Discover how "The President's Cake" blends dark comedy, magical realism, and personal trauma to tell a powerful Iraqi story that resonates worldwide.

Fred.Fm showcases the innovative Fifiro film festival, blending provocative screenings, immersive performances, and urban culture to create a dynamic cinematic experience.

“Whisperings of the Moon”: A Dance of Passion and Constraint with Lai Yuqing In “Whisperings of the Moon“, director Lai Yuqing crafts a compelling narrative centered on a queer romance set against the vibrant yet oppressive backdrop of Phnom Penh. During the 2025 Busan International Film Festival, we spoke with Lai Yuqing about her inspiration, visual approach, and the journey of expanding her short film into a feature-length production. Finding Inspiration in Phnom Penh’s Contrasts Lai Yuqing revealed that her first visit to Phnom Penh made a deep impression on her. “When I first visited Phnom Penh, I experienced conflicting feelings because of the mixture of cultures—French, Chinese, Khmer, and English. The city gave me a sense of tragedy, which inspired me to set the story here.” The blend of diverse cultures and the city’s ambitions for development, contrasted with traditional elements, sparked a narrative rich in passion and potential conflict. You can learn more about Phnom Penh’s cultural landscape [here](insert hyperlink here to an article about Phnom Penh culture). Directing Cinematography: An Intuitive Approach The film’s visual style, characterized by rhythm and fluidity akin to dance, reflects Lai Yuqing’s instinctive directing. “I create storyboards and plan lighting before shooting, but during filming, I rely heavily on the actors’ performances.” She emphasizes the importance of adapting to actors’ spontaneity and following her intuition to capture authentic moments. Lai Yuqing immerses herself in the characters’ emotions to craft a deeply emotive visual experience. The Symbiotic Relationship Between Filmmaker, Actor, and Musician Lai Yuqing’s diverse background as a filmmaker, actor, and musician profoundly shapes her directing style. “That’s why my actresses trust me—they know I understand acting and how to unlock their emotional depth.” This multifaceted experience allows her to connect authentically with performers, fostering trust and enabling genuine portrayals. She adds that the story’s emotional core involved the actress deeply, allowing for empathy and connection. Expanding “Love is a Book”: From Fragment to Feature “Love is a Book” served as the foundation for “Whisperings of the Moon”. Lai Yuqing explained her creative process: “To develop it into a feature, I wanted to expand the story, deepen the background, and develop the characters further.” While maintaining a non-linear narrative style, her goal was to craft a broader, more emotionally resonant experience—blending flashbacks and present-day scenes to enrich the storytelling. A Global Perspective: Embracing Cultural Diversity Having studied and worked across multiple countries, Lai Yuqing brings a global perspective to her storytelling. “Living in different cities taught me that different cultures and perspectives need to be acknowledged and respected.” Her empathy enables her to portray diverse cultures and experiences authentically, emphasizing that emotions are universal and transcend cultural boundaries.

Exploring the Teochew Diaspora: An Interview with Jianhang Chen and Lin Ziyang on "The River That Holds Our Hands" At the 30th Busan International Film Festival, I had the opportunity to speak with Jianhang Chen, the film's director, and Lin Ziyang, the producer, about their film "The River That Holds Our Hands." This captivating documentary-fiction hybrid beautifully explores the experiences of the Teochew diaspora, blending cultural storytelling with sensory artistry. In this interview, they discuss their creative process, the importance of cultural identity, and how sensory elements play a vital role in storytelling. Documentary Roots and the Hybrid Filmmaking Approach Jianhang Chen shared that his journey to create this film began with a documentary perspective, having filmed over five years in this format. This experience naturally evolved into a hybrid filmmaking approach. "I love how people talk about their stories in their homes," Chen explained. "Documentary allows us to capture these authentic moments and bring them onto the big screen for the audience." He emphasized the significance of capturing natural interactions, citing a scene shot on the streets of Saigon where a street vendor was unaware of being filmed, resulting in a genuine, unscripted shot. The Power of Image and Sound in Storytelling Both Chen and Ziyang highlight the importance of sensory elements—especially sound and visual imagery—in conveying memories and dreams. The Eye Catcher Global jury praised the film for its delicate attention to sound design. Chen elaborated that sound was deliberately used to evoke a sense of nostalgia and historical rhythm. "We aimed to blend sounds that ancestors might have heard—birds, water, and everyday life—mixed with modern elements to create an immersive, dreamlike atmosphere." This acoustic layering enhances the emotional resonance of the film. Touch as a Connection to the Past The theme of touch is central to the film and its title, symbolizing a bridge between past and present. Chen described how tactile experiences, such as the sound of touching an old photograph, evoke memories and connect the characters to their history. An example is the scene where the main character touches an old lady's hand as she sleeps; this moment triggers a dream of her mother and a subsequent scene in Vietnam, forging a deep link between different generations and histories. Lin Ziyang also emphasized the significance of these tactile, sensory connections in illustrating personal history. Support and the Creative Journey Both filmmakers expressed gratitude for support from organizations like the Maritime Guangdong Program and the Asian Cinema Fund (ACF). Chen explained that the Maritime Guangdong funding was crucial during the early stages when the project was just a short film. "Over these two and a half years, we received invaluable support from multiple organizations, which kept us motivated and helped shape the final film." The ACF played an essential role in the later stages of production. Revisiting the Teochew Diaspora When asked about the central themes in exploring the Teochew diaspora, Chen emphasized identity and the desire to share these stories globally. "I believe the Teochew community has many rich stories to tell. We're proud of our culture and heritage, and I wanted to share that pride with the world—especially in Asia." He aims to use film as a universal language to connect the ancient stories of the Teochew people with a broader, international audience.

"Honey Don’t", the second chapter of a B-movie lesbian trilogy directed by Ethan Coen (without his brother Joel) and co-written with the screenwriter and the director’s wife, Tricia Cooke, is a captivating and hilarious homage to 1940s Dashiell Hammett–style detective stories, with Margaret Qualley in the role of an anti–femme fatale. Coming to Italian movie theaters with Universal Pictures starting September 18th, the film premiered, out of competition, at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. Blending a classic noir with the lesbian pulp novel Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s  second collaboration on "Honey Don't", after "Drive Away Dolls", blends a private-eye story with a murder mystery wrapped in seduction, lies, and stylized action. Drawing inspiration from classic noir films, "Honey Don't" merges the hard-boiled storytelling of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and James M. Cain with the grit of lesbian pulp novels. "Honey Don't" reimagines the classic noir detective story by centering a female lead who is a lesbian private investigator. During the interview set during Cannes Film Festival, the filmmakers declared that they aimed to play with the butch-femme dynamic by switching them so to avoid the usual femme fatale trope. The result is a story that challenges gender norms and genre conventions and is part of a broader effort to craft honest, genre-based movies with a fresh perspective on sexual identity and character dynamics. Working together How do you blend your voices together? we asked the duo in order to understand more about their collaboration on the film's development process.  Cooke and Coen admit that they rely on their ongoing dialogue,  blending ideas, and shaping characters that feel authentic yet exaggerated enough to serve the satire. The characters, especially the lesbian protagonists, played by Margaret Qualley and Aubrey Plaza, were designed to explore complex themes such as trauma and identity. The filmmakers noted that their characters act as twin sisters, one representing the "good" and the other the "evil", highlighting how trauma influences behavior and self-perception. When satire ends and reality begin In "Honey Don't", Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke introduce us to characters  that feel as extreme as they feel real. When does satire end and reality begin? "These characters are kind of outrageous - confirms Coen - but you look at reality and and they're not so outrageous anymore, certainly these days in our country, reality is odder than fiction". Coen and Cooke assure that their storytelling seeks to push the limits while being careful not to lose connection to real-life experiences. The Third chapter Following "Honey Don't" and "Drive Away Dolls" Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke aim to continue exploring lesbian-themed genre films with the third chapter. Their next project, Go Beavers promises to further innovate within the genre, blending traditional storytelling with daring, fresh perspectives on sexuality and identity.

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"Discover Sermon to the Void, a profound film exploring life's meaning and the power of cinema to connect with infinity through striking visuals and sounds."

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