FRED Film Radio - English Channel

Presented out of competition in the Open section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, Queer Edward II is set in the spring of 1991, as queer life in Britain faces renewed attack and filmmaker Derek Jarman adapts Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II into a radical protest film. Built from never-before-seen footage shot by Seamus McGarvey on Jarman’s set, the documentary is about the refusal to separate art from life, politics from pleasure. Director Theo Rollason and activist and film advisor Peter Tatchell talk to David Mart about how the archive came to Rollason, Jarman’s legacy as a c...

Listy-Letters from the Silenced Country by director Andrei Kutsila, presented at Venice Film Festival, explores the realities of contemporary Belarus through personal letters from those who have experienced repression, imprisonment, and exile. The project is included in Venice Open and sheds light on a country where freedom of expression remains severely restricted.

The significance of “Listy-Letters from the Silenced Country” in portraying Belarusian life

Kutsila emphasizes that his own forced exile following the 2020 protests deeply influenced his desire to tell stories from Belarus. With many friends still inside the country facing imprisonment or hiding...

Guria, by director Levan Koguashvili, presented in Venice Spotlight at Venice Film Festival, is a black-and-white tragicomic story set in Western Georgia during the tumultuous period following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Director Levan Koguashvili and producer Boris Frumin discuss how the film captures a complex era through a blend of humor and seriousness, emphasizing authenticity and human relationships.

The cultural and historical context behind “Guria”

Koguashvili explains that the inspiration came from real stories he heard from people living in Georgia during the 1990s. He wanted to portray that decade not just...

I Matter by director Alina Şerban, presented in Venice Spotlight at the Venice Film Festival, explores the life of Rebecca, a Roma girl growing up within Romania’s child protection system, drawing on Şerban’s own experiences. Alina Şerban and Carla Fotea, the film’s producer, discuss the complex process of transforming lived realities into compelling cinema that aims to foster understanding and challenge stereotypes.

The personal journey behind “I Matter”

Şerban explains that her childhood was initially privileged before she experienced life within a Roma community and a children’s home, which profoundly shaped her perspective...

Too Much Sugar, by Robert Greene, included in the Orizzonti selection, is a documentary with a peculiar story behind it. We had a chat with the director to know more about it and about his lead character.

A documentary in a collaborative form

Robert Greene explains that the collaborative form  is one he’s been followed and developed  over several films. It started with an encounter with Ryan  and an idea  and one of the best titles he ever heard.  6 kids, 5 different women, in and out of prison since when he was a kid. Th...

Union Town by director Barbara Kopple, presented in Venice Open at the Venice Film Festival, powerfully revisits the ongoing struggles of organized labor in America, highlighting the persistence of workers’ rights issues despite decades of change. Director Barbara Kopple and producer Hannes Hosp discuss the relevance of the film in today’s socio-political climate and its potential to inspire global awareness.

The enduring fight for workers’ rights in “Union Town”

Kopple reflects on her return to themes of labor activism after many years, comparing her new film to her earlier work on “Harlan County, USA”...

A Day in a Life of Joe: Chapter Phaedra by director Jacqueline Lentzou, presented in Orizzonti at the Venice Film Festival 2026, follows a seemingly ordinary day in the life of a 15-year-old boy in suburban Athens, gradually revealing deeper existential themes.

The transition from the ordinary to the cosmic in “A Day in a Life of Joe: Chapter Phaedra”

Jacqueline Lentzou discusses her latest film, A Day in a Life of Joe: Chapter Phaedra explaining that her film reflects her own way of experiencing life, caught between the tangible and the intangible. She describes her worl...

Until the Day Ends, presented in Orizzonti at the Venice Film Festival, is set against the backdrop of student protests and political divisions in contemporary Serbia. Director Jelena Maksimović’s film explores themes of youth, political activism, and personal transformation.

The autobiographical roots of “Until the Day Ends”

Maksimović explaines that her personal experiences heavily influenced the film, blending real-life memories with fictional elements to create a vivid portrayal of youth in Serbia. She aimed to depict the complexities of adolescence and the desire for freedom amid political unrest, emphasizing that her approach was to fictiona...

What Belongs to Others by director Grzegorz Dębowski, presented in Orizzonti at the Venice Film Festival 2026, explores a few days in the life of Kasia, a woman involved in break-ins, and delves into themes of loneliness, human connection, and deception.

Using genre conventions to explore intimacy

Director Grzegorz Dębowski explains that the film begins with a tense, crime-driven atmosphere but gradually shifts focus toward more personal and spiritual themes. Inspired by Korean filmmakers known for genre mixing, Dębowski keeps viewers engaged while gradually revealing deeper aspects of human relationships. The narrative centers on K...

During the Venice Film Festival 2026 we spoke with director Anuparna Roy and actress Neelima Sharma for the film Lovers in the Blue Night, which was presented in the Orizzonti section of the Festival. The directors returns to Venice after winning the Best Director Prize in the Orizzonti section last year, with the film Song of the Forgotten Trees. Continuing the exploration of the themes of migration, identity, and desire in her new feature as well, this time through the stories of four characters navigating life in a rapidly changing India.

The interview

During o...

During the Venice Film Festival 2026 we spoke with director Michelle Zhou, talking about her new movie Big Little Things, presented here in the Orizzonti section of the festival. Diving into her personal inspiration, cultural background, and the thematic depth of the film, and exploring silence, protection, and the complexities of family and identity.

The interview

During our interview on FRED Film Radio, Big Little Things director Michelle Zhou explains that the film’s central theme is silence seen as a form of violence. She describes indeed how, in her community, maintaining silence was a w...

During the Venice Film Festival 2026 we spoke with director Yonfan, a filmmaker renowned for his aesthetic approach to cinema, discussing his latest project Intermission, which was presented in the Venice Spotlight – Out of Competition section of the Festival. The film, which is a reflection on the passage of time and on the love for cinema, marks a significant moment in his career as he explores the concept of an artistic pause.

The interview

During our interview on FRED Film Radio, Yonfan explains that the idea of beauty in his films has shifted over the...

Wim Wenders and Peter Zumthor, the acclaimed filmmaker and architect respectively, are the subjects of the documentary From Inside Out: the architecture of Peter Zumthor, which was premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. This interview explores the long journey of creating this film, which chronicles Zumthor’s architectural process and artistic philosophy over a span of fourteen years.

Main topics explored include the origins of the documentary project and its evolution over time

The long-term process of making From Inside Out: the architecture of Peter Zumthor was a central theme. Wim Wenders ex...

Agata The writer, by Kuba Dorabialski was presented in competition at Giornate degli Autori in Venice. We met with director , lead actress Mia Wasikowska and producer Alex White to talk about the creative process and the meaning of this film for them.

Two levels of interest in the creative process

Kuba Dorabialski points out that the initial idea of looking at how a story is told,  in a very intimate way between audience and writer was kind of the starting point.  Cinema always speaks to a group of people, but he always was interested in in...

London,  presented in the Venice Critics Week programme, is directed by Victor De Marco and Marcio Picoli and Victor is also the lead star of the film. The film was awarded, ex-aequo, with the Queer Lion Award. We talked about the concept of the film and its production, which was long and bumpy.

Co-directing and acting at the same time was not a challenge

Marcio Picoli says that it was  not complicated for them because they’ve been working together for like 10 years, so it’s like a long-term collaboration. They are very confident and have a...

From the First Draft to the Finished Film

Presented in the Settimana Internazionale della Critica at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, Zoom In, Zoom Out is Dong Jie’s feature debut. The screenplay developed over five years, undergoing substantial changes along the way. One of the most significant transformations concerned the role of media and gaming. In the first draft, these elements were scattered throughout the story. In the finished film, they became central narrative devices, helping to shape the world inhabited by the protagonist.

The Meaning of the Title

The international title, Zo...

In competition for the Golden Lion at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival 2026, DAU follows a Greek-born physicist drawn into Soviet state service and the creation of one of history’s deadliest weapons, tracing, in director Ilya Khrzhanovsky‘s words, the small compromises that shape a life and alter the course of history. The film is the culmination of more than twenty years of work, uniting footage shot fifteen years ago with recent scenes into a single project. Khrzhanovsky talks about the long wait behind the film’s completion, his idea of cinema as experience rather than distraction, the critic...

Bibiana Rojas Gómez and Juan David Cárdenas discuss their film The End of Times, which premiered during 41st Critics Week at the Venice Film Festival 2026. The film explores complex themes through a blend of family footage, AI-generated scenes, and experimental audiovisual strategies. Their conversation sheds light on the innovative process behind this ambitious project, which challenges traditional notions of documentary and fiction.

The blending of memory and invention in The End of Times

The directors explain that their film navigates the delicate boundary between reality and imagination, emphasizing that the past is ultimately a...

During the Venice Film Festival 2026 we spoke with the director Gábor Reisz, actor Ádám Tompa, discussing their film Ground Floor, which was presented here in the Spotlight Section of the Festival. The film explores themes of societal apathy and personal transformation within a Hungarian residential building, with a broader metaphor and character development in order to reflect broader political and social issues.

The interview

During our interview on FRED Film Radio, director Gábor Reisz explains how Ground Floor element of the black mould is a central issue, but was not conceived as a met...