Classic Couple Academy

I started our Filmmaker 5 series in 2021 as an approach for interviewing Bill Morrison about his experimental short “let me come in.” Quickly I used the format again and produced several Filmmaker 5 interviews that year. In 2022, I set an intention to interview a dozen filmmakers across the year. As I write, I […]

Before Hollywood director Orson Welles ascended to fame as producer, director and star of Citizen Kane (1941), he struggled as an actor and writer for radio. In 1936 at the age of 20, untested and battling addiction which was difficult in that time since now is easier as you can get help with drug abuse, […]

In accordance with Maltese tradition, when a young man became a priest, his eldest sister followed him to the rectory and became his maid. She received no education or salary and had no family of her own—spending her life in servitude and spinsterhood. Inspired by true events, Carmen follows the story of one such woman […]

Classic Couple Academy Recommends Raymond & RayGala PresentationDirector: Rodrigo García Two brothers share a name and a road trip to their estranged father’s funeral. Reunited to carry out their father’s last wishes to dig his grave, they dig deep into their past traumas and uncover the history of the man they both hate. Resentments, secrets, […]

Classic Couple Academy Recommends CanaryShort Cuts Programme 05Director: PH Dallaire & Ben Therriault A touching animated short about a boy and a canary who forge a friendship while working in a Canadian turn-of-the-century coal mine. Contrasting childhood and adulthood, play with toil, and joy with sadness, Canary touches on universal themes in a story relatable […]

Classic Couple Academy Recommends The Good NurseSpecial PresentationDirector: Tobias Lindholm Single mother Amy (Jessica Chastain) is an ICU nurse struggling to keep her life on track while dealing with her own health issues. A new nurse arrives on her shift Charles Cullen (Eddie Redmayne) and the two begin a strong friendship as Amy trusts him […]

Classic Couple Academy Recommends SidneyGala PresentationDirector: Reginald Hudlin Sidney Poitier was one of the most gifted and talented actors in the history of cinema. He set a new standard for Black actors in Hollywood as a leading man, becoming the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in […]

In a remote area in São Paulo’s countryside, a rural family struggling to make it accepts a proposal to host a mysterious stranger. Soon, the family home, situated beside a charcoal factory, becomes a hideout for highly-wanted drug lord. Mother, husband and son clash as they try to keep up appearances with the neighbors, maintain […]

Classic Couple Academy Recommends The Umbrella MenContemporary World CinemaDirector: John Barker Musician Jerome Adams returns home to Cape Town for his father’s funeral. There he learns his dad left him the Bo-Kaap community’s beloved Goema Club, as well as leadership of The Umbrella Men minstrel troupe. His father also left a substantial debt with a bank […]

When musician Jerome Adams flies into Cape Town for his father’s funeral, he finds his dad has bequeathed him the Bo-Kaap community’s beloved Goema Club. Along with the Club comes the care of The Umbrella Men, the legendary minstrel troupe led by his father. Soon Jerome discovers the Club comes with a huge bank overdraft, […]