TFV Network The Film Verdict

TFV's Matt Micucci speaks with Mara Tamkovich, making her feature directorial debut with "Under the Grey Sky," presented in the International Narrative Competition of the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, New York. Based on a true story, the film talks about a couple of journalists and their resilience, when their cause and love are crushed under the oppression of Belarusian authorities. The film particularly focuses on the aftermath of the mass protests in the country in 2020. In this Showcast episode, Tamkovich shares insights into the true story that inspired her film and its socio-political context, as well as her desire to highlight the human aspect of the story with "Under the Grey Sky." We also find out more about Tamkovich, her earliest memories of cinema, her background in journalism and the journey and challenges she faced in making her feature directorial debut with this film. (Photo: Loco Films)

TFV critic Max Borg joins TFV's Matt Micucci to discuss the inaugural edition of the Immersive Competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The section showcased immersive works, from mixed reality to virtual reality works and beyond, representing a new era of storytelling and embracing new technologies. The winner of the competition was Colored, an augmented-reality, location-based experience by Stephane Foekinos and Pierre-Alain Giraud. Max talks with us about his first-hand experience of the Immersive Competition, and the quality and range of the works presented within this program. He also shares some thoughts and opinions about whether the Cannes Film Festival embracing this form of storytelling will have a resonating impact across the international film festival scene. (Photo courtesy of Festival de Cannes)

In today's episode of the Showcast, TFV's Matt Micucci is joined by National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) Culture Change Director Kristina Mevs-Apgar. NDWA is an advocacy organization promoting the rights of domestic workers in the United States. NDWA recently organized an open letter calling on Hollywood studios to produce more stories and projects that prioritize social impact. The letter comes not long after the closure of Participant Media, the production company distinguished for its commitment to producing films with a social consciousness, including such award-winning films as "Good Night and Good Luck" (2005), "The Help" (2011) and "Roma" (2018). The letter has been co-signed by several renowned film industry creatives and professionals, including George Clooney, Jane Fonda, Regina King and Alfonso Cuarón to name but a few. In our podcast conversation with Mevs-Apgar, we discuss NDWA's commitment to upholding a set of shared values for better representation of domestic workers in art and film and the importance of values-based storytelling. (Photo: Othello Banaci)

In the latest episode of Showcast, TFV's Matt Micucci engages in a conversation with director Tawfik Alzaidi regarding his debut feature film "Norah." This film, part of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, achieved a historic milestone as the first Saudi feature included in the festival's official selection. "Norah" is set in the 1990s, a period when artistic expression was restricted, and follows Nader, a new teacher and clandestine artist, who is posted to a remote Saudi Arabian village for his inaugural teaching assignment. Here, he develops a bond with a young woman whose life is constrained by the prevailing conservatism of the era. Despite language barriers, this podcast conversation provides a valuable glimpse into the advancements in Saudi Arabia's cinematic storytelling and artistic expression in recent years. In this episode, we not only delve into the director's interest in exploring this specific period of Saudi history but also discuss some of its key thematic elements. Additionally, "Norah" holds the distinction of being the first feature film entirely shot in the historical AlUla region, which is something else we discuss over the course of this interview, as well as the challenges Alzaidi faced in making his landmark first feature film. (Featured image courtesy of TwentyOne Entertainment)

In the latest episode of the Showcast, we offer our podcast coverage of the 2024 edition of Directors' Factory, a program aimed at fostering emerging talents on the international stage that enables four pairs of directors to co-write and co-direct a film presented as part of a special presentation within the Directors' Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. This year's Directors' Factory was the first to take place in the Philippines and each of the shorts were shot in the country's historic city of Dapitan, with a talent from the Philippines paired with another either from Singapore, Cambodia, India or Malaysia. The resulting presentation was a diverse compilation of shorts and on this episode of the Showcast we speak with each pair directly from the Cannes Film Festivals about their work and experience of being part of the Directors' Factory program. The interviews are presented here to coincide with the order in which the shorts were screened at Directors' Fortnight: "Cold Cut," directed by Don Eblahan (Philippines) and Siyou Tan (Singapore); "Silig," directed by Arvin Belarmino (Philippines) and YoKi (Cambodia); "Nightbirds," directed by Maria Estela Paiso (Philippines) and Ashok Vish (India); and "Walay Balay," directed by Eve Baswel (Philippines) and Gogu Rajendran (Malaysia). (Image courtesy of Quinzaine des cinéastes)

In the latest episode of the Showcast, TFV's Matt Micucci shares a conversation with Simone Baumann, managing director of German Films, Germany's national information and advisory centre for the promotion of German films worldwide. This year marks its 70th anniversary, so this conversation will cover the past, present and future of German Films, including some of the celebratory events that German Films will be hosting around the world. We'll also be talking about some of German cinema's most noteworthy film productions and discuss whether this is a golden period of filmmaking in the country. Baumann also shares her thoughts on the perception of German cinema around the world and whether Germany itself is a cinephile country. (Photo: Slawomir Grenda)