“The Earth without Art is just ‘eh’” pretty much sums up this month on Rialto Documentary. An eclectic array of art documentaries exploring Nazi looted art, New Yorker cartoonists, and the colourful life of art addict Peggy Guggenheim premiering Thursday evenings at 8.30pm.  

Portrait of Wally premieres Thursday 13^th October, 8.30pm

This fascinating documentary tells the story of a Nazi looted painting by Agon Shelia, Portrait of Wally, that was discovered on the walls of the Museum of Modern Art in 1997, and the 13 year long battle by the original Jewish owner’s family to retrieve it. It’s a well-structured and engrossing documentary about a painting that brought the story of Nazi looting out into the open. Interestingly it also provides an insight into the questionable behavior by MoMA and its Chairman Ronald Lauder, who resisted the family and American legal systems attempt to recover the painting. A political and legal thriller about a piece of art and restitution laws, history and humanity, director Andrew Shea certainly leaves you with plenty to think about.  

Very Semi-Serious: A Partially Thorough Portrait of New Yorker Cartoonists: premieres Thursday 20^th October, 8.30pm

This light and hugely engaging documentary about the cartoon department at the New Yorker, is as you’d expect; droll, humorous and observant. The periodical is well known for its whimsical and satirical cartoons, and director Leah Wolchok takes you behind the scenes to see how the department works, and how its cartoon editor of 20 years, Bob Mankoff, whittles 1000 cartoons a week down to 15. Through Mankoff, we’re introduced to a variety of cartoonists – some who have been in the business decades, others who are just making their mark - and they’re all intriguing characters. Fun, light and clever; this is a must see.

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict  premieres Thursday 27^th October, 8.30pm

Written and directed by Lisa Vreeland (Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel), this film tells the story of colourful art collector Peggy Guggenheim who became a central figure in the modern art movement. As well known for sleeping with artists as she was for collecting art, Guggenheim was ahead of her time, in more ways than one. For all the fabulous stories and controversies that whirled around her, Vreeland’s documentary refocuses our attention on Guggenheim’s true love; art. In doing so, she presents us with a mini history lesson on the great art and artists of the 20^th century. 

Broken Hallelujah is a family affair. A beautiful and moving story about love, it was written and produced by one of the film’s stars Vanessa Riddell, and directed by her husband Alastair Riddell in his directorial debut. It’s no easy feat completing and distributing an independent film, and in this thought-provoking interview Alastair kindly shares his experience of bringing Broken Hallelujah to life, and talks about the ups and downs of making films in New Zealand.

Rialto: First tell us what to expect from your film?

Broken Hallelujah is an 'ensemble' film, so it is unusual in that the plot follows the interwoven lives of several protagonists and not just one (although the inter-lacing story lines do move particularly around Kirsty Preston and her husband Gary).  The film is set in West Auckland in early to mid 2000's with a cast that reflects ethnic mix of the area (Maori, Chinese and Pakeha) and where the drama and the ebb and flow of these stories finally culminate in a life challenging crisis that changes everything. The film is not a love story but rather a story about love and the power we have to find meaning from our trials and exultations. In the end and despite the elements of tragedy in the film, the story is a positive and life-affirming one.

Rialto: What was the biggest challenge you faced making the film, and how did you overcome it?

An ensemble film was an ambitious style to take on straight out of the blocks and the post-production process was an interesting and oftentimes steep learning curve.  Finally, and despite the huge effort of filming and post-production, the biggest and toughest hurdle was releasing and publicising the film. Getting the word 'out there' and creating an interest in the release was very hard. We took to contacting cinemas ourselves directly and to our surprise the response was very positive. Not only did we get a decent run at Rialto Cinemas, we also managed to get screenings in well over twenty boutique cinemas throughout the country. The film was picked up by Air New Zealand for international in-flight and we have a deal for DVD release in Australia and New Zealand (with likely UK release pending). The Producer, Cinematographer and myself went on a small tour of several North Island cinemas and enjoyed positive feedback from viewers at Q and A sessions (something we will definitely do again for our next feature West of Eden).

As a result the film has achieved a 7.1 rating on IMDB (and without any shill voting) which is high rating for a New Zealand film.

I would like to see a sea-change in the acknowledgement and encouragement of independent filmmakers in New Zealand. Sometimes I feel we are an irritation to the state-funded film industry people (and I am sure most independent film-makers would say the same). Also, and oddly, I don't think many people realise that most films made in NZ are created through a sort of 'design-by-committee' process through the NZFC. 

One of the biggest problems with making films through group analysis and dissection is the tendency towards making risk adverse decisions; I do not think anything dangerous or inspiring naturally flows from that kind of approach. Personally I would not have produced Out on the Street (my number one hit song) had I written it with a committee of other people. Creativity is something that wells up from the unconscious mind, from a synergy of personal inspiration and experience; the personal muse. Call it what you will, but my entire stage persona and branding (in modern parlance) was something that evolved out of my creative impulses, my passions, and a disregard for formulated and scheduled planning. No ticking of boxes was involved and I think this goes for the 1960s and 70s in general, when there was a flourishing of creativity in all the arts. Without overstating it, I think real creativity is being stifled today through a preoccupation with branding and a prescriptive, formulaic approach to creativity. It is interesting that there is a re-vitalisation in American television because they are breaking those 'rules'. I can't see a production like Mr Robot, The Night Of, Breaking Bad, True Detective or Fargo, being made in NZ for exactly the reasons I give. The same principles apply in film.

Art and personal expression should be helped by creative funding agencies and not defined by them. Film making does involve a balance between the necessary business requirements and artistic demands; still film should be in its highest aspirations, an art form, and the history of creativity shows that inspiration flows from individuals not collectives. 

Books like Save the Cat and screen-writing Gurus like Syd Field, have become the benchmarks for story and structure and sadly that produces prescriptive blueprints for film-making. We then become incensed and bewildered when our films are not picked for distribution overseas. I suppose it can help to learn the rules before you break them but the result of approaching creativity in this way is that we lose the opportunity to develop many distinctly individual voices or for that matter, a truly national style in cinema. Diversity and experimentation are positive and productive qualities and should not be micro-managed into oblivion.

Personally I prefer to make films about ordinary people and their dilemmas; films that offer a small light to real human existence. As Ken Loach said about Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves (1948) "It wasn't a film about stars, or riches or absurd adventures". Our next film is a period piece set in 1960 – that points up the changes that have occurred socially in NZ since that time when being gay was a crime.

Rialto: How did you fund your film, and was any crowd funding involved? If so, would you recommend it?

Most feature films are so expensive from concept to cinema that deep pocket investors, studios or state funding are still the best option. The problem with any other form of funding like Crowd Funding, is that involves many people, a lot of time and imponderables like how to create excitement about your project...more often easier said than done. Crowd Funding is ideal for short films. In fact, short films should probably be funded this way to free-up money from studios and state funding organisations for feature films. It also allows young or novice filmmakers to find out how important marketing is; contrary to some myths, even Crowd Funding does not work without clever marketing and too often an additional contribution from the filmmakers themselves. Generally, as the saying goes, there is “no free lunch."

Rialto: How many roles did you juggle on this project?

The nature of making an independent film (with limited resources) is that you inevitably have to put on a few different hats. Mine were: Director, Editor, Composer.

I particularly enjoy directing actors and the challenge of writing the music for the score.

I have juggled more roles with Broken Hallelujah than I would like to in future, but the upside is that it has given me a great understanding of how to get a project of this size from beginning to end. I now know what I didn't when I started: what is required and what is worth spending extra time or money on to better expedite the completion of a film...no small thing. 

Rialto: Can you tell us your best dinner party story about the making of your film?

Funny in retrospect but not so funny at the time: we were shooting a beach scene at Kariotahi Beach north of port Waikato. We had a digital feed to a blacked out van for checking shots from the camera as we progressed through the days shot-list. I was sitting in the dark in the van with our data wrangler Ciaran and a large 50 inch screen, which rather dominated the space as you can imagine. It was at the time displaying what was coming through live from the camera, which was pointed out to sea. It was framing a close-up of the waves. Suddenly Ciaran said "is that a large freak wave?" To our astonishment, we could see a large wave heading straight for us. We tumbled out of the van shouting our lungs out: the screen close-up had given us an early warning and no-one else, cast or crew, had spotted it. There was a mad scramble by everyone to pick up all the gear and the set (mainly picnic paraphernalia). Rather terrifyingly a rogue wave that came up to our knees, swept through the whole set washing everything away and when it subsided it carried some of the set off out to sea, never to be seen again. We did manage to keep all of the expensive gear dry, but the set was literally a wash-out. The makeup/costume tent further in shore remained unscathed but the van went down to its axles in the sand and we spent the next hour digging it out and then towing it out with the help of a friendly 4x4 owner. Needless to say it was the end of shooting for that day and it added another day on to our schedule. They say don't film with animals and children if you can help it so perhaps 'on beaches' should be added to the list (certainly the stories of freak waves on West Coast beaches are true!). In the event Broken Hallelujah has animals, children and beaches in it.

Rialto: If you were giving a talk to a group of filmmaking students, what would you tell them about their chosen career path?

Trying to stitch elements of vision, action and sound together to create a powerful and cohesive story can be immensely satisfying and hugely frustrating. It is a little like a juggling act where the elements have to be drawn together to create (you hope!!) some magic in the incandescent illusion.

As far as actually making films is concerned, I thing the only really important thing is to get going and start making doing it. There are some wonderful high definition cameras out there now, and if you can beg or borrow one, get going. There is nothing like actually making a film to teach you what you need, and don't need, to do. Read Werner Herzog on that subject. By actually doing it you will not only gather the knowledge on how to handle actors, shots, and schedules but you'll develop the confidence and faith to stand by your own decisions and vision. Developing and maintaining a body of work will put you in good stead for the future and as you move along you should view mistakes as an opportunity to learn and not dwell on their negativities.

The world has moved further and further in the direction of networking. There has been huge and emphasis put on the need to develop contacts and stratagems to get ahead, and whereas those things are no doubt important, I think too much weight has been put on them: concentrating on social media like Facebook can mean you are talking to a lot of people who are only really interested in what they are doing.  We can lose our creative insight, and all important intuition, being overwhelmed by the stream of 'successes' posted online daily. Actually making something tangible can say more about yourself than a ton of words or self promotion. Again some balance needs to be found in that, but finally results have a way of informing the world.  

Although film making can be hugely satisfying and creatively rewarding it is obviously a financially difficult undertaking. The best thing I ever did, as a creative person, was investing what income I received in the good times, into my security. That put me in better stead when times got harder. It is a difficult thing to confidently give advice on: on the one hand you have to follow your dream and have faith but on the other, economic reality can be a cruel mistress. To further compound matters the scope for making a decent living in the arts in NZ is always a tough one, so I suppose it's finally a balancing act. Having other interests outside of your chosen field is important to help you get through the tough times. 

It helps a director I think, if you are interested in the other creative arts, particularly painting and music. I found my Art History major was hugely helpful when it came to understanding composition and framing as well as light. My career in music was also hugely helpful in understanding how to use music to develop and evoke mood and emotion. 

Finally, I would say that film making is a collegial process and life is short; surrounding yourself with enthusiastic supportive people makes all the difference about how you feel about yourself and your achievements, in an often fickle, indifferent, and competitive world.

Rialto: If you could pick one New Zealand actor or actress to work with, who would it be and why?

Well there are a lot of terrific actors around; it is an area where New Zealand has a particular store of wonderful talent.

Still I would like to direct my old mate Russell Crowe (does he count?). We were friends many years ago and I'd love to find out what happened to the Randall amp I left with him when I went to England?!

Rialto: If you had to describe in three words the current state of the NZ film industry, what would they be?

Sorry to say they would have to be: enthusiastic, (but) formulaic and self-congratulating.

Rialto: What’s the last film that moved you?

Well I see a lot of films I like and appreciate, but being actually moved when you know the tricks is a little more difficult.

Surprisingly perhaps I got a wee bit emotional at the end of Lady in the Van. I've always had a soft spot for Alan Bennett. It was finally a very touching story (though I would have edited the end a little differently haha...!!), and of course all made possible by a brilliant performance by Maggie Smith!!

Don’t miss Broken Hallelujah, Wednesday 12^th October at 8.30pm on Rialto Channel.

Orphans & Kingdoms is the multiple award-winning feature film debut from New Zealand filmmakers Paolo Rotondo (Writer/Director) and Fraser Brown (Producer).

Described by Rotondo as a “drama about how adults need kids as much as kids need adults”, Orphans & Kingdoms tells the story of three teenagers on the run, who break into a fancy holiday home only to unexpectedly come face to face with the home’s owner, played by Colin Moy.

The film was part of The New Zealand Film Commission’s low budget Escalator scheme, and the entire film was shot on Waiheke Island. The film premiered at the 2014 Auckland Film Festival, before winning a Moa award for best editing.

Previously Rotondo and Brown worked together on the award-winning short film Dead Letters, and both have acted in some of New Zealand’s most well-known television series including Shortland Street and The Insiders Guide to Happiness.

Rialto: First tell us what to expect from your film?

PR: Orphans & Kingdoms is a moving and powerful film, filled with beauty, both in the humanity of our characters and in the stunning Waiheke Island scenery. It has audiences on the edge of their seats with some nail biting tension, superb performances and heartfelt story telling. This is powerhouse Kiwi filmmaking at its best. Orphans & Kingdoms has been hugely thought provoking for New Zealand audiences and resonated Internationally. You won’t be disappointed.

Rialto: What was the biggest challenge you faced making the film, and how did you overcome it?

PR: By far the biggest challenge was the effect a project had on my young family. Selling our house, while I wasn’t earning without a clear deadline in sight. Not spending as much time with my little ones and partner, especially when we were making a film about family. I don’t think anything can prepare you for the ‘mission’ that is your first film. You have to really love your work. The best approach was simply to go for it and make it worthwhile. I’m really proud that we had the naivety, humility and heart to try and really say something. I’ll be proud to show my kids when they get old enough to watch.

Rialto: How did you fund your film, and was any crowd funding involved? If so, would you recommend it?  

PR: We did things our way; we invented an egalitarian and essentially socialist approach. Everyone was paid the same daily rate (a pittance) and we structured the returns from the film to come back to the crew first. I think we only got away with this approach because we were tiny, but the principle is inspiring. The old-fashioned studio/corporate approach is not the only way and has different relevance nowadays. We crowd-funded, begged, borrowed and stole (not really the stealing…).  It was The New Zealand Film Commission that got us going by funding us through a Micro-budget scheme where they gave us a little bit of money and then let us go for it. The crowd funding worked at the time and gave us a little audience to begin a conversation with. I’m not sure if there is any novelty in that anymore, as the market place for crowd funding is ‘crowded’ (excuse the pun). We made a little ‘info-graphic’ to help explain how it all worked, which can be viewed here: http://orphansandkingdoms.com/micro-budget-methodology.

Rialto: How many roles did you juggle on this project?

PR: You couldn’t get more multi-tasking than Fraser Brown (the Producer) and myself. Fraser produced the film and had a role as the cop (which meant he was sometimes the producer in a NZ cop uniform on set). Fraser also read with the actors and assisted in all the casting. I conducted all the casting myself, co-produced, found locations, wrote script and directed.

Rialto: Can you tell us your best dinner party story about the making of your film?

PR: When we were filming we kept blowing up an electric power box supply to a whole street on Waiheke. Did we stop filming? Hell no! We were Micro-budget, we had to keep moving. So what did we do? We powered up on our tiny generator for making coffee and boiling water, and two minuscule lights. With these lights only illuminating a small area they were not bright enough for any wide shots. That’s when we shot the intimate/sex scene of the film. It was about the only thing we could do and its on screen now. Now that is a black out set.

Rialto: If you were giving a talk to a group of filmmaking students, what would you tell them about their chosen career path?

PR: I would ask them what have they got to say? There is a famous renaissance self-portrait of a painter staring back at us. A parchment next to him reads ‘Don’t speak, unless what you have to say is better than silence.’ I would ask them to figure out whether they want to be filmmakers for a job or as a vocation.

Rialto: If you could pick one New Zealand actor or actress to work with, who would it be and why?

PR: There is a lot of talent out there in New Zealand that are not ‘celebrities’ but little-known artists instead. However, my favourite performance on film in the last few years is Cliff Curtis’ Genesis Potini in Dark Horse

Rialto: If you had to describe in three words the current state of the NZ film industry, what would they be?

PR: Yeah, nah, good.

Rialto: What’s the last film that moved you?

PR: A hilarious Austrian comedy in the NZIFF called Toni Eardmann really surprised me.

ORPHANS & KINGDOMS premieres Wednesday 5 October on Rialto Channel 39

Kicking off on Rialto Channel this month is a new Aussie TV series called The Principal  premiering Tuesday 4^th October, 8.30pm.  

It’s a four-part drama series starring award-winning actor Alex Dimitriades (The Slap, Underbelly) as Matt Bashir, a former history teacher and Deputy Principal at a prestigious girls’ school, who is promoted to Principal of a notoriously violent and difficult Sydney school, Boxdale Boys High.

His appointment is a last ditch attempt to save the school from being shut down, although not everyone appreciates his radical approach to reform. Faced with conflict on all fronts, Bashir finds himself professionally and personally challenged; and when a student is found dead on school grounds, all hell breaks loose.

The Principal was created by award-winning producer Ian Collie (Saving Mr Banks, Rake), along with Rachel Turk and Kristen Dunphy, and directed by multi award-winning Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Boxing Day).

The new crime drama showcases a range of high calibre Australian talent, including AFI nominated Aden Young (Rectify) and AACTA award-winning Mirrah Foulkes (Animal Kingdom, Hawaii Five-0), as well as some fresh Australian talent, including Rahel Romahn (Underbelly, The Combination), Aliki Matangi (Jonah from Tonga), Tyler De Nawi and Thuso Lekwape.

Alex Dimitriades has been busy working on a couple of new projects since filming The Principal, but kindly took the time to chat about this confronting and real series. While it screened a year ago in Australia, people are still talking about the series, so we started off by talking about the public’s reaction.  

Rialto: The series screened in Australia in 2015 – what was the reaction like?

Really strong actually, it seemed to touch a lot of nerves in the right places. It was quite personal for a lot of people, even despite the fact they may not have come up through similar surroundings. It really touched a diverse range of people in a really special way that I hadn’t experienced first-hand like that in some time…it seemed to get a lot of people charged, talking and thinking. That real sense of touching, and really making them feel like they want to talk about it and discuss the issues, is a real win for me.

I suppose being involved to that degree, and with that type of part, social media was a lot to do with that as well and people hitting me up all the time. It was great, but a lot of hard work fielding all that. I lot of people really loved my part, and he was quite an inspirational man and the reaction was awesome. I couldn’t have hoped for better actually.

Rialto: On a boldness scale – how bold do you think the series was for Australian drama?

AD: Now, if someone was to do something like that again, maybe not so much. In June or July 2014, I was in Melbourne doing a show with a theatre company and one day a call came through from my agency; the agency boss wanted to talk about the series, and the director and the producer wanted to meet. She was “it will be really good - just from whose involved.” She told me a little bit about it and at the time I was like, umm, sounds really controversial and I don’t know about this. But I met up with the guys and we chattered and got on incredibly. You really put the trust in these people’s hands when you do something that is of a controversial nature. When it’s you who is the face of it and who will be at the front line of all the discussions, it’s tricky territory, you really are placing trust in those people’s hands.

It did feel very bold but we handled it with the right amount of care, and everything about the production did the controversy justice. So now looking back it doesn’t feel like a big deal, but I remember clearly at the time that feeling when I took that call – oh, I don’t know about this one, we’ll see, we’ll meet up with them and talk, but I can’t really say which way this is going to go.

Rialto: You won a Logie Award for your role – what does that kind of accolade mean to you? 

AD: At the time I wasn’t really fussed so much because I didn’t think I was going to win. I was also in the middle of another shoot and that was quite gruelling and there was a lot of travel involved weekly back and forth from Sydney to Melbourne. I was like, oh, an awards night, do I really care? I’m nominated, thanks, but I’ve been to these things before, I’m not going to win.

Rialto: So you didn’t prepare a speech?

AD: No speech prepared whatsoever. As it drew closer, something was telling me I might actually win. Which was kind of strange but I’m glad I turned up. I actually almost did not go and that’s no word of a lie. But after the fact I was really, really, super proud. It meant a lot more to me after the fact. I’m actually stoked that I have this award because I won a AACTA Award for Best Actor award for The Slap a few years back, and that meant a lot at the time, it’s a different organisation and it has a different type of credibility and in the industry it used to be seen as a little more important, the more serious awards. I have one of each now so that’s great. I underestimated how much a Logie is actually worth. It’s a great award and I finally got one. I use to say all the time, I’m never going to win, I didn’t think I fitted the mould, which is a stupid way to think.

Rialto: What was it like working with director Kriv Stenders – this being his first television series?

AD: It was great. He’s a really funny guy, we had a good time and the relationship was very easy and he’s obviously super smart. By watching the way he works, you can just tell. I’ve worked with directors like him before but no two people are the same in the way that they work, especially when they’re as experienced as that. He was great, always charging forward and kind of crazy and it worked. All the kids loved him and it was a real family affair.

I was a little apprehensive actually when I first went in. I thought, how am I going to handle all these teenage guys? I just imagined all of them to be like me – like, how am I going to be dealing with 50 younger versions of myself? What a nightmare! But they were all very sweet and very patient and respectful and just grateful to be there. They were an awesome bunch, and Kriv was like the funny uncle. He was great with them and they loved him and it was a good experience.

Rialto: Rialto Channel screens the series Rectify as well, but it’s nice to see Aden Young back in an Aussie production – had the two of you worked together before?

AD: Funnily enough we haven’t. He was one of the first actors after starting off, apart from the people in the first ever production I did, on a social level he was one of the first I ever met. He used to be with Claudia Karvan [his The Heartbreak Kid co-star] back in the day. In the early 90’s they were a young, hot film pair. He’s quite intimidating and he hasn’t changed a single bit, he’s definitely an interesting character who is on another level; an individual. But it was great to finally do something. I hadn’t seen him in a very, very long time so I didn’t know what to expect, no, I did know what to expect… he hasn’t changed one single bit and it was a good dynamic between those two characters. I think it worked out well.

Rialto: How did you prepare for the role? 

AD: It’s hard for me to say because you’re unconsciously preparing without even knowing it. I was non-stop thinking about this guy, where he’s coming from, where he’s going. Going on the journey and immersing yourself in it and thinking about that all the time. In terms of actual preparation, I took a visit down to the school where we actually shot, and hung out with the Principal for a day, and just followed him, basically shadowing his movements around the place. Witnessing his interaction with the kids up close and from afar as well, I was a bit of a spy that day. He was really lovely and helpful, and I kind of took a few character cues from him; the way he talks and walks in a particular way kind of stuck with me, I liked it and felt comfortable with it.

That was really beneficial because that’s always a thing, you’re trying to play the truth of the story as much as possible, but little character things like that - there’s always a risk it’s going to seem unacceptable or tacky, or like how much do I do, or how little do I do, so that was a nice additional angle to bring to it. And you know Kriv and I spoke a lot before the production rehearsals and had fun piecing it all together. It’s hard to talk about actually things. Every night you go to bed and that’s what’s on your mind – knowing or unknowingly. Once you’ve got your head around the scripts, it’s part of you, in your blood.

 Rialto: You’ve been acting now for over 20 years – are you still learning?

AD: Absolutely. That’s one of the great parts of this job – you never stop because humans are an interesting bunch, and artists are always serving up new and interesting different stories, so there’s inspiration to be found everywhere. I think it’s just never-ending and you yield to it with age, types of parts reach and find you and it’s an awesome job. I can do this forever. God willing! If I stay healthy and don’t go completely nuts.

Rialto: TV drama globally is in really good state – what’s it like in Australia at the moment?

AD: Pretty good. The job I just finished in Melbourne called Seven Types of Ambiguity is I think possibly one of the strongest things I have been involved with. Which is a big call, but we will wait and see when it comes out. It just felt really right and the talent involved is really super strong, so definitely in a healthy state at least from that point of view. Television is the place - it’s the format.

Rialto: If you could walk onto a film set with one Aussie actor tomorrow – who would it be?

AD: Probably Ben Mendelsohn. He’s just won an Emmy overnight. I’ve known Ben for long time, we’re not mates or anything but I’ve always liked him and always been a fan of his work and as a person as well. He’s a very lovable character and he’s been quite troubled over the years as we all have, it’s never just roses, and so it’s great to see him getting there. Was it about 5 or 6 years ago he did The Place Beyond the Pines with Ryan Gosling, and since then we’ve seen him go in leaps and bounds. It would be great to work together.

Make sure you catch The Principal, Tuesday 4^th October at 8.30pm.

Finishing up Rialto Channel’s Encore Documentary season on Wednesday evenings is You’ve Been Trumped. Like many people, some weeks I just can’t get enough of the US Presidential election, and other weeks I find myself wishing it was all just a reality television show of no consequence. Love him or hate him, Mr Trump has come further than anyone predicted, and caused quite a stir along the way. You’ve Been Trumped is a documentary from 2011 that captures Trump’s campaign to build a controversial golf course on the North East coast of Scotland. This probably won’t come as a shock, but his behavior is appalling.

You’ve Been Trumped  premieres Wednesday 28^th September, 8.30pm

Those who watched Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, or his campaign speeches know Trump can work the camera. Take him away from that contrived world though and suddenly Trump’s media moves are revealed for what they are - shallow PR spin. This David and Goliath documentary follows Scottish locals attempting to stop Trump building a golf course on their unique coastal wilderness area.

Director Anthony Baxter, arrested while shooting this film, is just one of the characters in this saga to feel the full force of a powerful multinational company. Environmental concerns and economic benefits are pitted against each other as to why this project should or shouldn’t go ahead, but when the local Scottish people begin to question the project, Trump and his team give us a glimpse of their modus operandi which largely comes down to arrogance, disrespect and bullying. 

James White  premieres Friday 30th September, 8.30pm

The melancholic drama James White is producer Josh Mond’s (Martha Marcy May Marlene) directorial debut. With three short films under his belt, Mond debuted James White at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival where it won the NEXT Audience Award.

The film tells the story of a twenty-something New Yorker James White (Christopher Abbott) who deals with his mother’s terminal illness by retreating further into a self-destructive and hedonistic lifestyle. It’s an intimate, raw and unflinching look at a sensitive young man’s attempt to nurse his mother through the awful final stages of her cancer; a task made all the more difficult by the fact his mother isn’t ready to let go.

It’s a premise that has been explored before, but the performances by Christopher Abbott, and Cynthia Nixon as White’s mother are excellent. Abbott’s nuanced performance allows Mond to capture his character’s pain and suffering through intense close-up shots, and Nixon is unpredictable and utterly convincing as she fades away from us. The film was inspired by Mond’s own experience of losing his mother, but the end result is a collaboration of ideas from various people involved in the project from Nixon through to the film’s cinematographer Mátyás Erdély. Regardless of where the idea came from, there’s no doubt this film captures the pain, mess and sadness of death.

The Sea  premieres Saturday 1^st October, 8.30pm

Saturday evening’s film also ventures into the theme of death and grieving with an adaptation of John Banville’s Man Booker Prize Winning novel The Sea. Banville wrote the screenplay that Stephen Brown, in his directorial debut, brings to life with subtlety and beauty.  

Even though Banville had nothing to do with the film once he’d handed over the script, he was reportedly thrilled with the finished product which he describes as a “mood piece”. There’s not a huge amount of plot in this yarn that follows Max Morden (Ciaran Hinds), a grieving art historian struggling to deal with his wife’s death, who returns to the Irish seaside resort he visited as a child where his past is as unresolved as his present. Instead we flash back in time as Max nostalgically remembers the summer he became infatuated with a wealthy British family who also came to seaside in the 1950s, and in the present we watch him drink himself into more misery.

Nicely acted, Hinds is also joined by Charlotte Rampling, Natascha McElhone and Rufus Sewell, along with some talented youngsters who handle the material well.

Thought provoking, mature relationship dramas hit Rialto Channel this week with veterans Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay teaming up in British drama 45 Years, and Al Pacino and Holly Hunter co-starring in American drama Manglehorn. All four deliver excellent performances, and it’s a delight watching these veteran actors strut their stuff. Another not quite so mature middle age gentleman also hits the screen this week, as Rake (Tuesday 8.30pm) wraps up its fourth season. Criminal lawyer Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh) might struggle to hold down a relationship of any sort, but there’s plenty of drama in Cleaver’s life – and plenty of laughs to be had too.

Manglehorn premieres Saturday 24^th September, 8.30pm

Director David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn is set in Texas, and tells the story of lonely souls. The best thing about this drama, a character piece about a man struggling to deal with his life’s regrets, is that it stars Al Pacino and Holly Hunter. A man left with nothing but frustration and disappointment, Pacino’s Manglehorn is a hard guy to fall for, especially when he takes local bank teller Dawn (Hunter) on their first date, or deals with his estranged son. However, as the film goes on, there’s something about his honesty that keeps you enthralled. And, Hunter, by the way, is superb. 

David Gordon Green began his career as an indie darling making intimate, offbeat dramas such as All the Real Girls or brooding thrillers such as Undertow. In 2008 his career took a turn when he directed stoner flick Pineapple Express, and since then has dabbled in mainstream films such as Your Highness and The Sitter as well as more tortured dramas such as Manglehorn. Green is one of Hollywood’s most unpredictable directors; he’s taken on thrillers, bromances, poetic and intimate meditations on small town life, and more recently political satire with Our Brand in Crisis. Manglehorn might be one of his more challenging pieces, but you’ve got to hand it to the guy, he’s never boring.

45 Years  premieres Sunday 25^th September, 8.30pm

I love an ambiguous ending; a film not afraid to leave the audience contemplating what might become of its protagonists. Writer-director Andrew Haigh’s relationship drama 45 Years is one of those films, it really gets under your skin.

The film stars Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay as a couple who face an unexpected hurdle in their relationship on the eve of their 45^th wedding anniversary. Geoff (Courtney) is informed of the discovery of his first love’s body that has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps where she fell to her death many years ago. This discovery unhinges Kate (Rampling) and Geoff’s relationship as they assess their marriage with unsentimental honesty.

45 Years is a quiet film that takes one event and turns a couple’s life on its head in a completely understandable way. It’s unnerving, genuine, and excellently acted by Rampling and Courtney who provide a masterclass in nuanced acting.

Steve McQueen: The Man and Le Mans premieres Thursday 22^nd September, 8.30pm

This documentary by filmmakers Gabriel Clarke and Jon McKenna goes behind the scenes of Steve McQueen’s infamous 1971 film Le Mans, a passion project he championed through his production company Solar Productions. The film briefly touches on his upbringing, and then fast forwards to the making of Le Mans, a troubled production shot in France during an actually Le Mans race. Car accidents off set, affairs, a change of directors, dangerous racing conditions are just a few of the dramas to beset McQueen, but what makes this documentary so compelling, is the access to the never-seen-before large amount of footage shot during the making of the film.

Variety is the name of the game this week. Car racing enthusiasts and Paul Newman fans will lap up the documentary Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman on Thursday evening. If you’re looking for a truly unique film to immerse yourself in, you can’t go past Matteo Garrone’s exquisite Tale of Tales on Saturday, and if you’re fond of over the top Hammer horrors, then Sunday evening’s Stonehearst Asylum is for you.

Tale of Tales  premieres Saturday 17^th September, 8.30pm

Inspired by 17th-century Italian fairy tales, filmmaker Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah, Reality) takes us on a luscious, violent, sensual and stylistic dreamlike journey in his first English language film Tale of Tales. Bizarre stories and beautiful settings collide with dark humour and understated performances; this is an odd but strangely compelling film.

The film follows three royals who live in different parts of the same imaginary realm. Queen of Longtrellis (Salma Hayek) sacrifices her husband and eats the heart of a sea monster in order to become pregnant. King of Highhills (Toby Jones) pays more attention to a flea than his own daughter and finds himself alone and bereft when she is married off to a caveman. King of Strongcliff’s (Vincent Cassel) libido gets the better of him as he seduces a local girl only to discover he has been tricked and she is instead an old hag.

These aren’t the kind of fairytales you share with your kids, and anyway, the very specific pacing of the film would probably bore them. However, thanks to the exquisite costumes, music, casting and imaginative art direction, there is plenty for adults to immerse themselves in, as well as a few worthy life lessons to embrace.

Stonehearst Asylum  premieres Sunday 18^th September, 8.30pm

 A fabulous cast gets to swing between sanity and madness in this loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether. A gothic romantic horror film in the vein of the British Hammer horror films, the film kicks off with the arrival of an earnest young doctor Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess) from Oxford at the eerie and remote Stonehearst Asylum. On his arrival he’s greeted by superintendent Dr. Lamb (Ben Kingsley) who agrees to teach Newgate everything he knows about treating the insane, and Newgate immediately falls for one of the patients, the charming and accomplished Eliza Graves (Kate Beckinsale).

However, not all is as it seems at Stonehearst Asylum, and from here on in, it’s up to the viewer to unravel the mystery. Who is the monster in this story?  The insane or those treating them?

The film also stars David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, and Michael Caine, and is directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist) who has a knack of pulling together impressive A-list casts. Michael Caine was one of the last names to come on board the project, but he was enticed by the idea of working with Ben Kingsley again – the two hadn’t worked together since the 80’s Without A Clue. Anderson is no stranger to psychological thrillers, and if you look at his body of work, there’s a running theme throughout his film that asks the question, ‘what is madness’? In his first period drama, he attempts to answer it with high-class melodrama.

Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman  premieres Thursday 15^th September, 8.30pm

Most people think of Paul Newman as a critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning actor, and he is, but his real passion, according to friends and family interviewed in this documentary, was motorcar racing. Paul Newman discovered a love of racing when he was preparing to star in the film Winning. He started driving at an age when many drivers would retire, and went on to become not only a successful driver, but also a team owner. Robert Redford, Jay Leno and Robert Wagner along with racing car legends, fondly recall stories of Newman’s obsession with cars as they shed light on his 35-year driving career.