gimme a beat with babymonster babymonster

In October's and December's Gimme a Beat, I reviewed the 19th edition of Zurich Film Festival.
I have been exploring the female factor of the Zurich Film Festival for several years now. But this year, I had a chance to get together with so many female filmmakers and actresses that I decided to breakdown my review of the ZFF into several shows.
While I've seen 30+ movies during the festival, I haven't reviewed all of them. But the ones that I did, you can find if you follow the search with the following hashtags: #zff #zff2023 #highlight #gimmeabeat.
In tonight's Gimme A Beat, I will be focusing on Maria Montessori / La Nouvelle Femmes, a feature debut directed and co-written by Lea Todorov about Maria Montessori.


I knew a story about Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, educator, and innovator, best known for her revolutionary Montessori method. But I never knew Maria’s private story and Maria as a woman, mother, and lover. Lea Todorov tells us this story.
 

Maria Montessori / La Nouvelle Femmes is a movie not just about one woman ahead of her time, but women’s emancipation and empowerment, at times connected or even depending on difficult choices. This movie also reminds us that many of the issues women faced almost a century ago still exist in today’s society, and that solving those even today needs the power of women working together to change it. You can find the review of the movie here.


 
A few days after I saw the movie, I had an opportunity to get together with Lea as well as with Jasmine Trinca, who was outstanding in the leading role as Maria Montessori. With Lea, I talked about why it was important for her to tell us Maria Montessori’s story, moving from documentary to feature filmmaker and about her personal experiences as a daughter and mother. With Jasmine, I talked about why she accepted the role of Maria, her work with Leila Bekhti (who portrayed Lili d'Alengy, a fictional character) and how she became the actress she is today.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tune in to Gimme A Beat (15.04.2024) tonight to hear interviews with Lea and Jasmine as well as cherry-picked music sung by female artists that I heard in various movies throughout Zurich Film Festival.
Tune in for…
Maria Montessori at Zurich Film Festival 2023  
with click-to-play or playlist (for the songs played in the show)from 22:00 - 00:00 on:webradio lorafeaturing:gimme a beat movies reviews at ZFF 2023
Kisses, Babymonster
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(please note that it sometimes take 24h until the podcast is propagated to other platforms)
For the info about old shows, please go to previous entries

Last year, sometime in June I got an email from the 57th Montreux Jazz Festival about new names on their programme. The email included Swiss singer-songwriter NNAVY.  
She was already well-known to Montreux Jazz Festival audiences, as she performed there earlier. In addition to this, in 2022, she was the first Swiss artist ever to play one of the COLORS SHOWS. And last year, she was celebrating her comeback to the festival and grand premiere on the Auditorium Stravinski stage, as an opening act for Lionel Richie.
This was the first time I heard about NNAVY.
Curious to find out more, I went and listened to her music. And I loved it 💙
So I decided to reach out to her management and ask them for an opportunity to interview NNAVY (real name Florine Gashaza). They said yes and a few days after, I was sitting on the Zoom call, chatting with her, asking her questions about her life and her music. The interview with NNAVY went well, she was genuine and easy to talk to.  
I wanted to also see her live, but none of her gigs last year fitted into my busy schedule. But with NNAVY coming to the m4music festival this year, in a few weeks, I will (finally) have the chance to see her performing as well.
It took me a while to get this interview out. The main reason is that my 2023 was super busy and I had loads of material I had to cover first. But I always believe that there is a reason for anything. And that things happen when it's the right time for them.
One of the reasons is definitely that people in Zurich (including me) will be able to see NNAVY live very soon, on Saturday, March 23 at the m4music festival. Another one is that I recently enjoyed a fabulous vacation in Belize, where I found myself surrounded by blue. From the mesmerizing Great Blue Hole to the vast blue skies and ocean stretching as far as the eye could see… And that reminded me of NNAVY, her music and the interview I had with her last summer.
So I decided to embrace the blue for a little while longer, at least for this evening.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tune in to Gimme A Beat tonight (18.02.2024) to hear my interview with NNAVY and my choice of her music. 
Tune in for…
Into the Blue with NNAVY  
with click-to-play or playlist (for the songs played in the show)from 22:00 - 00:00 on:webradio lora
Kisses, Babymonster
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(please note that it sometimes take 24h until the podcast is propagated to other platforms)
For the info about old shows please go to previous entries
For the info about old shows please go to previous entries

Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21st Century created lots of buzz since it came out on January 3rd 2024. Some people loved it, others pointed out what was missing, and the artists featured in it, celebrated. But as we know, music is a very personal thing, and what one person likes is not necessarily the other person's favourite.
I have always been a huge fan of R&B, the classic and contemporary one.
What is not to like about it? Soulful voices with funky, contagious beats that can bring out a plethora of emotions, comforting, happy and nostalgic. And growing up in the 90s, the golden era of contemporary R&B when we saw this genre being combined with hip-hop, pop, soul and electronic music, it was impossible to miss it. That genre expansion brought the most amazing iconic songs and chart-topping hits. The trend continued in the 21st century, especially in the first decade.
So I decided to create my own list and share it with you tonight. While I was inspired by Rolling Stones' list, I looked into my personal favourites, the songs that I am still listening to even if they came out more than two decades ago. Putting this list together was like walking down the memory lane, most of these songs reminded me of the past times, boyfriends, lovers, and fun times with friends.
There were so many songs, that I am breaking this show into two, both having almost 40 tracks of the pure R&B pleasure.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tune in to Gimme A Beat (15.01.2024) tonight to hear my selection (Part I) of the 21st Century R&B songs featuring Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Lianne La Havas, Joss Stone, Nelly Furtado, Sade, Kelela, Aaliyah and many more.
Tune in for…
Representing 21st Century RnB  
with click-to-play or playlist (for the songs played in the show)from 22:00 - 00:00 on:webradio lora
Kisses, Babymonster————————————————————————–

(please note that it sometimes take 24h until the podcast is propagated to other platforms)
For the info about old shows please go to previous entries

In my previous Gimme a Beat, I reviewed the 19th edition of Zurich Film Festival.
I have been exploring the female factor of the Zurich Film Festival for several years now. But this year, I had a chance to get together with so many female filmmakers and actresses that I decided to breakdown my review of the ZFF into several shows.
While I've seen 30+ movies during the festival, I haven't reviewed all of them. But the ones that I did, you can find if you follow the search with the following hashtags: #zff #zff2023 #highlight #gimmeabeat.
In tonight's Gimme A Beat, I will be focusing on Las Toreras, a documentary written and directed by Jackie Brutsche, a successful, multifaceted Swiss-Spanish artist.

Seven years in making, Las Toreras documents Jackie's journey of discovering more about her mother, her mother's mental illness and how it affected the family and its dynamics. I was impressed by Jackie's art of storytelling and directing, as well as her courage to connect (with her) family to demystify painful, personal topics, ultimately seeking closure for herself and her loved ones.
 


A few days after I saw the movie, I reached out to Jackie to share my impressions and request an interview. She agreed, and I had the pleasure of meeting with her to learn more about her story, her family, her art, and, of course, her documentary.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tune in to Gimme A Beat (18.12.2023) tonight to hear my interview with Jackie Brutsche and selected music from her two bands: The Jackets and The Sex Organs.
Tune in for…
Las Toreras at Zurich Film Festival 2023  
with click-to-play or playlist (for the songs played in the show)from 22:00 - 00:00 on:webradio lorafeaturing:gimme a beat movies reviews at ZFF 2023
Kisses, Babymonster————————————————————————–

(please note that it sometimes take 24h until the podcast is propagated to other platforms)
For the info about old shows please go to previous entries

2023 was another successful year for Zurich Film Festival.
The 19th edition of Zurich Film Festival attracted 130’000 visitors (slightly less than the previous year). A total of 150 films were screened, 52 of them as World or European premieres – more than ever before.
First held in 2005, Zurich Film Festival established itself very quickly on the national and international film festival scene. The formula for its success it's probably a mix of an attractive location: an international but small city of Zurich; a great selection of movies and different programs/events like ZFF Masters, ZFF for Kids and a few others. This year the festival brought back to life ex-Kosmos, emerging as a Frame, and continuing to be my favourite place to watch movies. Based on the feedback, this cinema complex was also a crowd-puller for the rest of the audience.
The best way to explain Zurich Film Festival's success is to quote/paraphrase the sentence I found in the industry booklet a few years ago. Basically, the organizers agree on a few basics for a successful film festival: "content is king, collaboration is key and encounters among creative folks are essential". I am glad to confirm that even after this many years, the organizers are still taking "these basics" seriously while developing the festival further and, most importantly, in the right direction.
And this is why I keep coming back and reviewing this festival.
From the perspective of Gimme A Beat, exploring the female factor of the festival is easy. Zurich Film Festival always provides a significant number of female stories and movies from female directors, and a good balance of different genres, aspiring filmmakers and (potential) blockbusters. As listeners of Gimme A Beat (and my family and friends) already know, having a busy schedule is business as usual for me, and with so many great movies, definitely a pleasure. For me, Zurich Film Festival is all about watching movies. My most enjoyable moment is sitting in the dark cinema, fully immersed in the storyline. This year, even if many fabulous events were happening on the festival grounds, I haven't attended/seen any of them.
Most importantly, I have seen 30+ movies and managed to get together with 4 female filmmakers and two lead actresses.
With more material than ever before I decided to dedicate two whole Gimme A Beats to Zurich Film Festival, the one happening tonight and another one in November.
Considering the number of movies I've seen (30+), I will not be reviewing all the movies and posting them on the Gimme A Beat page. But, I will continue posting the reviews after tonight's show until the end of the year since most of the movies from the festival are coming to the cinemas next year. Different than in previous years, this year I will be focusing on my highlights only. To find them you should follow the search with the following hashtags: #zff #zff2023 #highlight #gimmeabeat.
In tonight's Gimme A Beat, I will be focusing on the following movies:
- Wald / Woodland, directed and written by Elisabeth Scharang, with Brigitte Hobmeier as a lead actress. I had a chance to interview both of them.
- Dead Girls Dancing, directed and written by Anna Roller, who I had a chance to interview.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tune in to Gimme A Beat (16.10.2023) tonight to hear my impressions of the Zurich Film Festival, the reviews of the movies in the focus and interviews with Elisabeth, Brigitte and Anna combined with music from Hania Rani, who wrote the music for Wald and selected music from female artists played in a variety of movies I saw. 
Tune in for...
Wald and Dead Girl Dancing at Zurich Film Festival 2023  
click-to-play or playlist (for the songs played in the show)from 22:00 - 00:00 on:webradio lorafeaturing:gimme a beat movies reviews at ZFF 2023
Kisses, Babymonster————

The first time I heard Little Dragon was back in 2007, just after they released their debut album. From that moment on, I was completely captivated by their unique sound.
 
A few years later, seeing them live for the first time only confirmed their talent and deepened my interest.
 
Over the years, I followed their work and saw them live many times, and I even had a chance to interview Yukimi, singer-songwriter and the lead vocalist of the band. They are one of those bands who are good in any form, on the recorded material and live. During the live gigs, Yukimi, the lead singer of the band, is the one who gets you going, but once you are there, it is the synergy of the band members and the quality of the music delivery that keeps you in their world. There is something comfortable, familiar and cosy in Little Dragon's world that I could feel when seeing them live but also when listening to their material. Their sounds make me melancholic, a little nostalgic but also content and hopeful. And that complexity of the emotions that music can bring out in you is what I consider magic.
 
And who doesn't need a bit of magic in their life🌟?
Nowadays, even more than ever before.
 


Fast-forward to the busy summer of 2023 and the 7th of July, when I got a promo email from Ninja Tune, their label, with the link to their new album, *Slugs of Love*. I was in a desperate need of a new, fresh sound to get me going through those long working hours. Once I started listening to the album, I couldn't stop.
 


The only moment I stopped, was to reach out to Ninja Tune and request an interview. With the interview approved, I had the pleasure of connecting (via Zoom) with Yukumi Nagano, on a hot summer night in August. We talked about their beginnings, favourite collaborations, their latest album and up-and-coming tour.

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Tune in to Gimme A Beat tonight (18.09.2023) to hear my conversation with Yukimi of Little Dragon, while listening to the music from Little Dragon's latest album, Slugs of Love, and the selection of my favourite songs from their previous releases.
Tune in for…
Catching Up with Yukimi of Little Dragon  
from 22:00 - 00:00 on:webradio lora
click-to-play or playlist (for the songs played in the show)
Kisses, Babymonster————————————————————————–

for the info about old shows please go to previous entries