Bond on Cinema

Interview with the Founder of the American Film Institute / Co-Creator of Kennedy Center Honors

Oscar winning film director George Stevens, Sr once said, “Life is a journey, and it’s most interesting when you’re not sure where you’re going.” Today, we have the founder of the American Film Institute. The Co-Creator and in my mind the creator and founder of the Kennedy Center Honors, George Stevens, Jr. His resume and life’s accomplishments are so long, one would need to write a book to fit them all in, and he did just that. Mr. Stevens memoir, My Place in the Sun: Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington is like walking through the passage of time, from the days of vaudeville to silent movies to talkies, and into the world of Technicolor. And even working with seven United States presidents in ways you’ve never seen them before. The Stevens name is associated with us seeing American troops storm the beaches of Normandy. The atrocities of the concentration camps of World War II, but to be delighted with timeless film classics such as “A Place in the Sun”, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Giant”, ”Shane”, “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, just to name a few. His book is a name droppers delight and will make you ooo and ahh, as you read every page.
#Hollywood #eliazabethtaylor #jamesdaen #porsche550 #jamesdeandeath #film #americanfilminstitute #KennedyCenterHonors #cinematography #filmmaker #filmmaking #filmdirector #screenwriter #JohnFKennedyJr #PresidentKennedy #filmarchiving #classicmovies #giant #nataliewood

A Front Row Seat with Film Legend Nancy Olson Livingston

From her idyllic childhood in the American Midwest, to her Oscar-nominated performance in Sunset Boulevard (1950) and the social circles of New York and Los Angeles, actress Nancy Olson Livingston has lived abundantly.
In her memoir, A Front Row Seat, Nancy Olson Livingston treats readers to an intimate, charming chronicle of her life as an actress, wife, and mother, and her memories of many of the most notable figures and moments of her time.
Entertaining and engrossing, A Front Row Seat deftly interweaves Livingston's life with her observations of the artists, celebrities, and luminaries with whom she came in contact – a shoutout to the twentieth century and a treasure for readers charmed with the Golden Era of Hollywood.  #sunsetboulevard #hollywood #academyawards #actress #goldenageofhollywood #disney #capitolrecords #myfairlady

An Interview with Afghan Director Elham Ehsas - Oscar-Qualified Short Film YELLOW

With us today is Afghan writer/director Elham Essas. After hearing the sad news that the Taliban were forcing women in Afghanistan to wear the Chadari (the blue full body veil), he wrote and created the short film, YELLOW.
Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Actor, Writer and Director, Elham Essas fled the Taliban and came to the UK when he was a young boy. He likes to make films inspired by stories from his home country, Afghanistan.
His debut short film, OUR KIND OF LOVE, was BAFTA long-listed in 2019. His short film YOUR HAND FOUND MINE, which he made in collaboration with the BFI and BAFTA, premiered at the House of Lords and won Best Drama at Berlin Flash Festival.
His newest short film, YELLOW
Through his film YELLOW, he hopes to raise awareness and inspire change, bringing the struggles and experiences of Afghan women to the forefront of the global conversation and I truly believe he has done just that.
The film is a call to action, a plea for the world not to forget about Afghanistan and the women who live there.
On August 15th, 2021, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. By December 2022, girls were forbidden from going to school and women have been banned going to university. The Taliban also decreed all women must wear the mandated Hijab or Chadari in public and be accompanied by a make guardian when going outside.
Once again, Afghan women and girls face an uncertain future.
In Taliban controlled Afghanistan, Laili walks into a Chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full body veil from a Talib shopkeeper, and face a new future.
#shortfilm #oscars #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmdirector #humanrights #freedom #womensrights #womenempowerment #unitednations #filmfestival 

An Interview with Jordanian Director Ahmad Alyaseer - Oscar-qualified Short OUR MALES & OUR FEMALES

Ahmad Alyaseer is a Jordanian director, producer and writer.
He recently directed the Emmy Award nominated kids show (Ahlan Simsim - Sesame Workshop). His Sci-Fi experimental feature (When Time Becomes a Woman, 2012) was screened at various film festivals including Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival.
Additionally, Ahmad has more than nine years of experience directing and producing TV series for regional platforms including Shahid, VIU and MBC.
Ahmad Alyaseer’s new short film, the Oscar-qualified Our Males and Our Females is a grippingly thought-provoking tale.
A father and mother are faced with the painful task of washing and shrouding their transgender daughter.
Shrouding is an Islamic religious practice that is deemed mandatory to carry out upon death. But when no one agrees to wash her and shame falls onto the family, how far is the father willing to go to make sure his "son" is washed?
#filmmaker #filmmaking #filmdirector #cinema #oscars #cinemtography #jordan #jordanian #lgbtq #filmlover #filmdirector #screenwriter #screenwriting #filmproduction 
 

An Interview with Director Lloyd Lee Choi - Oscar-Qualified Short CLOSING DYNASTY

Lloyd Lee Choi is a Korean-Canadian writer/director who is passionate about representation in front and behind the camera, Lloyd is deeply driven to highlight the minority and immigrant experience, one rich with new and compelling stories to tell. Stories that reflect the real world around us. 
Lloyd's recent short film, Closing Dynasty, was supported through the Future Gold Film Fellowship, being 1 of 3 filmmakers selected by Netflix, Tribeca, and Gold House.
Closing Dynasty has been Oscar-qualified for the 2024 Academy Awards, and so without further a due, let’s welcome visionary filmmaker and storyteller Lloyd Lee Choi to the show.
#filmmaker #filmmaking #shortfilm #cinema #filmdirector #screenwriter #screenwriting #oscars #movies #filmlover #asianfilm #korean #canadian #filmfestival 

An Interview with Columbian Director Duvan Duque - Oscar-Qualified Short ALL INCLUSIVE

Duván Duque is a Colombian writer/director. His work has explored the relationship between the Bogota upper-class, power, money and corruption, as well as the effect these tensions have on the most intimate realms of family and friends.
ALL INCLUSIVE is his latest short film. After its premiere at TIFF, it has become a recurrent title in the international festivals, playing in over 50 festivals and receiving 17 awards. He is currently writing his first feature, based on the themes in ALL INCLUSIVE. 
By shifting the focus from the spectacular tales of drug lords to the emotional ride of a boy who has little control over his fate, Duván Duque offers us a fresh angle on this common trope of the representation of Colombian society.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and qualified to be considered for a 2024 Academy Award after winning Best Drama at Aspen Shortfest. 
#filmmaking #filmmaker #bondoncinema #oscars #filmfestival #columbia #family #screenwriter #screenwriting #cinema #cinematography #storytelling #awardwinning 

An Interview with Director Mike Donahue - Oscar-qualified Short TROY

A neighbor has loud sex and the couple next door get emotionally involved in this thought-provoking, but humorous short film. 
Director Mike Donahue's award-winning Oscar qualifying debut short film, TROY, premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and has gone on to screen at another 66 festivals internationally, including the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
It has won over a dozen awards, including the Jury Award for Best Comedy at Aspen Shortfest 2023, the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short at Outfest 2022 and the Vimeo 'Unofficial Award' for Best US Narrative Short at Sundance.
#bondoncinema #cinema #movies #shortfilm #filmdirector #filmmaking #filmmaker #screenwriter #filmfestival #neighbors #apartmentliving #cinematography #tribecafilmfestival #sundancefilmfestival 

An Interview with Director Luis Gerard - Oscar-qualified Suspense Thriller Short THE WAKE

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Luis Gerard spent his youth in the projection room of his father’s small art house movie theater, where he earned an appreciation for independent cinema.
While studying at the University of Puerto Rico, his first success, a 35mm black-and-white silent short that was an official selection at the prestigious Venice Film Festival.
Branching into advertising, Luis has won numerous international awards, including Cannes, London International Festival, New York Film Festival, Clio Awards, the Gunn Report, and Shots Magazine.
In 2022 Luis Gerard directed the 2nd unit on Netflix’s HUSTLE, starring Adam Sandler, and released his new short film, THE WAKE, which is our subject today. 
THE WAKE, is the story of a 15-year-old boy and his deaf younger brother, raised in the parents’ funeral business home. While the parents’ operate the family business, the boys have something else in mind.
THE WAKE has been Oscar-Qualified for the upcoming 2024 Academy Awards. So ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome Writer/Director/Producer and master storyteller, Luis Gerard to the show!
 
#cinema #filmmaking #filmmaker #screenwriter #screenwriting #oscars #filmfestival #puetorico #movies #bondoncinema #movies #filmlover #moviereview #filmdirector #suspense #thriller 

An Interview with Director Aisling Bryne -Oscar-qualified Short HEADSPACE

Aisling Byrne is an award-winning theatre director, screenwriter and filmmaker.
She is the founder and Artistic Director, at Run of the Mill, an award-winning arts organization at the forefront of inclusive arts practice in Ireland supporting learning disabled artists and performers.
Their recent work includes a 9 venue National Tour of the award winning MAKING A MARK and the All Abilities Casting initiative in collaboration with the National Talent Academy aimed at leveling the playing field for people with intellectual disabilities in film and television.
Aisling’s new film HEADSPACE takes us on a journey with a young man, Tony, who has Down's Syndrome and struggles to find paid work, causing him to be faced with a moral dilemma while staying at a community home.
HEADSPACE is a phenomenal film that has qualified to be considered for a 2024 Academy Award after winning the OSCAR qualifying award at Cork Film Festival.
#oscars #cinema #bondoncinema #cinematography #shortfilm #filmfestival #ireland #downsyndrome #filmmaking #filmmaker #filmdirector #screenwriting #screenwriter 

An Interview with Jenna St. John the Creator of SEXPECTATIONS TV Series

Writer/Producer/Actress Jenna St. John is a hopeless romantic, born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. She moved to the US at age 16 and was a ballet dancer until an injury led her to pursue writing.
Jenna has two written features in post production for Epic Pictures and is currently penning a feature with Hallmark.
Jenna is committed to telling female-led stories for a broad audience, and today if you have been hooked on the new hit streaming series, SEXPECTATIONS then you’re in for a hot treat. Jenna wrote the new hit series that is the talk of Hollywood.
So ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome Hollywood’s newest hitmaker, Jenna St. John!
#tvseries #tvshow #streaming #sexualawareness #virginity #comedy #comedyseries #filmmaking #actor #standupcomedy