Bong Joon-ho on PARASITE
Bong Joon-ho’s films defy all conventional cinematic classification: Throughout the complex narratives of films like MOTHER, THE HOST, and SNOWPIERCER, Bong takes his audience on a journey that encompasses every possible human emotion within a hundred or so minutes. But Bong’s latest film, the Palme d’Or-winning PARASITE, might be his most accessible, acclaimed work yet.
Noemie Merlant + Celine Sciamma on PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
My favorite movie-going experience in 2019 may have been seeing Céline Sciamma’s exquisite PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE at the 105-year old Prytania Theatre in New Orleans as a part of the New Orleans Film Festival. Being in an ancient theater only added to my immersion in the film’s sumptuous, sensual world, created by Sciamma and her incredible lead actresses, Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel. I spoke to Merlant and Sciamma about how they built a welcoming atmosphere on set, the power of the female gaze in narrative, secrets in cinema, and much more.
Martin McDonagh on THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
Filmmaker and playwright Martin McDonagh brings THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI — a searing study 2017 America starring Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell — to cinemas today. THREE BILLBOARDS (which took home the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Best Screenplay award at Venice) follows McDonagh’s Oscar-winning short SIX SHOOTER, the Oscar-nominated IN BRUGES, and SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS. We joined McDonagh and other journalists for a roundtable discussion of THREE BILLBOARDS, his collaborative process, Frances McDormand’s power, and what he’s up to next.