DPA GIFT SUITE – EMMYS 2022
Photos by: Clair Painchaud.
It’s a clear Sunday morning at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard hotel, just one day before the legendary Emmys celebration. Everyone is on the deck to set up the Emmys 2022 DPA Gift suite. Nathalie Dubois with a firm smile is leading her crew to set up all the booths with various brands to be offered to the many guests, actors, writers, producers, directors who will grace her kingdom of goodies.
We are lucky to be ...
LEGOLAND – SUMMER 2022
BUILD YOUR SUMMER HAPPINESS…ONE BRICK AT A TIME
By Emmanuel Itier and Roxanna Bina
If there is one necessary stop for the summer in order to build yourself a little more happiness, it is the land of the bricks as known as Legoland California . Make sure you block one, or ideally two days, with a complete park hopping ticket in order to partake the many rides and activities at the theme park, the water park and the not so well know aq...
THIS SUMMER: BECOME THE MOVIES!!!!
You started the summer by enjoying the Universal blockbusters, ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ and ‘Minions: Rise of Gru’, now is your time to become the movies you loved to watch and to indulge into the ultimate live action film experience: Universal Studios Hollywood (https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/web/en/us ).
Fasten your seat belts and let’s jump into this summer promised land!
The first impression while pa...
With: director Mustafa Ozgun, producer/writer/actress Laura Weissbecker, actor Brandon Sutton (“Jimmy”), composers Marco Velerio Antonini and Elena Maro
The covid pandemic has been the center subject and concern of so many movies that one could wonder why we would need one more exploration of this nightmare we are still part of. Well, this is assuming you have not seen, just yet, the romantic and eye tearing picture from Mustafa Ozgun and also pro...
SPRING: SEEING HONG KONG AGAIN
A review by Emmanuel ITIER
In this short documentary of 27 minutes, French filmmaker Benoît Lelievre (“Le miroir d’Alice”, “À ton image”) awakens, in the moment of "spring", the notion of community and warmth in a covid-hit huge city like Hong Kong. Sit down, remain calm, open your senses, and let the spectacle unfold.
Through some aerial cinematography and a poetic approach we encounter several char...
Acid Test Interview with director: Jennifer Waldo byEmmanuel Itier
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12385296
One may have heard about “riot Grrrl” music and one may have heard about director Jennifer Waldo who had done a short, “Acid Test”, in 2017, about a young girl coming from a concert and confessing to her parent about tripping on acid. This new film is the feature version of Waldo take about this coming-of-age teenage rebellion and it is based on a true story. Beyon...
ECHOES OF THE EMPIRE: BEYOND GENGHIS KAHN.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11832792
Interview with Director Robert H.Lieberman by Emmanuel Itier
Genghis Khan is a mythical and an iconic historical figure that is both controversial and fascinating. Director and writer, Rober H.Lieberman is rising to the surface a new vision about the impact and the “legacy” from this man who changed his people, his empire and the World at large. This is a must see documentary to better underst...
SURVIVING THE CARTEL
With the showrunner: Ely Bams
By Emmanuel Itier
Q: Where did this show come from, what were your intentions with it?
Ely: I have been working on this show for the past seven years. I wrote the first draft in 2015. I had a short film that helped me push my career forward with something else. I tried to sell that show, but they told me I couldn’t sell it without a big show runner. And, of course, all the big show runners are always busy on the...
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
Interview with director: Raoul Martinez.
By Emmanuel Itier for filmfestivals.com
Q: What was the inspiration behind this doc series, what were your intentions?
Raoul: I always wanted to do a movie about economics and capitalism. What I consider the madness of our economical system. It’s something I researched and wrote about for a number of years. But I realized that to put it in a documentary form you need a human connection, unless you want...
OVO
Los Angeles – Avril 2022.
With senior publicist Janie Mallet
Interview by Emmanuel Itier
Transforming and enchanting might be the two key words for this mesmerizing journey offered by, Cirque du Soleil, with their Brazilian inspired music and insect driven spectacle: ‘OVO’. Be prepared to be entertained and transported into a surrealistic magic universe where your favorite bug will put a spell on your soul and turn you into one of them. This is ind...
THE END OF MEDICINE
With: filmmaker Alex Lockwood and Dr. Alice Brough
Interview by Emmanuel Itier
‘The End of Medicine’ (AppleTV/iTunes! Link can be found here: https://apple.co/3JoE0Zz} could very much be the last documentary made as a cautionary tale to explain the dangers and the exploitation of animal raised for your “stomachs”. It’s a vivid and alarming exposé about the many advantages of removing animals from your diet. As a growing older man, ...
WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE
Mammoth Film Festival
Interview with director: Ben Epstein.
By Emmanuel Itier
Q: What was the idea making this film, how did it come together?
Ben: I remember being a teenager very well and I remember realizing that my parents were also “people”! It’s not so simple to navigate the adult world and it’s like unraveling some sort of emotional mystery. My own emotional detective work is like so removed from Alex, played by the...
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS…HERE COMES THE HOLY JOYFUL SEASON!!!
Here comes the most joyful moment of the year where we can finally slow down, forget (almost) about the last two years of this messy covid crisis, and celebrate with the whole family the holy season. Nothing better but an escapade to Universal Studios Hollywood (https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/web/en/us ) setting up its Christmas celebration for the whole month of December. How can one not fall in love with the yearly...
THE SAN DIEGO ZOO: ALIVE AND UNCAGED!
Photos by: Jamie Wells and Roxanna Bina.
As soon as you get to the San Diego Zoo ( www.SDZWA.org and https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org ), you immediately feel like you are boarding another world. A magical world where animals welcome you in their kingdom and where you should be a humble and respectful guest. This season there is no better place but to grace the many “lands” of the San Diego zoo. You wil...
Photo AYHN ADAM AND GINA RING from ARE YOU HAPPY NOW
Interview with Director: David Beinstein.
Q: Tell me about the inspiration for this film, where does it come from?
David: It’s really the story about a guy who is certain he is going to screw up his life. And he is holding on his girlfriend that he is loving more than anything. He is holding on her out of fear. I can relate to this idea, this concept . Once the script was together, I did a ...
Director Jay Silverman with stars William Moseley and Johanna Braddy
SAVING PARADISE
Directed by: Jay Siverman
Q: Why this film? What were you trying to express with this feature?
Jay: First, we discovered the screenplay on the famous “black list”, the list of unproduced screenplays. We then came to term with the writer, Van Billet. Together we worked closely on developing this project. And we ended up, what I consider, a meaningful picture. We started in 2018...
THE MADNESS INSIDE ME
Chat with Director: Matthew Berkowitz
Trailer
Q: How did this film happen and what was the inspiration?
Matthew: I’m a huge fan of Brian De Palma, Hitchcock but also European master like Lars Von Trier or Gaspar Noé. Also, my mother is a psychologist and therefore I have a personal connection to the world explored in “The Madness inside me”. Some of the stories I heard as a kid from my mother left an impact on me. And I thought t...
LEGOLAND CALIFORNIA RESORT:
BUCKLE UP AND ENJOY THE RIDES!!!
In the Spring 2020, we all were ready to celebrate the brand new opening of the ‘The LegoMovie World’ (https://www.legoland.com/california/things-to-do/theme-park/the-lego-movie-world/ )… but, the pandemic happened! Jump to one year later and finally, we were able to partake in the launch of Emmet’s immersive world of the hit movie coming to life! The most breathtaking experience is definitely ‘Emmet...
CRUTCH chronicles the gravity defying life of Bill Shannon, an internationally renowned artist, breakdancer and skate punk—on crutches.
CRUTCH
https://www.crutchdoc.com
Bentonville Festival 2021
Interview with Directors: Sachi Cunningham and Chandler Evans
CRUTCH (Trailer) from VAYABOBO on Vimeo.
Q: How did you come up with this inspiring Doc about Bill Shannon aka “Crutch Master”, a multi-disciplinary ...
THE HIGH LIFE
By and with Stephanie Sanditz
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1102885
Q: What was the inspiration with this new series and what were you trying to explore?
Stephanie: I grew up a “Christmas tree-jew”! My father was jewish and an insurance sales man. He had a keen sense of humor but never let it out. My mother was from a Christian family with Texas and Ozark roots. Therefore I was always a seeker and I we...
Interview by Emmanuel Itier
In Action
In Action Bande-annonce VO
Q: How did this movie come together?
Sean: Eric and I met in a creative class in 2012. And we would meet after class and talk about action movies we grew up with. We formed a deep bond through that exchange. And because we had the intention to make a first film without a huge budget, we figured out this script, “In Action”. I pitched Eric the idea of a two persons action movi...
Itier Emmanuel 
