Episode 39 - Marion Schmidt - “Freedom”
Photo Credit: Dox Box
[Image Description: B&W photo. Marion is a white woman with curly shoulder-length hair. She is pictured from the chest up. She wears a necklace and a top with spaghetti straps. She smiles.]
In this episode, I speak with doc industry professional, Marion Schmidt. During our conversation, we chat about how she got into docs, her time in Egpyt during the Arab Spring, and her founding of Dox Box and the initiative, the International Documentary Convention. We also chat about the organization she co-founded with past guest Brigid O’Shea, the Documentary Association of Europe. Because the Documentary Association of Europe is about opening doors and breaking chains, this epsode’’s song is Freedom by Andreya Triana, Our conversation was recorded in January 2022.
Episode 35 - Laura van Halsema - “Chelas City”
Photo Credit: Caroline Westdijk
[Image Description: Laura, a white woman with short blond hair, is pictured from the torso up. She wears a dark-colored button-down shirt and hoop earrings. She has a slight smile on her face.]
In this episode, we continue our celebration of the 2021 edition of IDFA as I chat with the Senior Programmer of the festival, Laura van Halsema. We talk about how she got into docs, her nearly 20 years with IDFA, and take a deep dive into the unConscious Bias Focus program at the festival this year. The song for this episode is from the film Chelas Nha Kha which is part of the unConscious Bias strand and is entitled “Chelas City,” music by Bataclan 1950 and lyrics by Baguera, Islu, and Gohu. The film is a collaboration between Bagabaga Studios and Batalan 1950 is about the people and kids growing up in Chelas which is a neighborhood in Lisbon. During our conversation, we spoke about the anthropologist Clifford Geertz’s concept of the “webs of influence.” Laura thought of this film and about the filmmakers who live in that area as they learn to define for themselves their own realities. The first love of Bataclan 1950 is making music which is prominently featured in the film. Here is our conversation which was recorded in November 2021.
Episode 32 - Mirjam Wiekenkamp - “Abusey Junction”
Photo Credit: Delphine Millet
[Image Description: Mirjam, a white woman with shoulder-length red hair, sits inside in front of a dark background with white marks. Her head is turned slightly to the side and she wears a white buttoned-up top with a collar.]
In this episode, I speak with the publicist and one of the founders of NOISE Film PR, Mirjam Wiekenkamp. During our conversation, we get into her publicist origin story, some of the differences between PR firms in the US and Europe, the unique ways a publicist can position documentary films in the European documentary festival landscape, and how publicist and impact producers can often build upon and support one another’s work on behalf of a filmmaker. Mirjam and NOISE Film PR are representing several films at DOKLeipzig and IDFA that are part of the Steps’ Generation Africa program. To celebrate these young filmmakers from the Continent, this week’s song is Kokoroko’s “Abusey Junction.” KOKOROKO (meaning 'be strong' in Urhobo), are a collective of young musicians brought together by a love for Afrobeat led by trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey. They specialize in a soul-shaking, horn fuelled sound with West African roots and inner London hues. “Abusey Junction” is a ballad written by guitarist Oscar Jerome. It was written on the roof of a compound in Gambia where the band spent time last year immersing themselves in the soundscapes of the region.
Episode 11 - Brigid O’Shea - “Down Under”
Photo Credit: Susan Jennichen
[Image Description: Brigid, a white woman with long brown hair swept to one side, is pictured from the torso up. She wears a white t-shirt and black coat. She smiles at the camera. The dark colored brick background is slightly out of focus.]
In this episode, I speak with the Head of Dok Industry Programme at Dok Leipzig and founder of the Documentary Association of Europe (DEA), Brigid O’Shea about what brought the Australian transplant to Germany and the upcoming festival, the oldest documentary festival in the world. Because she is an Aussie, this week’s song is Men at Work’s “Down Under.”