Author Archive

  Interview with Pierre Mouzannar, director of An Arabian Night Can you tell us a bit about your background as a filmmaker? And more specifically as a Lebanese filmmaker shooting a film in the UK? I arrived in London when I was 17 and studied filmmaking there. An Arabian Night gathers in one film many aspects of my Londoner life, and I think it […]

  Interview with Robin Summons, director of Skewwhiff Could you explain the title? The title Skewwhiff meant a couple of things to me. On one level, Bill’s shirt collar becomes “skewwhiff” or askew at one point and Rae adjusts it for him. This felt like a worthy moment to use as a title as we get the sense Rae has spent her life caring […]

  Interview with Aurélie Reinhorn, director of Raout Pacha Could you explain your choice of title? I wanted something sonorous. I like it when a title doesn’t highlight a story, but brings a uniqueness that complements the work. I chose to associate two words that evoke the opposite of the film: A “raout” means a worldly party, while the characters of Varec and Clint […]

  Interview with Anthony Nti, director of Da Yie [Good Night] Why did you choose this title? “Da Yie”, which is Twi for “good night”, carries a double meaning in our film. First, it’s a universal way of saying goodbye before bedtime. These are the last words exchanged between the main characters, who despite going through a life-changing journey, which could’ve ended badly, wish […]

  Interview with Marie Le Floc’h, director of Je serai parmi les amandiers [Among the Almond Trees] Where did you get the idea for this story? Had you met Syrians in the same situation? The question of exile in the family is something that resounds strongly with me, and that I had explored in a previous short film. I can’t really explain why, but […]

  Interview with Farah Nabulsi, director of The Present Can you tell us a bit about your background as a filmmaker? Actually, I don’t have a background in filmmaking! After a life-changing trip to the Occupied Palestinian Territories around five years ago, I started to write privately and therapeutically on what I had seen, felt and begun to imagine as I naturally found myself […]

  Interview with Alberto Flores Vilca, director of Mamapara I notice you share a name with Honorata Vilca. Can you tell us more about your relation to her? Mrs. Honorata Vilca is my mother. Since I was 4 years old, I grew up away from her, so I needed to get to know her better, to get closer, to shorten that distance. Although I […]

  Interview with Azadeh Moussavi, director of The Visit The film is based on a true story. How did you come across it? This story comes from my own life. When I was a child, my father got arrested for political reasons. My father was a journalist and the government was arresting some political activists in 1981 – my father was one of them. […]

  Interview with Andrea Brusa and Marco Scotuzzi, codirectors of Il Muro Bianco [The White Wall] How did you come across this story? A few years ago, we read about this school in Italy where students were forced to stay away from the walls because they were made of asbestos, a carcinogenic material that is particularly dangerous when it starts to deteriorate. As we researched […]

  Interview with Maggie Briggs and Federico Spiazzi, codirectors of To Sonny Who is Sonny? Is he based on someone you met in real life? Maggie: The character of Sonny is loosely based on my own father, a vending machine loader himself in North Carolina, a man who after almost 40 years of being in the American workforce has become defined by his jobs […]