By Ali Moosavi. I prefer films and novels in which a character who plays a critical part in the story is mainly absent.” With just two feature films and a TV series under his belt, writer-director Nima Javidi has established himself in the upper echelons of Iranian cinema. He got […]
Escape from Their Golden Cages: Filmmaker Kurdwin Ayub on Mond (Moon)
By Yun-hua Chen. That’s why I chose MMA fights and combat sports. It’s all about being in a cage. Women’s MMA fights have this expectation that they must look sexy, and it’s about this strange desire of Sarah’s to return to the cage. Meanwhile, the girls in the film want […]
Dreams Remastered: On the 4K Remaster of Burden of Dreams (1982)
By William Blick. Les’ combination of integrating nature and the indigenous people and the story of the burden of Werner’s dream, all these elements make for a really compelling story, and in such a sensitive and poetic way.” –Harrod Blank Harrod Blank, Nick Bergh, and Anthony Matt discuss the new […]
Flight in Search of Asylum: On In the Land of Brothers
By Yun-hua Chen. People often say there are more important problems in Iranian society and no time to discuss [the Afghan refugee crisis]. That’s not a good excuse.” –Alireza Ghasemi Filmmakers Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi discuss their new feature Stemming from profound concerns and affection for Afghan refugees who […]
Danse Macabre: Filmmaker Karen Arthur on The Mafu Cage (1978)
By Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. I find that there is an emotional energy in a theater piece [the basis for The Mafu Cage] and that the relationships are so much stronger and more connected. I always use the concept that you have to see in film and so therefore I took the […]
Peoples’ Heroes: David Webb Peoples on The Blood of Heroes (1989)
By Danny Stewart. While Rollerball was an inspiration [when writing the film in the 1970s], another major one was Rocky, [which] focused more on endurance, courage, and the punishment the main character endured rather than his skill.” –David Webb Peoples The interview below was excerpted from Saluting The Blood of Heroes: Behind The […]
A Comedic Journey into Tragedy: Joel Potrykus on Vulcanizadora
By Jenny Paola Ortega Castillo. The goal, really, was to keep the audience off balance and unsure of how to feel.” –Joel Potrykus Joel Potrykus has crafted yet another unforgettable cinematic experience with his latest chilling film, Vulcanizadora (2024). Potrykus weaves a narrative that oscillates between moments of comedic camaraderie […]
Beauty Surrounding Us: Elene Naveriani on Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry
By Yun-hua Chen. I believe that all characters possess innate sensibility, which surfaces when given a chance.” —Elene Naveriani “Do you realize how much beauty surrounds us? I wish to be alone, to do what I want, how I like, and when I like,” declares Etero, a 48-year-old woman from […]
A Tribute on the Making of Horror: Joshua John Miller and M.A. Fortin on The Exorcism
By M. Sellers Johnson. I wanted to address the horror of watching somebody slowly becoming disfigured and losing their grip on sanity…. To me, that was the scary part of the movie and what we really wanted to do.” —Joshua John Miller At the time of its release, the iconic […]
Shrinking Down Tropes to the Everyday: Josh Margolin on Thelma
By Jonathan Monovich. My favorite kinds of movies are ones that can feel relatable and simultaneously big/cinematic. When I can marry those two aspects in an interesting way, I get creatively excited.” Have you ever imagined what it would look like if Jason Statham were replaced by a rebellious grandma […]