INTERVIEW
Virginie Efira on Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Benedetta’
Belgian actress Virginie Efira plays Benedetta Carlini, a 17th century nun entangled in a taboo, lesbian love affair in Paul Verhoeven’s eponymous film.
A FRONTRUNNER Exclusive: Director Alexander Nanau
Our FALL 2021 Cover Story: An interview with Romanian director Alexander Nanau on his double-Academy Award-nominated documentary feature, COLLECTIVE, and how national scandals can – and should – inspire public activism.
FRONTRUNNER Meets Artist & Filmmaker Shen Xin
Shen Xin’s work examines and fabricates techniques and effects of how emotion, politics, identity, gender and ethics circulate through individual and collective subjects.
In Her Own Words: Octavia Spencer
FRONTRUNNER’S Winter 2021 Cover Feature: Oscar-Winning Actress and Producer Octavia Spencer, in her own words.
Adrien Brody: The FRONTRUNNER Interview
For our Fall 2020 cover feature, FRONTRUNNER presents an exclusive interview with Adrien Brody, and exclusive photography by Chad Moore.
A Close-Up With Hans Matheson
FRONTRUNNER shares a one-on-one with Scottish actor/musician Hans Matheson on life in the film industry and new frontiers into music-making.
DRAMA
Living your own (K-)drama: He Shuming on Ajoomma
In Korean, the word “ajoomma” is used to refer to a middle-aged married woman and can loosely be translated as “madam” or “Auntie.” It also
Virginie Efira on Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Benedetta’
Belgian actress Virginie Efira plays Benedetta Carlini, a 17th century nun entangled in a taboo, lesbian love affair in Paul Verhoeven’s eponymous film.
Alex Hassell on Joel Coen’s ‘Tragedy of Macbeth’
Alex Hassell’s resumé is admirable. With so many performances to discuss, we settle on Joel Coen’s ‘Tragedy of Macbeth’, where he plays alongside a few recognisable names such as Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington.
Amber Sealey On Her New Film, ‘No Man Of God’
Nearly everyone, unfortunately, has heard of Ted Bundy before. Let’s hope director Amber Sealey’s ‘No Man Of God’ is the last Ted Bundy film. Ever.
Filmmakers Stacey Maltin and Margarita Zhitnikova on ‘Triple Threat’
Stacey Maltin and Margarita Zhitnikova, the founders of New York-based production company Besties Make Movies, present their first feature film, Triple Threat.
FRONTRUNNER Meets Filmmaker Eliza Hittman
Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always is Eliza Hittman’s third feature film, telling the story of a teenage girl forced to travel from rural Pennsylvania to New York City to access an abortion.
COMEDY
“The Most Overhyped Human Emotion”: Signe Baumane on My Love Affair With Marriage
Signe Baumane calls romantic love, “the most overhyped human emotion.” Her latest film, My Love Affair With Marriage, also concerns itself with love, but takes
Power and Personalities: Jiří Havelka on The Owners
When you hear the phrase “homeowner association,” what do you picture? Perhaps it is a council of stuffy suburbanites making rules on everything from the
Living your own (K-)drama: He Shuming on Ajoomma
In Korean, the word “ajoomma” is used to refer to a middle-aged married woman and can loosely be translated as “madam” or “Auntie.” It also
Filmmakers Stacey Maltin and Margarita Zhitnikova on ‘Triple Threat’
Stacey Maltin and Margarita Zhitnikova, the founders of New York-based production company Besties Make Movies, present their first feature film, Triple Threat.
Faith Soloway: The FRONTRUNNER Interview
A FRONTRUNNER Exclusive: Jameson Rich interviews Faith Soloway on ‘Transparent’, Jewish influences, the use of humor when tackling serious issues, and whether the form of the movie-musical can still survive.
“Come Healing of the Body, Come Healing of the Mind”: Review of ‘The Farewell’
It takes a daring director to envisage a charming tale of little white lies, but Lulu Wang’s morally ambiguous and emotionally justifiable dramedy, ‘The Farewell’, comes from a place of unquestionable honesty: true life.
Documentary
Unveiling JFK: The Ruth Paine Perspective
In his film, The Assassination & Mrs. Paine, documentary-filmmaker Max Good brings forth a fresh perspective on the infamous JFK assassination, telling the story through
Alexander Abaturov on Paradise
Every summer, the front pages of newspapers around the world are filled with images of wildfires. Burning through millions of acres of land a year,
Ken August Meyer on Angel Applicant
After being diagnosed with systemic scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease, filmmaker Ken August Meyer found himself reexamining the works of 20th century Swiss-German artist Paul
Director Sara Dosa on ‘Fire of Love’
Fire of Love tells the larger than life love story of Katia and Maurice Krafft, the French volcanologist couple who lost their lives in a
Jessica Kingdon on her Debut Documentary: Ascension
When someone says “The American Dream”, we think of a white picket fence. But the expression “Chinese Dream”? We won’t know where to begin. ASCENSION is director Jessica Kingdon’s debut documentary feature.
When Worlds Collide: Kenny Scharf
FRONTRUNNER presents an exclusive interview with Malia Scharf and filmmaker Max Basch on their documentary When Worlds Collide: Kenny Scharf.
INTERNATIONAL
Alexander Abaturov on Paradise
Every summer, the front pages of newspapers around the world are filled with images of wildfires. Burning through millions of acres of land a year,
Power and Personalities: Jiří Havelka on The Owners
When you hear the phrase “homeowner association,” what do you picture? Perhaps it is a council of stuffy suburbanites making rules on everything from the
Living your own (K-)drama: He Shuming on Ajoomma
In Korean, the word “ajoomma” is used to refer to a middle-aged married woman and can loosely be translated as “madam” or “Auntie.” It also
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman: A Meditation on Murakami
Inspired by Haruki Murakami’s short stories, Pierre Földes’ debut feature animation film, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, is surreal, melancholic, dreamlike, and eternally meditative.
FRONTRUNNER Meets Director Julia Ducournau
FRONTRUNNER meets director Julia Ducournau and finds out more about her latest film, Titane, winner of this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes.
A FRONTRUNNER Exclusive: Director Alexander Nanau
Our FALL 2021 Cover Story: An interview with Romanian director Alexander Nanau on his double-Academy Award-nominated documentary feature, COLLECTIVE, and how national scandals can – and should – inspire public activism.
ANIMATION
“The Most Overhyped Human Emotion”: Signe Baumane on My Love Affair With Marriage
Signe Baumane calls romantic love, “the most overhyped human emotion.” Her latest film, My Love Affair With Marriage, also concerns itself with love, but takes
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman: A Meditation on Murakami
Inspired by Haruki Murakami’s short stories, Pierre Földes’ debut feature animation film, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, is surreal, melancholic, dreamlike, and eternally meditative.
Blackheads: A New Film by Emily Ann Hoffman
Emily Ann Hoffmann introduces her stop-motion animated film ‘Blackheads’, which made its digital premiere on MailChimp Presents SXSW 2020 Shorts.
Interview with Filmmaker Peter Peake on Take Rabbit
Most of us have heard the classic riddle. A farmer needs to transport a fox, a rabbit, and a cabbage across a river, but only
Emily Ann Hoffman on her Stop-Motion Sensation NEVADA
In this stop-motion feature, one woman and one man, both made of clay, contemplate the consequences that come out of the choices we make out of life.
Interview with filmmaker Shelby Hadden about Tightly Wound
I think writing the essay, making this film, talking about my experiences, and helping others has been instrumental in my healing journey. I think it gave me a lot of confidence and hope in my physical and emotional progress.
SHORT FILM
Not Quite A Happy Birthday: A Look at Short Film ‘Peggy’
We all like to imagine what would happen if we could read people’s minds. Peggy (Or: The Art of Coveting in the Age of Social Media) gives us an idea of this, with all the local parents in a community going to a child’s birthday party.
All The World’s A Stage: In Review
In what can nearly be described as a fairy tale of the theatre, All The World’s A Stage is the story of a brilliant actor beloved because of his special crown.
On Your Marks… Get Set… ‘Get Ready With Me’
Aspiring YouTuber Vendela decides to get up in front of her high school class and shows a disturbing video that disrupts the lesson and causes her teacher to fear for her life.
Praise Be…for ‘Sacred Hair’
A boy has a chance encounter with a young woman from a different culture than his, but the two learn that they share a common bond: their hair and the sacred nature culture and society places upon it.
Bonboné: A Palestinian Love Story
Rakan Mayasi’s short film Bonbone tells the story of two lovers who come up with an unconventional way to have a child when the husband is imprisoned in an Israeli jail.
Wale: An Interview With Director Barnaby Blackburn
Wale tells the story of a young boy in London who is trying to get his life on the right track, but finds himself at the mercy of a sinister plot. It has been screened at the Arizona Film Festival, the Brooklyn Film Festival and the Norwich Film Festival.
FILM FESTIVAL
‘Fat Front’: A Film By Louise Detlefsen & Louise Kjeldsen
Four young women promote body positivity, joining the fight against a fat-phobic world in Louise Deltefsen and Louise Kjeldsen’s documentary Fat Front.
Shadow Flowers at the IDFA Film Festival 2019
The documentary Shadow Flowers tells the story of a North Korean housewife, Ryun-hee Kim, who involuntarily becomes a South Korean citizen. Duped by a Chinese broker, she travels to South Korea to earn money.
London Korean Film Festival Part II: Freckles
Sentenced to her Summer holidays in a fat camp by her absent parents, bashful Young-shin experiences a sexual awakening. Freckles (주근깨) is a bittersweet tale of first love quickly found and painfully lost.
London Korean Film Festival Part I: The Stars Whisper
Hard-of-hearing Yeon-hee reluctantly starts at a new school. She makes an awkward first impression in class, garnering the attention of the fanciful Young-jin. When they bunk off school and spend the day together, an inevitable romance blossoms.
An Interview With Raindance Film Festival Founder Elliot Grove
The Raindance Film Festival was founded in 1992 by Elliot Grove as a thought experiment: can you make a film with no money, no training and no experience? Based in the heart of London, Raindance combines Raindance Film Festival, training courses, and BIFA (British Independent Film Awards).
Investigating the Documentary Film Industry at IDFA Amsterdam 2018
Producing a documentary film, whether a short film, television broadcast, or theatrical feature is no small accomplishment. But, as we know from past columns and interviews with filmmakers, this is only half the battle. The second half is equally daunting: distribution.