In this conversation, Peter Kerekes, Slovakian director of the Venice-bound documentary ‘Wishing On a Star’, shares valuable insights and inspirations, including Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Losses to Be Expected’ and Italian comedies from the 1970s.Peter shares his journey into poetic documentary filmmaking, the influence of his filmmaker father's experiences, the importance of humor in his films, and the process of developing and editing documentaries. He emphasizes the significance of character de...
In this conversation, Deepak Rauniyar - director of ‘Pooja, Sir’, which just premiered at the Venice Film Festival - shares how he found inspiration in Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Stray Dog’, and the 2019 French film ‘Les Misérables’ by Ladj Ly.Deepak discusses his journey from journalism to filmmaking, inspired by personal experiences and the socio-political landscape of Nepal. He emphasizes the importance of cultural representation in cinema, the struggles that shape creativity, and the role of commu...
In this conversation, Nathan Tape shares his experiences making ‘Off Ramp’, now in cinemas after its World premiere at the prestigious Polish genre festival Splat!FilmFest, followed by the New Orleans Film Festival. Nate’s biggest inspiration: David Lynch’s 1990 film ‘Wild at Heart’ starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. Nathan dives into the making of his film ‘Off-Ramp’, a film about Juggalos, the super fans of the Insane Clown Posse, and their sense of community and chosen family, shar...
On today’s episode, Elliott Lester talks about his latest film ‘The Thicket’, starring Peter Dinklage and Juliette Lewis, and shares his inspirations from movies like 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', 'Midnight Cowboy', and the works of Martin Scorsese. He also discusses his experience working with global stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jason Statham.Elliott speaks on Tubi as a production partner and distribution platform, the challenges of making and distributing films in today’s land...
Today’s episode features Vincent Grashaw and his new film 'Bang Bang', screening this week at the Deauville Film Festival following Locarno and Tribeca. Past inspiration includes ‘The Wrestler’, and we share an appreciation for Spike Lee’s ‘He Got Game’.Vincent talks about his connection to boxing, his casting techniques, shooting on ultra-wide lenses, and the unsung process of color grading. He also discusses his previous films and the challenges of making low-budget indie movies, emphasizin...
In this conversation, filmmaker Dương Dược Linh discusses her journey into filmmaking and her fascination with the body horror genre, ahead of her feature debut, ‘Don't Cry Butterfly’, which is premiering at Venice Critics Week followed by the Toronto International Film Festival. Being inspired by such past body horrors ‘Possession’, directed by Andrzej Żuławski and ‘Species’ by Roger Donaldson, Dương explores the generational trauma and internalized misogyny experienced by middle-aged w...
Marcus speaks with Freddy Macdonald about his debut feature film 'Sew Torn', just screened at Locarno, following a World premiere at South by Southwest. Drawing inspiration from the 1998 German film ‘Run Lola Run’ as well as ‘No Country For Old Men’ (2007), Freddy speaks on the great fortune of sitting down with one of the directors of the latter film - Joel Cohen - who encouraged him to keep going, and to turn his short into a feature.The conversation also touches on Freddy’s experience film...
Marcus speaks with Bálint Szimler about his feature film ‘Lesson Learned’, which just premiered at the Locarno Fim Festival. The discussion also touches on the films that most inspired him - 'Play' by Ruben Östlund and 'Family Nest' by Béla Tarr.Bálint dives in to the inspiration behind his film, and the challenges of the Hungarian educational system. He also talks about his approach to storytelling and the importance of realistic and character-driven films. He shares insights into his script...
Today I speak with my friend and exceptional filmmaker Ellie Foumbi, about her Independent Spirt Award-nominated 'Our Father The Devil,' which is now on the Criterion Channel following a premiere at last year’s Venice International Film Festival. We also discuss the influence of Andrea Arnold’s film 'Red Road' (2006) on her work.We reminisce about our initial meeting and collaboration in 2012, mutual connections in the industry, and Ellie's process of making an effective micro-budget thriller...
Today I speak with Mumbai-based director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat about his kick-ass action film ‘Kill’, which premiered at TIFF last year and is now globally distributed by Lionsgate. We discuss Nikhil’s journey into the film industry, from watching Indian action films on television as a child, and his love for James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’.He shares his experiences with rejection and the importance of patience and persistence in filmmaking. The conversation also touches on the financing and production...
In this episode, I speak with Zhengfan Yang about his film 'Stranger’, which just won the Grand Prix prize in the Proxima Competition at Karlovy Vary. We also discuss his past cinema inspiration, ‘A One and a Two’, the 2000 film by Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang.Zhengfan talks about the challenges of shooting his film in 7 total shots, each in a different hotel room, and the importance of the setting and space as a character. He emphasizes the importance of sticking to his original concept o...
This episode features Paolo Tizón and his documentary “Night Has Come”, which just won the Special Jury Award and the FIPRESCI (Critic) Award at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. His main inspiration for the film: ‘Beau Travail’ (1999) by Claire Denis.We discuss cinematic techniques used in documentaries, the importance of not knowing and being open to surprises while filming - how to listen to the material, editing and structuring a documentary, and the personal motivations ...
Ivana Gloria, the director of ‘Chlorophyll’, which World Premiered at the Rome International Film Festival, followed by a warm reception at Karlovy Vary, shares her journey and challenges as a filmmaker, having been heavily inspired by the 2018 Swedish film ‘Border’ from director Ali Abbasi.The conversation also revolves around Ivana’s film ‘Chlorophyll’ and its theme of change - specifically the fear and beauty of change. She speaks on the importance of rehearsals, and being open to new idea...
In this episode, filmmaker Nelicia Low discusses her film 'Pierce', which she just won the Best Director award for at Karlovy Vary. She talks about her past cinema inspirations which include Ang Lee’s ‘Lust, Caution’, and her experiences studying at Columbia University.The conversation highlights the value of editing and music in her film, her directing choices including casting and working with her actors, and the creative solutions used to overcome production challenges. She also speaks on ...
On today’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Bruno Anković about his new film ‘Celebration’, which premiered at this years Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Crystal Globe competition. We dive into the themes and storytelling techniques used in ‘Celebration’, which explores the cyclical nature of history and the challenges of portraying the passage of time through different actors. We also discuss Bruno’s cinema influences, including Michael Haneke’s ‘The White Ri...
Bulgarian filmmaker Pavel Vesnakov discusses his journey in the film industry and his film 'Windless'. He talks about the importance of World Premiering at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - a significant milestone for him. He shares his early influences, including the films 'Taste of Cherry' by Abbas Kiarostami and '3 Iron' by Kim Ki-duk, which inspired him to pursue filmmaking.Pavel speaks on the challenges of making films in Bulgaria and the impact of working in the TV industry...
On this week's episode, Marcus speaks with Russian filmmaker Anja Kreis, who shares her perspectives on Russia, the global allure of Hollywood, and the process of making her latest film 'The Alienated', which is World premiering at Karlovy Vary on July 2nd. With its themes of mortality, dreams, and sisterhood, 'The Alienated' draws inspiration from David Lynch's 'Mulholland Drive'. She also shares her childhood fascination with Brazilian and Argentinian telenovelas, being drawn to the si...
Filmmaker George Sikharulidze joins Marcus from Tbilisi, Georgia to discuss his feature film debut 'Panopticon', which is World Premiering at the prestigious 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on June 30th at The Grand Hall, and competing for the festival's top prize: the Crystal Globe. A variety of topics include the influence of Francois Truffaut's 'The 400 Blows', the importance of honesty in filmmaking, the concept of Panopticism, and the value of making the films you regr...
In this week’s episode, we have Swedish-born, Brooklyn-based Jean-Cosme Delaloye, who shares his early days as a reporter and his transition into documentary filmmaking, having been inspired by the 2016 film ‘Tempestad’ and most recently, Oscar-winning short doc ‘The Last Repair Shop’. He talks about how his experiences covering sad stories led him to find refuge in techno music, which inspired his latest film 'Desire: The Carl Craig Story’, which is World Premiering on June 12th with the Tri...
Marcus interviews Carlos Vargas from Berlin, who is premiering his film “Hidden Era” at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 9th at the Village East. They discuss Carlos’s previous experience at Tribeca, his expectations for this year's festival, and the importance of the New York film scene. They also talk about his film, Hidden Era, and its similarities to the French movie "The Beautiful Troublemaker". They touch on the challenges of being a filmmaker and the joy of creating art. Overall, the ...