Face 2 Face With David Peck

Michael, Sean and Face2Face host David Peck talk about their new film Five Fingers for Marseille, land rights, Apartheid, heroes and colonization, nationalism, pride and race relations and Spaghetti Westerns. Biography Michael Matthews Directing technically complex productions under pressure, has earned Michael a reputation for executing ambitious projects. Michael has a strong focus on emotive, visual storytelling. His work has been nominated and won awards both locally and internationally. Michael co-founded Be Phat Motel Film Company in 2007 with the aim to develop and produce progressive cinema, and has seen a number of projects into international development. In this period Michael has also made award-winning commercials, short films and music videos, working with worldwide brands and artists. Michael’s half hour film, Sweetheart (2011), screened at festivals in South Africa, Poland, Russia, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Austria, Greece, Singapore, Costa Rica and the USA. Sweetheart’s international in

Robert Schwentke, Frederick Lau, Max Hubacher and Face2Face host David Peck talk about their new film The Captain, WW II, misplaced power, violence from a perpetrators perspective, the banality of evil and why this is a story about uniforms. Biography Robert Schwentke was born 1968 in Germany. He studied Literature and Philosophy at the Eberhard Karl University in Tuebingen and later earned an MFA in directing from the American Film Institute. Synopsis In the last, desperate moments of World War II, a young German soldier fighting for survival finds a Nazi captain’s uniform. Impersonating an officer, the man quickly takes on the monstrous identity of the perpetrators he is trying to escape from. ---------- For more information about David Peck's podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit his site here or check out the site of his podcast on film, social change and much more. With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound. Image Copyright: Robert Schwentke and Opus Films. Used with perm

  Stephen McCallum and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film 1%, violence, loyalty and the bonds of friendship, a sense of belonging, finding our way home and why people need story. Biography Stephen graduated from AFTRS in 2011 where he won the Foxtel Exceptional Talent award and the AFTRS EU scholarship. Since graduating Stephen has directed multiple award winning short films and commercials including his marriage equality advert for GetUp - It’s Time which was voted AdNews Viral of the year and has had over 16,000,000 hits on youtube. In 2013 Stephen was the recipient of Screen Australia's director's attachment scheme for Tony Ayres' Matchbox feature film. In 2014 he was Glendyn Ivin's Director’s Assistant on Channel 9’s “Gallipoli” where he directed 2nd Unit. In 2016 Stephen was awarded the West Coast Visions fund to direct his first feature film 1%. Stephen has garnered a reputation for creating bold, character driven films set within visceral story worlds. He currently has multiple long form

Govinda Van Maele, Frederick Lau and Face2Face host David Peck talk about their new film Gutland, irony, cynicism, childhood dreams, fairytales for adults, and why evil doesn’t think its evil. Biography Govinda Van Maele, born 1983 in Luxembourg to Belgian-Sri Lankan parents, started making films as a teenager. After high school he took on an apprenticeship of sorts in producer-director Pol Cruchten’s company Red Lion, working as an asstistant director, casting assistant and stills photographer among other positions. His short films JOSH (2007), A DAY IN THE OPEN (2012) and YOU GO AHEAD (2013) travelled extensively on festivals and won several awards. He worked on documentaries as director (WE MIGHT AS WELL FAIL, 2011) and director of photography (MUEZZIN, 2010) and is a member of Kollektiv13, producing documentary shorts for RTL in Luxembourg. In 2014 he founded the production company LES FILMS FAUVES with producer Gilles Chanial and director Jean-Louis Schuller. In his spare time he curates exploitation cin

Jonas and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film Valley of Shadows, Freud, fairy-tales, fantasy and fatalism, dream life, cognitive dissonance and why good questions are so much more important than answers. Biography Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen was born in Bjørkelangen, Norway, and he studied directing at the Polish National Film School in Lodz. He is the director of the shorts Darek and Everything Will Be OK.  Valley of the Shadows is his debut feature film. Synopsis Between the sea and the mountains in a small village in Norway, Aslak (6) lives with his mother Astrid. A tragic event occurs that Aslak can’t quite understand and Astrid struggles to handle. Aslak’s friend shows him a macabre scene; three half-eaten sheep killed in the forest on a full moon night. In a quest for answers, Aslak ventures into the menacing forest behind his house. Is what happens on his journey merely a boy’s imagination or is it reality? Valley of Shadows is a film in the tradition of Scandinavian Gothic fable. Trailer --

Urszula Antoniak and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her gorgeous new film Beyond Words, Identity, voice, racism and otherness, immigration and empathy and how a film is rarely about the plot. Biography Urszula Antoniak studied Film Production at the Polish Film Academy and Film Directing at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy. Her feature film NOTHING PERSONAL  won six awards in Locarno, including the Silver Leopard for Best Debut Film and the FIPRESCI Prize. Antoniak’s second feature, CODE BLUE, was selected for Cannes’ Quinzaine des Realisateurs. CODE BLUE won two Golden Calves, and the lead actress, Bien de Moor, won several international prizes for her role. NUDE AREA, Antoniak’s third feature, was nominated for the Golden Frog at Camerimage. The children's film LIFE ACCORDING TO NINO (2014), which was written by Antoniak, won the prize for Best Children's Film at the Cinekid Film Festival in 2014 and at BUFF in Sweden in 2015. BEYOND WORDS is Antoniak’s fourth feature film. Antoniak has rec

Iram Haq and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her stunning new film What Will People Say, gender, oppression, moralism, family, anger, fear and shame and why validating voice and identity are critical to a better future. Biography Iram Haq (b. 1976) is an actress, writer and director. She made and starred in her directorial debut, the short film Little Miss Eyeflap, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. Her feature film debut I Am Yours premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2013 and was selected as Norway’s official Oscar entry. The film has gone on to win a number of prizes at festivals around the world. Synopsis Sixteen-year-old Nisha lives a double life. At home with her family she is the perfect Pakistani daughter, but when out with her friends, she is a normal Norwegian teenager. When her father catches her in bed with her boyfriend, Nisha’s two worlds brutally collide. To set an example, Nisha’s parents decide to kidnap her and place her with relatives in Pakistan. Here

Boudewijn Koole and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film Disappearance, looking closer, the wonder and mystery of life, Mother and daughter relationships and death as an inspiration. Biography Boudewijn Koole won the Discovery Award of the European Film Academy in 2012. He started as a documentary filmmaker after his studies at the University of Delft. His first documentary series for television on children in the Northern Ireland conflict and children and death were nominated for the UNICEF award and an International Emmy. He recently began to write and direct fiction films. His first feature film, Kauwboy (Little Bird) was sold to over 20 countries and won more than 30 awards worldwide, amongst them the First Feature Award at the Berlinale. Kauwboy was the Dutch entry for the 2012 Oscars. In 2016 Beyond Sleep, premiered at the opening night of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. In September 2016 Koole has won a Golden Calf for Best Director at the Netherlands Film Festival in Utrecht. S

Kathleen Hepburn and Face2Face host David Peck talk about a Mother’s strength, life and the Canadian landscape, empathy, coming of age, Parkinson’s disease and death as a beautiful part if life. Biography Kathleen Hepburn is a Vancouver born writer and director who holds an MFA in Creative Writing, and a BFA in Film Production from the Universities of Guelph and Simon Fraser respectively, and is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre's Writer's Lab. Her debut feature, NEVER STEADY, NEVER STILL is a film that exposes the tenderness that exists within struggle, and our ineffable connection to the landscape around us. Her most recent short film of the same name was included in TIFF's Canada's Top Ten, and was awarded Leo's for Best Dramatic Short and Best Direction, and Most Promising Canadian Director at VIFF 2015. Synopsis The feature film debut of writer/director Kathleen Hepburn, NEVER STEADY, NEVER STILL is a tender and heart-breaking story of a physically disabled mother and discontent son ­ each alienated

Amr Salama and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film Sheikh Jackson, pop music, cinematic language, identity, Islam, father figures, inclusion, imagination, and. Michael Jackson. Biography Amr Salama is a prominent young Egyptian writer and director whose credits include the prize-winning AIDS drama Asmaa and the coming-of-age comedy Excuse My French, which swept the board at Egypt’s equivalent of the Oscars. Says Amr, I never felt as vulnerable making a film, it was half writing a memoir and half fictionalizing a universal story that can transcend above stereotyping and prejudice, a story about fear of death and loving life, identity, temptation and self love. Synopsis The sudden death of Michael Jackson sends a former King of Pop devotee — now a young imam — into a tailspin. But, what does an imam have in common with the King of Pop? More importantly, can he now go back to his normal life, or will his memories and relationships with his loved ones raise the most prominent question in his mind: i

Jenna Bass and Face2Face host David Peck talk about her new film High Fantasy, the body swap genre, political satire, apartheid, land rights in South Africa, responsibility and racism. Biography Jenna Bass is a South African writer, filmmaker and former magician. Her multi-award winning films - Zimbabwe-set short, The Tunnel, and entirely-improvised debut feature, Love The One You Love, have screened around the world, including Sundance, Berlinale, Göteborg , Busan and Durban International Film Festivals, where she has been heralded as ushering in a ‘New Wave’ of South African cinema. Her second feature film, body-swap satire, High Fantasy, shot entirely on the iPhone 7, will premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Her third feature, Flatland, a feminist Western set in South Africa’s Karoo region, is scheduled for production in mid-2018. Jenna is the editor and co-creator Jungle Jim, the illustrated pulpliterary magazine for African fiction, established in 2011. In 2012, under her pseudonym,

Brian O’Malley and Face2Face host David Peck talk about ghosts, fear, love, freedom, choice and responsibility, Gothic overtones in life, art, sculpture and psychological horror. Biography Before moving into Directing, Brian studied Sculpture in the DIT School of Fine Art. Whilst there his fascination with the exploration of three-dimensional space inevitably led to him picking up a video camera and creating his first experimental short films. Through these experiments, he discovered visual directors like Sergio Leone and Martin Scorsese, and his desire to be a highly visual commercial film director was born. His video work in college got the attention of his fellow students and before long he was making no-budget music videos for college bands. He considered abandoning art school in favour of film school, however, he felt compelled to complete his studies. After leaving college Brian worked internationally as a snow, ice and sand sculptor, taking part in many international competitions and creating sculpture

Emmanuel and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new award winning film Makala, charcoal, life experience, cosmic materialism and liberalism, capitalism and the beauty of hard work. Biography Emmanuel Gras is a French director whose films deal with contemporary social issues and are marked by a commitment to form. He studied film photography at ENS Louis Lumière. His film Bovines was nominated for the César for Best Documentary in 2013. His most recent film Makala won the Grand Prix at the Cannes film festival in 2017. Synopsis The film begins at dawn in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as 28-year-old Kabwita Kasongo heads out with axes slung over his shoulder. He arrives at a majestic tree and begins the arduous process of chopping it down, one axe blow at a time. This is merely the first of several daunting tasks we witness Kasongo undertake in the process of making wood charcoal and delivering it to the marketplace. The film patiently observes Kasongo as he works mostly alone and interacts with h

Matt and Face2Face host David Peck talk Living Proof, about the medical community, MS, science and alternative approaches to health, activism and patient funded research. Biography Matt Embry is one of the most prolific producer/directors in Canada. Embry has produced and directed non-fiction programs for CBC, Global, CTV, TELUS, HBO Canada, PBS, OMNI, Animal Planet, OLN and Telefilm. His documentary directing credits include Jann Arden: Free, Ian Tyson: Songs From the Gravel Road, Curveball: WP Kinsella and Hell or High Water: The Rebuilding of the Calgary Stampede. Matt co-directed the Hot Docs selection Theo Fleury: Playing With Fire (HBO Canada) and coproduced the Gemini-nominated feature In a World Created By a Drunken God. As president and founder of Spotlight Productions, Matt proudly oversees the production of lifestyle and cultural content for TELUS and various other clients. Matt holds a BA in Communications from the University of Calgary and an MFA in Film Production from Concordia University in Mo

Sam and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film premiering at TIFF race relations in America, courage and why Sammy Davis Junior was the greatest entertainer of the 20th century. Biography Sam Pollard is an accomplished feature film and television video editor, and documentary producer/director whose work spans almost 30 years. His first assignment as a documentary producer came in 1989 for Henry Hampton's Blackside production Eyes On The Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads. For one of his episodes in this series, he received an Emmy. Eight years later, he returned to Blackside as co-executive producer/producer of Hampton’s last documentary series, I'll Make Me A World: Stories of African-American Artists and Community. For the series, Pollard received a Peabody Award. Between 1990 and 2010, Pollard edited a number of Spike Lee’s films: Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Girl 6, Clockers and Bamboozled. Pollard and Lee also co-produced a number of documentary productions for the small and big sc

Wayne and Face2Face host David Peck talk about “glib patriotism”, community as the way to healing, how talent and bravery are connected, love and the importance of “powerful fiction”. Biography Wayne Wapeemukwa is a filmmaker of Métis and settler heritage from Vancouver, BC (Unceded Coast-Salish Territories). Luk’Luk’I is his debut feature film. His previous short works include Foreclosure (TIFF’13), Luk’Luk’I : Mother (TIFF’14), Balmoral Hotel (TIFF Top 10’15) and Srorrim (VIFF’16, Best Film – Dawson City Film Festival). He reads philosophy and psychoanalysis. Synopsis Nationalism gets a searing reality check in Wayne Wapeemukwa’s uncompromising debut feature Luk’Luk’I. Following the lives of five Vancouverites living on society’s fringes during the 2010 Olympics, this film takes us into uncharted territory, falling somewhere between a fiction we need to see and a documentary we wish didn’t have to exist. Trailer More about the film here. ---------- For more information about David Peck's podcasting, writing

Violeta and Face2Face host David Peck talk about Cocaine Prison, freedom, power and politics, the “War on Drugs” and indigenous history and truth. Biography Violeta Ayala is an award-winning indigenous filmmaker and writer born in Bolivia. Her credits include Cocaine Prison (2017) premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Fight (2017) distributed by The Guardian Shorts, winner of the Doc Dispatch Award at the Sheffield Doc Fest, The Bolivian Case (2015), premiered as a Special Presentation at Hot Docs, was nominated for Premios Platino and Fenix (the two most prestigious awards in Ibero-America) and was distributed by Ibermedia across Latin America to an audience of 625 million. Stolen (2009) which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, screened in 80 festivals worldwide has won 15 awards and aired on PBS. Violeta is currently working the feature version of The Fight and WAR, a documentary about black rights in Australia. She is also writing the screenplay El Comunista about her gr

Erika and Face2Face host David Peck talk about Shari’a law, gender justice, and life for women in the Middle East, education, power, politics and storytelling. Biography Erika Cohn has received numerous accolades for her work, including a Director’s Guild of America award for her film, When the Voices Fade, a narrative profile of the Lebanese-Israeli war of 2006. Erika co-directed/produced, In Football We Trust, an Emmy nominated, feature documentary about the unique faith and culture that ultimately drives young Pacific Islander men into the NFL, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS’ 2016 Independent Lens series. Most recently, Erika completed The Judge, a film about the first woman judge to be appointed to the Middle East’s Shari’a courts, which will premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and broadcast on PBS’ 2018 Independent Lens series. Her work has been supported by IFP, the Sundance Institute, Tribeca Institute, Hot Docs, Sheffield, ITVS, Women i

Peter Gajdics talks about "The Inheritance of Shame", dealing with trauma, surviving conversion therapy and how remembering helps in his recovery. Photo by Erich Saide Photographer Biography Peter Gajdics (pronounced “Guy-ditch”) was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, to immigrant parents from Europe. Gajdics knew from an early age that he was gay, but, for myriad reasons, that truth only seemed to cause him pain. In his early 20s, while struggling with an overwhelming sense of shame, Gajdics turned to a local psychiatrist for help. Within months he found himself embroiled in a bizarre sort of conversion therapy that attempted to “cure” him of his homosexuality. The Inheritance of Shame documents Gajdics’ six-year journey through, and eventually out of, this therapy; the legal battle with his former psychiatrist; his complicated family history; and his attempts to reclaim his life—and, most especially, his truth.  Peter is an award-winning writer whose essays, short memoir and poetry have appeared in, amon

Tanya and Face2Face host David Peck talk about mutual trust, Smart Risks, peace-building, mattresses, innovation and a grassroots manifesto for change. Biography Tanya Cothran is Executive Administrator at Spirit in Action International, a granting organization that supports community organizations and individuals in Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda. She started working for Spirit in Action in 2007. In 2009, she completed her Masters in Library and Information Science at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She grew up in California and moved to Toronto, ON in 2012. More about the book here. ---------- For more information about David Peck's podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit his site here or check out the site of his podcast on film, social change and much more. With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound. Image Copyright: Tonya Cothran. Used with permission.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.