Interviews & Reviews

Let's start with 2 words, girl: cheeky and hilarious!

Directed by Amanda Richards, Whiskey Dixie & The Big Wet Country is  a story of rebirth and self-destruction, a funny and tender portrait of a small-town artist grappling with nostalgia, love, and the inability to stop shining, even when no one's watching.

In a world where fame lasts less than a TikTok refrain, Whiskey Williams bursts into the American dream like a bottle of bourbon thrown against the wall. The film introduces us to Whiskey, a former honky-tonk queen with runny mascara and a bruised heart, who's making headlines again thanks to a viral video of her old hit "High-Speed ​​Climax."

The love triangle between Paul, the sweet-hearted grocer, and Dick Princess, the gothic and disturbing bard of Blood Wand, is a small masterpiece of humor and melancholy: a waltz of crossed desires that reflects the constant tension between authenticity and artifice.

The film, directed with a wry eye and edited with a blend of music videos, black comedy, and postmodern musicals, seems like a collision between the cinema of John Waters and the country soul of Dolly Parton.

But the true beating heart of the film is Amanda Richards.

Singer-songwriter, actress, director, and producer, Richards embodies the rare artistic versatility that makes every nuance of her heroine believable. Born into a family where music is a tradition, Amanda brings to the film a sense of authenticity and irony that only those who have truly lived life on the road can convey.

She has been writing songs since she was twelve, and with Whiskey Dixie and the Big Wet Country, she blends her musical talent with bold direction and a narrative that overturns genre stereotypes, transforming the country musical into a manifesto of female outlaw empowerment.

Welcome to Jin Li's colourful world!

The Cat that Lives in Your Dreams directed by Seon Shim tells the story of Jin Li, an autistic artist of Korean origin, who transformed her communication difficulties into a force of expression through painting. In just 25 minutes, the film offers an intimate and engaging glimpse into the way Jin Li engages with the world: not with words, but with powerful and meaningful images.

The short documentary follows Jin Li during her appearances on talk shows and public meetings, where verbal language often proves inadequate to express her feelings. But it is precisely here that the power of the story begins: the inability to adhere to traditional communication codes paves the way for a more authentic, personal, and free form of expression.

A pivotal moment in the film is the encounter with Positive Exposure, a New York gallery that believes in inclusion through art. 

Thanks to this platform, Jin Li finally finds a place where her works can "speak" for her. And they do so in a direct, moving, and often surprising way.

The direction adopts a discreet approach, without forcing interpretations or explanations. It allows the images—those created by Jin Li—to build a visual dialogue with the viewer. No intrusive narrative voice, no rhetoric: just the truth of a personal experience shared with sensitivity.

A documentary that doesn't aim to explain autism, but to show what it means to live and create outside of the norm. It's an invitation to listen differently, to look beyond language, to discover a space of freedom and connection in artistic gesture. A film simple in form, yet rich in humanity.

This is a love letter to a father that really understood the meaning of life.

Rahyab  - directed by Kamal Rahyab -  is the true amazing story of a man destined for great things, as well as living proof that willpower can be the most incredible engine to turn one's life.

Told through the eyes of his son, this short documentary is an emotional journey down memory lane. Mehdi, an intelligent, studious, diligent boy, manages to go to study in the States, thus becoming the embodiment of the American dream: from nothing to success.

Painful memories of a past impossible to forget, touching testimonies that make us relive the sad days when Afghanistan was attacked by the Soviet Union.

Fear, hunger, desperation; the necessary separation from a beloved land, and the struggle of a man to help a family leave Afghanistan and join him in America.

A lesson in courage, generosity, and love, wrapped up in fifteen minutes that celebrate and honor  a good man, a beautiful person and his admirable story.

Rahyab, the one who finds the path. An entire destiny written in a name. 

Horses, races, money, dreams... and a cold case.

Written and directed by Christian A. Derrick and co-produced by Michael Navarro, this gripping, sincere, and uncensored documentary is not only the story of young Mac Davis (Emmit Davis)—owner of the winning horse of the Kentucky Derby—who, as a teenager, tries to become part of something far bigger than himself, but also a film within a film.

Life is like a game of chess, a simple move can change everything.

I Wish I Could Stay is a slice of real life that begins as a comedy full of adventure and laughter but unexpectedly delves into an unsolved death case dating back to 2017.

Good decisions, bad decisions: we are essentially the sum of what we choose to gamble and risk. 

But as often happens in life, there are rapid rises and then falls: explosive beginnings and bone-breaking setbacks.

Lives that intertwine, deals that fail, mysteries that leave the viewer breathless.

With a dynamic editing and an absolutely perfect music, this documentary speaks of sacrifice,  desire to succeed,  hunger for success and how important it is to leave your comfort zone to discover life... for better or for worse.

Tiffany, the naive looking tailor, is back...in a prequel!

After “Sewing a Nightmare” Louise Mason come back in front and behind the camera to give us just a look into the life of the girl who will be haunted by an unknown voice on the phone.

During a normal afternoon made of exercise and silence, the atmosphere quickly turn into a prelude of a nightmare.

The phone starts ringing... and Tiffany seems increasingly scared by what she thought was just a telephone error.

From quiet to tension in just 3 minutes!

Maybe it's true that sometimes it's better not to answer the phone...

“I believe that having the Earth and not ruining it is the most beautiful form of art you could wish for” said Andy Warhol.

And in a world that is unfortunately still very prolific in terms of non-recyclable materials, trying to live in a sustainable way is undoubtedly a form of art but also a necessary transgression.

Directed by Mia Moraes, Primal Alchemy: Cooking What Nature Provides, Episode 3: Cabrillo is a short documentary that shows us a fascinating and admirable reality where there is no waste, where "go green"  is normality, and where the respect for the land and its fruits is an unbreakable rule.

In view of  a big and totally sustainable event, Chef Paul Buchanan - co-owner of Primal Alchemy Catering - takes us with him to the farmers' market where we really understand  that  "Where the farmers start, the cooks finish". 

Step by step we discover how choosing the right ingredients is essential for  a menu that has to be healthy but at the same time capable of aesthetically surprising the customer.

We thus discover a working environment where serenity and joy are added to the ingredients that make a valid and close-knit team, and where satisfaction and eco-sustainability walk hand in hand.

An extremely educational, genuine and passionate documentary that gives the pleasant illusion to  smell and taste what the sellers grow.

We can breathe love,  attention to detail... and grace. 

One thing is certain: only those who have lost a loved one can understand what it feels like.

That desperation mixed with nostalgia and shock; that excruciating sense of disbelief in thinking that it will never be possible again to see a face, or touch a hand or hear a voice. 

The thought is always there, day after day, hour after hour.

The loss never goes away, it becomes part of us...like  one more piece of the puzzle that makes up our life.

Embers, music video directed by Wesley Crutcher and Javon Everett, is based precisely on this impossibility of accepting the death  of a loved one.

Powerfully performed by  Everett - american rapper, songwriter  and actor  artistically known as Visionz2turnt - the images are a scream of rage and love.

Pain and hope walk on the same path in this song - produced by Mariduhkid - so capable of remain imprinted from the first listen.

Written by Javon Everett and Tionnedre Tribble, Embers hits straight to the heart, proving that rap remains one of the most moving genres when it comes to feelings.

“No provincial city in the United Kingdom, perhaps, is the subject of so general an interest, as the city of Manchester. Its fame has penetrated wherever the elevating influences of civilization have found their way, and the products of its industry, and the impress of its power, may be seen in every corner of the inhabited globe” wrote George Bradshaw.

It is no coincidence that Vivian Tsang, director and producer of The New Immigrants- Hong Kongers,  decided not only to move to Manchester but also to make a film about the impact that the city has on people like her who have left Hong Kong to retire  in this peaceful and fascinating British town.

The documentary shows us with familiar and accommodating shots the life of these immigrants struggling in the new city, but above all with its  rhythm  definitely different from the tireless and crowded Hong Kong.

Times are slower, life flows calmly, the food is healthier, the museums, the small shops, the kindness of the people in welcoming “foreigners” and making them part of their core. And we discover all this with naturalness and sensitivity, as if we were part of them.

A good  film about integration and the courage to change.

Welcome to Succes...but at what price?

There's really  everything in Mecca, gripping screenplay, written by the talented Monte Albers de Leon.

In a New York just hit by the terrorist attack to the World Trade Center, Robert arrives in the big apple full of dreams and hopes.

An assignment in an important company headed by the powerful Max Villroy seems to be his turning point, the beginning of his new life with his equally naive partner... but hostility, anger and racism reign in the streets of the city and even in the offices.

Tension and patriotism hover in the air making it suffocating.

New York: the amazing city that never sleeps...so magic yet so capable of destroying you in a winkle of an eye .

Gotta be tough, and Robert wants to succeed: he is ambitious, he doesn't want to give in and he is also willing to be treated like the errand boy ready to do anything to get ahead; so when Villroy asks him to take care of a personal affair for him, the young man obeys.

After all, it’s about delivering an envelope and taking one in return for his boss.

What could possibly happen?

But that envelope will be the beginning of a modern nightmare.

What was supposed to be an habitual dose of cocaine will instead turn out to be a lethal dose of ketamine that will lead Villeroy to a tragic fall from a balcony and die in front of the terrified and incredulous eyes of the young man.

Shock, fear and panic are sky-high and  what could obviously be the end for Robert turns into an incredible and inexplicable rise to power.

He just has to keep his mouth shut and everything will be fine: a new office, a new salary, new classy clothes and a new lifestyle made of  excess, dodgy company and "special" breakfasts.

Drugs, delinquency, intrigue, deceit and lies in a fast-paced script that takes us from the heights of power to the deepest depths of the high finance conspiracy.

The writing of Monte Albers de Leon is compelling, flowing, well detailed; the characters well described and easy to imagine on the big screen.

A story that takes us back in time - 2001 -  a time that shocked the entire world.

This is the glittering New York, kid… but watch your step and Keep your eyes open.

Please welcome inside the complexity of human mind!

Written and directed by Nini Caroline Skarpaas Myhrvold and Espen Jan Folmo, LOOK UP—The Science of Cultural Evolution is an engaging and stimulating immersion in discovering the links between science and cultural wisdom.

Who are we? What do we think? What leads us to be who we are and how can we best face our life?

A mix of social, spiritual and scientific themes allows us to fully understand how human evolution has changed over time and how modern technologies positively and negatively affect every human being.

In fact, we can easily understand what we see on the surface but it is very difficult to understand what we contain inside us.

Narrated with clarity by a female voice  - also thanks to the great expertise in psychology of both directors - the film allows an interesting look focused on therapy and how this can be an extremely important means in discovering ourselves and managing our feelings; psychotherapy, meticulously described in every aspect, is seen as the key to solving adversities, anxieties typical of modern times, and traumas from the past which often have repercussions on the present and future.

Thanks to an extremely exhaustive montage made of real and animated images and graphics, the documentary offers a long lesson  easily understandable (and suitable)  for a young audience too. 

An exciting topic curated and directed with wisdom and passion.

When a puppy loves a woman…

Dark atmospheres mix with the most chilling horror style in this gripping short screenplay written by John Norris Ray, writer & producer from Los Angeles.

Young Sidney, called to be a dog sitter for Mrs. Barker's old dog, is annoyed on the street by two suburban bullies who scare and threaten her.

Once she arrives at her destination, Mrs. Barker explains to her that her task is very simple: take Fido for its usual afternoon walk... 

Everything seems easy but the fear of meeting the two thugs again makes the girl tremble.

No panic, there's a dog!

But how could a dog  like Fido ever defend her in case of danger?

Old, overweight and addicted to long naps...it's definetely not a companion  capable of inspires terror... apparently...

A beautifully written script that keeps the reader poised between curiosity and suspense!

“Sometimes when you're scared to take a look

at the corner of the room

You've sensed that something's watching you....”

These verses of a famous song by Iron Maiden definitely resume the atmosphere of Sewing a Nightmare, a film directed by Louise Mason that puts the viewer in front of a noir thriller where a young tailor suffers the cumbersome presence of an entity that begins to persecute her day and night. 

Moving blankets, strange phone calls, the feeling of being watched or followed.

Tension is constant, as much as anxiety and apprehension.

Editing and sound work perfectly well and increase the suspense that hovers in every internal or external scene. Louise Mason, also  protagonist of the film, demonstrates a naturalness and naivety that undoubtedly amplify the sense of mystery and terror that make the film a pleasant surprise.

The ways of the Lord can be extremely surprising...

Our Ladies, written, directed and produced by Valdemir Milani, is a delightful comedy that with grace and simplicity demonstrates how friendship and love are the real  cure for a lost soul who cannot escape the dark place into which it has fallen.

Amelia (Rosamaria Murtinho) and Odete (Regina Vogue), worried about the bad depression that afflicts their sister Cida (Aracy Pedrozo), decide to take her on a mystical journey.

Hope and faith accompanies them but in the car there is also Fael (Diego Avelleda), a young man with an angelic and reliable appearance who acts as their driver and helper.

Carefree and entertaining, Milani's direction offers us a return to life, to youth, to joy and pleasure. A film that leaves you with a smile on your face and with a beautiful melody in your ears thanks to the music of Rolf Lovland, performed by the band Secret Garden

Maybe it's really true that angels are among us... you just need to call them!

“Young hearts, run free…” like the pages of this beautiful script written by Gary Mazeffa.

Asherah’s colors is a carefree love story between Raphael, a young and naive French exchange student, and the beautiful and charismatic Asherah, a spanish American girl.

Together with them we breathe the joy of the first date, the shyness of the first glances, the words spoken with fear, the restrained desire to touch each other, to kiss each other...but above all the desire to amaze and make happy the person we are with.

The entire script revolves around Asherah's love for impressionist art and Raphael who, in order to make her happy, takes her to meet his grandfather Gene Duaiv: a French American impressionist artist and her wife Magella, a former ballet dancer.

The artist's atelier will be the stage of  a memorable dinner where The two couples  begin to know a little more about  each other; from this moment on  love and art become the same thing. 

The colors mix with emotions, the drawings come to life, romanticism becomes a fundamental part of the paintings around them.

"It’s all about capturing a special moment in time. If successful... time stops, and the memory lives forever” as the famous painter explains to the guys.

A bittersweet screenplay well written and very well described, where reality and dreams meet and hold each others hands.

Nothing has made us more united and tragically separated than Covid-19.

The dramatic pandemic that hit the world in 2020 has powerfully succeeded in increasing our tangible loneliness and our desperate need for physical contact.

Not without gloves written, directed and produced by the visual artist and filmmaker  Lena Mattsson is a delicate experimental short film that makes us reflect on one of the most excruciating experiences of the 21st century.

Being close but remaining at a distance, touching each other only if strictly necessary and only wearing gloves.

Gloves: an obligatory appendage for us poor humans at the mercy of fear, discouragement and impotence in front an exterminating virus.

Distant landscapes, crystallized sunsets, time that flows despite everything seems to have stopped. The beating heart of the nature is still in power.

 Lena Mattsson gives us the chance to watch  a poem, and the freedom  to be open to  any kind of interpretation

“I am sailing, I am sailing

Home again, 'cross the sea

I am sailing stormy waters

To be near you, to be free..”

Do you remember this song?  While watching Norway it echoed in my head the entire time.

This short documentary directed by Erik Jacobsen takes us to the icy northern waters along one of the most fascinating coastlines in the world.

Thanks to a funicular we admire Bergen from above: known as 'the city of Seven Mountains' and famous for its colorful wooden houses and historic wharf that sits on the harbor overlooking the scenic Byfjorden.

It is right from here that we get on board the legendary Hurtigruten line and prepare our eyes  and our heart to admire the warm villages's  colors compared to the cold northern light.   

We set sail towards pristine wonders, snow covered peaks and lush silent landscapes where only the noise of nature and the currents swirling beneath the visible surface can be heard.

Jacobsen's voice accompanies us along the entire cruise as a good friend with whom we are exploring thIs breathtaking wonder.

With him we playfully invoke the God Neptune, we breathe the salty smell of the air and of  Norwegian seafood; we freeze  with him and his lovely wife while they enjoy a drink at the famous Artico Ice Bar and we admire enchanted the ancient Viking  customs, their food, their music.

It's a passionate journey.  A fascinating return to the ancient origins.

Thank you for this incredible adventure, Mr. Jacobsen!

What do we have inside? 

What are we made of?  

What sound do we contain within ourselves in a certain phase of our life?

Stages is a short film  written, produced and directed byCamille DeBiase that  manifest a poignant and variegated symphony about  being's seasons and the periods that unfold over the course of an existence.

Change as the fulcrum of all our incredible human mechanism.

The light after the tunnel that radiates birth, being made of water and like water seeking which path to flow, the age of innocence, our powerful blooming time; being incandescent like fire,  the phase of impetuosity, the reasonableness phase, then the  wisdom, the calm,  the fragility that takes us away with a gust of wind and finally the death, the conclusion of the journey or perhaps the beginning of a new cycle… who knows.

Through colors, elements and music the director poetically directs a mysterious tangle of moments that make up  our mazy story:  a journey called life.

This is not only the story of a dream but also the exciting journey that traces an incredible adventure to discover one of the most fascinating places in the world.

The Patagonia Triple Crown directed by Nomade Media is an extreme and adrenaline-filled experience that takes us to discover  three impetuous and unknown rivers: The Pascua River, Bravo and Baker.

Lorenzo Andrade - writer and producer of the film - Evan Garcia, Martin Specht, Eric Parker, Jared Seiler, Todd Wells, Kyle Hull & Diego Astorga are the daredevil protagonists of this thrilling  mission to conquer the most restless waters on the planet.

The beauty of this documentary lies mainly in the fact that the viewer - thanks to spectacular shots - feels as an integral part of the splendid team of kayakers who, full of courage and passion, set off on this mission, which is, to say the least, arduous and risky.

Aboard a jeep we travel the dirt roads, we prepare the food necessary for the expedition, we laugh at accidents along the way and we are moved and amazed by the immense beauty that lies before our eyes.

High waters, wild currents, breathtakingly steep :the constant danger is as strong as the desire to succeed in the undertaking. 

This is a spectacular  challenge between the man and  the imposing power of nature in all its splendor, in all its majestic and roaring bestiality. 

A compelling and dynamic documentary, where you can breathe friendship, and which with great humanity also manages to highlight a dramatic aspect of Chile: the privatization of water - which came into force with the famous 'Codigo de Agua' approved by  Augusto Pinochet in 1981 - which still dramatically afflicts an entire population.

In 2022, Roe vs Wade was overturned, de facto abolishing the national right to abortion in the United States. Ever since the political climate surrounding women's reproductive rights has been extremely tense. So much so, that in hospitals all over the country, doctors are scared to save women’s lives because deem it “too risky in this heated political environment to intervene”.

More recently, an abortion case in Idaho questioned the future of the government’s ability to invoke the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (Emtala) to protect women seeking emergency abortions.

So it doesn’t come as a surprise that recently, scripts revolving around reproductive healthcare — such as Proud Girls — started to appear.

Leslie Flannery writes a poignant 100-page satirical story about the world turning upside down. Everything starts with the attacks on the Capitol by Trump’s “Proud Boys”. The attack, which cost hundreds of people — including Proud Boys former chairman  — several years of prison, is only used by Flannery as a pretext to rewrite the future of the country.

After the attack stroke, with a sort of triple flip, women take over the country and start avenging all the harm and damage they ever suffered. In a 100-year time jump, the new president (Mother of The United States) started ruling left and right, denying men all their basic needs and rights.

In this world, men are different shades of blue, women and young girls objectify and vilify boys and men, while everyone’s main goal is to preserve reproduction at all costs.

Because of all the graphic elements, it’s a bit hard to imagine the scenes by only reading the script. The writing is at times a bit too fast and the time and space jumps don’t help to fluidly understand the subplots; Kendoll, a teenage boy who lost his mother and gets adopted by Mother, and Mother’s relationship with her lover Fabio.

Everything gets a bit confusing towards the middle of the script, yet the language, the dialogues, and the overall setting are all extremely funny. It would be a delight to see this script produced into a film, as it calls for many possible creative decisions.

Will this script open the eyes of all the Trump supporters and all the people against women's health rights? Who knows. One thing is for sure, a future like this sure makes our skin crawl.

Dance, universal language as much as love, is the protagonist of this film.

TutuTango is the engaging story of the encounter  between two different bodies, two different worlds, two different dances... divided into four acts.

Four acts that in just 7 minutes manage to excite and immerse the spectator in the romantic collaboration/relationship between a ballet  dancer (Nicole Assad) and a tango dancer (Fede Terra). Lightness on one side, and fury on the other.

I see you, the moment when everything happens, the meeting.

I prepare for you... the waiting, the desire, the longing, the needing to become perfect for each other.

I feel you... grace and passion finally meet, touching each other, breathing  each other.

I miss you... the inevitable separation, the farewell or perhaps just a goodbye before a future new performance.

A Pas de deux  between two souls in movement where differences and emotions mark time even more than music.

Static black and white photographs that magically come to life, giving shape and meaning to the uncertainty and frenzy of falling in love and the magic that can arise between two people.

What really makes this beautiful short film emotional  is the fact  that Dorothee Elfring and Michael Finbar Sheehan have never met in person. They simply put together their talent and their visions to bring this film to life, and the dancers as well have never seen or touched each other...incredible and romantic proof that art creates contact even where contact does not exist.