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 […]

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 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 […]

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, […]

Classic Couple Academy Recommends Patrick and The WhaleTIFF DocsDirector: Mark Fletcher Patrick Dykstra spends his life to traveling the globe, following and diving with whales as an award-winning cameraman. During a dive in Dominica, he forged a bond with a female sperm whale that changed his life. The whale he named Dolores engaged with him […]

In I Like Movies socially inept 17-year-old cinephile, Lawrence Kweller is self-absorbed and movie-obsessed. Driven by his desire to attend film school at NYU, he gets a part-time job at Sequels video store, fully convinced he can earn $90,000 to meet his tuition needs. There Lawrence forms a friendship with the older store manager, Alana. […]

Classic Couple Academy Recommends El AguaTIFF Contemporary World CinemaDirector: Elena López Riera It’s the languid days of Spanish summer in a town near the Segura river. Seventeen-year-old Ana, played by Luna Pamies in a breakout film debut, experiences her first love under the disapproving eyes of the townspeople. Local legend claims that every few decades, […]