Episodes

  • Part 11: L'adaptatrice (ft. Rebecca Sheehan)

    Part 11: L'adaptatrice (ft. Rebecca Sheehan)
    Jul 26 2023
    Kate and Simon are joined by author and film academic Rebecca Sheehan (https://communications.fullerton.edu/ctva/faculty/sheehan_rebecca/index.php) to dissect two later Akerman features, including her final scripted feature, bound together in this episode by their respective takes on literary giants. First up is 2000's La Captive, derived from a section of Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time; next is Almayer's Folly, derived from the Joseph Conrad novella/story of the same name. Music by: Rachmaninoff, Mozart. If you like the show or what we do generally, consider throwing us a few bucks to help cover our costs: https://paypal.me/kateandsimonpod Our intro music is performed by Sundar Subramanian. You can stream and buy his work here: https://sundarsubramanian.bandcamp.com/
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    2 hrs and 5 mins
  • Part 10: Self-portrait (ft. Patricia White)

    Part 10: Self-portrait (ft. Patricia White)
    Apr 17 2023
    Film scholar and author Patricia White (https://www.swarthmore.edu/profile/patricia-white) joins us to tackle a couple of Akerman's more direct attempts at self-portraiture (Lettre d'un Cinéaste and Chantal Akerman par Chantal Akerman), along with Sami Frey's behind-the-scenes chronicle Autour de Jeanne Dielman (edited by Akerman in the early 2000s). Discussed: the greatness of Delphine Seyrig, the joy of listening to Akerman talk about movies, her push-pull approach to tackling commissioned work, and (of course) much more. Music by: The Peter Parkers, Tim Hecker, Sandy Denny. If you like the show or what we do generally, consider throwing us a few bucks to help cover our costs: https://paypal.me/kateandsimonpod Our intro music is performed by Sundar Subramanian. You can stream and buy his work here: https://sundarsubramanian.bandcamp.com/
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    1 hr and 43 mins
  • Part 9: Akerman vs. America

    Part 9: Akerman vs. America
    Nov 7 2022
    Riding guest-free for a change, Kate and Simon tackle three films (a short and two features) that touch on issues of racism, injustice, and murder: the Amnesty International-prompted Pour Febe Elisabeth Velasquez, El Salvador, 1999's Sud and 2002's De L'Autre Coté. We also dive a little more than usual into criticisms of Akerman's documentary work/style and consider how the intervening decades have treated Akerman's portraits of American racism and violence. If you like the show or what we do generally, consider throwing us a few bucks to help cover our costs: https://paypal.me/kateandsimonpod Our intro music is performed by Sundar Subramanian. You can stream and buy his work here: https://sundarsubramanian.bandcamp.com/
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    1 hr and 39 mins
  • Part 8: See and don't see (ft. Alisa Lebow)

    Part 8: See and don't see (ft. Alisa Lebow)
    Aug 6 2022
    With the help of scholar and filmmaker Alisa Lebow, who arrives armed with memories of meeting and speaking with Akerman, we tackle some of the Akerman work most inherently tied up with questions and challenges of Jewish identity, history and politics. These films are: 1980's medium-length TV doc Dis-Moi (Tell Me); 1986's tragicomic examination of Jewish life in New York, Histoires d'Amerique, and 2006's experimental and bracing La-Bas (Down There). Check out Alisa's Filming Revolution here: https://www.filmingrevolution.org/ Music: Do Make Say Think "Goodbye enemy Airship" Mary 'Queenie' Lyons "See and Don't See" If youlike the show or what we do generally, consider throwing us a few bucks to help cover our costs: https://paypal.me/kateandsimonpod Our intro music is performed by Sundar Subramanian. You can stream and buy his work here: https://sundarsubramanian.bandcamp.com/
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    2 hrs and 30 mins
  • Part 7: Song and dance (ft. Girish Shambu)

    Part 7: Song and dance (ft. Girish Shambu)
    Jul 7 2022
    After a mid-season siesta, we're back with one of the most obviously pleasurable and accessible groupings of any episode of The Akerman Year: that's right, it's time for musicals. Girish Shambu is on with us to talk about the beguiling whatsit Les Années 80, the one-hour TV documentary One Day Pina Asked, and finally Akerman's long-in-the-making Golden Eighties. (Apologies for the blown-out sound on Simon's mic. Those responsible are above sacking but have received a strong reprimand.) Read the Pajama interview in LOLA: http://www.lolajournal.com/2/pajama.html If you like the show or what we do generally, consider throwing us a few bucks to help cover our costs: https://paypal.me/kateandsimonpod Our intro music is performed by Sundar Subramanian. You can stream and buy his work here: https://sundarsubramanian.bandcamp.com/
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    2 hrs and 13 mins
  • Part 6: Have you considered analysis? (ft. Miriam Bale)

    Part 6: Have you considered analysis? (ft. Miriam Bale)
    May 5 2022
    This month, we're taking a look at Akerman's sole foray into the English mainstream via the 1996 rom-com A Couch in New York, while also taking a look at the 7-minute short that followed in its wake (the introspective Le jour ou) and looking backwards to a previous comic gem, 1984's 60-minute L'homme a la valise. Joining us for this spirited and lively discussion is the great Miriam Bale, returning Lodgers champ. Discussed: Jewish comedy, Akerman's physical comic chops, William Hurt as the end boss of WASPSs, and much more. Follow Miriam on Twitter at @miriambale (https://twitter.com/miriambale) and follow the Indie Memphis Film Festival at @indiememphis (https://twitter.com/indiememphis). If you like the show or what we do generally, consider throwing us a few bucks to help cover our costs: https://paypal.me/kateandsimonpod Our intro music is performed by Sundar Subramanian. You can stream and buy his work here: https://sundarsubramanian.bandcamp.com/
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    1 hr and 46 mins
  • Part 5: Hot summer nights (ft. Caden Mark Gardner)

    Part 5: Hot summer nights (ft. Caden Mark Gardner)
    Apr 1 2022
    Once again, the stylistic breadth of Akerman's work comes to the fore via two features linked closely in theme but vastly divergent in approach. First up is Toute une nuit (1982), which chronicles a single smouldering Brussels night via the (mostly) romantic trials and tribulations of several dozen characters; that's followed this month by the more divisive Nuit et jour (1991), a chronicle of bifurcated love in the form of an askew philosophical romantic drama, complete with narration supplied by Akerman herself. Writer and critic Caden Mark Gardner is on hand to help us out on this one! Caden's article on the Digital Trans Archive as mentioned by Kate: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7254-from-the-margins-what-the-archives-show-us-about-trans-cinema-and-audiences Caden on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/corpsesfoolsandmonsters If you like the show or what we do generally, consider throwing us a few bucks to help cover our costs: https://paypal.me/kateandsimonpod Our intro music is performed by Sundar Subramanian. You can stream and buy his work here: https://sundarsubramanian.bandcamp.com/
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    1 hr and 47 mins
  • Part 4: Placement and displacement (ft. Jessica Bardsley)

    Part 4: Placement and displacement (ft. Jessica Bardsley)
    Mar 2 2022
    This month, Lodgers alumnus and filmmaker Jessica Bardsley joins us to talk about three exceedingly different projects, all linked by the theme of displacement: 1978's Jeanne Dielman follow-up Les rendez-vous d'Anna, 1984's hilarious Family Business, made while looking to secure funding for Golden Eighties (more on that one in a future episode) and 1993's commanding documentary depicting life in Eastern Europe following the collapse of the USSR, D'Est. Music used in this episode: Imperia, "Train to Leningrad" If you like the show or what we do generally, consider throwing us a few bucks to help cover our costs: https://paypal.me/kateandsimonpod Our intro music is performed by Sundar Subramanian. You can stream and buy his work here: https://sundarsubramanian.bandcamp.com/
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    2 hrs and 12 mins