The Chat Cinema Podcast talks to Director Mike Donahue about his Academy Awards 2023 qualifying short live action film. Mike’s film TROY is the story of an intimate relationship, albeit, one sided through a thin wall. Tea and Charlie live in a New York City apartment next to fellow tenant Troy, a man with a “busy” urban life.
For this episode of Chat Cinema we talk to film maker Ahmad Alyaseer about acceptance even in death. His acclaimed, winning 102 prizes so far, short film OUR MALES AND FEMALES has qualified for the 2024 Academy Award.
The Hollywood Strikes are over. Awards Season has started. New episodes of Chat Cinema Podcast are in the pipeline with global filmmakers who may make the final cut for the Oscars this year.
African stories are front and center from a Guardian story on untapped stories from the continent. African filmmakers have had success on the film festival circuit, now thanks to Netflix and other streaming services, there is wider distribution of works by Africa’s cinema creative community reaching global audiences.
Actor Colman Domingo is riding a hot streak now. The Emmy winner could soon add an Academy Award on top his mantel. Rustin, the story of LGBTQ civil rights activists Bayard Rustin has garnered stellar reviews. Also look for the Philadelphia born performer in The Color Purple musical remake of the 1985 drama.
I read Hitchcock/Truffaut while studying cinema in University. To say this conversation of two had an impact would be an understatement. Francois Truffaut gets to the heart of the filmmaking from director Alfred Hitchcock. For all cinephiles, this 1985 publication is a film reference must.
An article in The Guardian tells the story of the effects of climate change on Alpaca breeders in Peru. In a past episode of Chat Cinema we also spoke about environmental consequences on the precious fashion textile. Utama, from director Alejandro Loayza Grisi is a film on a life under threat.
Monograms are out. Quiet and soft are in. Fall 2023 has arrived, the looks for the up coming season focuses on not being a walking fashion brand billboard. The exact time of this style transformation escapes me but be warned, having BALENCIAGA on your chest is déclassé.
Menswear returned to a more classical approach. Gender fluidity trended on the catwalk, but sales became another matter. Guys are retreating to what they wear best. As Gucci and other disciples of showing it off looked for creative heads, the under the radar quiet brands have hit the mark with shoppers.
This is a Summer Blockbuster Weekend with two highly anticipated films hitting cinemas, Greta Gerwig’s BARBIE and OPPENHEIMER starring Cillian Murphy from Christopher Nolan. Which will win the box office race? BARBIE scored the biggest grosses, but OPPENHEIMER has prestige buzz.
What is the expression? “Be careful what you wish for.” It might come true. CYPHER could be a cautionary work about modern fame and its downside. Tierra Whack from Philadelphia, found online fame rapping on the streets. Her journey to the top had a fairy-tale angle, a young lady from the wrong side of the tracks goes on to become famous. Director Chris Moukarbel observes the double edge of fame, from the adulation to the cra-cra. As the Cypher unfolds, rooting for the rapper suddenly goes to “Girl, you are in danger!”
Gentrification has hit every urban area in the world. Finding affordable housing in any city is the same as trying to guess seven winning lottery numbers. MOUNTAINS by Monica Sorelle tells the story of a Miami affordable neighborhood being gentrified. Atibon Nazaire stars as Haitian Xavier Sr., a man contemplating a foggy future for him and his family. Atibon strong presence balances subtle performance as a man looking at an oncoming storm.
Not that we needed a film about how strange the world was during Covid and the lockdowns. Brazil’s A STRANGE PATH captures the moment by showing the peculiar monotony of life of doing nothing and waiting with a feeling of fear and seeking out comfort. Lucas Limeira stars as a filmmaker returning home only to be confined to a dingy hotel room during the closures while a dysfunctional relationship with his father goes beyond repair.
Why was I drawn to IT’S BASIC? The political headlines of Dr. Cornel West announcement of his candidacy for president of the United States in 2024. As poverty and inequality grow in America, a desperate populace is looking for new answers. Marc Levin points his camera at subjects weighed down by an unsympathetic system. The “working poor” in the country have been ignored. Cities finding themselves unable to ignore the harsh realities of neo-liberal government policies have come up with new solutions to address the problem of an ever larger underclass: a basic income.
An honorable mention goes to DEEP SEA. China’s ambitious underwater animated adventure from Xiaopeng Tian. I had problems with the fast pacing and lack of sympathetic characters, but the visuals were top-notch.
Canada’s HEY VIKTOR got so silly I started to laugh out loud. Cody Lightning’s comedy about self-serving comeback while making a low or no budget film had moments.
Tribeca Film Festival runs until June 18th.