Interviews – Page 2 – Close-Up Culture

The Easy Way Out: Interview with Writer and Director Ben Bovington-Key

Ben Bovington-Key’s BFI NETWORK short film The Easy Way Out is described as a film for those who leave us and the ones left behind. It is a beautiful and heartbreaking work that examines the choices we make and the consequences that follow. We spoke with Ben about the inspiration behind the film, the creative…
Transcending Borders: Maya Campion on How Football Unites Cultures

For content creator Maya Campion, a football has never just been a piece of sporting equipment – it has been a universal passport. Having moved across Japan, Oman, Thailand, China, and Qatar all before the age of 16, Campion used the beautiful game as a constant anchor to build immediate connections across diverse cultures without…
Zen Nguyen & Sylvia Wang On Disrupting British Crime Drama With Blue Season

In their debut six-part crime drama, Blue Season, director Zen Nguyen and producer Sylvia Wang break traditional broadcasting rules. Shot in just 14 days and placing British Asian leads firmly at the center of a gritty police corruption narrative, the series side-steps the traditional commissioning route entirely. Now streaming on platforms like Apple TV, it…
Close-Up: An Interview With Bonnie Poynder

Australian-born actress Bonnie Poynder is carving out a distinct path in the UK’s independent film scene. In this interview with Close-Up Culture’s James Prestridge, she opens up about appearing on Neighbours, mastering the raw instincts of the Meisner technique, and her ambitions to dive into indie horror. James: You played Viv Young in Neighbours before…
A Ten-Year Journey Of Reinvention: Dano García On Mickey

In their award-winning feature directorial debut, Mickey, trans Mexican filmmaker Dano García explores the complexities of identity, vulnerability, and collective memory within a conservative environment. Centred on ten years of personal diary logs, digital archives, and webcam recordings belonging to multidisciplinary trans performer Mickey Cundapí (artistically known as Mis$ Mickey), the film examines the ways…
Raw, Luminous, And Extraordinarily Alive: Nicole Costa On No Money No Honey

In her latest feature documentary, No Money No Honey, filmmaker Nicole Costa explores the complexities of identity, vulnerability, and collective memory within the Latin American trans diaspora. Centred on three decades of personal VHS tape archives belonging to Máxima Mauricio, an Argentine migrant sex worker, the film examines the ways in which our relationships with…
Close-Up: An Interview With Arthur & Clara Director Kieran Bourne

In his feature directorial debut, Arthur & Clara, filmmaker Kieran Bourne explores the complexities of identity, vulnerability, and human connection. Centred on two strangers brought together under unexpected circumstances, the film examines the ways in which our relationships with others can challenge our perceptions of ourselves and open the door to personal transformation. We spoke…
Dominic Curran on His Striking Debut Feature, A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing

In an era where a few clicks can trick the mind into a false sense of absolute expertise, filmmaker Dominic Curran arrives at the Belfast Film Festival with a timely, unsettling psychological portrait. Produced by Soil Engineers Productions, his debut feature film, A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing, follows Michael, a young man recovering…
Patrick Gramm on the Sacred Responsibility Behind Last Alarm

For over two decades, director Patrick Gramm has trusted his instincts, but nothing could completely prepare him for chronicling the final months of Fire Captain Scott Leatham’s battle with occupational cancer. In this intimate conversation, the Emmy winner breaks down the meticulous editorial choices behind Last Alarm – interweaving deeply vulnerable family moments with studio…
Filmmaker Darius Shu Breaks Down the Visual Poetry of Molly

For filmmaker Darius Shu, true cinema exists in what characters leave unsaid – the shared glances, the physical distances, and the heavy pauses. Following a sweeping run across 13 international film festivals and its national launch on Channel 4, the multi-hyphenate creator behind Molly sits down to discuss capturing a chance launderette encounter, challenging the…