The Foreign Film Academy

14 - Ran: The Art of Chaos

A story of greed, a lust for power, and ultimate revenge. On this weeks episode, Brittany and Sydney take a look at Akira Kurosawa's 1985 "Ran". Kurosawa’s films represent a unique combination of elements of Japanese art – in the subtlety of their feeling, philosophy, and the brilliance of their visual composition – with a distinctly western feeling for action and drama. This epic film had us most curious by the facts that came along with the filmmaking process. Listen along to hear how Kurosawa and his team managed to pull it off.

13 - Wolfwalkers: 2D Animation in a 3D World

This week Britt & Syd watch the Irish animation film Wolfwalkers directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. The film style in the trailer is what captivated them, and it did not disappoint. Despite being finished in quarantine, Wolfwalkers is fully realized with powerful women characters and beautiful lore. It's definitely recommended for a feel good movie night.

12 - The Day Will Come: The Brothers Journey

On this episode, Brittany and Sydney take a look at an intense historical film from Denmark. Directed by Jesper W. Nielson, 'The Day Will Come' otherwise known as 'Der Kommer En Dag', takes a look at two brothers journey through a state wide orphanage when their mother falls sick. At the Gudbjerg Home for Boys violence and humiliations plays a part of the everyday life. Based on real stories from Godhavn, where lots of boys were victims and sexual abuse and medical neglect. This film was dark and sad, but brought upon many real conversations around the subject of survival and power.

11 - Agence: AI and Dynamic Filmmaking (feat. Pietro Gagliano)

On this special episode Britt & Syd talk to Filmmaker / Creator Pietro Gagliano about his dynamic film Agence. This project uses filmmaking authorship, audience interaction, and machine intelligence to create a piece that is never the same twice. This episode is especially exciting as it's close to home... Not only is this a Canadian project but Pietro grew up in the same city as Sydney! Listen in as we discuss production process, AI, the National Film Board of Canada, mistakes, and more in this episode.

10 - Ne Zha: Overcoming Prejudice

This week Britt & Syd watch Ne Zha, a Chinese animation film that was a blockbuster hit. For decades Japanese and American animation has dominated the Chinese animation market, making it difficult to get the industry to be lucrative. Hopefully the success of Ne Zha will launch forward a desire to see more from this genre because we absolutely loved this film!