Indie Cinema Magazine - Issue 2

INDIE CINEMA THE MAGAZINE OF INDEPENDENT CINEMA

THE MUSIC CRITIC

Hollywood veteran John Malkovich stars in the biting musical satire conceived by star violinist Aleksey Igudesman

EERIE FAIRYTALES

An anthology of bizarre, fantastic and spooky tales, directed by Mart Sander

POWER OF THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE New film based on the classic Alexander Grin novel by Diana Ringo

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Rea d e rs , O ur f ir s t e d i t i o n o f t h e p ri n t e d I n d i e C i n e m a M a g a z i ne, w a s p ub lish e d d u ri n g t h e Eu ro p e a n L o c k d o w n . T h e s e m e a s u res under ta k e n by o u r g o v e rn m e n t s c a u s e d t re m e n d o u s d a m a g e to all a s p e c t s o f h u m a n l i fe . Al l c u l t u ra l e v e n t s w e re ca nceled, i n c l u d i n g t h e m o s t i m p o rt a n t o n e s . T h e fe s t i v a l w h ich I or gan i z e i s a l s o p o s t p o n e d d u e t o t h e l o c k d o w n . I t is regretta bl e fo r u s . Fo r 5 ye a rs w e h a v e be e n p ro m o t i n g in d ep enden t c i n e m a s c re e n i n g i n d e p e n d e n t fi l m s . We h a d in t eresting fi l m s fro m a l l o v e r t h e w o rl d , i n d e p e n d e n t fi l m m a ker s cam e t o Vi e n n a a n d i t e n ri c h e d t h e c u l t u re o f Au s t r ia and ind e p e n d e n t c i n e m a t o g ra p h y i n g e n e ra l . D u e t o c l os ed b or der s a n d t ra v e l re s t ri c t i o n s i t i s a v e ry d i ffi c u l t s i t u a t ion f or us a n d p a rt i c i p a n t s o f o u r fe s t i v a l . I n d e p e n d e n t cin em a nowada y s i s m o re i m p o rt a n t t h a n e v e r be fo re , s i n c e w e s ee how cen s o rs h i p a n d p ro p a g a n d a l i t t l e by l i t t l e t a k e s ov er our lif e . I n d e p e n d e n t p o i n t o f v i e w i n c i n e m a c a n be cr u cia l f or sto p p i n g g l o ba l d i c t a t o rs h i p . We c a n n o t o v e re e s t i ma t e the dam a g e s w h i c h h a v e be e n d o n e by t h e u n c o n s t i t u t ion a l measure m e n t s o f t h e g o v e rn m e n t . C re a t i v i t y a n d i n d e pendent p o i n t o f v i e w c a n re v e a l t h e i r e v i l p l a n s - a l l t h ey w a n t is to ha v e o be d i e n t a n d z o m bi e fi e d p e o p l e w h o a re ea s y t o manip u l a t e . We a re n o w o n t h e e d g e o f t h e 3 rd Wo rl d Wa r and I w a n t t o e n c o u ra g e a l l fi l m m a k e rs t o m a k e i n d e pen d en t f ilms, a n d t o k e e p t h e i r c re a t i v e s p i ri t u p , d u ri n g h a r d t im es .

Free sp i ri t a n d i n d e d p e n d e n t t h i n k i n g a re s t ro n g e r t h a n t h e cor r up t m e d i a a n d h o l d i n c re d i bl e p o w e r, a n d i s t h e m os t imp or ta n t w e a p o n a g a i n s t g re e d a n d o p p re s s i o n .

Elena Ri n g o Editor I n - C h i e f o f I n d i e C i n e m a M a g a z i n e

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

EDITOR: Elena Ringo EDITOR: Diana Ringo

CONTENTS 5

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Editor Elena Ringo introduces the first printed edition of Indie Cinema Magazine

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A YEAR IN A VILLAGE Documentary film “A Year in a Village” portraits a family living in a village in Moravia, the Czech Republic.

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OPEKA Documentary film about an Argentine priest who inspires hope for an entire nation by teaching people living in Madagascar’s largest landfill to build a highly functional city in the capital of their failing African country.

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HIRED Experimental film HIRED delves into the meaning of art and depicts life of bohemian youth.

C O VER PHOTO: Al ex ey Ig ud e s man, J o hn M alkovich and H yung -k i J o o in “The Mus i c C ri ti c”

INDIE CINEMA MAGAZINE Volume 2 August 2020.

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NO NAME IN THE END CREDITS Documentary film “No name in the end credits” follows an Italian veteran film set employee’s daily work.

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ROE V. WADE Feature film directed by Nick Loeb and Cathy Allyn based on the most famous court case in US History.

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WHAT’S THIS COUNTRY CALLED NOW “What’s This Country Called Now?” is based on the experiences of Aida Cerkez, a Bosnian woman who worked as a reporter throughout the Siege of Sarajevo. She spent four years enduring incessant bombing and sniper fire, and sharing Sarajevo’s story with the world.

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

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EERIE FARY TALES An anthology of bizarre, fantastic and spooky tales from the past, present and future, dealing with curses, witches, perfect crime and unsolved mysteries, directed by Mert Sander.

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RAY OF LIGHT All her life Liza dreams of becoming a musician and it seems that her dream is close to coming true but just before her audition to a prestigious nusic school she faces a personal tragedy.

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An allegorical history of a German Luger from World War II to the present. Gun is a wry commentary on society’s fascination with firearms and the life changing impacts they can have.

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WHY WE ARE UNHAPPY IN BIG CITIES A youth’s life falls into chaos following the breaking of his beloved lighter: his lover leaves him and he loses his job.

experienced miracles in their lives.

Through their quest, they discover the key to working miracles and learn what “living in the age of miracles” truly means.

I LOOK AT YOU ALL Look inside the fantastic mind of a 10 year old boy as he attempts to unravel the meaning of love, death and friendship.

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LOOKING FOR VAUBETON Searching for the site of a famous battle in a Medieval poem, remains were found of antiquity and prehistoric times. In this juxtaposition of ancient traces, in voiceless objects or voices which can still be heard, appear our multiple pasts.

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GUN

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SPECTRE’S BRIDE An allegorical history of a German Luger from World War II to the present. Gun is a Spectre’s Bride is a macabre tale of an undead spirit attempting to take an innocent maiden on a journey to the underworld.

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JENNA THE GREAT A cocky student accidentally conjures young philosopher Aristotle into present time and seizes her chance to cheat through her exams.

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ARIELLA A young Brazilian sex worker in a highclass London brothel must entice a customer into paying for her or face the dire consequences from her trafficker.

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POWER OF THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE Adaptation of the psychological novel Alexander Grin about a violin player and a hypnotist, directed by Diana Ringo

LIVING IN THE AGE OF MIRACLES

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An inspirational documentary about two Japanese actors meeting people who

John Malkovich plays a bitter critic in the musical satire written and conceived by virtuoso violinist Aleksey Igudesman.

THE MUSIC CRITIC

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

A YEAR IN A VILLAGE

DIRECTED BY PETR SMĚLÍK T he do c u m e n t ary “A Ye ar i n a

how it influences them.

Villa g e ” p o r t r a i ts a vi l l age s o mew here i n M o r a vi a, the Cz e c h Repu b l i c . O r r athe r a f ami l y l i vi ng s ome w h e re i n the vi l l age . We w at c h t he m e m b e r s o f t he f ami l y w o rk and

The focus is on 1 2 -y ear-old Vojta a n d h i s father Danek, who are both into beekeeping and on Vojta`s 1 6 -y ear-old cousin A n etka ,

pe rfo r m t h e i r h o bbi e s . We l i s te n to t he ir o p i n i o n s, t ryi ng t o unde rs tand t he ir t h i n k i n g as w e l l as the w o rl d t he y l i ve i n . E v e n tho ugh a part o f t he do c u m e n t a ry f e at ure s t he tradit iona l f e a st c a l l e d “ho dy”, t he ai m is no t t o de sc r i be the e ve nt i ts e l f , but t o u n de r st and ho w t he c haract e rs f e e l a b o u t be i ng a part o f i t and

who is prepar ing for her fir st par tici p a ti o n in “ hody ” celebr ation, and of their gr a n dmother Bohuka.

All we want to see is the life as it i s . I n a v illag e.

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

DI REC TOR ’ S STATEMENT:

Re t u rn i n g t o w o rk t h a t i s re a l , t o t h e prod u c t s t h a t a re m a d e w i t h h o n e s t y a n d l ov e.

Villages in South Moravia in the Czech Republic are home to hundreds of thousands o f p e o p l e . I t ’s q u i t e s y m p t o m a t i c f o r t h e mo de rn e ra t hat p eop le of ten have t o m o v e f ro m v i llag e s to towns b ecause of w o rk .

Nevertheless a lot of those people still want t o re j o i n the ir roots, those who hav e fo n d memories of their village and maybe surprisi n g l y t h e re a re a l s o t h o s e w h o c o m e f ro m the towns to the villages – to live a different life, a more traditional one- calmer, simpler.

This documentary aims to compare life in villages with life in towns in an indirect m a n n e r. I t s h o w s h o w y o u n g e r a s w e l l a s older people think and what their bonds with traditions are. It shows their relationship to a n i m a l s a n d t h e l a n d . S i m p l y p u t , i t d ocu ments how people live in villages in modern t i m e s .

Returning to tradition is the main theme o f t h i s d o c u m e n t a r y. R e t u r n i n g t o n a t u r e , t o o r i g i n a l i t y, t o t h e t h i n g s t h a t f e e l re a l .

DOCUMENTARY 52 MIN. The documentary “A Year in a Village” features a family living in a village somewhere in Moravia – a particular region of the Czech Republic. The aim of their documentary film portrait is to find out what it’s actually like to live in a village today.

Film director Petr S mělík

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POSTPON E D DUE TO GOV ER N M E N T M EA SURES

15-18 October POSTPON E D DUE TO GOV ER N M E N T M EA SURES

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

OPEKA DIRECTED BY CAM COWAN

D I RE C TOR B I OGRAPHY- CA M C OWAN B e l i e v i n g t h a t p o w e rfu l m o v i e s c a n m o v e t h e ju s t ice d i a l i n w a y s c o n v e n t i on a l law and politics cannot, Cam s t o p p e d p ra c t i c i n g l a w t o s t u d y fi l m m a k i n g a n d l a t er c re a t e d S o h e i Pro d u c t ion s t o m a k e d o c u m e n t a ri e s focu s ed on social justice issues.

D I RE C TOR’S S TAT EM EN T

PEDRO OPEKA - A CATHOLIC PRIEST FROM ARGENTINA, WORKING AS A MISSIONARY IN MADAGASCAR: An iron-willed A r gent i ne pries t ins pires h o p e for an entire n at i o n by te a ching peop l e l i v i ng in Madagas car’s l ar g es t la ndfill to b u i l d a h i gh l y fun c tional c ity i n t h e ca pi tal of the i r fai l i ng African cou ntr y.

Pe d ro Ope k a de clined an o ppo rtuni ty to p lay p rof essi o nal fo o tball i n his native B ue n o s Ai re s. He chose i nst ead to be c o me a missi o nary and li ve in one of t h e p o o re st c o un tr ies in t h e w o rld. T he son of a

b r icklay e r, h e c o n v i n c e d destitute fa m i l i e s l i v i n g i n Madaga s c a r’s l a rg e s t l a n d fi l l that he c o u l d t e a c h t h e m h o w to b uild t h e i r o w n h o u s e s and, in t h e p ro c e s s , bu i l d their di g n i t y. Aft e r 3 0 ye a rs of constru c t i o n , fi g h t i n g increasin g p o v e rt y a n d p o l i tical insta bi l i t y, Op e k a h a s created a h i g h l y fu n c t i o n a l city with i n t h i s d ys fu n c t i o n a l A f r ican n a t i o n . Hi s m i s s i o n is to p re p a re t h e c h i l d re n h e saves to o n e d a y s a v e t h e i r own cou n t ry.

DOCUMENTARY 88 MIN.

I m e t Fa t h e r Pe d ro i n A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 w h i l e w e w e re i n prod u c t i o n fo r “ M AD AGAS IKA R A ” , o u r d o c u m e n t a ry fi l m a b ou t M a d a g a s c a r’s p o l i t i c a l, econ o m i c a n d s o c i a l s t ru g g l es .

I w a s s t a n d i n g o n t h e t op l e d g e o f a h u g e q u a rry in An t a n a n a ri v o , M a d a g a s ca r ’s c a p i t a l c i t y, be c a u s e I w a s i n t e re s t e d i n fi l m i n g t h ere.

F ro m be l o w e m e rg e d a y ou n g w o m a n c a rryi n g a ba s ket of bro k e n s t o n e o n h e r h ea d a n d a ba by o n h e r ba ck, a n d I a s k e d h e r w h e re p e o pl e w o rk i n g i n t h e q u a rry l iv ed .

She said most live just o u t s i d e t h e q u a rry, bu t “ s o m e l i v e u p t h e re ” , poin ting in the distance to the n e x t h i l l s i d e . T h e re I s a w ro w s a n d ro w s o f g l i s ten in g w h i t e bu i l d i n g s o n t h e h il l . I h a d be e n a ro u n d t h e en t ire c o u n t ry bu t h a d n o t s e en s o m a g i c a l a s c e n e a n yw h ere

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

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BUILDINGS BUILT BY AKAMASOA PROJECT else o n the i sland.

of t h e c h i l d re n w e re g ro s s l y ma l n o u ri s h e d .

e a t w i t h h i m , s e ein g h im c o n d u c t M a s s w it h t h ouI ask ed he r what those b uilds a n d s o f M a l a g a s y peopl e i n gs w e re , and she said, “That’s I to l d h i m m y re s e a rc h re v e a l e d a t t e n d i n g – n o t ju s t f rom A k a maso a. ” I then asked her what tha t M a d a g a s c a r h a d be e n Ak a m a s o a bu t f rom ev er yA k a maso a was, and she seemed dam a g e d by n a t i o n a l a n d i n t e r- w h e re i n t h e a rea a n d f rom s u r pr ise d I di d not know. Smiling, nat i o n a l p o l i t i c a l fo rc e s – a l l a n d n o fa i t h s – t ou r in g s h e s ai d, “T hat’s Father Pedro!” incl u d i n g by m y o w n c o u n t ry, t h e v i l l a g e s , m eet in g t h e the U .S . – a n d I w a n t e d p e o p l e p e o p l e o f t h e A ka m a s oa A f t e r do i ng so m e research on Father to u n d e rs t a n d t h e d e v a s tc o m m u n i t y a n d l ea r n in g Ped ro , I k ne w I wanted to inter view ing i m p a c t s t h o s e a c t i o n s h a d , a bo u t h i s fa s c i n a t in g l if e h i m f o r the fi lm “ MADAGASIKA RA ”. and c o n t i n u e d t o h a v e , o n s t o ry.

Tw o mo nths late r we drove to Ma d a g a s c a r a n d i t s p e o p l e .

A k a maso a and as ked to see him.

A f te r m y e x p l a n a t i o n , w i t h a I s o o n re a l i z e d t h a t I H e h a d j ust re turned f rom an b ig s m i l e fro m be h i n d h i s bi g w a n t e d t o m a k e a d ocex h a u sti ng fund-r aising tr ip in wh i t e be a rd h e s a i d , “Ho w c a n I u m e n t a ry a bo u t Fa t h er E uro pe and was ver y ser ious. hel p ? ” Pe d ro . T h e re h a v e b een d o c u m e n t a ri e s ma d e a n d I t old hi m I was making a f ilm to Du ri n g s u bs e q u e n t fi l m i n g t ri p s bo o k s w ri t t e n a b ou t h im , t r y t o bri ng the real Madagascar to to M a d a g a s c a r, Fa t h e r Pe d ro bu t I k n e w t h a t h e w a s n ot t he We st. I wanted to counter the gr a c i o u s l y a l l o w e d m e t o i n t e r- w e l l k n o w n i n mu ch of t h e i mag e s c re ate d by H ollywood anivie w h i m a s o n e o f t h e fi l m ’s w o rl d , p a rt i c u l a r l y Nor t h mat ed fi lm s and documentar ies that ex pe rt s o n t h e c o n d i t i o n s i n t h e Am e ri c a . An d I w a n t ed t o f o c u s e d o n the e n vironment and cou n t ry. He a p p e a rs a s s u c h t ry t o c h a n g e t h a t t h rou g h ex p lo re the li v e s of real p eop le in b r ie fl y i n “ M AD AGAS I K ARA”. a q u a l i t y fi l m t h a t f ocu s ed w h a t , at that ti me, was the p oorest o n h i s l i fe a n d h is ex t r a orco untry o n the planet, where 9 3 % d i n a ry a c h i e v e m en t s a s a of t h e pe o ple li v ed on less than A n d s o I g o t t o k n o w h i m be t t e r, h u m a n i t a ri a n . $2 p e r day, half the p op ulation of sh a ri n g m e a l s h e i n s i s t e d w e 2 4 mi lli o n we re children and half

POSTPON E D DUE TO GOV ER N M E N T M EA SURES

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

D I RE C TOR B I OGRAPHY To n y R a u d w a s r a i s e d a s a musician. From an early age he developed an interest for cinema and begun reading a bo u t fi l m l a n g u a g e . H e h ol d s a m a s t e r d e g re e i n His t or y of Politics from Utrecht University and is also a graduate of Pra g u e F i l m S c h o o l .

HIRED DIRECTED BY TONY RAUD HIRED is an exp er i m enta l film ab ou t t h e ro l e a nd interac tio n o f yo ung pe o ple with ar t and im a gination. Po et r y, ro ck m usic , paintin g s , s cul ptures , v irtu al real i t y al l co me together und er t h e e ye s of y ou ng p eo p l e th a t are try in g t o gras p th e meaning a nd i nt ention of art.

a j o b t hu s , g e tti n g hi re d , real i z i n g thi s s te p i s a n es s enti a l on e i n or d e r f o r o ne to s u r vi ve . A s t i m e p a s s e s , u n d e r whi c h ci rcums ta n c e s d oe s i m ag i n a ti on d i e s a n d real i t y b e g i n s ? A re w e s t i l l i m a g i n i n g ou r s e l ve s , o r h as re a l i ty ove r ta k e n co nt rol of how w e d e f i n e o ur s el ve s ?

To n y i s a l w a y s i n t e r e s t e d in working with actors and coming up with acting/performance based films deeply rooted in the human condition. Motivated by writing he has published two books, both before the age of 25, from which one is an existential philosophical novel, and the o t h e r o n e a p o e t ry c o l l ect ion .

Hi s a rt i s t i c i n fl u e n c e s in cl u d e people from a wide range of the world of art and philosophy like Soren Kierkegaard, Jean Paul Sarte, Michel Foucault, Ro be rt B re s s o n , An d re Bret on , Gillo Pontecorvo, Theodoros Angelopoulos and many others.

T h es e a re s om e of the But , as time p as s es t h ey ques t i on s Ton y R a u d a re one s tep c l o s er t o i s as ki n g u s , throu g h a dul thood and faced w i t h h i s ex p e r i m e n ta l s hor t, th e neces s ity o f fi nd i ng H I R E D.

EXPERIMENTAL 6 MIN.

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NO NAME IN THE END CREDITS DIRECTED BY SIMONE AMENDOLA

T he re i s a m a n w al k i ng, s l o w l y and s il e n t l y, i n a w are ho us e f ul l o f o l d film, a lm o st a c i n e ma mus e um: “D uc k , You S uck e r ” , S e r g i o Le o ne ; “Lul u the To ol” , E l io Pe t r i ; “ I n no me de l po po l o s o vr ano” , Luig i M a g n i ; “ The Le o pard”, Luc hi no Vis co n t i ; “ Am a rc o rd”, Fe de ri c o Fe l l i ni.

recr uits extr as in the subur bs, amo n g a thousand different faces by ethn i c i ty, g ender and ag e. At times, Antonio fi n d s faces that later manag e to impose th emselv es with streng th and become so m ething more than just extr as: abov e a l l , Marcello Fonte.

T ha t m a n , wh o s e e ms to be l o o k i ng for s om e t h i n g , h a s l i ve d al l tho s e f i l ms .

His n a m e i s Ant o ni o Spo l e ti ni and s ince d ecade s t o sa y hi s s urname me ans to say cine m a a n d a b o ve al l Ci ne c i t t à.

Abov e all, Antonio tells those who v enture into Cinecittà about his w o r k with all the g reatest Italian directo r s .

One abov e all, the belov ed Feder ico Fellini and his many films bor n in th e studios of the Rome, where scenes s u c h as that of the immense collectiv e ea ti n g in Tr astev ere were built and shot. S c en e that Spoletini tells in g reat detail to a g roup of tour ists from the E ast v is i ti n g the studios.

“No n a m e i n t h e e nd c re di ts ” f o l l o ws his d a il y wo r k o n fi l m s e ts , w he re de s pite his a g e ( a s h e hi ms e l f s ays i n t he f ilm “w e a re b o t h f ro m 1937 but s he i s f rom A p ri l a n d I a m f ro m M arc h”) he manag es t he wo r k o f t h e ac to rs w i th i ne x hau stible e ne r g y a n d p rof e s s i o nal i s m, gui de d by e xt r a o r di n a r y ent hus i as m and o bvi ously a s s ist e d b y h i s he i rs . Ant o ni o mo ve s,

And it is precisely Fellini’s memor y th a t

DOCUMENTARY - 83 MIN

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

co n st i t u t e s t he f i l ro uge o f the fi l m : we se e ho w Ant o ni o i s l o o k ing fo r a f i l m c opy o f “Ro me ”, t he o nly fi l m b y t h e di re c t o r f ro m Ri mi ni w h e re , b e si de s hi m, al l hi s bro ther s a p p e a r. A p u nge nt ne e d t o pre s e r v e t h e m e m o r y o f t he c i ne ma f o r t hose w h o wi l l c o m e af t e r us .

A m e m o r y o f w hi c h Ant o ni o i s t he la st g u a r di a n, t he me mo ry o f a pe r i o d w h e n I t al i an c i ne ma w as a n i m m e n se and f e rt i l e dre am t hat ha d l i t t l e t o e nvy i n H o l l yw o o d.

To da y t h i s i s no l o nge r the c as e , b u t A n t o n i o has no t l o s t a s hre d of e n t h u si a sm and c o nt i nue s t o tak e care o f h i s ac t o rs (w hi c h he ne ver cal l s “ e x t r a s”). Af te r al l , Si mo ne Am e n do l a , t he di re c to r o f the f i l m , k n o ws t h a t he addre s s e s anyo ne w h o l o ve s t he hi s t o ry and s t o ri e s of o u r c i n e ma: hi s do c ume nt ary a l l o ws yo u to he ar t ho s e s t o ri e s t o l d b y t h o s e w ho have made and a re m a k i n g c i ne ma s i nc e i ts bi rt h, a l m o st a l w ays re mai ni ng i n the s h a do ws, a n d w i t ho ut hi s name i n t h e c re di t s.

Pu re A m a rc ord! The bl ac k and w h ite im a g e s g i ve a f l avo ur o f Amarc o rd t o t h e do c u - f i l m, c re at i ng a l i nk b e t w e e n t h e e c ho e s o f the s pl e ndo u r o f g re at I tal i an c i ne ma and t h e l o st sp l endo ur o f t he gl o riou s Ro m a n E mpi re o f w hi c h o nl y s ad f i g u re s di s gui s e d as gl adi at o rs re m a i n . A n t oni o te l l s many pe o pl e a b o u t h i s e xi s te nc e f ul l o f hundreds

of illustr ious acquaintances, of v ar ied but nev er leading roles, and nostalg i a seems to g r adually expand to includ e the whole film, enr iched by the participation of g reat char acter s: from Anthony Hopkins with Jonathan Pr y c e, who make a fleeting appear ance, to the Oscar-winning Dante Fer retti, to Marcello Fonte, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, who took his fir st steps in cinema as Antonio’s fig ure. “ There where Fellini created and wh ere time disappeared” . The stor y of a g rea t lov e: this is how Simone Amendola’s documentar y film could be defined.

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FEATURE FILM - 96 MIN DIRECTED BY RAY SPIVEY & JEFF KERR writersblock2019.com

1-4 O ctober 20 20

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ROE V. WADE DIRECTED BY NICK LOEB & CATHY ALLYN

F ilm b as ed o n t h e m o s t f am o us co u rt c a s e i n U S H i s t o ry.

D irec t o r Cat hy A lly n I nt er v i ew ed B y G ü n t he r Kra m e r T h e fi lm i s based on the most f amous c o u rt c a s e i n US Hi stor y, and no f ilmmaker ha s e v e r t old the sto ry. We researched over 4 0 bo o k s , le t t ers, c o urt transcr ip ts, sp eeches and i n t e rv i e w s whi le wri ting the screenp lay.We w o u l d re co m m e nd re ading “The Hand of God” by D r. Be rnard N athanson, “Ab use of Discre t i o n ” b y Clark e Fo rsythe, “Ab or tion” b y Lawre n c e L a d er, “Abo rti ng Amer ica” b y Dr. Ber nard N at h anso n, “T he P ro-Choice Movement” by S u z a nne Stag g e n b or g. Filmmaker s that i n s p i re us i n c lude Oli ver Stone and A dam McKa y.

D i d you bot h kn ow e a ch o th e r be fore the m a k ing of t he film? Ca n y ou te ll us wh a t w a s i t l i k e for t wo d ire cto rs to work tog e th er ? D id y o u t wo have an y diffe re nce s re g a rding y ou r v i e ws when m ak ing th e film?

We kne w e ac h other socially b ef ore maki n g t h e f i lm . D i re c ti ng the f ilm together wa s a g re a t way to i nclude b oth a male and fe m a l e

p e rs p e c t i v e o n s u c h a c o n t ro v e rs i a l t opic.

How d id t h e c a s t in g proc es s g o? How lo n g d i d t h e s h oot in g t a k e? A n d pos t - prod u c t i o n ?

C a s t i n g w a s v e ry c h a l l e n g i n g d u e t o th e h e a t e d n a t u re o f t h e s u bj e c t m a t t e r, y et w e e n d e d u p w i t h a s t e l l a r c a s t . We s h o t ov er 4 w e e k s i n L o u i s i a n a , Wa s h i n g t o n D C a n d New Yo rk .

W h a t w a s t h e d ec is ion b eh in d t o h a ve Ni ck Loeb b ot h a c t a n d d irec t t h e f il m? D id Ni ck immed ia t el y wis h t o pl a y t h e l ea d rol e , o r w a s it a d ec is ion ma d e l a t er ?

N i c k h a s a v e ry s i m i l a r p e rs o n a l j o u rn ey t o t h a t o f D r. B e rn a rd N a t h a n s o n w h i c h in s pired bo t h t h e m a k i n g o f t h e fi l m a n d t h e ca s t in g choice.

D oes t h e f il m c a r r y a s pec if ic mes s a g e ?

FEATURE FILM - 106 MIN

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

T h e f i lm ’s m e ssage is that there is more t o t h e st or y o f Ro e v. Wade than most p eop le k n o w.

T h e me di a had a tremendous inf luence o v e r t h e m i nds o f the Amer ican p eop le, which is s t i l l t ru e t od ay, re g ardle ss of whether or not thei r re p o rti ng is base d o n the tr uth.

H o w wou ld you intro duce th e film to a per s on w ho i s not fam i lia r with th e subje ct?

T h e f i lm i s base d on the most f amous co u rt c a s e i n A m e ri c an hi stor y that legalized Ab or t i o n .

I s i t di ffi c u lt for a filmma ke r with rig h t- win g v i e w s t o work i n H olly wo od?

T h e U ni te d States p r ides itself on f reedo m o f spe ec h, and i t i s imp or tant f or f ilmmake rs o f all vi e wpo i nts to b e ab le to ex p ress the m s e l v e s f ree l y. I n to day’s Amer ica, the viewp oin t s t h a t are c o nsi de re d d iver gent f rom the p op u l a r p o l i ti c a l l y c o rre c t be lief s are of ten challenge d a n d re j ec te d.

W ha t are your vie ws re g a rding th e film’s t opic a n d t he s i t uat i o n to da y in th e US ?

T h e f i lm i s e xtremely timely f or the curre n t c o nv e r sati o n abo ut the Sup reme Cour t in A m e ri c a , and who wi ll g e t to nominate the nex t Ju s t i c e s .

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WHAT’S THIS COUNTRY CALLED NOW? DIRECTED BY JOSEPH PIERSON “What’s This Country Called Now?” is based on the experiences of Aida Cerkez, a Bosnian woman who worked as a reporter throughout the Siege of Sarajevo. She spent four years enduring incessant bombing and sniper fire, and sharing Sarajevo’s story with the world.

I n 1 994, o n the 8 0 th anniver sar y of t h e assassi nation of the A rchduke F r anz Fe rdi nand , A ida had the idea o f fi ndi ng a wi tness to that seminal e v ent i n wo rld histor y. She f ound I sm e t, a 90-ye a r-old who was ten y ears o ld and on a school outing to se e the Arc hduke on that f atef ul day i n 1 914. He wi tnessed the shot that t r i g g e re d W W I , and continued to live i n Saraj e vo through the year s of conf l i ct that fo llo w ed.

A i d a i nte rv i e ws Ismet and in the pro c e ss share s her own p er sp ective o n l i fe duri ng w ar time. Ismet comple me nts he r wr y view of the ab surd i t y o f war wi th a uniq ue p er sp ect i v e o n the lo ng histor y of Sar ajevo as a p i v o tal plac e in wor ld histor y. Aida le a ve s I sm e t with a deep er underst a n di ng o f the Bosnian war, and her ro le i n i t.

Zrinka Cvitešić

Rade Šerbedžija

WHAT’S THIS

COUNTRY

CALLED NOW?

SARAJEVO 1994 DIRECTED BY JOSEPH PIERSON PRODUCED BY DAMIR IBRAHIMOVICH & JOSEPH PIERSON DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ELDAR EMRIC EDITED BY VLADIMIR GOJUN MUSIC BY JOEL GOODMAN WRITTEN BY JOSEPH PIERSON & AIDA CERKEZ

SHORT FILM - 37 MIN

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

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EERIE FAIRY TALES DIRECTED BY MART SANDER t o s a v e h e r fro m t h e a n c i e n t c u rs e w i t h t h e p o w e r o f l o v e . Fe a t u r in g L i i s a L i n h e i n (“ S l u t s ” ), Ai n M ä e o t s (“ 1 9 44” ) a n d o t h e rs ; o l d m a s t er Vä in o Pu u ra m a k e s h i s com eba c k o n t h e bi g s creen (“ He re w e a re ! ” ) .

A darky poeti c a nthology of bi z ar re, fa ntas tic and s p o o ky ta les from the p as t , pres ent and fut ure, dealing with cur s es , witc hes , perf ect cri me and u ns o l v ed m y s teries . A lar g e numb er o f t o p Est o n i an act o r s t ake p ar t i n t he p layful a n d co mpas si o nat e fa n t as y fi lm.

T h e de m o ni c nar r ator t ells us fo ur fa ir y tales f or adults. I n the f ir st st ory, “Ac tually,” the paths o f thre e p eop le i nte rse c t at a h otel that has be e n le ft behind at ni g ht and seem to share bo th the p ast and t h e pre se nt. J ekater ina N o vo sj o lo va ( “Sluts”), Too m as K o lk ( “Sluts”) and Mart Sander, star in t h e fi lm .

“ H i di ng Ti m e ” is a sc ie nc e fi c ti o n stor y

ab out two re s e a rc h e rs (M a rt Müür isep p, “L e ft Fo o t F ri d a y ” a n d Tanel Saa r, “ I Wa s He re ” ) w h o are tr ying t o fi n d o u t t h e s e c re t s of the Naz i Re s e a rc h C e n t e r dur ing Worl d Wa r I I . To o m a s K o l k (“Sluts”), L a u ri Pe d a j a (“S i n g l e Scouts”) a n d M e rl e Pa l m i s t e (“Sluts”) a re s p e c i a l g u e s t s i n t h e f ilm.

T h e l a t e s t s h o rt s t or y “T h e C h a m be rl a i n is Gu i l t y ” i s a n a g a t h a ch r is t m u rd e r s t o ry s p i ced w it h bl a c k h u m o r, w h ere t h e c h a m be rm a i d ’s p a r t is t o e x p o s e t h e m u r d erer s d u ri n g d i n n e r. S t a r r in g K a d ri Rä m m e l d (“ Rev en g e Offi c e ”) , Va h u r- Pa u l Põ l d m a (“J o h n o f H el l ” ) a n d d i re c t o r M a rt S a n d er h i m s e l f.

T h e fi l m i s s u i t a b l e f or a n y o n e w h o l o v e s m a g ica l re a l i s m a n d e n j o y s puzzles.

In the thi rd s t o ry “T h e S o u rc e o f Solitude”, a y o u n g v i l l a g e bo y Hans (f ilm d e bu t Ot t S a l l a ) fa l l s in love wit h a m ys t e ri o u s fa c e o f a myster i o u s g i a n t s p ri n g (L i s e t t e Pomer ans , “S l u t s ” ) a n d d e c i d e s

FEATURE FILM - 93 MIN

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

RAY OF LIGHT DIRECTED BY YUCHI TIAN AND OLYA LYSENKO D I REC TORS S TAT EM EN T:

All her l i fe, Liz a d ream s o f beco ming a mu s i ci an , and i t s eem s t h at he r drea m is s o clo s e t o co m i ng t r ue. S he is a pplyin g an d alm o s t fully accep t e d to Ju l li ar d, t he s ch o o l o f h er d reams , but j u s t b efo re h er fi nal aud i t i o n, he r m om pas s es aw ay. Li z a g rapples wi t h h er ow n in n er d em o ns t o o v erco m e he r grief, l et go , and m o v e o n w i t h h e r l i f e .

S h e dec i des t o d ed i cat e h er aud i t i o n t o h er mo t her.

Yu c h i Ti a n ’s p a s s i o n fo r t h e p e rfo rmin g a r t s s t a rt e d e a rl y, w h e n s h e be g a n w ri t i n g s t or ies fo r t h e s t a g e a n d s c re e n w h i l e s t i l l in h ig h s c h o o l . He r l o v e fo r t h e a t e r l e d h e r t o a c o u rs e o f s t u d y a t t h e p re s t i g i o u s S h a n d on g U n i v e rs i t y o f Art s i n J i n a n , C h i n a w h ere h er s t a g e e x p e ri e n c e e x p a n d e d be yo n d w r it in g t o bo t h a c t i n g a n d d i re c t i n g . Aft e r re c e iv in g h er B FA fro m S h a n d o n g , s h e c o n t i n u e d h er s t u d ies a n d re c e i v e d a n M FA i n D ra m a t i c Wr it in g fro m S h a n d o n g ’s g ra d u a t e t h e a t e r p rog r a m .

Aft e r g ra d u a t i n g fro m S h a n d o n g , Yu c h i recogn i z e d t h a t h e r t ru e p a s s i o n w a s fi l m, s o s h e l e ft C h i n a fo r t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s t o p u r s e a n M FA i n F i l m m a k i n g fro m t h e N e w Yo r k Fil m Ac a d e m y i n L o s An g e l e s . Wh i l e a t N Y FA , Yu ch i w ro t e a n d d i re c t e d s e v e ra l o f h e r o w n s h or t fi l m s a n d w o rk e d o n n u m e ro u s o t h e r f il m s a s a c re w m e m be r. He r e x t e n s i v e p ro d u ct ion w or k a c ro s s v a ri o u s fi l m d e p a rt m e n t s h a s g iv en h e r a t re m e n d o u s a m o u n t o f fi l m p rod u ct ion e x p e ri e n c e . I n a l l o f h e r w o rk , Yu c hi s t r iv es t o c o m bi n e t h e v i s u a l p o e t ry o f c i n em a t ic i m a g e s w i t h t h e d ra m a t i c a n d i n t i ma t e poet r y o f h u m a n re l a t i o n s h i p s , i n o rd e r t o crea t e w o rk t h a t i s v i s u a l l y s t u n n i n g w h i l e rem a ini n g e n t i re l y re fl e c t i v e o f bo t h t h e b ea u t y a n d t ra g e d y o f h u m a n e x p e ri e n c e .

S C RI PT WRI T ER/ L EAD AC T RE S S : O l y a is a scriptwriter, co-director, and co-producer and the main actress of the short film “The Ray of Light”. Olya always was passionate about performing arts. As a child, she used to do professional ballroom dancing, playing the piano, singing and acting.

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

S TAT EMEN T M y n am e i s Olya, and I come f rom the f a r e a s t of R ussi a, an i sla nd just nor th Jap an cal l e d S ak h ali n. I always had always b een p ass i o n a t e a b o ut c ulture , music, theatre, and f ilm. D u e t o t hat, I de c i ded to ap p ly to the New Yo rk Fi lm Ac ade m y’s Bachelor of Fine Ar ts Pro g ra m i n L os Ang e le s, Calif or nia. While I was s t u d yi n g i n L o s Ang e les I realized that my p a s s i o n f o r f ilm m ak i ng and acting is f ar greater t h a n a n y t h i ng e lse . After I gr aduated I thoug h t t h a t I want to k no w more ab out f ilms and ci n e m a , s o I de c i de d to get a MA degree in Film S t u d ie s. N o w I am cur rently studying at U C L ( U n i v ersi ty C o lle ge London and ab out to g ra du a t e thi s autum n . I want to make f ilms t h a t chang e the way p eop le p erceive the worl d a n d t he i r plac e s wi th in it. With the knowled g e t h a t I g ai ne d i n N Y FA and UCL ,I know that th ro u g h a m o re c o m pre hensive under standing of fi l mmak ing I c an e xp ress myself and also imp a c t ot h ers i n m e ani ngf ul ways. I look f or wa rd t o b e co m i ng an i ndustr y leader and galvan i z i n g t he ne xt g e ne ration of great f ilmmaker s : M a k e f i lm s that i nfo rm the wor ld. In the short fi l m “ T he R ay o f L i g ht,” I decided to ex p lore a s t o ry a b o ut hum an fe elings, and the will to le t i n g go a n d m o vi ng on. H ow p eop le codif y th e i r f e eli ng s and c o p e with them. The f ilm is p rof o und and e nc o ur ages p eop le to ex p lore a n d ref l ec t o n the i r own f eelings and emotio n s i n h ope s o f a bri g hter f uture.

FILM DIRECTOR YUICHI TIAN

SHORT 5 MIN.

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

WHY WE ARE UNHAPPY IN CITIES DIRECTED BY ZHAO GANG

S o t h i s m o v i e i s a l s o a p a ra bl e a b ou t t h e c i t y.

S YN OPSI S

D I REC TOR S TAT EM EN T

A yo uth’s li fe falls into chaos f ollowin g t h e b reak i ng o f hi s b eloved lighter : his lov e r le a ve s hi m and he loses his job . The y o u t h d e s pe rate ly seeks f or a way to f ix his l i g h t e r as a way to m end his r uined lif e, b ut i n t h e pro c e ss e nds up losing the lighter itsel f. He t ells hi s tro ubles to a f oreign child, ye t t h e c h ild o nly wo nder s whether or not a c e rt a i n b i r d i n the sk y is named Alice. One spe a k s E n gli sh and th e other Chinese, and th e t w o e n d up spe ak i n g f or q uite some time d e s p i t e no t be i ng able to under stand each oth e r.

T h i s i s m y fi rs t m o v i e .

W h e n the yo ut h f inally sees his lighte r a g a i n , he alre ady has a newly b or n child, yet s e e i n g t h e li g hte r i n the hands of a str anger c a u s e s t h e yo uth to take desp er ate action ...

T h is i s a fi lm that ex p lores the relation s h i p b etwe e n m o de r n p eop le and ob jects. Wh e n pe ople c re ate ob jects (commodities), t h e y a l s o b ec o m e slav e s of the ob jects, and even a l i e nat e the m se lv e s into the ob jects thems e l v e s t h e plo t whe re the heroine p lays the m o d e l i n the wi ndo w accur ately inter p rets th i s i d e a .

A n d the ac to r f inally disap p eared in th e c h a s e o f the i te m s . . .

SHORT FILM 25 MIN.

I a m a w ri t e r a n d h a v e n e v e r s t u d ied c i n e m a . On e d a y, I s u d d e n l y w a n t ed t o m a k e a m o v i e - t h e m o v i e yo u a re s eein g n o w.

I n t h i s fi l m I a m a d i re c t o r a n d s creenw ri t e r, a n d I a l s o p l a ye d a s e c re t f il m ro l e : t h e c a m e ra l e n s , a n d I h a v e a rea listic level of communication with the m a l e a n d fe m a l e p ro t a g o n i s t s . N e v er in m y m e m o ry h a s a fi l m be e n t re a t ed in t h e s a m e w a y.

T h i s i s m y n e w e x p l o ra t i o n a n d a t t em pt a t c i n e m a t i c a rt . Ho p e y o u e n j o y m y m o v i e a n d h o p e t o g e t y o u r s u p p or t f or yo u r h e l p .

D I REC TOR B I OGRAPHY Zh a o Ga n g h a s w o rk e d a s a l a bo re r, re p o rt e r, a n d h e l d v a ri o u s o d d j ob s .

He l e ft t h e s e l i n e s o f w o rk a n d beca m e a p ro fe s s i o n a l a u t h o r i n 1 9 9 5 , p ri m a ri l y w ri t i n g a n d e x p l o ri n g C h i n e s e New n o v e l s . Am o n g C h i n a ’s c o n t e m p o r a r y n ove l i s t s , h i s w ri t i n g i s k n o w n fo r i t s in d ep e n d e n t d i re c t i o n s , c o n s c i o u s n e s s , a n d bri m m i n g v i t a l i t y. Hi s w o rk s h a v e b een a d o p t e d by v a ri o u s o rg a n i z a t i o n s f or t h e s c re e n . He c o l l a bo ra t e d bri e fl y w it h I ra n i a n d i re c t o r Abba s K i a ro s t a m i on s c ri p t w ri t i n g . “Wh y We Are U n h a p py in C i t i e s ” i s h i s fi rs t p ro d u c t i o n a s f il m d i re c t o r.

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

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I LOOK AT YOU ALL DIRECTED BY HERNAN BORNAS

A look inside the fantastic mind of a 10 year old boy as he attempts to unravel the meaning of love, death and friendship.

S YN O P SI S B o wi e i s a lo ne ly ten year old b oy str ugg l i n g t o o v e rco m e a m o numental loss. Eq uip p ed w i t h a f a n t asti c i m ag i nation, his b est f r iend and a c o mple t e strang e r, he attemp ts to navigate h i s w a y t h roug h lo v e , de ath and f r iendship , in se a rc h o f re a l answe rs. Ulti mately f orcing him to con fro n t t h e p o ssi bi li ty thatsometimes it’s just th e w a y i s and t hat’s j ust the way it is

p e rp e t u a t e t h a t t i m e l e s s N o rm a n Rockw el l s c e n e p l a y i n g o u t e n d l e s s l y a c ro s s A m er ica , Zi g g y a n d I w o u l d fo re g o t h a t g a me of c a t c h i n fa v o r o f l i s t e n i n g t o re c or d s , p l a y i n g m a k e be l i e v e a n d w a t c h i n g m ov ies .

Al re a d y a rm e d w i t h a g re a t k n o w l ed g e a n d l o v e fo r fi l m m a k i n g , I fo u n d t h e o n e t h in g I w a s m i s s i n g i n Zi g g y - - t h e u n w a v er in g posi t i v i t y n e c e s s a ry t o a s k : “w h y c a n ’t w e? ” t h a d n ’t s t ru c k m e be fo re - - t o fo rm a Fa t h er S o n F i l m m a k i n g t e a m - - bu t w h e n Z ig g y a p p ro a c h e d m e o n e a ft e rn o o n a n d s a id , “L e t ’s m a k e a m o v i e ! Yo u c a n w ri te a n d d i re c t a n d I ’l l a c t a n d d o t h e m u s ic! ” . . . w e did just that.

D e c i d i n g w e w o u l d n ’t a l l o w a n y o n e t o t el l u s i t c o u l d n ’t be d o n e , w e m a d e t h is f il m .

We h o p e y o u e n j o y t h e fi rs t o f m a n y s t or ies we plan to tell.

SHORT FILM

D I R E C TOR STATEMENT O v e r t he ye ars, fa mily f ilmmaking teams l i k e T h e M ar x Bro the rs, T h e C o e n Bro the rs and The Saf die’s have m a d e g re a t co ntri buti o ns to cinema. Not unlike u s , t h e i r par t ne rshi ps li k e ly evolved or ganically-- t h ro u g h a lo v e o f fi lm and i maginative stor ytelling- - m a k i n g t h e only di ffe re nce b etween their tremen d o u s l y suc ce s sful sto ry and our s the 3 5 year age g a p Z i gg y and I share . (r ight? ) W h i l e m o st fathe r and sons relationship s

14 MIN.

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

LOOKING FOR VAUBETON DIRECTED BY MICHELLE GALES W h a t le d yo u to make Looking f or Vaube t o n ?

I a m i nte re ste d in architecture and ur ba n i s m e .

I h a d m ade a fi lm called Another Tale of Tw o C i t i e s c o m pari ng the tr ansf or mation of n e i g hb or h o o ds i n the East of Par is and the E a s t o f L ondo n.

W h en I arri v e d in the village of Saint Pè re I was i ntri g ue d n ot only to see signs of h o w a sm all v i llag e develop ed, a miniature cit y o v e r t h e ag e s. I also b ecame aware of Memory i n t h e landsc ape , the signs of human p res e n c e i n t he paths, hedges and f ields.

H o w di d yo u g e t interested in Medieval H i st ory ?

T h e Mi ddle Ag e s are f ascinating f or so m a n y re a s o ns. C o m pa red to ear lier p er iods w e s u dd e n l y have so many sources. Architectu re , sc u l pture , pai nting, music, p oetr y, hist o ri c a l ac co unts, o ffi c i al documents, letter s, te x t s o f all s o rts. .

T h e que sti o ns posed b y the p er iod are p e rt ine n t fo r o ur o wn times, q uestioning of a u t h o ri t y, the c o nfli c t b etween diff erent insti t u t i o n s .

A n d we are c o ns tantly lear ning more, f i n d i n g ne w so urc e s and recognising how H isto ry i s a c onti nuum wi th p henomena re-occur r in g .

B ut ac tually I am more sp ecialized in A rt a n d A r t hi sto ry, e specially Romanesq ue scul p t u re and i llum i nate d manuscr ip ts, than in H i s t o ry o r L ite rature o f the Middle Ages.

W h y di d yo u bring in the p oem, the Son g o f G i r art de Ro ussillon ?

On e d a y I fo u n d a bo o k c a l l e d L a Ch a n s on d e Gi ra rt d e Ro u s s i l l o n , s u bt i t l e d , th e Ep i c o f B u rg u n d y. I t w a s a bo u t t h e t r a n sl a t i o n o f t h e 1 2 t h C e n t u ry p o e m i n to p ro s e i n F re n c h o f t h a t t i m e . I t a p pea r s t h a t t h e D u k e o f B u rg u n d y c o m m i s s ion ed t h i s m a g n i fi c e n t i l l u m i n a t e d m a n u s cr ipt be c a u s e h e s a w a p a ra l l e l i n h i s a s pir at i o n s fo r t h e i n d e p e n d e n c e o f B u rgu n d y a n d Gi ra rt ’s re v o l t a g a i n s t t h e k i n g in t h e 9 t h C e n t u ry. An d i n fa c t t h i s fa m ou s F re n c h m a n u s c ri p t i s n o w i n t h e Au s t r ia n N a t i o n a l L i bra ry.

I c o n t a c t e d t h e AN B t o a s k fo r re p rod u ct i o n s a n d t h e y t o l d m e t h a t w h e n th ey w o u l d m a k e s o m e n e w d i g i t a l re p rod u c t i o n s fo r t h e fi l m , t h e y w o u l d ma ke d i g i t a l re p ro d u c t i o n s o f t h e w h o l e m a n us c ri p t . M y e d i t o r, N a d i r, a n d I w e re b ot h e x c i t e d be c a u s e w e k n e w t h e re p rod u ct i o n s w o u l d be m u c h be t t e r t h a n t h e ph ot o g ra p h s w e k n e w fro m t h e bo o k , a n d a l i t t l e p ro u d a s i f w e h a d c o n t ri bu t ed t o m a k i n g t h e m a n u s c ri p t a v a i l a bl e. Bu t i n fa c t i t w a s p ro ba bl y a l re a d y h i g h on t h e l i s t o f m a n u s c ri p t s t o be d i g i t a l l y re p ro d u c e d .

T h e p o e m i s re a l l y i m p o rt a n t i n t h e h i s t o ry o f t h e v i l l a g e , a n d i t w a s beca u s e Re n é L o u i s w a s l o o k i n g fo r s i g n s o f t h e fa m o u s ba t t l e o f Va u be t o n t h a t t h e a rc h a e o l o g i c a l re m a i n s w e re d i s c o vered .

B u t t h i s be a u t i fu l i l l u m i n a t e d m a n u s cr ipt m a d e m e w a n t t o re a d t h e o ri g i n a l poem w h i c h i s s o i n t e re s t i n g fo r m a n y re a s on s .

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

W h y di d yo u i nclude so many seq uence s o f t h e Harv e st Fe stival and of the Medieva l Fa i r ?

E v ery ye ar I saw the H ar vest Festival f ro m m y b a ck wi ndo w … b eing set up at the cr ac k o f d awn, and the n all the wor k of taking d o w n o f e ve rythi ng th e day af ter war ds. It is a l o t o f t i me and e ffo rt on the p ar t of volunteers i n ho t we athe r o r p our ing r ain, as we see d u ri n g t h e Me di e val Fair, in the village just nea rby. I was i m pre sse d b y the devotion of volun t e e rs i n b o th c ase s who wanted to tr ansmit t h e i r k n owle dg e and p assion f or a p ar ticular h i st or i cal pe ri o d. Or mayb e it is the p leas u re o f d re s si ng up i n costume and imagining l i fe i n ano the r ti m e . But it was interesting tha t i n t h i s vi llag e wi th so many tr aces of Med i e v a l and Pro to -hi sto r ic p er iods, some p eop l e fe l t i t was also i m por tant to tr ansmit the m o re re ce nt hi sto ry of f ar ming methods and ru ra l li f e. And thi s e vokes the tr ansf or mation o f t h e c ountrysi de , which made me want to ma k e t h e f i l m.

O n the fo rm o f the f ilm, why do you ha v e t h e spe a k e rs alm o st always sp eaking off -ca me r a and why i s the f ilm in the f or m of d i s c o nne cte d se que nc es ?

I w a nt to m ak e f ilms ab out p laces and w h a t t h ey m e an to us and to suggest other f a i rl y ab s trac t que sti ons. I am not only b ored by t a l ki ng he ads. I also f ind viewer s p ay mo re at t e nti o n to what is b eing said when th e y are no t di strac t ed b y what the p er son s p e a ki ng l o o k s li k e . A ny p er son’s f ace is a “w h o l e st ory” i n i tse lf and “steals the show” s o t o spe a k . Ho we ve r seeing p eop le move ab o u t and i nte rac t i n a sp ace is interesting f o r m e t o f o c us atte nti on on that p lace and ho w i t affe c ts us. And seeing a p lace withou t pe ople c an re m ind us of a human p rese n c e i n t he past o r at other times. B eing aw a re o f what i s “no t shown” can evoke what is n o t

“s h o w a bl e ”.

Of c o u rs e I s u p p o rt fi l m s w h i c h e n c ou ra g e u s t o be a w a re o f s o c i a l a n d p o l it ica l issues.

B u t i n t h i s fi l m I w a s t ry i n g t o “ t a ke a s t e p ba c k ” fro m c u rre n t d o c u m e n t a r y p ra c t i c e . I h o p e d t h a t h a v i n g s e q u e n ces l i k e p a g e s i n a n i l l u m i n a t e d m a n u s cr ipt a n d e x c e rp t s fro m a n e p i c p o e m m ig h t e v o k e t h e fa c t t h a t o u r o w n c o n v e n t ion s o f s t o ry t e l l i n g a re n o t t h e o n l y o n e s poss i bl e . An d t h e fa c t t h a t h i s t o ri c a l fig u res be c a m e t h e s u bj e c t o f a fi c t i o n a l n a r r at i v e a n d u s e d fo r p o l i t i c a l p u rp o s e m ig h t re m i n d u s Hi s t o ry a n d Art a n d Po l i tics a re i n t e r- c o n n e c t e d .

B u t I a l s o w a n t e d t o m a k e a fi l m w h ich w o u l d be e n t e rt a i n i n g l i k e a p u z z l e in w h i c h t h e v i e w e r p u t s t o g e t h e r t h e pieces … o r a s o rt o f t i m e m a c h i n e w h i c h t a kes u s i n t o t h e p a s t m o v i n g ba c k a n d f or t h in d i ffe re n t p e ri o d s .

Wh a t k i n d o f d i s t ri bu t i o n d o yo u s e e f or yo u r fi l m ?

Of c o u rs e be c a u s e o f a l l t h e m u s i c a n d t h e v o i c e o ff c o m m e n t a ri e s a s w e l l a s f or t h e i m a g e , i t i s g re a t t o s e e t h e fi l m in a cinema with good sound. But I would also l i k e L o o k i n g fo r Va u be t o n t o be u s e d in s c h o o l s a n d n o n - c o m m e rc i a l d i s t ri b u t ion .

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

Here History and Legend have crossed paths for thousands of years...

LOOKING FOR VAUBETON LE CHEMIN DERRIERE LES MURS, NOW & THEN PRODUCTIONS

and

RIVARTS

present a lm of MICHELLE GALES edited by NADIR

HADJERIOUA with the participation of

FE AVOUGLAN, YASMINA BELFEROUM, PHILIPPE BEYNEY,

MARCEL BLANDIN, THIERRY CORNILLON, HENRI GARNIER,

DOMINIQUE JANVIER, CHRISTIAN SAPIN, SARA SARAGONI,

PHILIPPE TOLLARD, DOMITILLE VIGNERON and MICHEL ZINK

and the music of FLOR

ENVERSA, CECILE GIRARD, FRANCOISE PONS

and the

SURNATURAL ORCHESTRA

DOCUMENTARY FILM - 83 MIN DIRECTED BY MICHELLE GALES

2021

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

SPECTRE’S BRIDE DIRECTED BY FRANCESCA BORGATTA S p ec t re’s Br id e i s a m acabre t ale o f a n u n dead s p i r i t at t em pt i ng t o ta k e a n in n o cen t m ai d en o n a j o ur ney t o th e u n der w or ld .

I n Aug ust 2018, Fr ancesca B or gatta w a s s earc hi ng fo r a f olktale with the them e of c o nfli c te d love f or her nex t video. S h e a t t ende d a re hear sal of the of A ntonin Dv o řák ’s “Spectre’s Br ide” sung b y th e B erk e le y C o m munity Chor us, and she w a s a w ed by the wild and unex p ected tona li t i e s and raw emotional p ower of the musi c . K are l J a romir Er b en had collect e d t he C ze c h fo lk tale that he used f or a n a rr at ive po e m , which Dvořák took as th e t e x t o f the c an tata. The p lot is concise a n d dram ati c ; an ab andoned b r ide is a b duc te d by a sp ectre who claims to be h er lo ve r. T he sp ectre takes the maide n t hro ug h landscap es that b ecome increa si n gly m o re abstr act and ter r if ying as h e d i ve sts he r o f the ob jects of her f aith : p r a ye r bo o k , c ross, rosar y, and f inally, h e r w eddi ng c lo thes. Only the strength of h e r

fa i t h c a n s a v e h e r.

As a v i s u a l a rt i s t m a k i n g p u p p e t s a n d in s t a ll a t i o n s , F ra n c e s c a c o m bi n e s re - c y cl ed m a t eri a l s a n d p a p i e r m a c h e i n h e r c o n s t r u ct ion .

I n h e r s t u d i o s h e be g a n t o w o rk on t h e f ou r s e t s t h a t d e fi n e t h e ba s i c a c t i o n : t h e b r id e’s ro o m , a d a rk fo re s t , a s p e c t ra l l a n d s ca pe, a n d a c ryp t . Aft e r e a c h t e s t s h o t t h e ed g es of t h e s e t n e e d e d t o be e x t e n d e d s o t h e ca m er a cou l d e x p l o re d i ffe re n t a n g l e s . T h e p l a n w a s t o f il m t h e p u p p e t a c t i o n i n fro n t o f a g reen s creen , t h e n a d d t h e s e t fo o t a g e t o m a k e a ch a n g in g ba c k g ro u n d .

T h e c h a ra c t e rs o f S p e c t re a n d M a i d en w ere port ra y e d by t w o 1 8 - i n c h p u p p e t s , u s in g rod s t o m a n i p u l a t e t h e l i m bs fro m be n e a t h t h e s t a g e l e v e l . T h e s t o ry c a l l s fo r s i m p l e , icon ic a ct ion s ; t h e B ri d e d ro p s h e r ro s a ry, t h e S pect re s t ea l s h e r c ro s s . T h e t h re e p u p p e t e e rs w ere d a n cer s w h o w e re s e n s i t i v e t o t h e m u s i c c ou l d m a n ipul a t e t h e c h a ra c t e rs w i t h p re c i s i o n a n d con t rol .

Ev e n s o , m a n y t a k e s w e re re q u i red t o ca pt u re t h e g e s t u re s .

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

S o o n, F ranc e sc a realized that a smaller, 2 0 0 mm . , ve rsi o n o f the p up p ets were neede d t o i n habi t the landscap e. In addition, sh e b ro ug ht i n two 2 5 mm. f igures on str ing s t o gi v e m o re di m e nsion to their jour ney. Se v e ra l s y m bo li c fi g ure s : moon, owl, howling do g s , w ere use d to frame the scenes. Many s p o o k f i g ure s lyi ng around the studio f ound th e i r w a y i nto the se ts.

A s t he fi lm i ng p rogressed, a revolving t a bl e w a s adde d to i n tensif y the image of wil d f li g ht. A sm o k e machine and a wind ma c h i n e cre a te d e xtra fe a r and myster y.

s o u n d t ra c k . T h e g e s t u re s w e re c a re fu l l y c h o re o g ra p h e d t o c a p t u re t h e m u s i c a l i n t e n t i o n . T h e i n i t i a l c o n c e p t o f m a kin g t h e m u s i c v i s i bl e s e e m e d p o s s i bl e . I n J u n e , t h e s e c o n d c u t w a s re a d y o n t h e t i m e l i n e w i t h t h e s o u n d t ra c k . Ov e r t h e s u m m e r t h e y c o n t i n u e d w i t h t h e fi n e t u n i n g o f t h e e l e m e n t s . S h e l e a rn e d h ow t o u s e s l i g h t s h i ft s i n c o l o r o r t i m i n g t o t ra n s fo rm t h e i m a g e . T h e v i d e o g rap h e r’s c o n s t a n t a d m o n i t i o n : ‘Wh e re is t h e s t o ry ? I w a n t t o s e e t h e s t o ry ’ w a s essential to enhance the emotional i m p a c t . F ra n c e s c a s a ys , “ I h o p e t o d o h o n o r t o An t o n i n D v o ř á k by o ffe ri n g t h i s v i d e o w i t h h i s be a u t i fu l m u s i c .”

ART I S T ’S S TAT E M E N T: “ Fo r m y n e x t v i d e o p ro j e c t t h e p u p p et s a n d t e x t a re re a d y. T h e p l a n i s t o u s e l a rg e p u p p e t s i n n a t u ra l l o c a t i o n s . Th e p ro d u c t i o n w i l l e m p l o y a s p o k e n c h o r u s , a n d e l e c t ro n i c m u s i c w i l l be c o o rd i na t ed w i t h n a t u ra l s o u n d s . At t h i s t i m e , I a m re a c h i n g o u t t o a rt i s t s , p e rfo rm e rs , a n d d i g i t a l c o m p o s e rs t o bu i l d a n e w t e a m a n d j o i n m e i n t h e c re a t i v e p ro c e s s .

T he e di ti ng was an intensive p rocess w h i c h Fr a n ce sc a share d with the videogr ap her, Gr a h am Bo nd. Her task was to identif y t h e b e s t fo o tag e , place the clip s in seq uenc e , a n d de te rm i ne t he ap p rox imate dur ation .

T he n G raham would use his ex p er ienced e ye t o expand the possib ilities f or alter ing t h e i mag e , addi ng dissolves and sup er-imp os it i o ns. The ni g httime setting of the stor y a n d t he Spe c tre ’s e thereal nature wor ked we l l f o r the v i de o . T he light could p enetr ate t h e S pe ctre ’s bo dy, he could dissolve and re a p pe ar o ut o f rocks and tree b r anches. I n l a s t sc e ne , the Maiden’s dream, she sits a l one i n the g raveyar d as a re-p lay of i m a g e s f ro m the ni g ht b ef ore p asses through h e r mi nd.

I n M arc h, the vi d eogr ap her took the rou g h cut o f the praye r scene and added the

F ra n c e s c a B o rg a t t a i s a v i s u a l a rt i s t , p o e t a n d d ra m a t i s t . S h e m a k e s m a s k s a n d p u p p e t s , a n d c h o re o g ra p h s h e r o w n t h e a t ri c a l p ro d u c t i o n s . S h e p re p a re s e v e n t s a n d i n s t a l l a t i o n s i n c o l l a bo ra t ion w i t h o t h e r a rt i s t s . Vi d e o h a s i n c re a si n g l y be c o m e a w a y t o c o m bi n e h e r s k i l l s o f p o e t ry, v i s u a l a rt s , a n d p u pp e t ry t o m a k e a p ro d u c t s h e c a n o ffe r easily to people. w w w.p u p p e t fi g u re s .c o m

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

LIVING IN THE AGE OF MIRACLES DIRECTED BY TAKA OCTZ An in s pirat io nal d o cum ent ar y ab o u t two J apan es e act o r s m eet i ng peop l e who exper ienced m i racles i n t h ei r lives . Thro u gh t h ei r q ues t , t h ey d i scov er t he key t o w o r k i ng m i racle s a nd l ear n w hat “ li v i ng i n t h e ag e o f m iracles ” t r u ly m eans .

S H ORT SY N OPSI S A d o c um e ntary f ilm that looks into how a n d why m i rac les occur. A Jap anese a ctre ss Ri n K i j ima and actor Ryoma I chi hara re se arch numerous cases of m i racle s and i nte rview p eop le. In their sea rc h , t he y wi tne ss th e mir acles of those wh o a re o n the ve rge of death making a mi ra cu l ous re c o v e ry. Why do such mir acles oc cur? Ri n and Ryoma discover a commo n “ s ec re t” that a ll of the p eop le who ex p e rienc e d m i rac le s share.

We bs i t e : (i n J a p a n e s e ) h t t p s :// a ri p ro .c o .j p / p ro d u c t s / k i s e ki/ D I REC TOR B I OGRAPHY – TAK A OC T Z Ta k a Oc t z i s a J a p a n e s e d i re c t o r a n d prod u c e r. Oc t z s t u d i e d J a p a n e s e L i t e r a t u re a t H os ei U n i v e rs i t y. I n 1 9 9 6 , h e be c a m e a s t a ff m em b er o f Ha p p y S c i e n c e . Aft e r w o rk i n g i n a b r a n ch t e m p l e a n d t h e e d i t o ri a l d i v i s i o n , h e b eca m e a m a n a g e r a t t h e m e d i a d i v i s i o n of H a ppy S c i e n c e . Oc t z e n g a g e d i n p l a n n i n g a n d crea ti n g a ra d i o s h o w, “An g e l ’s Wa k e - u p C a l l ” a n d a T V s h o w “M i ra i Vi s i o n ” w h i c h w a s a ired on B S 1 1 . h e a l s o t o o k p a rt i n t h e p rom ot ion of t h e m o v i e s , “ T h e F i n a l J u d g e m e n t ” (2 012), “ Th e M y s t i c a l L a w s ” (2 0 1 2 ) , a n d “T h e La w s of t h e U n i v e rs e Pa rt 0 ” (2 0 1 5 ) . He m a d e h is d eb u t a s a fi l m d i re c t o r w i t h “ L i fe i s B e a u t if u l . ” H e cu rre n t l y s e rv e s a s t h e p ro d u c e r o f a n on l in e n ew s m a g a z i n e s h o w, “T h e Fa c t .”

DOCUMENTARY - 94 MIN

POSTPON E D DUE TO GOV ER N M E N T M EA SURES

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

JENNA THE GREAT DIRECTED BY DAN TONKIN j o u rn e y t o w a rd s be c o m i n g o n e o f t h e w or l d ’s m o s t re n o w n e d p h i l o s o p h e rs a n d t h en g o on t o be c o m i n g t e a c h e r t o Al e x a n d e r T h e G rea t .

On a v i s i t t o t h e l i bra ry, J e n n a s t e a l s a m y s t er io u s bo o k w h i c h m a g i c a l l y d e l i v e rs A r is t ot l e in t o t h e p re s e n t d a y a n d i n t o J e n n a ’s b ed room ! C a n J e n n a a n d Ari s t o t l e o v e rc o m e t h e ir d iff eren ces and help each other ?

D I REC TORS S TAT EM EN T

S Y NOPSI S: J enna has m o v ed south f rom the UK’s i n d u s t ri a l reg i o n to li ve b y the sea, Her single m o t h e r, S t eph, i s tryi ng f or a b etter q uality of l i fe a n d t o mo ve J e nna away f rom a troub led ba c kgro und; but i t’s not enough.

J enna re pre se nts the many unsung you n g p e ople . So m e o n e f rom a p oor b ackgrou n d w i t h a strug g li ng si n gle-mother wor king hers e l f t o d eath; unable to guide her daughter a l o n g t h e r i g ht path as much as she would like. Al s o , J enna’s i nabi li ty to concentr ate due to h e r A t t e nti o n D e fi cit Hyp er activity Disor de r (AD HD ) p uts he r at a f u rthe r di sadvantage. Jenna is mar ked a s a ‘ m i sbe hav i ng s tudent’ and now she f ee l s s t u c k , a gai n. I t’s g o i ng to take more than a te l l i n g o ff t o ge t he r where she needs and wants t o be .

Wi tho ut k no wi ng it, Jenna desp er ately n e e d s me nto ri ng and a f ir m gr asp on educati o n .

A r i s to tle , the ancient Greek P hilosop h e r, c o m e s f ro m the ye ar 3 6 8 BC, just b ef ore he is t o be a d mi tte d i nto Plato’s academy and b egi n h i s

Wh e n , o n m y u n i v e rs i t y c o u rs e , a s pir in g f il mm a k i n g s t u d e n t s s t a rt e d c o m i n g t o m e a s o p p o s e d t o g o i n g t o t h e i r t e a c h e r s f or m ent o rs h i p , i t re a l l y s e t t h i n g s i n p e r s pect iv e.

Yo u c o u l d s a y I ’v e be e n bo t h i n J e n n a ’s a n d Ari s t o t l e ’s p o s i t i o n s . Yo u n g p e o p l e a re in crea si n g l y d e p ri v e d o f a ffo rd a bl e e d u c a t ion oppor t un i t i e s , e s p e c i a l l y i n l e s s a ffl u e n t a rea s s u ch a s t h e Ea s t M i d l a n d s . T h e p ro t a g o n i s t of m y f il m i s a w o rk i n g c l a s s g i rl fro m t h i s reg ion a n d h er s t o ry i s a c e l e bra t i o n o f t h o s e ra re t ea ch er s w h o g o t h e e x t ra m i l e fo r t h e i r s tu d en t s in h a r d t i m e s , a s w e l l a s a n o u t - ro l l e d t o n g u e a t t h os e l e s s d e d i c a t e d , w h o s e e m t o be j u s t in it f or a paycheck.

B I OGRAPHY D a n To n k i n i s a Ro ya l Te l e v i s i o n Societ y Aw a r d s N o m i n e e , F i l m m a k i n g g ra d u a t e o f E a l in g S t u d ios M e t F i l m S c h o o l , s c ri p t w ri t i n g g ra d u a t e a n d c i n e m a t o g ra p h y p o s t g ra d u a t e o f Bou r n em ou t h U n i v e rs i t y. D a n i s fl u e n t i n w ri t i n g , d irect in g , p ro d u c i n g , p ro d u c t i o n m a n a g e m e n t , ca m er a a n d v i d e o e d i t i n g . D a n m e n t o rs o f t en , in cl u di n g h a v i n g t a u g h t fo r i n s t i t u t e s s u ch a s t h e BFI F i l m Ac a d e m y a n d h a s l e d m a n y t ea m s a cros s v a ri o u s p ro j e c t s w i t h c o l l a bo ra t i o n s on cou n tl e s s m o re .

SHORT FILM - 39 MIN

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

ARIELLA DIRECTED BY MICHAEL GARSIN S Y NOPSI S:

A yo u n g B r a z il i an s e x w o rk e r i n a hig h - c l a ss L o n do n bro the l mus t e ntice a c u st o m e r i nt o payi ng f o r he r o r face t he di re c o n seque nc e s f ro m he r t raffick e r. A f i l m e x pl o ri ng t he mal e gaze a nd t h e u g l y, vi o l e nt t ruth be hi nd t he a c c e p t e d no rm o f t he Lo ndo n sex s ce n e .

DI REC TOR S STATEMENT: ‘ A r i e lla’ i s a project I have b een wor ki n g on fo r fi ve ye ar s! Since wr iting the f irs t d r aft i n Chri stmas 2 0 1 4 , the p roject ha s go ne thro ug h many stages of develop m e n t a n d fi nally c o mes to lif e in this shor t fi l m .

T he sho rt i s a taster f or the f eature of t h e s a me nam e , a Thr iller ab out an innoce n t d ream e r fro m Br azil who is tr aff icked i n t o s exual slav e ry in London b y her b oyf r ie n d .

DI REC TOR S BI OGRA PHY: ‘ A r i e lla’ i s Mi c hael’s deb ut shor t.

P rev i o usly he h as directed and p roduc e d f o r Vi rg i n EMI , H istor y Chanel and was a d i rec to r o n Channel 4 ’s B AFTA nominat e d ‘ T h e Bi g N arstie Show’.

SHORT FILM - 12 MIN

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

POWER OF THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE Powerf u l a da p ta t i o n o f th e Alexa nder G r i n n ove l d i re cte d

by D iana R i n g o Diana Ringo interviewed by Günther Kramer W h y di d yo u de cide to adap t t h e s ho rt sto ry “POWER O F T H E IN C OMPREHENSIB LE” as a f i l m?

D u r i ng the quara ntine I was re a d ing v ari o us novels and st or ie s by Ale xan der Gr in. I was drawn to the stor y. The

theme of t h e s u bc o n s c i o u s mind inte re s t s m e g re a t l y the link be t w e e n m a d n e s s a n d creativity fa s c i n a t e s m e .

Can you e l a bo ra t e m o re o n t h e top ic?

The compl e x i t y o f t h e h u m a n p syche - e x i s t e n c e o f fre e w i l l ,

h o w h yp n o s i s c o u l d p os s ibl y a ffe c t t h e m i n d a n d s pir it o f m a n i s a l s o a n i m p or t a n t question.

Ho w d o e s t h e s o u l a ffect t h e bra i n a n d h o w d o e s t h e b r a in a ffe c t t h e s o u l ? I t i s a qu est i o n m a n y w ri t e rs , p h il os op h e rs , p s yc h i a t ri s t s t r y t o g ra p p l e w i t h , bu t n o c l ea r answer exists.

Wh a t i s t h e s t o ry a bo u t ?

T h e m a i n c h a ra c t e r o f t h e n o v e l i s v i o l i n i s t Gra z i a n Duplet who is haunted by be a u t i fu l m u s i c i n h is d re a m s . T h e m u s i c i a n w a n t s

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

Ho w d o y o u fe e l a bo u t t h e fi l m i n d u s t ry t o d a y? T h e c u rre n t C o v i d - 1 9 p a n dem ic h a s c h a n g e d t h i n g s ra d ica l l y.

Ho l l y w o o d p ro d u c t i o n s s t r u gg l e t o g e t ba c k i n t o bu s in es s .

A l a rg e a m m o u n t o f c i n em a s a re c l o s i n g p e rm a n e n t l y a ro u n d t h e g l o be .

I t i s a s a d s t a t e i n d e e d n owa d a ys fo r fi l m m a k e rs w or l dwide. But on the other hand, v i d e o o n d e m a n d p l a t f or m s , i n c l u d i n g N e t fl i x , a re n ow g a i n i n g m o re p ro m i n e n ce.

D irector D iana Ringo with the mask which she created herself

t o rem e m be r the melody and play i t i n re ali ty. He resor ts t o t he he lp o f th e hyp notist R um i e r.

R um i e r, e nds up stop p ing t h e s e anc e and makes Dup let f or ge t hi s pe rfo r mance.

D u p le t e nte rs the hyp notists o ff i ce wi th fanta sies and illusi o ns, but e nds up b ecoming a h ollo w she ll o f a p er son in t h e end.

Does ma s s m e d i a h o l d s t ro n g p ower ov e r p e o p l e ?

Ever yon e i s a ffe c t e d by m a s s p rop aga n d a - a fo rm o f h ypnosis - w h e t h e r i t i s n e w s , adver tis i n g , ra d i o , fi l m , o r even lite ra t u re . Es p e c i a l l y today in t h e a g e o f C o v i d - 1 9 .

I n d e p e n d e n t fi l m m a k i n g h a s n e v e r be e n a s i m p ort a n t a s be fo re , e s p e c i a l l y in t h e a g e w h e n bi g s t u d ios a re s t ru g g l i n g .

We re t h e re o t h e r s o u rc es of i n s p i ra t i o n ?

I w a s a l s o i n s p i re d by t h e s t o ry “T h e S c a rl e t F l o w er ” b y Al e x a n d e r Ga rs h i n .

C a n yo u t e l l u s m o re a b ou t t h e fi l m .

D o y o u be li e ve that Rumier is a f o rc e o f e v i l?

N o , I do no t thi nk that R um i e r i s “e vi l”. The hyp not i s t f i nds the m usic too overpo we ri ng . He si mp ly b ecomes d i st u rbe d and does not wish any one to he ar the melody.

Lead actor Erik Sabri

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I t i s the fi rst adap tation o f t h e sto ry, and is tr ansf ere d to m o de rn times. It is ab out a v i o li n pl ayer who v i si t s a hypno ti st who should he l p hi m re c o v e r the melody whi c h haunts hi m in his d re a ms.

W h ere i s the stor y set?

T h e s to ry i s se t in an unsp eci f i ed Euro pe an city. The f ilm was sho t i n Vi e nna, A ustr ia.

C a n yo u te ll m o re ab out your ro le o n the pro j eect?

I a m the ac to r, p roducer, d i re cto r, e di to r, comp oser, pro p de si g ne r o f the f ilm.

The mas k s w e re h a n d p ainted by m e fo r t h e fi l m and crea t e d s o m e o f t h e costumes .

What do t h e m a s k s s ym bo l i z e in the fi l m ?

I was in s p i re d by t h e Afri c a n tr ib al m a s k s . T h e m a s k s ref lect d i ffe re n t s p i ri t s and f ace t s o f a p e rs o n s p er sona l i t y.

The tr an s fo rm a t i o n o f t h e soul p la y s a d e e p ro l e i n t h e f ilms na rra t i v e .

A p er son u n d e rg o e s m a n y changes t h ro u g h o u t t h e i r l i fe , the var i o u s m a s k s re fl e c t this - it i s be l i e v e d t h a t t h e

p e rs o n w h o w e a rs a m a s k be c o m e s t ra n s fo rm s i n t o a s p e c i fi c s p i ri t .

I n t h e c a s e o f Gra z i a n Du pl et , h e t ri e s o u t v a ri o u s m a s ks t h ro u g h o u t h i s l i fe .

B u t i n h i s v a i n s e a rc h f or t h e p e rfe c t m e l o d y h e f a ces s o m e t h i n g w o rs e t h a n d ea t h .

He e n d s u p l o s i n g w h a t is m o s t i m p o rt a n t , w h a t m a kes u s h u m a n - h i s m i n d a n d h is soul.

C a n yo u t e l l u s a bo u t t h e casting?

M a n y v e ry g o o d a c t o rs a u d it i o n e d fo r t h e fi l m . I w a s v e ry l u c k y w i t h t h e c a s t - t h e

c h em i stry be tween Sab r i and M i t rofane nk o str uck me, and I kne w i m m e di ately that they we re pe rfe c t fo r their resp ect i v e ro le s. I m provisational sk i l l s we re also ver y imp ort a n t fo r the ac tor s of the f i l m.

Er ik Sab ri , a p ro fe s s i o n a l singer, i m m e rs e d h i m s e l f i n t o the role o f t h e v i o l i n p l a ye r.

H owar d N i g h t i n g a l l , w h o p lays th e d o c t o r i s a t h e a t e r actor w i t h m u l t i p l e c re d i t e d roles in t h e Vi e n n a ’s En g l i s h Theatre.

A l t ho ug h the fi lm is in E n gli sh i t has i n ter national c a s t and c re w.

What wa s t h e p ro d u c t i o n like?

The f ilm w a s m a d e w i t h a

s k e l e t o n c re w. N a t u ra l l ig h t a l l o w e d fo r i m p ro v i s a t ion a n d c re a t i v e fre e d o m . T h e pict u re i s fu l l o f s ym bo l i s m a n d a l l o w s ro o m fo r t h o u gh t .

Wh a t c a m e ra w a s u s e d f or the shooting?

Pa n a s o n i c GH5 . I w a s a l s o t h e c i n e m a t o g ra p h e r o f t he f il m .

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

The Music Critic

Written & Conceived by Aleksey Igudesman

JOHN MALKOVICH, Narrator ALEKSEY IGUDESMAN, Violin SO-OCK KIM, Violin MAX BAILLE, Viola TANJA TETZLAFF, Cello HYUNG-KI JOO, Piano

INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

43

The Music Critic

WRITTEN AND CONCEIVED BY ALEXEY IGUDESMAN

One of the most prestigious venues in the world, Vienna Konzerthaus, togs its main stage up into a legendary Viennese Coffee House setting, representing the tradition where poets, writers, critics and common people aboutvenues any various onutheir O ne o foften the gather m o sttopcomplain restigious in thing, th e sometimesbeeven l i e vifethey s t hare e m s i c oown. f B e e t h o v e n , C h opin , wo r l d , Vi e nna K onzer thaus, togs its main Pro k o fi e v a n d t h e l i k e s t o be w e a ry a n d st a ge up i nto a legendar y d re a ry.

Sipping his coffee with an apfelstrudel on the side, John Malkovich slips into the role of the evil critic. Equipped frivolous potpourri of musicalrep insults, he tbelieves the music Vi e n n ewith se aCo ffe e House setting, resen S c h u of m aBeethoven, n n fa n c i Chopin, e s h i mProkofiev s e l f a „ and c o mthe p o s er “ , likes to betiweary and dreary. i ng the tradi o n where p oets, wr iter s, w h i l e B ra h m s i s a „ g i ft l e s s ba s t a rd “ .

c r i t i cs and c o m mon p eop le C l a u d e D e bu s s y i s s i m p l y u g l y. A s a rSchumann fancies himself a „composer“, while Brahms is a „giftless bastard“. simply donic m i x o f tClaude h e m oDebussy s t e v i lism u s i cugly. c ri-A o f t e n sardonic g athe r mix to of comp lain ab out any var i o u s t i q u ewritten s o f tabout h e l asome s t c of e nthe t u rigreatest e s w riworks t t e n ofa b ou t the most evil music critiques of the last centuries t h i n g, music so m eare ti m es even if they are on th e i r s o m e o f t h e g re a t e s t w o rk s o f m u s i c a re presented in The Music Critic. o wn. p re s e n t e d i n T h e M u s i c C ri t i c .

S i p pi ng hi s c o ffee with an ap f elstr udel o n t h e s i de , Music J o hnbyMalkovich slip s into the Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorak, Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, Kanchelli, Piazzolla and Igudesman. ro le o f the e v i l cr itic. Eq uip p ed with a f r i v o lo us po tpo u r r i of musical insults, h e

LIVE PERFORMANCE - 75 MIN.

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INDIE CINEMA Magazine | 2020 | Issue 2

The Music Critic

PRODUCTION Produced by

: Music Traveler Productions Vienna Konzerthaus

Video & Audio

: ARTEC Group GmbH

Program Format

: Live Performance

Production Year

: 2020

Genre

: Entertainment

Duration Full

: 75'

Duration TV

: 58'

Video Source

: HD: DNxHD HQX 1080 50i

Audio Source

: 5.1 (Dolby E) or Discreet and Stereo

Aspect Ratio

: 1:1.78 (16:9)

CONTACT Sabina Hasanova Chief Creative Officer, CCO +43 699 19 43 88 71 sabina@mtprods.com