Interviews & Reviews

Nothing is as it seems...

Impending Catastrophe, written and directed by the creative mind of the award-winning Israeli screenwriter, director and producer  Yoram Marcus,  is a feature film where everything is the opposite of everything.

Dr. Gerry Frank has created, a universal vaccine against human pathogenic viruses and is ready to present it during a party at his Villa   among friends and acquaintances.

His  invention,  apparently so miraculous, dramatically  reveals itself as a lethal threat that could exterminate humanity.

What to do to avert the worst?

Moments of panic take over. Everything seems about to collapse, to go up in flames... but Dr. Gerry Frank is not really what he claims to be, and what we see is not really what we are seeing...

An experimental thriller that oscillates between dream and reality from the beginning till the end.

 With a cryptic editing typical of Marcus as well as the soundtracks that distinguish each of his films, Impending Catastrophe is a film that certainly knows how to amaze the viewer.

It's time to discover what we hide inside ourselves!

Life evolves and we evolve with it. A continuous flow that transforms us, that changes us, that shapes us inexorably for better or for worse.

The human mind is the most powerful weapon that man possesses but at the same time it is also the only weapon that he is not able to manage completely.

LOOK UP—The Science of Cultural Evolution, written and directed by Nini Caroline Skarpaas Myhrvold and Espen Jan Folmo, is a documentary that, thanks to very simple and exhaustive graphics, explains how psychoanalysis has contributed to the improvement of the human being as a social and thinking being.

But how can we make the most of this mysterious and powerful weapon?
How can we learn to best manage our possibilities?

A two-hour journey to discover the most hidden and fundamental meanders that our mind welcomes and - sometimes  - hides due to past traumas, stress or other problems caused by increasingly frenetic rhythms and the sense of inadequacy caused by  the increasingly present standards of perfection imposed by the  media.

Although the topics  are not the simplest, the film is edited and narrated in a  way that  make it suitable and advisable even for a very young audience. 

Absolutely worth seeing!

Omnia vincit amor: et nos cedamus amori...

Poverty and desperation mix with religiosity and the desire to be faithful to one's spiritual and human beliefs.

Set in a poor Hungarian village in 1924, Landlslide directed by Zsolt Pozsgai - and inspired by a novel by the famous writer János Kodolányi -  is a film of love, courage and rebellion.

In an era afflicted by hardship and tyrannical laws that prevent having more than one child to avoid inheritance problems but above all to contain the terrible famine that does not allow most people to feed their families with dignity, Juli (Andrea Koncz) and János ( Áron Őze) already parents of an eight-year-old child discover that they are expecting a second child.

Haarrassed by the girl's  parents who push  their daughter to get  rid of the "problem" as soon as possible, the couple will have to deal with the discouragement,  tension created by the doubt about what to do....and tragedy.

An extremely talented and credible cast at the service of a sensitive director who gives us strong emotions and profound reflections about life, death and how to survive to the unforgivable mistakes against ourselves.

Strange, twisted, enigmatic.

Directed by Louise Mason Sewing a Nightmare is a film full of mystery and suspense where dreams and reality mix with anxiety and anguish.

Dedicated to her work as a seamstress, Tiffany (played by Mason herself) is haunted by a mysterious presence that obsesses her and does not allow her to live peacefully. 

Only the meetings with her friend Kim (O.G. Marcontell, who also helped as camera assistant) seem to calm her down... but how can she defend herself from something that cannot be seen?

From very noisy scenes immersed in nature to dark and silent interiors, the film is a succession of moments that also make the viewer feel the terror that danger is just waiting for the right moment to loom.

A dynamic and fast direction capable of making breathe to the audience  the same tension of the film's protagonist.

Guess who's coming… to lunch!

Ragù is a gastronomic miracle! But in Etnoragù directed by Cristiano Esposito and written by EsseCcì Scripts, ragù is much more than a typical dish of the Neapolitan tradition... it's a ritual, it's law!

But when Giulia (Carolina Infante) reveals to her mother Assunta (Stefania Ventura) that she and her muslim fiancee Abdul (Pietro Tammaro) are expecting a child... how will the very catholic and traditionalist papà Giovanni (Salvatore Misticone) take the news?

A fun and light comedy that winks at the classics 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' and 'Father of the Bride', while maintaining an absolutely adorable Italian authenticity.

It's easy to perceive the great teamwork carried out by each department to create a highly enjoyable film that lightheartedly sends a message of union, understanding and acceptance.

Discordant religions, different cultures and flavours... the road ain't easy, but step by step anything is possible....and for love... you can even change the ingredients of a typical recipe!

“I got a friend in Jesus

So you know that when I die

He's gonna set me up 

with the spirit in the sky”

It's incredible how the name of Jesus always and inevitably brings me back to Norman Greenbaum's famous song "Spirit in the sky".

The Joy of Jesus written and directed by Holger Klussmann is a poignant love letter, a sweet tribute, a way to demonstrate how powerful and fundamental faith in Jesus Christ can be in many people's lives.

Narrated by Kimberly Colegrove, the film explores with great sincerity and devotion the life of the Nazarene on earth but above all the great message of Love he left in the hearts of believer: the  promise of eternal joy and inner peace.

Faith as a shelter, as a home,  as a family.

It is "an adventure of love" where some testimonies reveal with great emotion how salvific the presence of Christ can be both as a mentor and as a fraternal, maternal and paternal figure.

Excerpts and pictures taken from trips made in Bethlehem or other mystical places alternate with holy figures, giving life to a tender path towards spirituality,

If you're in the mood for some lightness… you're in the right place!

Dean Morgan, multi-awarded filmmaker, likes to make people laugh and Sheldon's cat is a hilarious  proof.

Comical, clumsy, often absurd... Sheldon Mashugana is the antihero with the easy laugh, the playful man with a funny face, a big boy who has never had sex... but what happens when his girlfriend promises him his first time with a beautiful dose of pu..re amusement? 

As in all his adventures, Sheldon lives the days that separate him from the big event with carefreeness, making us experience his anxious wait with hilarious jokes and situations in company of friends.

A triumph of humor, double meanings and scenes that harken back to the comedies of the past without the fear of falling into foolishness.

There's a famous song that says “But I see your true colors, and that's why I love you…”

Colors and Love are the main ingredients of Asherah's Colors, written and directed by Gary Mazeffa and starring the young and talented Connor Tuohy and Shira Behore.

Raphael (Tuohy) experiences together with the beautiful Asherah (Behore) what we could define as love at first sight or more likely the first love, the one fthat makes you willing to do anything to please and satisfy  the person who stole your heart.

Asherah loves Art, its hidden messages, and  the power of colors  so capable to talk and to express every kind of emotion.

 To surprise her, the young man takes her to the studio of the impressionist artist Hessam Abrishami, giving her not only a unique experience - the works in the film are obviously original - but also the opportunity to dine and converse with the artist and his lovely wife: the ballerina Star Mortezavi.

Generations and sensitivities compared, in a  romantic film that explores incisively the simplicity of love and the fundamental role it can play in a person's life... especially when is the first one.

If surprising and opening the viewer's mind to multiple possibilities and scenarios are among the first rules of a good director, Alexandre Mahutte succeeds perfectly with Sound Riddle #1, a super short film that for almost more than half of its duration plays entirely on sound and enigma.

We could be anywhere, on a construction site, in the woods, under a storm.

We don't see anything but we can hear: muffled noises, then sharp ones, bangs.

A  film that undoubtedly wants to provoke, perhaps even mock, the public but which also contains a not insignificant message: a habit, a daily and banal gesture like washing your hands can give life to something interesting.

If reading a screenplay you can instantly see the film in your mind...it means that everything is working as it should.

Everland , well written by John Johnson and Rusty Royden, is a compelling story that transports us - with leaps between present and  past -  into a dimension where man finds himself threatened by  past projects, futuristic technologies and very particular and fantastic enemies.

The entire story revolves around a top secret project dating back to World War II; a U.S. Army experiment umbrellaed under the cover of Everland Air Force Base. The extremely bold goal was to transport soldiers behind enemy lines anywhere in the world by opening portals in our time-space continuum. 

The secret  was called UMFASSEN.

To safeguard national security, remove and sanitize any intelligence, data or equipment, Margrave Franklin tasks his nephew Peter with recruiting a special team.

A bizarre squad, certainly prone to arguments and jokes, but definitely capable of finding and neutralizing the threat: Anzu Brane, Sairia Huff, Searcy Baker and Kyle Hartmann.

During their "Mission Impossible" the group will find themselves having to fight with incredible and absurd monsters such as Radiocative zombies. Frankenstein, the Wolfman, Giant Cyclop, The Mummy, Dracula, The wasp Woman...understanding little by little that the infamous UMFASSEN project is allowing manifested thoughts to emerge from a timestream into the real.

Although the sci- fi theme can easily make people think of something complicated to understand, the writing is extremely fluent and descriptive; you can easily imagine every single character, every single exterior and interior scene... and most of the dialogues are really funny!

 Everland is a perfect film on paper and  with its surprising ending... has all it takes to also become an excellent film on the big screen!

In this story where colors and love mix to give life to the true sense of romance we discover everything that happens between two souls during falling in love.

Asherah’s colors directed and produced by the talented Gary Mazeffa - filmmaker and founder of  Q2 Films, LLC – is a short film about love, art and how one person can change or inspire our entire existence.

Rapahel (Connor Tuohy) and Asherah (Shira Behore) are two young people full of life and hope; they go on their first date together and their chemistry is tangible from the start.

Their glances, their funny dialogues, their gestures remind us of that splendid shyness and clumsiness that we have all felt at least once in our lives.

The Impressionist art of Hessam Abrishami - who plays himself in the film in  company of his wife Star Mortezavi – is the beating heart of this precious little film where light and colors are capable of capturing an unrepeatable moment, or creating things that do not exist or that will exist in the future. 

Art, just like love, is magic, is power,  is fantasy.

A dramatic search. A devastating truth.

On the run written , directed and produced by Lucinda B. Luvaas - multimedia artist working in video, sound and fine art – is a poignant short film fulfilled with meaningful signs.

The 12 minutes long short film, sequel of the previous acclaimed “Road 721”, follow the story of Sam (Sammy Corrado IV), a journalist from a LA,  who decides to go searching for Catherine (Alexandra Lovelace) and Norma Jean: two missed girls who unfortunately died in a fire while they were camping in the forest. 

Sam is bold, brave, but ignores the massive fury of nature in all its destructive power and splendor

More than the visual effects, it is the sound ones that make the atmosphere disturbing and mysterious: the crackling of the fire, the impetuous wind, Sam's fast and then slow steps.

A solitary and post apocalyptic dimension where man is in constant danger because nothing is stronger and more lethal than nature when provoked or caused by man himself.

An intense voyage on a land of nobody directed with passion and...soul.

A journey through colours, cultures and musicality from all over the world.

Musical Moments is the perfect title for this short film directed by musician, producer and song publisher, Erik Jacobsen.

The film is a tender collection of memories, of sounds, of face's expressions.

A tribute to Music and to its incredible power to make the people come together. Music as the real only universal language comprehensible worldwide, capable of connecting minds and hearts.

Jacobsen bring us around the world and let us face multiple sounds and rhythms.

We discover the magic of drums, sax, opera's voices, and  virtuoso's fingers.  

We go through the jungle and back to the city.

This is the power of Music. This is the power of Love.

Nothing can be more brutal and exciting than a duel. 

And Nuce, directed by John Johnson, is a duel from the start till the end.

We can breathe Tarantino's splatter atmosphere during the opening credits and then immerse ourselves in a Sergio Leone-style landscape, where the dramatic ringing of bells is the background to a clash between bandits with hats on their heads and the pistol ready in the holster.

We can smell the dust and the desolation  of a  desert village where the vultures are just waiting to understand which body will be their lunch.

The Crows are flying, the red light of the sunset  is setting the canyon on fire and exactly when you're thinking that Clint Eastwood could pop up at any moment... his  virtual clone appears!  

Splendid, brave, with his legendary ice look and the iconic poncho worn in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

Shrewd, fast, witty as the devil.. or is it perhaps the devil himself?

Written by William Thompson and Rusty Royden, Nuce is a gripping western full of surprises… and 'Satan is His Name'  performed by Holly Golightly is just the Juicy cherry on the top of  a blood-red cake.

Who is Cora? What is Cora?

These are just two of the questions that we keep asking ourselves throughout the film.

Cora directed by Mauricio De la Maza-Benignos is a dark thriller full of mystery.

Jessica Mendiolea is Cora, a woman as beautiful as she is enigmatic and icy.

She easily attracts both men and women but seems totally incapable of feeling any real interest or desire for anyone. Everyone wants it but no one can have her.

She leads an ordinary life next to an extremely religious husband who doesn't understand her,  and a leopard cat who observe her in silence.

There is something dark that revolves around Cora, something gloomy and mysterious like the contents of the black bags that she drags out of the house every day or hides in the closet.

What do those bags contain?

 Are they perhaps the materialization of a weight too heavy to carry? Or of  some kind of demon  to get rid of? 

Cora is fickle, unpredictable; she changes hair color as she changes mood, as if every emotion she manages to feel represents a new personality.

The news is starting to talk about a mysterious killer... who is it?

Does  Cora have  anything to do with those horrible deaths?

Is she a victim or an executioner?

 Chaotic music, absurd characters and claustrophobic editing contribute to make this feature film a cryptic and fascinating labyrinth from which it is very difficult to escape. 

Interesting!

The S.S. Robin written by the brilliant Camille DeBiase is the touching story of an Italian-American family, in 70s: the DeLucas, generous people who accept to take care of Robin, a 3-year-old black/Hispanic foster girl.

We are in Brooklyn, 1971, and from the splendid description of the author we can almost smell the air of  a neighborhood made mostly of white chatolic people of Italian and Irish descent; as imaginable, especially for those times, the arrival of the little Robin will highlight the rudeness and the sad lack of inclusiveness of some neighbors who, rather than feeling tenderness for a little girl in need of care, will prefer to  take distance.

The DeLucas, led by mom Rosie and dad Gianni, instead prove to be the family in which we would all like to grow up, not only for their generosity and their good heart, but for the sweet and transgressive lightness with which they raise their three children - Johnny, Christopher, and Anna - teaching them to be independent and to open their arms to anyone who needs help, no matter what.

Rosie is goodness personified, the caring and feisty mother who takes care of everything. Gianni is the rational part of the couple, a calm and respected  teacher in Harlem used to live peacefully with cultural differences.

The radio announcements mark the time, and the more the months pass the more we hope that this extended family will not be separated; we follow the developments of their relationship with Robin, we get to know each one of them, their own personal characteristics, and we can't help to fall in love with these fun, free and "loud" people.

A screenplay that shows us the world through the eyes of children, based on how they are educated and left free to perceive the life and emotions that they are sometimes forced to experience, albeit for a good cause.

DeBiase's writing is fluent and lively. The dialogues are funny and very realistic.

Without a doubt this would be a drama/comedy I would more than happily watch on the big screen.

A tale of Love, respect, generosity and acceptance.

This is an S.S.S: A Super Special Story.

Music can really make the difference and teleport us to other dimensions...to future too.

Symphonic Fantasy: Cine Concert with Animation and Orchestral Magic directed by Susan Mey Lee Lim, Samudra Kajal Saikia & Christina Teenz Tan is a powerful short musical that explore in an innovative way the complicated modern world made of increasingly sophisticated and advanced technologies and the disruptive loneliness that characterizes the 21st century.

Performed at the London’s Codagon Hall by  the amazing Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Robert Ziegler and embellished by the presence of the pianist Mark Bebbington and the marvelous voice of Matthieu Eymard, the film explore the companionship between Christina and Alan, a human girl and an experiment or better a plush Inanimate  with a baby lion soul.

The vibrant music composed by Manu Martin catapults us into this new world where Science and feelings play the same concert.

A world where loneliness and insecurity are probably the basis of everything, but where everything is possible. 

A future where virtual reality, digital sensations and artificial intelligence will be an integral part of our lives as emotional support.

Due to the growing and worrying difficulty in building true interpersonal relationships with people, this short film makes us reflect on the fragile situation of the humankind, on how cutting-edge technological innovation could be able to help  but perhaps will end up  to assimilate humans like the Borg used to do in Star Trek.

This ain’t just a great concert. 

This is a musical about an inanimate human relation.

“This is after all... a fantasy”… is it?

First dates, as we know, are always a big dilemma and often never end as expected.

Triggered Love directed by Joell Jackson & Richard Louprasong is a short film that explores with great lightness and joy a classic date between a boy from Brooklyn and an L.A woman that reserves a surprise ending.

Joell Jackson is Surreal (the Latins would say nomen omen)  a bold boy, sure of himself and his attractiveness, the classic womanizer with a veeeeery short memory ; during a date with the beautiful Samantha (Natalie Stavola) he meets  or,  perhaps it would be better say,  he clashes with the charismatic waitress Vicky (Katisha Sargeant), a former conquest of his with whom he begins a duel with vitriolic jokes.

Maybe it's true that opposites attract  but it's also true that they know how to scratch each other.

A splendid photography of Los Angeles at sunset and well-paced dialogues give life to an extremely pleasant and entertaining film, where emerge the differences between man and woman, and the affinities that can surprisingly arise between woman and woman explode!

Nice first date to everybody!

Having to describe it in two words I would say: Absolutely Delicious!

Droplet of Stars written by Camilla Martini and directed by Alessandro Orlandi is a wonderful journey made of bright colors and characters that catapult us among a special universe... like the famous Lucy in the sky with Diamonds  that the Beatles used to sang...and the fun fact is that in this lovely short film the Fab Four really appear in astride a cloud!

It is the adorable story of a birth - perhaps the birth that each one of us would like to have - and the subsequent discovery of the world and who inhabits it.

The little protagonist of the film is a modern Alice in Wonderland who is dropped to earth and then pushed to go beyond the rainbow like the famous  Dorothy searching for Oz, to discover her future.

Running, flying, swimming, she finds herself in front of iconic characters such as Einstein, Ghandi, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire and Moby Dick.

A long ride made up of vicissitudes, dreams and hopes that accompany the little girl in this colorful world ready to welcome her with a smile, a sweet and naive smile like the one of Gelsomina of La Strada, the Fellini's masterpiece which, like this short film, combines poetry and fairy tale to explain  the  bittersweet  reality of life.

The song written and sung by Alessandro  Orlandi is a gentle caress, a poignant lullaby that accompanies the child in this "space and earth oddity" illustrated by Carlotta Raimondi and animated by Maurizio Piraccini.

Amazing Job!

In a famous film by Blake Edwards there'a song that says: "But out in the Midwest, Is the city I love the best: A town so smart it's spelling stars
With: C - H - I - C...Chic! Chicago, Illinois, is like a shiny toy!"

I have never been to Chicago, but this music video - directed, produced and starring the award winner Rudy Strukoff - gave me the feeling of having visited it joining the two protagonists in the back seat of their car.

Born in Chicago ain't  just a song but also a declaration of love, a carefree ode to a city and all its many facets.

A road trip to retrace memories and rediscover the roots of a life.

Rude Dog ( Rudy Strukoff ) and Automatic Slim (David Carreon) are the perfect "double trouble" that every music video need,  and while the compelling song by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band acts as a background, nostalgia and lightheartedness alternate following the rhythm, pulsing like a heart.

Railroads, highways, city lights,  billiard games and laughter.

 5 minutes made of  beautiful music and images  to pay tribute to one of the most  fascinating and dynamic city of the world.