MINA WALKING might be one of the strongest feminine testimonies you’ve ever seen. Twelve-year-old Mina from Kabul has her hands full: keeping house and earning money for her father and grandfather. She has long since become accustomed to not expecting any praise for her sacrifice. She rarely finds time to play with friends. Things get even worse when it slowly dawns on her what kind of arrangements her father makes and where he has suddenly got money from… Director Yosef Baraki, living in Canada, was at the Schlingel Festival. Continue reading “Yosef Baraki about the film MINA WALKING”
Interviews
Tessa Schram about PAINKILLERS
The choice for atmospheric bricks
One by one, the books of Dutch author Carry Slee were adapted in movies such as REGRET!, XTC – JUST DON’T DO IT, TIMBUKTU by the scriptwriting / directing couple Maria Peters & Dave Schram. Now their daughter Tessa Schram makes her directorial debut with yet another Carry Slee movie. In PAINKILLERS Casper (Gijs Blom), a gifted young musician, lives with his mother. The only thing he knows about his father is that he is working abroad as a war photographer. When mum gets diagnosed with cancer, Casper’s whole life is turned upside down. School, love, his musical career… nothing seems easy any more. Continue reading “Tessa Schram about PAINKILLERS”
Olivier & Yves Ringer about BIRDS OF PASSAGE
Each chirp was thoroughly discussed
For the third time in a row Belgian brothers Olivier & Yves Ringer produced a film for a young audience. In BIRDS OF PASSAGE (‘Les Oiseaux de Passage’) the timid Cathy and her wheelchair bound friend Margaux take care of a duckling. Cathy got the egg as a birthday gift, but the duckling chose Margaux as her ‘mother’, despite the fact that she can’t take care of the animal. They leave in secret on a trip to the river delta, to set the duckling free, to the despair of their over-concerned parents. Continue reading “Olivier & Yves Ringer about BIRDS OF PASSAGE”
Interview with Pierre Dulaine (DANCING IN JAFFA)
“I’m fighting what I see every day in the New York City streets”
Pierre Dulaine is currently based in Lebanon, as a jury member for the Middle East ‘So you think you can dance’ edition. He took a few days off to visit Brussels on the occasion of the Filem’on children’s film festival. I’m rather wary, as the Mr. Pierre we see in DANCING IN JAFFA is so charismatic and ‘bigger than life’ that I can’t be but disappointed when meeting him in real life. But I’m not! Pierre Dulaine is a chatterbox, charming and eloquent, describing himself justly as ‘a people’s person’: “I’m comfortable with people” and he has the gift to make other people feel comfortable too. Continue reading “Interview with Pierre Dulaine (DANCING IN JAFFA)”
Interview with Thomas Heinemann (LOLA ON THE PEA)
“Two ponies and one fish”
Ever since her father ‘vanished in thin air’, Lola (11) lives with her mum on a houseboat on the river. More and more Lola withdraws from real life, cherishing her father’s souvenirs and memories. She becomes a loner, an outcast. Until two newcomers shake her world upside down: Kurt, applying to become her mum’s new boyfriend, and Rebin, a refugee boy staying illegally with his family in Germany. They force Lola to take action and leave her world of dreams. LOLA ON THE PEA tackles some serious issues in a playful way, in a festive celebration of colours and music. This makes the film by Thomas Heinemann perfectly accessible for a very young audience. We only wondered why in LOLA ON THE PEA some adults behave like caricatures. Continue reading “Interview with Thomas Heinemann (LOLA ON THE PEA)”
Interview with Director Edward Berger & Actor Ivo Pietzcker (JACK)
“Donuts were the common currency on the set”
In the Berlinale JACK, a film about 2 young brothers left pretty much to their own devices was presented in the main competition. Throughout the entire film 10 year old Jack, taking up the fatherly role for his younger brother, tries to make his way back home. All the time we’re with him, hoping for him to succeed and gaining our immeasurable respect. The film is a tribute to his will to survive. In Zlin director Edward Berger and actor Ivo Pietzcker (12) explained about their delicate masterpiece. Continue reading “Interview with Director Edward Berger & Actor Ivo Pietzcker (JACK)”
Interview with Bruce Goodison & Masieh Zarrien about LEAVE TO REMAIN
“It’s a rotten collusion”
In the vigorous social drama LEAVE TO REMAIN two Afghan asylum seekers in England forge an alliance. Timid shepherd boy Abdoul is taken under the wing by Omar, a natural leader among the boys in the asylum centre. To secure their future, there’s only one thing that counts: a good story is the best way towards a permanent residence. But what if the stories of Abdoul and Omar collide with another? Continue reading “Interview with Bruce Goodison & Masieh Zarrien about LEAVE TO REMAIN”
Interview with Nino Jacusso, director of SHANA – THE WOLF’S MUSIC
A drawling girl, an old violin and a wolf are the ingredients of Shana’s coming-of-age story.
As a Canadian First Nations girl the future doesn’t seem to have many options in store for her. Until, a teacher recognises her extraordinary gift. With nothing but a violin under her arm, Shana goes on a spiritual journey: guided by a wolf and by her musical talent, she reconnects with the First Nations culture and with her deceased mother. Italian-Swiss director Nino Jacusso (with a background as documentary maker) spent months with the ‘People of the Creeks’ and came back with a story that equally shows and deserves deep respect. Continue reading “Interview with Nino Jacusso, director of SHANA – THE WOLF’S MUSIC”