Stream Close Up

Winner of the Crystal Globe for Best Director at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Lithuanian filmmaker Vytautas Katkus joins us to talk about his feature debut “The Visitor” (Svečias). Here’s what the Jury had to say about his film.  “In his feature debut, Vytautas Katkus truly exploits the creative freedom that a director perhaps only ever properly enjoys with their first f...

Czech director Ondřej Provazník stops by for his Stream Close Up. His film Broken Voices recently premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival where it was nominated for a Crystal Globe award. Loosely based on a true events, Broken Voices is a nuanced story about an elite girls’ choir and how a young woman must navigate the competitive nature of her peers and manage the advances of a...

Director Nina Knag joins us to talk about her feature debut Don’t Call Me Mama which is about to have its world premier at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. We’ll talk about how Nina has explored some similar themes in earlier works and have an interesting discussion about deliberate choices regarding what was left out of the film. We’ll also get into the impact and importance of havin...

We are kicking off this season with a look at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. We will be putting particular focus on the main competition category, The Crystal Globe. In this episode Brian meets documentary filmmaker Dmytro Hreshko . His latest work Divia is a dark and beautiful exploration of the impact of the Russian invasion on nature in Ukraine. Scored by Grammy award winnin...

Director Lisa Ohlin joins Brian to discuss her career including her experience at NYU Film School and her journey in film and TV. They cover Lisa's work from feature films Vernada för en Tenor and Simon and the Oaks ( Simon och Ekarna ) to the latest instalment of the long running and much beloved Beck franchise Beck 45 - 58 Minuter . Among other topics, they explore Lisa's successful approach to...

This week Walter Iuzzolino joins Brian to discuss the origins of Walter Presents and the launch of the service in Scandinavia. Walter may have the best job in the world. Join us as he tells us all bout the joys and challenges of curating the best of European television. Walter Iuzzolino might just have the answer to that eternal question...."What should we watch tonight?" Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Producer Mikael Cross ( Alex, Vitt Skräp, Bröderna Salazar.... ) joins Brian to discuss his career and  what's required to take a TV show or film from idea to reality. He also shares a scary story of life imitating art in the most serious manner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor Jens Hultén joins us as our guest on the latest episode of the Stream Close Up Podcast. Jens is well known for various roles in iconic Swedish detective classics including Johan Falk, Wallander, Beck and Hassel among othersHe has appeared in films as diverse as The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared and Lilla Jönssonligan. And speaking of film, Jens may well be the o...

We are back with a new season of The Stream Close Up podcast. This week Brian meets producer Susann Billberg-Rydholm. If you don’t know her name, you almost certainly know her work. Among other feature films, Susann was responsible for producing the original Swedish version of Stig Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. Her most recent project is the runaway hit costume drama Vår Tid Är Nu / The Restaurant...

Irish actress Catherine Walker, currently starring in Rig 45, joins Brian to discuss the project and walk through her experiences in theatre, film and TV. Catherine’s story runs from the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon to a screen near you. No spoilers for Rig 45 fans! Host: Brian LaffanProducer: Jose Fernandez AlamedaTwitter: @streamcloseup Hosted...

Gary Lewis has worked with film directors Martin Scorsese, Ken Loach, Nicolas Winding Refn & Jon S. Baird among others. You may recognize him from his extensive TV career which includes key roles on Outlander, Retribution and The Level. He has starred opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York and burst on to the worldwide scene when he was cast as the dad in the massive hit Billy Elliot....

On the latest episode of Stream Close Up actress Liv Mjönes joins Brian to share some breaking news regarding her new project Stockholm Requiem based on Kristina Ohlsson’s books where she will take on the leading role of Fredrika Bergman. As usual, they also go on deep dive discussing Liv’s origin story. Liv is the third guest from the hit series Advokaten to visit the podcast. They talk about tha...

More for Advokaten fans. In for her Stream Close Up, Malin Buska. Malin is currently co-starring in Advokaten opposite recent podcast guest Alexander Karim. Malin burst on the scene via her role as Katrine in Björn Runge’s Happy End. Among other TV and film projects, she played the lead in the feature film the Girl King, a retake of the 1930’s classic that originally starred Greta Garbo. Listen in...

In for his Stream Close Up Alexander Karim. Alex is currently the co-staring in the Swedish-Danish drama Advokaten and has a background working with film and TV around the world. He tells Brian how he went from growing up in Helsingborg to Hollywood and back. He talks about his unusual "method" and the difference between working on American vs Scandinavian productions. Host: Brian Laffan...

Peter Stormare is our guest this time. Peter joins Brian to discuss among other topics, working with the Cohen Brothers, his decision to leave the Royal Dramatic Theater, life as struggling actor in NYC and of course Season 2 of Swedish Dicks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Brian goes deep with writer, creator, director Erik Skjoldbjaerg the man responsible for the hit series Occupied as well as films like Insomnia and Prozac Nation. Among other topics, they discuss Erik's process and how working in Scandinavia differs from his experience in Hollywood. Host: Brian LaffanProducer: Jose Fernandez Alameda@streamcloseup on Twitter Hosted on Acast. Se...

In this episode Brian meets beloved children’s TV-host, Benjamin “Beppe” Singer. Beppe is fresh off of his win at the Kristallen Awards (Emmy/BAFTA) where his program The Great Experiment was named Best Children’s Program of 2017. It marks the first time ever that a streaming program, that is a show from a non-traditional broadcaster, has won the distinguished award. Beppe will tell us how he went...

In this episode Brian meets actor, producer and elite athlete Dragomir “ Gago” Mrsic. Gago, is famous for his roles in films such as Snabba Cash (Easy Money) and Edge of Tomorrow among others, and infamous for his participation in the biggest bank heist in Swedish history. Gago joins us to talk about his career and his latest project the police drama Alex. Host: Brian LaffanProducer: Jose Fernande...

Our guest musician and director Amir Chamdin. Amir will discuss his experience as the front man for the iconic hip hop group Infinite Mass and how it lead him to a career as a director working with music videos, commercials, feature films and most recently the TV series Hassel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.