Films for Today

What does Russia feel that it has to protect? What is required when establishing a cultural identity? What is required to protect a cultural identity? With the recent release of 'Kompromat', both this week and next week's episodes will try to account for Russia's current cultural identity in order to better understand its recent geopolitical behaviour.  Get in Contact Email: contact@jimmybern...

Can tyrants maintain their power forever? Is absolute power unattainable in reality? Do human beings idealise a certain form of governance? Following on from last week's brief discussion of tyranny, this week's episode examines the complex relationship between authoritarian rulers and their subjects.  Get in touch: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_...

How closely related are our concepts of heaven and hell? Whose good intentions pave the way to hell? What might be the path to heaven? Viewing heaven and hell through a somewhat conceptual and secular lens, this week's episode evaluates the eternal resonance of our everyday actions. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.con Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_bernasconi/ 

How does satire advance social progress? Can the conventional become absurd? Are there shortcomings to contemptuous cinema? Covering a body of work that spans multiple decades, this week's episode explores the popular and compelling films of Adam McKay to contemplate how best to maximise cultural influence.  Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j...

The Canberra Short Film Festival is back and in this week's episode, we are joined by festival entrants Stephanie Begg and Josh Mawer to chat all things short film making.  All of the important details about this year's festival can be found at the official CSFF website here: https://www.csff.com.au/ Contact us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_ber...

How profound is the home ground advantage? Does a legal right to a home necessarily endow someone with a home ground advantage? How do the power dynamics associated with the home ground advantage play out in the real world? This week's episode focuses on the distinct sense of dominance locals often assert over outsiders and contemplates what specific factors need to be enlivened in order to access...

What accounts for society's attraction to college? What are the limitations of the arts and culture? Can we maintain our youth as we age? Focusing specifically on films in which adult men return to college, this week's episode examines the flurry of emotions we feel when we meditate on our formative years. Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_bernasconi/?hl=en

From where does rebellion generate? Who controls America? To what extent do Americans have a shared experience? Focusing specifically on the filmography of Robert Altman, this week's episode seeks to uncover some updated insights on the land of the free.  Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_bernasconi/?hl=en

How might moods be set? What unique powers do filmmakers possess? Can creative expression be therapeutic for both the creator and their audience? Following last week's episode, in which we discussed 'Ghost World' (2001), we are joined by special guest and legendary American director Terry Zwigoff to discuss his relationship with music, visual art and film.  Get in touch: https://www.instagram...

What are the dangers of believing things we cannot prove? Can we exist without believing in something? How do we know when we can have faith in someone? Building on last week's episode on infidelity, this week's episode embarks on a broader exploration of faith and trust in people. Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_bernasconi/?hl=en 

Does cheating always catch up on us? Who is destined to stray from their spouse? How can we overcome unfaithfulness? Through the lens of romantic infidelity, this week's episode explores the ways in which our faith in one another can be tested and strengthened. Get in touch: https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_bernasconi/?hl=en

Can talent be a curse? To what extent does talent serve the talented? How and when should we wield our talents? It's a Bette Davis double this week, as we explore the darker side of being gifted. Keep in touch: https://www.facebook.com/sacredcinema https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_bernasconi/?hl=en

What are the dangers of media spectacles? Are all news stories merely spectacles? Is there a healthy way to consume corporate media? In light of some seemingly opposing ideas from two recent films, this week's episode contemplates the dangers of modern media consumption.  Get in touch: https://www.facebook.com/sacredcinema https://www.instagram.com/jimmy_bernasconi/?hl=en 

What are some of the lingering issues in modern Middle Eastern cultures? What is the continuing relationship between political and personal emancipation in the Middle Eastern context? What cultural characteristics do gross acts of violence illuminate?  In this week's episode, Jimmy is joined by special guest Sarah Barrie, who has studied, worked in and travelled extensively throughout the Mid...

How does the state treat those who rebel against it? How should we view an oppressive state? What are we actually referring to when we talk about 'the state'? In discussing three films that centre on the relationship between 'rebellious' individuals and the institutions that govern them, this week's episode questions the various attitudes we have toward those in power. The Films: 'Cool Hand Luke'...

How do we view ourselves in relation to others? Are people ever the same? What does the meaning of life cost? In exploring some of the bigger philosophical questions we all face, this week's episode focuses on the curiously common cross-over of stop motion and existential cinema.  The Films: 'Anomalisa' (2015) directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman 'Harvie Krumpet' (2003) directed by Ad...

How does it feel to be inundated with unwelcome stress? How can our own actions contribute to stress? Can stress ever be desirable? This week's episode focuses on three high-tempo films in which the titular protagonists are relentlessly burdened by various sources of stress. The Films: 'After Hours' (1985) directed by Martin Scorsese 'Uncut Gems' (2019) directed by Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie 'Fu...

How do false images of faraway lands affect us? What is the relationship between our choices and the world around us? What impact has modernisation had on interhuman connectivity? In another special guest(s) episode, Jimmy sits down with Benson Wu, Helen Stenbeck and Yi-Tsun Chen from the 2022 Taiwanese Film Festival to chat about the ongoing transformations in Taiwan and its film industry and wha...

What can the vicious act of murder teach us about strategy and logic? What does the act of play uncover in the face of mystery? Are we more attentive to truth when we find it ourselves? In this week's special episode, Jimmy sits down with French director Nicolas Pleskof to chat about his new film, 'Murder Party', and the intersection of games and murder. Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/sacredc...

How should we view 'lowbrow' art? How should we approach conflicting views on artistic value? Is it useful for people to have differences in taste? Drawing on a number of themes raised in recent weeks, this week's episode challenges the highbrow/lowbrow dichotomy by examining cinematic depictions of filmmaking, architecture and archeology.  The Films: 'Sullivan's Travels' (1941) directed by P...

What is the essence of brotherhood? What does true brotherhood feel like? What is required to find our brothers? Focusing on three modern American cinematic odysseys, this week's episode examines the long and adventurous journeys upon which we embark in finding and embracing our fellow man. The Films: 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' (2000) directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen 'About Schmidt' (2002) d...

How does it feel to suffer at the hands of our predecessors? Should we dispose of everything tainted by past mistakes? How can we view the burdens we inherit constructively? This week's episode examines three cinematic personifications of the past in order to unpack a key aspect of the eternal tension between conservatism and progressivism The Films: 'Hereditary' (2018) directed by Ari Aster ...

What are the dangers of indecisiveness? What are the dangers of self-discipline? What is the relationship between self-improvement and community? Following on from last week's discussion about the line between sacrifice and suicide, this week's episode looks at three cinematic depictions of jazz to distinguish self-discipline from self-destruction.  The Films: 'Cold War' (2018) directed by Pa...

What does it take to abandon a toxic relationship? How do we endure through a lifetime of betrayal? Who is ultimately burdened with the responsibility of emancipating us from imprisoning relationships? Exploring the inverse of a number of themes covered over the past few weeks, this week's episode focuses on three romantically unfulfilled female protagonists confronting the fallout of severed rela...

How should outsiders behave in new and confronting circumstances? What happens when we follow the dominant mob? What is at the core of societal tension? Following on from discussions about the darker sides of masculinity, this week's episode focuses on a sub-genre of films from the early seventies that explored the friction between outsiders and communities with established traditions.  The F...