Interviews
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Interview: Mathieu Kassovitz, ‘Rebellion’
Having burst onto the scene with the incendiary banlieue drama La Haine back in 1995, it’s fair to say that French filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz has never truly matched the raw, innovation of his sophomore project. That is until now, with the UK release of his intense real-life thriller Rebellion (L’ordre et la morale, 2011), in…
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Interview: Pang Ho-cheung, director of ‘Vulgaria’
Last year, Coventry University East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS) founder Spencer Murphy had the pleasure of interviewing acclaimed Hong Kong auteur Pang Ho-cheung, alongside producer Subi Liang and scriptwriter Jody Luk. All three were in attendance at the 14th Udine Far East Film Festival to support the screening of their films Love in a Puff…
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Interview: Thomas Vinterberg, ‘The Hunt’
Prominent Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg returns to territory previously tackled in his much-lauded feature Festen (1998) this week with The Hunt (Jagten, 2012), a taught Scandinavian morality tale starring world cinema darling Mads Mikkelsen. Wrongly accused of molesting a young child (also the daughter of his best friend), kindly primary school teacher Lucas (Mikkelsen) becomes…
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Interview: Ben Wheatley, director of ‘Sightseers’
Following on from the success of last year’s critically acclaimed occult horror Kill List (2011), rising filmmaker Ben Wheatley may not seem the most obvious choice for helming an off-beat British comedy set in the great outdoors. Yet, the world of comic drama was exactly where the Billericay-born director first cut his teeth, with a series…
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Interview: Benh Zeitlin, ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’
One of the most pleasant surprises to be found in UK cinemas last year was arguably Benh Zeitlin’s superb Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012). Having received wide critical acclaim across the world, such sentiments have since been echoed by the Academy, as the film received an impressive four Oscar nominations – including Best Director…
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Interview: William Eubank, director of ‘Love’
Taking on a low-budget existential sci-fi epic might seem like a big task for a young, up-and-coming director, but that is exactly what US cinematographer (and now filmmaker) William Eubank did with his feature debut, Love (2011). The film sees an astronaut cut off from the world aboard the International Space Station, left with nothing…
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Interview: Jesse Vile, ‘Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet’
Philadelphian filmmaker Jesse Vile will be hoping that the UK cinematic release of his debut documentary Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet (2012) on 16 November, followed closely by its DVD release on 3 December courtesy of Dogwoof Films, will inspire viewers and raise awareness of the film’s extraordinary subject and guitar virtuoso, Jason Becker. To…
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Interview: Melissa Auf der Maur, ‘Hit So Hard’
This week sees P. David Ebersole’s grunge rock documentary Hit So Hard: The Life and Near Death Story of Patty Schemel (2011) finally unleashed in cinemas across the UK. Detailing the life of Hole drummer Patty Schemel, the film takes an unflinching look at her time in one of rock’s most notorious and controversial bands,…
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Interview: Chris Smith, director of ‘The Pool’
Chris Smith is a celebrated and award-winning American documentary filmmaker (best known for 1999’s American Movie and 2003’s The Yes Men), whose 2007 feature The Pool finally sees the theatrical light of day over here this week. The story of a young Indian boy who finds sanctity and a paradise in the palatial garden of…
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Interview: Patty Schemel, star of ‘Hit So Hard’
Having spent the best part of a decade as one quarter of iconic US grunge rock band Hole, the outfit’s drummer Patty Schemel has finally emerged from behind the kit and out of the shadows to take the lead role in P. David Ebersole’s entertaining rockumentary Hit So Hard: The Life and Near Death Story…