Latest news with #Bonhôte
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story' director Ian Bonhôte learned that ‘strength lies in you'
'When do you get to make a Superman film?,' asks Ian Bonhôte speaking about his work on Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. He adds, 'it was an opportunity we couldn't miss. Playing with the Superman idea, concept and visuals was an amazing opportunity.' Watch our full interview above with Bonhôte joining our Gold Derby "Meet the Experts" directors panel. Bonhôte co-wrote and co-directed the documentary with long-time collaborator Peter Ettedgui. The film explores both Christopher Reeve's rise to fame as Superman and the aftermath of a riding accident that left him with a high-level spinal cord injury. The film effectively uses footage of Reeve's Superman films to weave the story together. Bonhôte explains they used this as a 'metaphor of him as a superhero' and that 'after the accident, there's this tragically amazing metaphor of pure strength which you can't find on earth. He has to be an alien, and someone who lost all strength. We felt that trying to tell the story, always coming back to his life as Superman.' More from Gold Derby Neon sets Oscar path for latest Cannes winner 'The Secret Agent': Everything to know about the thriller TIFF reveals its compelling documentary slate featuring Paula Deen, champion whistlers and balloonists An example of Reeve finding his strength again was a scene in the film where he teaches his son Will to ride a bike even though he was paralyzed. Bonhôte says, 'He talked him through it. What Chris shows us through the film is that a voice, an intelligence, a conviction, a vision is more important than loads of movement.' Earlier this year, the HBO Max film won the BAFTA, PGA, and Gold Derby Film Award for Best Documentary Feature. More recently, Bonhôte and Ettedgui have been nominated for Emmys this summer in the documentary/nonfiction directing category and the nonfiction writing category. Bonhôte reflects on what made Reeve strong, 'For the first 40 or so years of his life, he represented virility and this very strong American masculinity. He embodied beauty, sport, strength, intelligence. What happened after the accident, counted more on his voice, still his intelligence and, as his children say, his piercing blue eyes. So I think strength lies in you, in what you believe in, your ethos, what you stand for and what you do with your life.' This article and video are presented by HBO Max. Best of Gold Derby 'Australian Survivor vs. The World' premiere date and cast photos: 'King' George Mladenov, Cirie Fields, Parvati Shallow … 'Five new life forms from distant planets': Everything to know about 'Alien: Earth' as new trailer drops Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2, including the departure of Tracy Ifeachor's Dr. Collins Click here to read the full article. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TV Directors roundtable: ‘Adolescence,' ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,' ‘The Pitt,' ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story'
What's the greatest joy in directing an Emmy-nominated project? How do directors get the best out of actors? And what's similar between making a documentary, drama series, and late night variety show? These were some of the topics discussed by four top television directors when they recently joined Gold Derby's special 'Meet the Experts' roundtable. Our guests are (Adolescence), (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver), (The Pitt), and (Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story). Watch our full group panel above. Click on each name above to view that person's individual interview. More from Gold Derby TIFF reveals its compelling documentary slate featuring Paula Deen, champion whistlers and balloonists 'Deliciously twisted,' 'murderously enjoyable': 'Wednesday' Season 2 reviews surpass Season 1 by double digits Bonhôte says that the most important thing when directing is that 'the story needs to be extremely emotional. We need to have a narrative and emotional arc as strong as possible. That's the base of everything.' Pennolino agrees and says, 'You've gotta be able to tap into something inside people and make them walk away and either cry or be elated or inspired or a zombie. That's the whole purpose of what we do. Yeah, emotion is everything.' Marsalis reflects, 'It's interesting, like, I'm not a writer, right? I'm a director. I have done most of my work coming onto existing shows. Sometimes beggars can't be choosers. And I keep joking being nominated for an Emmy is one step away from homelessness for me. I just want to make something entertaining that doesn't cause destruction in this world. But then also there's that magical storytelling part of our jobs.' With past work in front of the camera, Barantini appreciates how actors can enhance a scene. He explains, 'Sometimes an actor will do something completely different and it will have an immediate effect on you. And it might not have been what you're looking for, but it might be better. That is so joyful and terrifying.' Marsalis adds, 'You have your script and then, when you choose an actor for a job, it becomes something else. Because it's a living, breathing organism if you're doing it right.' Barantini replies, 'I always say to actors, look, did you believe that? Because if you didn't, the audience won't believe it either.' Bonhôte admits, 'It's very different for me in a sense. In documentaries, the films have to have like an impact in the world. I think some of the shows you guys are discussing do that as well, which is very strong. But, we talk about laws of the issues of the world. We use Christopher Reeve as a magnet to talk about disability.' Pennolino reflects 'As a director there's so much magic that has to happen. We do these occasional enders that have moving parts, and explosions, and giraffes coming from the ceilings, and all kinds of craziness. And a lot of times I'll have an A-list camera person that's available that I've worked on other projects and I'll be like, 'nah, just not gonna play well in this sandbox.'' Barantini admits, 'We live in a world where it's terrifying and I think we watch TV to ultimately be entertained. To make something heartfelt which can be sad with hope at the end means we're onto a winner. That's what always drives me.' This article and video are presented by Netflix and HBO Max. Best of Gold Derby 'Australian Survivor vs. The World' premiere date and cast photos: 'King' George Mladenov, Cirie Fields, Parvati Shallow … 'Five new life forms from distant planets': Everything to know about 'Alien: Earth' as new trailer drops Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2, including the departure of Tracy Ifeachor's Dr. Collins Click here to read the full article. Solve the daily Crossword