KUCI: Film School

How I Learned to Fly / Film School Radio interview with Director Simon Steuri

HOW I LEARNED TO FLY, beautifully recounts the story of two African-American teenage brothers who suddenly find themselves on their own after being mysteriously abandoned by their parents. Deeply haunted by the mental and physical abuse inflicted by their father (Wu-Tang Clan’s Cliff “Method Man” Smith), elder brother Daniel (Marcus Scribner, ABC’s Black-ish) is determined to keep their lives from falling apart. He maintains a daily routine, works as a dishwasher and does his best to keep a roof over their heads. Younger brother Eli (Lonnie Chavis, NBC's This Is Us) struggles to cope with the absence of his mother, leaving her voicemail messages in search of answers. Embarking on a journey of survival and self-discovery, they uncover moments of beauty, newfound meaning and enduring love that strengthen their bond despite the uncertain road ahead. HOW I LEARNED TO FLY is a poignant story of determination and resilience in the face of profound adversity. Director / Writer Simon Steuri (Vandals) stops by to talk about the challenges of making the jump from commercials and videos into his feature film debut, working with a terrific cast that includes upcoming actors like Lonnie Davis, Marcus Scribner, and Michele Selene Ang, as well as, veteran actors Clifford “Method Man” Smith, and Cedric the Entertainer
For more go to: filmmovement.com/how-i-learned-to-fly

5000 Space Aliens - Director Scott Bateman & Producer Lucas A. Ferrara

Ever wondered what it'd be like to encounter an extraterrestrial? Now, imagine experiencing this every single second. Scott Bateman’s latest mind-boggling feature film 5000 SPACE ALIENS means what it says because the viewer is going to experience the cinematic experience of “meeting’ 5000 space aliens in 5000 seconds that’s (83 minutes). The film is a wild animated film that uses computer-manipulated found footage and collage, all created by director Scott Bateman and brought to you by producer Lucas A. Ferrara. 5000 SPACE ALIENS is an entertaining non-narrative film unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. It’s a one-man tour de force: Scott Bateman not only created the animated footage, he also composed the 84-minute score! Scott Bateman spent 2-1/2 years manipulating weird public domain footage in Photoshop, Fireworks, and Premiere Pro to create the 5000 one-second portraits that make up 5000 Space Aliens. Packed with memorable visual images, let all 5000 SPACE ALIENS wash over you. Director Scott Bateman (You Your Brain & You) and Producer /Attorney Lucas A. Ferrara join us for a lively conversation on their unlikely collaboration, the joy of work on this outside-the-box film project and the very encouraging reception that 5000 Space Aliens has received from a wide variety of audiences.
For more go to: 5000spacealiens.com

Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island / Film School Radio interview with Director Heidi Hutner

In Director Heidi Hutner’s thrilling feminist documentary, four indomitable women fight back against America’s powerful nuclear industry to expose one of the most consequential and egregious cover-ups in our country’s history. RADIOACTIVE: THE WOMEN OF THREE MILE ISLAND is an award-winning film about the 1979 Three Mile Island meltdown – the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history – and its aftermath. It uncovers the never-before-told stories of four intrepid homemakers who take their local community's case against the plant operator all the way to the Supreme Court – and a young female journalist who's caught in the radioactive crossfire. RADIOACTIVE features activist and actor Jane Fonda, whose film,The China Syndrome (a fictional account of a nuclear meltdown), opened 12 days before the real disaster in Pennsylvania. RADIOACTIVE also breaks the story of a radical new health study that may finally expose the truth of the meltdown. For over forty years, the nuclear industry has done everything in their power to cover up their criminal actions, claiming, as they always do, "No one was harmed and nothing significant happened.” Director, producer and writer Heidi Hutner joins us for a conversation on the devastation caused by the reactor meltdown, the cover-up and the dire consequences of the lies and malfeasance that occurred on March 28, 1979 and why it matters today and into the future.
For more go to: radioactivethefilm.com
Los Angeles Theatrical Run – Friday, Dec 8 - Thursday, Dec 14 at Laemmle's Royal
STREAMING: RADIOACTIVE will drop on Apple+ and Prime on March 12, 2024.
45th Anniversary of THREE MILE ISLAND meltdown (March 28, 1979)

No One Asked You / Film School Radio interview with Director Ruth Leitman

Director Ruth Leitman’s NO ONE ASKED YOU, focuses her camera on the day-to-day health care providers who risk their own safety in service to the women seeking an abortion. As well as the powerful political and religious interests seeking to deny them access to a constitutionally guaranteed right by the Roe v. Wade decision. A civil right to privacy that had stood for 50 years, lost after the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. With the conservative movement conspiring to take away healthcare and bodily autonomy from all, “Daily Show” co-creator Lizz Winstead brings us on the road with Abortion Access Front and her merry band of activists and comedians, that includes Sarah Silverman. Margaret Cho, Alex English, and Joyelle Johnson, as they crisscross the U.S. to support abortion clinics and providers. An urgent and humorous account of the serious work that this audacious group of activists are doing to battle misogyny and fight for reproductive rights in a divided country. Director Ruth Leitman (Lipstick & Dynomite, Hard Earned) joins us for a conversation on the challenges of filming on the road for nearly six years and getting to know the dedicated doctors, clinic workers and volunteers has given her reasons to be guardedly optimistic about the future of women’s access to the full range of reproductive health care.
For more go to: nooneaskedyoudoc.com

Everyone Will Burn / Film School Radio interview with Director David Hebrero

Set in the creepily idyllic village of Leon, Spain, EVERYONE WILL BURN burrows into the tortured life of María José (Macarena Gomez). She is prepared to end her life after failing to get over the suicide of her bullied son years before. As she teeters on the brink of committing suicide, she encounters a mysterious young girl (newcomer Sofía García) caked in mud and dirt. Everything changes when Lucía appears. It is quickly revealed that the young girl has telekinetic powers and might be the harbinger of the apocalyptic prophecy that exists within town legend. Despite Lucia’s penchant for violence, María José feels an instant kinship with the girl because, like her late son, she has dwarfism — and the two of them face off against the vitriolic community who want to nip the potential hellscape in the bud. With the enigmatic girl by her side, María José faces the corrupt community, overloaded with sadistic secrets and immoral lies that triggers strange events and a series of horrific deaths among the local population. Director and writer David Hebrero (Dulcinea) joins us for a conversation about creating one of the year’s best opening scenes, as well as. how he struck the pitch perfect tone, found the right setting and orchestrated outstanding performances of his superb cast, Sofía García, Rodolfo Sancho, Ana Milán, Rubén Ochandiano, Germán Torres, Ella Kweku, Raquel Lobelos and the spectacular deranged Macarena Gomez as María José.
drafthousefilms.com/everyonewillburn
Opening 12/1 in LA at drafthouse.com/everyone-will-burn

Concrete Utopia / Film School Radio interview with Director Um Tae Hwa

This gripping and thought provoking film from Um Tae Hwa, CONCRETE Utopia, begins with a massive earthquake that reduces Seoul, Korea to rubble. Everything in the city has collapsed, except for one building. Hwang Gung Apartments remains standing, as it was before that day. When survivors from the outside hear of this, they begin to gather at Hwang Gung Apartments. However, the original residents of the building start to feel threatened. Banding together for the sake of their survival, they elect ‘Young-tak’ as their Resident Delegate. Under his leadership, they strictly ban entry by outsiders and draw up a new set of Resident Regulations. Thanks to this, in contrast to the hellish nightmare outside, Hwang Gung Apartments stands as a safe and peaceful utopia for its residents. But amidst the continual threats to their survival, unexpected conflicts begin to arise among them… Director Um Tae Hwa (Ingtoogi: The Battle of the Internet Trolls) joins us to talk about the orgin story for the film, how shaping the characters vastly different perspective is critical to the success of the film and the outstanding cast of actors who bring strong-willed resolve to this complex story.
For more go to: concrete-utopia-film.com
815pictures.net/concrete-utopia
South Korea Official Oscar Entry - Best International Feature

Great Photo, Lovely Life / Film School Radio interview with Co-director Amanda Mustard & Rachel Beth Anderson

In this riveting and disturbing documentary GREAT PHOTO, LOVELY LIFE, Photojournalist Amanda Mustard alongside co-director and cinematographer Rachel Beth Anderson, (First to Fall, Unschooled) returns home to Pennsylvania to investigate the sexual abuse crimes committed by her grandfather. A visual whirlwind of memories from her family’s archive unravels a world of secrets through interviews, photographs, and home movies. A cinematic journey eight years in the making, GREAT PHOTO, LOVELY LIFE, chronicles a granddaughter’s attempt to disrupt a cycle of intergenerational trauma through the voices of the survivors and her grandfather himself. Secrets kept close and snapshots of joy plague almost every family. This is a film about having the courage to take the steps we must take and have the conversations we must have to disrupt the cycle of intergenerational trauma. GREAT PHOTO, LOVELY LIFE is dedicated to those carrying secrets they shouldn't have to keep and is a validation for all of the people who are suffering in silence. Amanda Mustard directorial debut alongside co-director and cinematographer Rachel Beth Anderson (First to Fall, Unschooled) join us for a conversation on Amanda’s decision to undertake this deeply personal project knowing the potential of fracturing family ties and how the collaboration with Rachel came about and their determination in pursuit of the truth and how to insure that everyone who wanted to participate would feel unfettered.
For more go to: greatphotolovelylife.com

Rose / Film School Radio interview with Director Niels Arden Oplev

Award winning director Niels Arden Oplev’s latest film, ROSE, takes place over the course of an eventful week that focuses on the depth of the relationship between two sisters, Inger and Ellen, and how their connection will be tested on a highly anticipated coach trip to Paris. When Inger announces her struggles with mental health to the group, the sisters are faced with pity from some and downright discrimination from others. On arrival in Paris, it soon becomes clear that Inger has a hidden agenda concerning a figure from her past, ultimately involving the entire group in her hunt for answers. The film stars Sofie Gråbøl (star of the hit Danish drama series, “The Killing”) and Lena Maria Christensen. ROSE is a film about love and care for each other, in spite of our differences, as much as it is a film about not judging a book by its cover. After its release in Denmark, ROSE received a number of nominations and accolades from the Danish Film Association and Denmark’s Bodil Awards, including Best Actress at the Bodil Awards and Best Supporting Actress at both the Bodil Awards and Danish Film Association Awards. Director and writer Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl With the Dragon, We Shall Overcome) joins us for a conversation on how a personal inspiration for making ROSE helped him meet the challenge of creating an empathetic and entertaining film about mental illness, and why securing the acting duo Sofie Gråbøl (“Forbrydelsen”/”The Killing”) and Lena Maria Christensen (The Legacy) was crucial to critical and commercial success of the film.
For more go to: gametheoryfilms.com/rose
Opening in LA at the Laemmle Santa Monica on December 8th, 2023
Available Digitally Beginning December 26th, 2023

South to Black Power / Film School Raio interview with Co-directors Llewellyn M. Smith & Sam Pollard

On the eve of last year’s midterm elections, Charles M. Blow, New York Times columnist and best-selling author of “The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto,” sets off across the country on a personal journey to test his theory on Black Liberation, which involves a daring strategy for Black Americans to move to the southern states to control southern legislatures and gain greater political power. Conversing with politicians, historians, community activists, colleagues, friends, and family members, Blow challenges Black Americans to disrupt the status quo by affecting change at the polls through reverse migration and gain control over states that already have the highest percentages of Black residents. Co-directors Llewellyn M. Smith and Sam Pollard’s thought provoking feature documentary SOUTH TO BLACK POWER also takes us on a journey through Blow’s personal story, from his childhood in Louisiana to his relentless commitment to racial justice, revealing the hard-won truths that illuminate his vision for the future. As the returns from the midterm elections roll in, Blow watches, acknowledging the gains, but also reflects on the possibility that a historic political transformation in the South might not come in his lifetime. Co-directors Llewellyn M. Smith and Sam Pollard join us for a conversation on the conflicted history of The Great Migration, the lack of substantive political and economic progress for Black Americans everywhere, and how Charles Blow’s provocative proposal to re-populate a handful of Southern states with enough Black voters to propel a seismic political shift in power towards a more equitable America.
For more go to: hbo.com/south-to-black-power

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood / Film School Radio interview with Director Anna Hints

The first documentary by an Estonian director to compete and win at the Sundance Film Festival, SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD is a deeply moving, intimate and breathtaking approach to issues of trauma, healing, and community. Filmed almost as if a Vermeer or Rembrandt painting, the camera is never intrusive, never mechanical. Rather, the images move as the smoke – lingering, wafting, suspended briefly before disappearing and reappearing. With an authentic voice and authority born of their own heritage, inspired by her South-East Estonian culture of Võromaa and Setomaa, and the profound teachings of her Võro granny, filmmaker Anna Hints has created a transformative experience of being human within a female body, showing women “as they are” with great emotional veracity and deep empathy. In the darkness of a smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences, washing off the shame trapped in their bodies and regaining their strength through a sense of communion. Women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences inside an Estonian smoke sauna. Cleansing their bodies and baring their souls, they embrace the healing power of sisterhood. Anna Hints’ Sundance-winning documentary celebrates the centuries-old smoke sauna tradition, recognized on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The impact of SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD on the communities represented in the film has been profound. Viewers have connected emotionally with the stories, finding solidarity and empowerment in the shared experiences of these brave women. Director Anna Hints joins us for a conversation on what brought her to documenting this sacred space where women give birth, wash the dead, and express their vulnerability, found self-acceptance, and a collective empowerment for generation upon generation..
For more go to: greenwichentertainment.com/smoke-sauna-sister