T-Port Blog

T-Port Lighthouse Selections 2023: The Interviews – The ‘Strange and Exciting’ Life of Alex Lawther

By: T-Port Team
10-04-2024
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Alex Lawther has been making his name as an actor for quite some time, but his directorial debut, the short film FOR PEOPLE IN TROUBLE, which he also wrote, has already been making a splash on the festival circuit in 2023 and 2024.  T-Port’s Jess Sweetman caught up with the Paris-based Brit, whose work appears […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Selections 2023: The Interviews – Janina Lutter on standing up through (and beyond) film

By: T-Port Team
26-03-2024
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Filmmaker Janina Lutter is the director of the Lighthouse Selected film THE SCHOOL IS ON FIRE AND WE KNOW WHY, which appears on T-Port courtesy of our partners at Hessische Film und Medienakademie (hFMA). In this interview, the sparky Lutter shares the kindness and fighting spirit she brings to her filmmaking, while enlightening us on some […]
Read more

This International Women’s Day – Emerging Female Filmmakers Share Their Views on the Current State of the Film Industry

By: T-Port Team
07-03-2024
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
By Jess Sweetman – T-Port Marketing  March 8th is International Women’s Day (IWD), a global holiday celebrated annually to commemorate women’s cultural, political, and social achievements. It is also a focal point in the women’s rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. The film […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Selections 2023: The Interviews – Camille Tricaud – Portrait of a film lover creating for a better future

By: T-Port Team
21-02-2024
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
French director and producer Camille Tricaud is hard at work as a founder of the independent production company Benedetta Films. In this inspiring interview we caught up with her to delve into how she used sound in her Lighthouse Selected-film SLOW DOWN THE FALL (which she co-directed with Franziska Unger), as well as discovering her […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Selections 2023: The Interviews – Poetry of the pragmatic with Maximilian Bungarten

By: T-Port Team
19-01-2024
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Maximilian Bungarten is the director of 2023 Lighthouse Selection THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, a short he shot on film in his home-city of Cologne, Germany. The film, which he independently uploaded to T-Port along with another Lighthouse Selection from his production company, Benedetta films, was picked by guest curator Laurence Boyce.  Hi Maximilian, would you […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Selections 2023: The Interviews – Follow and the miracles will come – a chat with Anat Eisenberg

By: T-Port Team
12-01-2024
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Anat Eisenberg, director of the Lighthouse-Selected short NOVY GOD, made her film shortly after becoming a mother, especially poignant as the film’s narrative was inspired by the complicated relationship between Eisenberg’s grandmother and the younger woman who cared for her.  We caught up with the director, whose film appears on T-Port courtesy of our partners […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Selections 2023: The Interviews – Dascha Petuchow on immigrant identities, ‘family ties, and their underlying humanity’

By: T-Port Team
04-01-2024
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Filmmaker Dascha Petuchow was in lockdown when she wrote the script for her 29-minute drama CHEWING GUM. The short, which was inspired by revisiting her own experiences of growing up as the daughter of an immigrant in Germany, was included in the 2023 T-Port Lighthouse Selections, picked by curator Laurence Boyce. In this interview, the […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Selections 2023: The Interviews – A breath of fresh air with Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter

By: T-Port Team
22-12-2023
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
This week, we’re focussing on Gunnnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter’s 5-minute short FÁR, which tells the story of a woman’s dilemma when a bird hits the window of the cafe she is in. The film’s icy aesthetic was inspired by the German-Icelandic director’s hometown Reykjavik. FÁR, which appears on T-Port courtesy of our partners at Salaud Morisset, […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Selections 2023: The Interviews – Filmmaker Stanley Xu on a childhood memory laid to rest

By: T-Port Team
14-12-2023
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Singaporean filmmaker Stanley Xu was inspired to make his short A DAY, THAT YEAR, while working through the impact of a chilling childhood memory. The film made it into the 2023 T-Port Lighthouse Selections, picked by curator Laurence Boyce. We caught up with the director to find out about his extensive casting process to find […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Selections 2023: The Interviews – Documentarian Zohar Orian Cohen on her ‘need of justice and aspiration for truth’

By: T-Port Team
07-12-2023
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Israeli documentarian Zohar Orian Cohen describes herself as someone who seeks truth and justice, and it was in this spirit she turned the camera upon herself for her student film, created through the School of Audio and Visual Arts, Sapir College (Sderot, IL): SHEMEI KLAMI /  / LISTEN TO WHAT I SAY (LISTEN TO MY VOICE), […]
Read more

Script Pool Tallinn winner Léon Yersin on his intriguing feature film pitch, his short MISCELLANEOUS, and dreams of space operas

By: T-Port Team
05-12-2023
__
Fiction, Filmmakers
The 2023 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival finished recently, where the SCRIPT POOL AWARD of €5000 was awarded to the T-Port talent/filmmaker, Léon Yersin, who pitched the feature film “What Remains” at the PÖFF Script Pool. Yersin was selected to the Script Pool pitching as part of the collaboration between T-Port and PÖFF. We caught […]
Read more

Filmmaker Shira Yermiyahu on her collaborative filmmaking process and finding inspiration

By: T-Port Team
27-11-2023
__
Fiction, Filmmakers
FAIRY TALE by director Shira Yermiyahu, is a short film about 3 teenage girls on summer vacation, who are searching for adventure to relieve the boredom of a typical night in Yavne: A desperate quest for vodka ends in a dark warehouse where the town hunk ruins one of their lives. We caught up with […]
Read more

From sickness to joy – Arvin Kananian on directing his ‘playful and elegant’ send-up of the perfectly polished

By: T-Port Team
16-10-2023
__
Fiction, Filmmakers
“Simon and Siván are the perfect artsy couple. Everything in their lives is curated, from the way they have sex to their choice of therapist. One night, during another soulless art exhibition, the shiny surface of their relationship starts to crack.” Swedish-Iranian director Arvin Kananian’s short VERNISSAGE is a “playful and elegant” commentary on “a […]
Read more

Locarno Pardi di domani winners – The Interviews: Eric K. Boulianne on the importance of storytelling and the resilience of love

By: T-Port Team
09-10-2023
__
Fiction, Film Festival, Filmmakers
Eric K. Boulianne switched from screenwriting to writing and directing for his short film FAIRE UN ENFANT (MAKING BABIES), and earned the Pardi di domani Best Direction Award BONALUMI Engineering. We chatted to the director about what it felt like to receive such an honour, as well as getting the lowdown on how he made […]
Read more

Locarno Pardi di domani winners – The Interviews: Lea Bloch on speaking her truth

By: T-Port Team
02-10-2023
__
Fiction, Film Festival, Filmmakers
Filmmaker Lea Bloch’s film LAST NIGHT is a tense drama based around a group of friends unravelling the non-consensual sex that occurred between two of them the previous night. The film won the Pardino d’oro Swiss Life award for the Best Swiss Short Film at Locarno Film Festival in 2023. We caught up with the […]
Read more

Locarno Pardi di domani winners – The Interviews: Amirhossein Shojaei on natural light, ambient sound, and distributing Iranian shorts

By: T-Port Team
25-09-2023
__
Fiction, Film Festival, Filmmakers
This year’s Locarno Film Festival may be over but here at T-Port we have their catalogue of selected shorts and winners here for professional subscribers to enjoy. Among them is THE GUARD, a film by Iranian filmmaker Amirhossein Shojaei, winner of the Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award. We caught up with the filmmaker about what […]
Read more

Writing from a fascination with the unseen stories that surround us: An interview with filmmaker Can Baran

By: T-Port Team
21-09-2023
__
Fiction, Film Festival, Filmmakers
Filmmaker Can Baran has just graduated from Turkey’s Bilkent University school of Communications and Design and his graduation film TENEMENT has made it to the National Student Films final at the Adana Golden Boll International Film Festival. In this interview we caught up with Can to find out more about his late-night inspiration sessions, what […]
Read more

Documentary as a means of self-exploration and healing: an interview with Ehud Mordehay, director of UnNamed

By: T-Port Team
17-08-2023
__
Fiction, Film Festival, Filmmakers
“On August 1, 2009, a perpetrator forcefully entered the meeting place for LGBTQ+ youth known as ‘Barnoar’ in the heart of Tel Aviv, unleashing a hail of gunfire indiscriminately. In an instant, that fateful bullet pierced my body, forever altering the course of my life.” With these words, filmmaker Ehud (Udi) Mordehay introduces the heartbreaking […]
Read more

Director Dawid Bodzak on acceptance to Cannes, lighting a neo-Giallo, and improvised film music on set

By: T-Port Team
26-07-2023
__
Fiction, Film Festival, Filmmakers
Filmmaker Dawid Bodzak has recently graduated from the Polish National Film School in Lodz and he has more reasons to celebrate as his film KROKODYL was selected for the 2023 Cannes Court Metrage. We caught up with the filmmaker to talk about his process, lighting a neo-Gialo that was shot on film stock, his unique […]
Read more

Representation, karaoke, and recreating the past during a pandemic: A conversation with director Mimi Vlaovic

By: T-Port Team
14-07-2023
__
Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers
Serbian-born, London-based director Mimi Vlaovic – whose film is on T-Port courtesy of our partners at Festival Formula, has seen festival success with her graduation short film YOUR GUARDIAN, including landing a nomination for the Young Director’s Award at Cannes. In this interview we catch up about karaoke as stress management, her bugbears about Serbian […]
Read more

Filmmaker Yarden Malka Bonet on how her documentary helped address and heal family wounds

By: T-Port Team
13-07-2023
__
Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers
For her documentary THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ALAIN, director Yarden Malka Bonet took on the deeply personal subject of her grandfather, a man who returned to the family after a long absence spent in religious service in Germany. In this interview we find out what it felt for the filmmaker, whose work appears on T-Port […]
Read more

From loss to creation: Exploring A PLACE THAT DOESN’T EXIST with Tehilla Ruddell

By: T-Port Team
05-07-2023
__
Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers
29-year-old Tehilla Ruddell just graduated from Minshar School of Art in Tel Aviv. In her short film “A PLACE THAT DOESN’T EXIST” she explores her own story, having left the orthodox Jewish world at the age of 16. We caught up with the filmmaker to talk about her journey and how the filmmaking process helped […]
Read more

‘A thousand different lives at the same time’: An interview with EFP Future Frames Filmmaker Joris Tobé

By: T-Port Team
23-06-2023
__
animation, Fiction, Filmmakers
Joris Tobé’s graduation film FRANTIC ATTEMPTS appears at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival this week courtesy of our partners at EFP Future Frames, and it was awarded the Circle of Film Critics Award for best graduation film at the Dutch Film Festival. In this heartwarming interview we take a deep dive with the director into […]
Read more

The magical light of Spain: An interview with Christian Avilés, director of DAYDREAMING SO VIVIDLY ABOUT OUR SPANISH HOLIDAYS

By: T-Port Team
21-06-2023
__
animation, Fiction, Filmmakers
This week, several upcoming European filmmakers will be sharing their work at the prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival as part of the European Film Promotion’s (EFP) Future Frames Programme. One of whom is the Spanish director Christian Avilés, whose graduation film DAYDREAMING SO VIVIDLY ABOUT OUR SPANISH HOLIDAYS has already screened at Berlinale, Kurzfilm Hamburg, […]
Read more

The life cycle of cicadas spun into “a love letter to death and to my family”: Animator Fernanda Caicedo on using art to ponder the big questions

By: T-Port Team
15-06-2023
__
animation, Fiction, Filmmakers
Stop-motion animator Fernanda Caicedo learned about her Grandmother’s death when she was far away from her Ecuadorian family, while studying in Germany. The grief and distance spurred her to explore her own fear of death through her art. The result is WIND WHISPERER, a film appearing on T-Port through our partner Bauhaus Universität. In this […]
Read more

A film made with friends, for friends: Lili Zahavi’s ME MYSELF ANDI

By: T-Port Team
12-04-2023
__
Awards, Documentary, Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Filmmaker Lili Zahavi made her documentary ME MYSELF ANDI about her best friend Andi, whose struggles in academia, hindered by her own lack of self-confidence, may strike a familiar chord. The film made it into the 2022 Festival Max Ophüls Preis, among other festivals. We caught up with the filmmaker, who is currently making her […]
Read more

The girl can pack a punch: director Lina Drevs on scrappy sisters and filming during COVID

By: T-Port Team
07-04-2023
__
Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Filmmaker Lina Drevs based the theme of her Lighthouse Selected film SIS – BEST SISTER on her relationship with her own sisters. In our Spotlight Interview this week she opens up about filming during COVID and how she wants to open up the industry to other women. SIS – BEST SISTER appears on T-Port via […]
Read more

Puppetry that brings happiness : Jonatan Schwenk on the origins of his “delicious looking” creatures – Lighthouse Selections 2022

By: T-Port Team
30-03-2023
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Filmmaker Jonatan Schwenk switched from stop-motion animation to puppetry for his short film ZOON, which made the cut of or 2022 Lighthouse Selections, as well as the 2022 Next Generation Short Tiger and the official selection of the Sundance Film Festival. We caught up with the director to talk about his process, bringing happiness through […]
Read more

Exploring ‘Addiction, mental health, and the creative process’ with award-winning animator Joseph Pierce – Lighthouse Selections 2022

By: T-Port Team
24-03-2023
__
animation, Awards, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Animator Joseph Pierce’s film SCALE has already made waves on the festival circuit after premiering at La Semaine de la Critique of Festival de Cannes when it was chosen by our guest curator Olha Raiter as part of our Lighthouse Selections 2022. The film appears on T-Port through our partners at Salaud Morissete. We caught […]
Read more

Polish filmmaker Jan Bujnowksi on his film THE DEVIL, recreating the 90s and the challenges of shooting on film

By: T-Port Team
22-03-2023
__
Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
PhD student at the Polish National Film School in Łódź, Jan Bujnowski set himself the challenge of shooting his last film THE DEVIL on film while recreating the past. We caught up with the 29-year-old to find out more. Tell us about yourself I’m 29 years old and I’m currently a PhD student. In the […]
Read more

‘Daily life and weird first dates’ – in conversation with Marleen Valien, director of ‘Not the 80s’

By: T-Port Team
30-09-2022
__
Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers
“NOT THE 80s” is Berlin-based director Marleen Valien’s second short to appear on T-Port. Her previous film “HOT DOG” was a hit on the festival circuit in 2019, including a showing at Sundance. Her newest offering, which premiered at Tribeca, focuses on a first date between two twenty-somethings, when one of them opens up about […]
Read more

From perfect inspiration to some serious on-set challenges, director Romi Menachem on everything she learned directing ‘Out of Play’

By: T-Port Team
01-09-2022
__
Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers, Uncategorized
30-year-old screenwriter and director Romi Menachem went through a lot with the cast and crew of her short film “Out of Play”. The film follows Bar (12), a longtime member of the boys’ clique and the class’s soccer team, who is forced to re-earn her place in the team’s lineup. The production faced serious challenges […]
Read more

A straightforward story told unconventionally: Henrik Dyb Zwart shares the creative process behind “Everything at Once” before its premiere at Venice

By: T-Port Team
25-08-2022
__
Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers, Uncategorized
Henryk Dyb Zwart’s film “Everything at Once” premieres at the Venice Film Festival on September 9 (courtesy of our partners at Festival Formula.) We caught up with the 34-year-old director to find out about his sources of inspiration from poetry to punk rock, and what it took to ´develop his multi-frame short film. Tell us […]
Read more

Denial, ambiguity, and mourning – a conversation with Audrey Karras, director of ‘One Last Breath’

By: T-Port Team
21-07-2022
__
Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers, Uncategorized
Audrey Karras shot her short film “One Last Breath” in just 4 and a half days. We spoke to the French director about the challenges she encountered through the creative process, and how it was for her to work with actors. Audrey created her film as part of her studies with our partners ESEC Paris. […]
Read more

T-Port Talent Spotlight ☉ Jannis Lenz and “Battlefield”

By: T-Port Team
10-10-2021
__
Awards, Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
  Sometimes we meet a T-Port Talent which we can just bet on being a successful filmmaker in the near future. Jannis Lenz is one of these filmmakers, showcasing an impressive filmography and a list of accolades.  Following his short film, “Battlefield”, we got a chance to learn some more about his emerging career, his […]
Read more

T-Port Talent Spotlight ☉ Kijâtai-ALexandra Veillette-Cheezo and “Kijatai”

By: T-Port Team
10-10-2021
__
Awards, Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Kijâtai-Alexandra Veillette-Cheezo has an impressive name, and the talent to match it. In her experimental short, “Kijatai”,  featured at the Montreal Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC) 2021, she explores her forgotten language. As Kijâtai is working on a future film project and pursuing a career in journalism – we got a chance to talk to her […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Spotlight: Yoram Ever-Hadani and “Moon Drops”

By: T-Port Team
01-12-2020
__
Awards, Drama, Fiction, Film Festival, Filmmakers, Independent
Yoram Ever-Hadani in no stranger to the professional international industry. The 50 years old Israeli filmmaker already has a proven career in directing commercials for international brands such as SodaStream, Mazda, Ford, Mitsubishi. He is also a writer, with 5 children’s books and an adult novel he penned so far. His mesmerizing short film, “Moon […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Spotlight: Shay Fellner and “Romantica.com”

By: T-Port Team
06-10-2020
__
Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Shay Fellner’s independent short film, “Romantica.com”, was submitted to T-Port Lighthouse a few months ago and selected by curator Kathleen McInnis for the 2020 T-Port Lighthouse official selection. The film was already selected to screen at various festivals worldwide. including Vancouver International Film Festival, Haifa International Film Festival and TISFF. Lately, we got a chance […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Spotlight: Hilke Rönnfeldt and “Silence of the Fish”

By: T-Port Team
22-09-2020
__
Awards, Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers, Independent
Hilke Rönnfeldt’s independent short film, “Silence of the Fish“, was submitted to T-Port Lighthouse a few months ago, making her eligible for the 2020 European Short Pitch project as a T-Port Talent in the frame of our collaboration with ESP. With her exciting future project, “Duty Free”, Hilke was selected among 11 other Pan-European emerging […]
Read more

T-Port Lighthouse Spotlight: Gal Sagy and “Grey Zone”

By: T-Port Team
24-08-2020
__
Drama, Fiction, Filmmakers
Gal Sagy’s short film, “Grey Zone“, has become some what of a festival star, with selections to various festivals including Tribeca, Torino Short Film Market, and more. Now, as the film was selected to the 2020 T-Port Lighthouse Selection by curator Kathleen McInnis, we got a chance to talk to the young filmmaker to find […]
Read more

TISFF 2019

By: T-Port Team
22-06-2019
__
Art, Awards, Documentary, Drama, Fiction, Film Festival, Filmmakers, Independent, T-Port Event
June was a busy month for us at T-Port - preparing for Tel-Aviv International Student Festival. The week included over 30 screenings of T-Port films in the three main competitions - International, Israeli and Independent. The successful screenings concluded with a total of 11 awards and special mentions (see below for the full list of winners).
Read more