Episodes

To “celebrate” the release of Clint Eastwood’s latest film Cry Macho and maybe his final swan song, Hugo & Tom get together to discuss their very different relationships to this Hollywood ‘icon’. On the surface this may appear to be a review of one man’s career in film, but perhaps it reveals something about our own attitude to cinema. Is this the Clint Eastwood spin-off show Hugo has always wanted…?

In conjunction with the upcoming Camera Japan Festival at LAB111, a celebration of upcoming and contemporary Japanese films, we explore our own personal relationship to what Japanese cinema offers. The wealth of Japanese films are too rich to ever justly cover in a single episode, so instead we are joined by programmer and researcher of Japanese cinema Julian Ross, to explore an overlooked genre of Japanese film – Expanded Cinema, a radical form that subverts our understanding of what cinema can be and the audience’s relationship to the screen.

It’s the big bang of both our 10th episode and the origins of the summer blockbuster, although this episode is not quite like the high-end production of your usual summer hits!

Before our Celebrating Cinema podcast takes a summer hiatus, we had the chance to check in with our film critic @hemmerzael for a special episode on @cannes_filmfestival! Hugo, part of a jury in Cannes and chatting to us from the French Riviera, joins LAB111 programmer @tomwaist, who wrestles with his fomo, as Hugo considers this the greatest edition of the renowned festival. With his love for lists Tom runs us through his own picks and potential inspirations for future programs at LAB111, mixed with Hugo’s anecdotes of socialising with Adèle Haenel.

A director is much like a chef, and it is no surprise that directors often use cooking analogies when describing their own process. However, what is perhaps unclear is how a tomato actually symbolises the very essence of cinema, and why eating a blood sausage or a strawberry risotto could correlate to watching a Quentin Tarantino or Sofia Coppola film. Joining us in this celebration of food and cinema is film critic Joost Broeren-Huitenga, who together with his wife, Nienke Huitenga, also explores this unique relationship on their website Een Bord Vol Cinema. Tell us your own stories of food and cinema at celebratingcinema@lab111.nl, if you have any questions or topics you can also write to us.

We are back in business! Cinemas have finally reopened and we are here to celebrate. 4 proclaimed cinephiles and yet only one of us has enjoyed the grand reopening. We have our first casualty already…

Eroticism should be found in balance! Now isn’t it about time that women in cinema got to look back, shifting the gaze back on to the male, or at least express what it is like to be looked at through the male gaze that has dominated cinema. Basje Boer, film critic and author, joins us in celebrating female desire in cinema and exploring the complex gender dynamics within cinema and the effect it has on us as an audience. Our film club choice The Beguiled (Sofia Coppola, 2017) kickstarts our discussion, a hot take on what happens when you equalise desire. As always, if you have any questions you would like us to discuss or stories about cinema you would like to share then please email us at celebratingcinema@lab111.nl

Western cinema has mostly defined our movie crushes to be predominantly white, often leaving non-white characters to be reduced to caricatures, particularly East-Asian characters. To celebrate the 4K restoration release of some Wong Kar-Wai classics, we are joined by author, filmmaker and activist Pete Wu to dissect the representation of East-Asian characters in Western cinema and how WKW directly opposes such limited portrayals. We even have an exclusive from Wong Kar-Wai himself who adds his own voice to this insightful discussion. As always, if you have any questions you would like us to discuss or stories about cinema you would like to share then please email us at celebratingcinema@lab111.nl

The month of May is always a period of remembrance, commemorating all those who lost their lives during the Second World War both as victims of genocide and those fighting for their freedom. With screenwriter, director, and fellow list-lover Kim Kokosky Deforchaux, we take a look at how different countries through cinema and film deal with trauma and this particular period of history.

What should be a light-hearted reflection on the films of nightmares & nostalgia, which helped form our presenters and their viewing habits, quickly reveals itself to be a psychoanalysis of the 3 different approaches to parenting and movie-watching. If that is not enough drama for you, Tom returns with even more lists, reflecting on the best and worse rehashing in cinema as well as considering what the future may entail. If you have more questions you’d like us to discuss, or stories worth sharing then send us an email.