Stephen Dorff: ‘Today Is a Gift’

E. Nina Rothe February 7, 2018

Stephen Dorff has come a long way, from his early stint as a teenage heartthrob on TV sitcoms and playing through the darker side of characters, in sometimes forgettable films.

These days Dorff is navigating us comfortably through his own intoxicating brand of understated sensuality, in roles that span from his turn as discontented superstar Johnny Marco in Sofia Coppola’s touching 'Somewhere', to captured Israeli fighter pilot Yoni who becomes unlikely ally to a reluctant Palestinian teenager in Eran Riklis‘ latest masterpiece 'Zaytoun'. He is, easily, the modern thinking woman’s sex symbol.

COURTESY OF THE LOCARNO FILM FESTIVALIrrfan Khan in a still from Anup Singh’s ‘The Song of Scorpions’ — COURTESY OF THE LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL
Irrfan Khan in a still from Anup Singh’s ‘The Song of Scorpions’

Irrfan Khan in Locarno: “My only religion is telling stories.”

E. Nina Rothe February 5, 2018

The last time I met Rajasthani-born superstar Irrfan Khan was in Abu Dhabi, and as we spoke, sitting in a busy hallway inside the grandiose Emirates Palace, waiters and chefs from India and Pakistan working for the hotel would approach him constantly, to ask for an autograph and get their picture taken alongside their idol. The actor indulged them every time, with grace and class.

PHOTO: LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL BY SAILAS VANETTI

Visionary Producer Michel Merkt in Locarno: “I would rather surprise than be expected.”

E. Nina Rothe February 5, 2018

Visionary, global, modern, iconoclastic, young and cool, Michel Merkt has revolutionized the landscape of independent cinema internationally and changed the way we go to the movies. Whereas before films like ‘Toni Erdmann’ and ‘My Life as a Zucchini’ would have been relegated to the darkened rooms of arthouse movie theaters, they are now titles that trip off global audiences tongues as easily as any blockbuster or Hollywood rom-com. And for the past decade, producing an average of five titles per year, Merkt has guaranteed his place in the firmament of star film producers.

Olivier Assayas in Locarno: “Festivals are the place where movies are protected”

E. Nina Rothe February 5, 2018

Apart from Olivier Assayas being one of the most perfectly articulate persons I’ve ever met, indulging each and every question without any sign of haughtiness or “I know better than thou” attitude — which of course is the case because I’m convinced the man knows everything! — personally, I’m a huge fan of his cinema. Assayas’ films are cinematic human mysteries, to be enjoyed on the big screen of course, yet to be re-watched, relished time and time again so that their magic can truly be absorbed. At the moment, I am obsessed with watching ‘Personal Shopper’ starring Kristen Stewart over and over again, each time discovering new images and uncovering new, pardon the pun, personal truths within it.

Fashion’s Iconoclast: Six Questions for Teppei Fujita of Sulvam

E. Nina Rothe February 5, 2018

Beloved street style photographer Bill Cunningham once said that “fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.” With that saying always in my back pocket, I watched Japanese designer Teppei Fujita’s latest collection for his brand Sulvam expecting to be shaken up by his looks.

What I didn’t expect was that the Nina who sat down for the Sulvam Fall 2017 show would not be the same woman who got up immediately after it. I was changed, exhilarated, inspired and in love.

*Thierry Frémaux by Gareth Cattermole at Getty Images for DIFF*

Cannes, Popcorn and ‘Lumière!’: A Conversation with Thierry Frémaux in Dubai

E. Nina Rothe February 3, 2018

For cinema insiders of course Monsieur Frémaux needs no introduction, he is the legendary artistic director of the Festival de Cannes. He is also the director of the Institut Lumière in Lyon, which is where his passion for the inventors of modern cinema, as we know and love it today, comes from. When I use the word passion in his case, I am not throwing it around lightly. His enthusiasm for the films of the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, is infectious and now that he’s curated them into a full-length film collection that is presented in exclusive settings with his live commentary, he has easily conquered quite a few new fans for the French inventors of the movie camera.

Photo courtesy of the Venice International Film Festival

"That feeling, to say NO!" -- Three Questions with Penelope Cruz

E. Nina Rothe February 2, 2018

This coming March, Cruz will receive an honorary prize from France’s Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema during the 43nd Cesar Awards ceremony, the country's equivalent to the Oscars. And she deserves that and more, in my book. So here are three questions with a woman who represents the spirit of "duende" that je-ne-sais-quoi only genuine Spanish women possess.

Three Questions with Liev Schreiber

E. Nina Rothe February 2, 2018

There is something perfectly magnetic about Liev Schreiber. He's tall, strong and handsome, with clear as aquamarines blue eyes. But it goes beyond that. When he sat down in the chair next to mine in Venice, I gasped.

And now I can't wait to watch him... eh hum.... hear him play a dog in Wes Anderson's 'Isle of Dogs'.

In-depth interviews and casual chats with the personalities and influencers of today, yesterday and tomorrow.

Stephen Dorff: ‘Today Is a Gift’

Irrfan Khan in Locarno: “My only religion is telling stories.”

Visionary Producer Michel Merkt in Locarno: “I would rather surprise than be expected.”

Olivier Assayas in Locarno: “Festivals are the place where movies are protected”

Fashion’s Iconoclast: Six Questions for Teppei Fujita of Sulvam

Cannes, Popcorn and ‘Lumière!’: A Conversation with Thierry Frémaux in Dubai

"That feeling, to say NO!" -- Three Questions with Penelope Cruz

Three Questions with Liev Schreiber

Featured Posts