The Modern Line is a cultural collage of conversations with talent from the Modern Films slate, connecting current filmmakers and releases with previous ones.
We talk about their stories, their inspirations and their source materials— criss-crossing modernist lines to create a space to explore ideas, society and impact.
ALL STORIES:
OCCUPIED CITY
notes
Steve McQueen and Bianca Stigter talk about the making of Occupied City and the importance of bringing the past into the present. Read the full interview and more about the film in our online Occupied City booklet below:
Read now.
Looking through a lens: what makes a documentary photograph? In a series of video essays that closely examine the photographic works of Tish Murtha, documentary photographer Anne Worthington asks; What makes a documentary photograph? How do you read a documentary photograph? And how do you capture a moment?
Watch now.
TISH
ESSAY
In Max Houghton’s essay Another Kind Of Love Story, she ruminates on the power of love and how Tish Murtha shone a light on her family and community, giving them a timeless and permanent moment.
Read now.
UNDER THE FIG TREES
notes + PODCAST
Filmmaker Claire Belhassine chats to UNDER THE FIG TREES director Erige Sehiri about the making of Under The Fig Trees— from capturing sisterhood on screen, detailing the minutiae and poetics of daily work life, and creating a film where one day would look like a lifetime.
Read now.
PORTRAITS OF SUMMER
notes
From sun-dappled Tunisian fig orchards to the glistening Adriatic waters of Croatia — escape to the far corners of the world, in some of our favourite Modern portraits of summer…
Read now.
SICK OF MYSELF
notes + PODCAST
Filmmaker Posy Dixon (Keyboard Fantasies) chats to SICK OF MYSELF lead actress Kristine Kujath Thorp in this intimate, laugh-out-loud funny episode of The Modern Line podcast. From wildly absurd acting techniques (think dog tasers and drinking gallons of beetroot juice), to working with Kristoffer Borgli and portraying loneliness and narcissism on screen, Posy and Kristine delve deep into the making of Sick of Myself.
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YOU RESEMBLE ME
notes + PODCAST
Filmmaker Zeina Durra (Luxor) spoke to You Resemble Me director Dina Amer about the trials and tribulations of working in independent film (it’s a “roll up the sleeve” kind of job), how filmmaking “saved their lives”, about racism in the industry, working as a mother on set, and getting your first film out into the world.
Read now.
The International Women’s Day series celebrates past and future female-identifying filmmakers from the Modern Films slate by profiling them and asking; who inspires them, what is their advice to young filmmakers and what is their creative process and bible.
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MORE THAN EVER
notes + PODCAST
Filmmaker Lisa Rovner and Eva Zvedeniuk from Modern Films spoke to More than Ever director Emily Atef about filmmaking, working with Gaspard Ulliel and Vicky Krieps, the importance of discussing life and death, and on writing the greatest sex scene in recent cinematic history.
Read now.
BEYOND THE VISIBLE
Podcast
Halina Dyrschka's debut film Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint charts the life and works of pioneering Swedish abstract, Hilma af Klint. In this episode we sit down with Dyrschka to discuss her new film, Hilma's life story and the importance of re-writing art history.
Listen now.
RAISE HELL: MOLLY IVINS
PODCAST
In this podcast episode, Entertainment Writer at Harper's Bazaar, Yasmin Omar, chats with Raise Hell director, Janice Engel, and producer, Carlisle Vandervoort.
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BE NATURAL
PODCAST
To celebrate the UK and Ireland release of Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, we sat down with Pamela Green, the director of Be Natural to talk about her film and Guy-Blaché’s life story.
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Shooting The Mafia
PODCAST
In this episode Kim Longinotto discusses her storied career and documentary, Shooting the Mafia— an eye-opening profile of the Sicilian organised crime photographer, Letizia Battaglia.
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DIAMANTINO
Podcast
In this podcast episode, Tate Film curator, Carly Whitefield, chats with Diamantino filmmakers Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt. Set in present-day Portugal, Diamantino follows the delirious journey of a hilariously naïve football star from blissful prowess to career-busting disillusionment.
Listen now
Additional listening:
BEST GIRL GRIP:
EVE GABEREAU, FOUNDER & MD OF MODERN FILMS
Best Girl Grip interviews Modern Films’ Founder and MD, Eve Gabereau.
”I approached this interview with high expectations for the wisdom and insight it might contain and Eve definitely didn’t disappoint and it’s truly a privilege to count her among Best Girl Grip’s guests.”
LISTEN HERE
GIRLS ON FILM:
SISTERS WITH TRANSISTORS
Anna Smith is joined by collaborators on the doc: writer-director Lisa Rovner and pioneer Suzanne Ciani. Lisa explains the process of finding archive footage and constructing the ‘herstory’. From Buchla concerts to making music for the movies, Suzanne recalls her experience of being a female composer in the 70s and 80s. She remembers being one of the first women to solo score a Hollywood movie, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, in 1981. Keep listening for Suzanne’s discovery of a female film composer working in the 40s! And stay tuned for advice if you're keen to follow in her footsteps.
LISTEN HERE
SPOTLESS PODCAST:
EVE GABEREAU, FILM PRODUCER/FOUNDER & CEO, MODERN FILMS
As viewing habits shift, film distribution companies must adjust to a new landscape. Eve Gabereau, Founder & CEO, Modern Films, shares what it takes for a film to resonate with audiences, the various ways to measure success, and the process of promoting and distributing films.
LISTEN HERE
GIRLS ON FILM:
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Anna Smith is then joined by three women from the thriving feminist production and distribution company Modern Films: Founder and Managing Director Eve Gabereau, Marketing and Distribution Manager Jacqueline Wang, and Digital Design and Social Media Manager Eva Zvedeniuk. They reflect on the ways Modern Films adapted to lockdown, thinking back to our first partnered Isolation Pod on The Perfect Candidate. They also share their favourite releases from the past year and kick off our feminist film recommendations endeavour with some fantastic suggestions!
LISTEN HERE
EDITH BOWMAN PODCAST- EPISODE 231:
ZEINA DURRA & NASCUY LINARES ON THE MUSIC OF LUXOR
Edith Bowman speaks to Luxor’s director, Zeina Durra, and composter, Nascuy Linares.
Writer / director Zeina Durra contacted Venezuelan composer Nascuy Linares somewhat out of the blue to score her film. Originally, Zeina didn’t want any incidental music at all, which perhaps informed the ambient, stripped-back aesthetic of Nascuy’s score. But he’s done a beautiful job from beginning to end – capturing both a mood and a sense of place.
LISTEN HERE
COMMUNE:
SISTERS WITH TRANSISTORS
In this episode Commune enlisted the expertise of revered radio host, audio producer and DJ Zakia Sewell who caught up with Sisters With Transistors’ Director Lisa Rovner and Sound Designer Marta Salogni to discuss the feature documentary film about electronic music’s unsung heroines, screened online as part of our partnership with House Of Vans London. Here they discuss the making of the film and some of it’s key themes, including the process of sourcing a vast archive of footage, the social and political barriers within electronic music in this era, and the legacy the pioneering female artists featured have left behind.
LISTEN HERE