dualisms are a persistent way of understanding the world, but are actually never quite so clear “The subject of identity and fluidity is a very strong presence in the film. This idea of creating a polyphony of perspectives also favours a blurring of the borders of the self – who am I? Who am i in relation to others? How do the others see me?“ On polyphony, voices and languages “When I first went to this part of the world, I was struck by the fact that people, children, can speak up to four or five languages – the language of the street, of the mother, of the father, of the coloniser, the official language –, so immediately, they are used to dealing with that proliferation of cultures and ways of thinking, whilst Europe is more monolithic and imposed that upon the world. (…) There are many languages in the film and there’s also a game of who understands who.” On continuing to learn throughout the shoot “The writing process was ongoing until the end of the shoot, and of course even during the editing, but it was really informed by the actors and the people that we met along the way during the shoot.” The post “I Only Rest in the Storm”, an interview with director Pedro Pinho appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

We meet in Cannes at the Film market with Paolo Manera director of the Film Commission Torino Piemonte, one of the oldest and most active film commission in Italy, in Cannes to celebrate with an event together with longtime partners of the commission the 25 years of activity. A long path, always ready to look at the future Paolo Manera talks about the events in Cannes but he also has a specific attitude that his  commission has followed and that he believes to be the best if not only way to develop and grow, that he wants to share: looking at the future, and be ready to innovate and test new ideas and new possibilities even if they can seem difficult or strange. this si how the film commission Torino Piemonte grew reaching goals that were unthinkable at the beginning. The post Paolo Manera, director of Film Commission Torino Piemonte appeared first on Fred Film Radio.