Gimme A Beat

28/06/2024

The podcast from the last Gimme A Beat is available online:
** Sirens Of Le**os and Mary Middlefield at m4music Festival 2024 **
with a focus on Swiss artists🇨🇭: fascinatingly cool band and music label Sirens Of Le**os (ig:) and über talented young singer-songwriter Mary Middlefield (ig: ), featuring interviews with them and the music from their latest releases 🌟📻


(follow the link for more info..)

Last month I did the first part of the review of m4music festival 2024. This month I will continue with the review of m4music festival and share two more artists who were part of my exploration of the "female factor" of the festival. In tonight's show, I will keep my focus on the Swiss music scene,....

17/06/2024

Tune in tonight to Radio LoRa 97,5 MHz
from 22:00 - 00:00
for ** Sirens Of Le**os and Mary Middlefield at m4music Festival 2024 **
with a focus on Swiss artists🇨🇭: fascinatingly cool band and music label Sirens Of Le**os (ig:) and über talented young singer-songwriter Mary Middlefield (ig: ), featuring interviews with them and the music from their latest releases 🌟📻

(follow the link for more info..)

Last month I did the first part of the review of m4music festival 2024. This month I will continue with the review of m4music festival and share two more artists who were part of my exploration of the "female factor" of the festival. In tonight's show, I will keep my focus on the Swiss music scene,....

02/06/2024

The podcast from the last Gimme A Beat is available online:
** SAY SHE SHE and Hannah Jadagu at m4music Festival 2024 **
with a focus on a fabulous, female-led band SAY SHE SHE (ig:)and young talented solo artist Hannah Jadagu (ig: ), featuring interviews with them and the music from their latest releases 🌟📻


(follow the link for more info..)

Since 1998, m4music festival takes place every March here in Switzerland: two days in Zurich and one day in Lausanne. This festival is a project from Migros Culture Percentage. This is a flawlessly organised festival at one of the coolest locations in Zürich: Schiffbau; with many concerts happening...

20/05/2024

Tune in tonight to Radio LoRa 97,5 MHz
from 22:00 - 00:00
for ** SAY SHE SHE and Hannah Jadagu at m4music Festival 2024 **
with a focus on a fabulous, female-led band SAY SHE SHE (ig:)and young talented solo artist Hannah Jadagu (ig: ), featuring interviews with them and the music from their latest releases 🌟📻

(follow the link for more info..)

Since 1998, m4music festival takes place every March here in Switzerland: two days in Zurich and one day in Lausanne. This festival is a project from Migros Culture Percentage. This is a flawlessly organised festival at one of the coolest locations in Zürich: Schiffbau; with many concerts happening...

21/04/2024

The podcast from the last Gimme A Beat is available online:
** Maria Montessori at ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 2023 **
with a focus on the movie *La Nouvelle Femme* / *Maria Montessori* | Pathé Schweiz | Geko Films | Indie Sales, directed and co-written by Lea Todorov, with Jasmine Trinca in a leading role as a Maria Montessori, featuring interviews with both.

The show also features cherry-picked music sung by female artists that I heard in various movies throughout ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 🌟📻

(follow the link for more info..)

In October's and December's Gimme a Beat, I reviewed the 19th edition of Zurich Film Festival. I have been exploring the female factor of the Zurich Film Festival for several years now. But this year, I had a chance to get together with so many female filmmakers and actresses that I decided to break...

15/04/2024

Tune in tonight to Radio LoRa 97,5 MHz
from 22:00 - 00:00
for ** Maria Montessori at ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 2023 **
with a focus on the movie *La Nouvelle Femme* / *Maria Montessori* | Pathé Schweiz | Geko Films | Indie Sales, directed and co-written by Lea Todorov, with Jasmine Trinca in a leading role as a Maria Montessori, featuring interviews with both.

The show will also feature cherry-picked music sung by female artists that I heard in various movies throughout ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 🌟📻

(follow the link for more info..)

In October's and December's Gimme a Beat, I reviewed the 19th edition of Zurich Film Festival. I have been exploring the female factor of the Zurich Film Festival for several years now. But this year, I had a chance to get together with so many female filmmakers and actresses that I decided to break...

26/03/2024

Uvek svoja, bezvremenska kraljica svemira.
RIP, Pocivaj u miru Alexandra Sladjana Milosevic 💔💔💔

Artist: Alexandra Sladjana MilosevicSong: Fantastično putovanjeComposer: Srdjan JulLyrics: Alexandra Sladjana Milosevic & Marina TucakovicArrangement: Srdjan...

08/03/2024

Being human is so complicated.
And being a woman even more.
So, don't overthink it!

Be strong, fragile, emotional, fierce, sassy, ballsy, compassionate, vulnerable, and everything in between. When you want and need to.

But, most importantly and no matter what, be unapologetically YOU. Always.

Happy
Today, celebrate YOU and all women out there 👩🏻👩🏼👩🏻‍🦰👩🏽👩🏾👩🏿

Watch Gloria's iconic speech in full. this holiday season and don’t miss all the extra features including an ASL version, director’s commenta...

01/03/2024

It's the weekend y'all, keep it sexy 💃🏻😍💙

Official Video for “Doctor (Work It Out)” by Pharrell Williams feat. Miley CyrusListen to & Download “Doctor (Work It Out)” out now: https://mileycyrus.lnk.t...

25/02/2024

The podcast from the last Gimme A Beat is available online:
** Into the Blue with NNAVY **
with a focus on Swiss singer-songwriter NNAVY (IG: ) featuring an interview with her and my selection of her music 🌟📻

(follow the link for more info..)

Last year, sometime in June I got an email from the 57th Montreux Jazz Festival about new names on their programme. The email included Swiss singer-songwriter NNAVY. She was already well-known to Montreux Jazz Festival audiences, as she performed there earlier. In addition to this, in 2022, she was....

19/02/2024

Tune in tonight to Radio LoRa 97,5 MHz
from 22:00 - 00:00
for ** Into the Blue with NNAVY **
with a focus on Swiss singer-songwriter NNAVY (IG: ) featuring an interview with her and my selection of her music🌟📻

(follow the link for more info..)

Last year, sometime in June I got an email from the 57th Montreux Jazz Festival about new names on their programme. The email included Swiss singer-songwriter NNAVY. She was already well-known to Montreux Jazz Festival audiences, as she performed there earlier. In addition to this, in 2022, she was....

16/02/2024

Finally !!
The podcast from the last Gimme A Beat is available online:
** Representing 21st Century R&B - Part I **
featuring Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige, Lianne La Havas, Joss Stone, Nelly Furtado, Sade, Kelela, Aaliyah and many more 🌟📻

Actually, the podcast has been available on the Podbean platform for a few weeks now, but I had issues with distribution on the other platforms. For that reason, it is NOT available on Spotify.

But, you can find it on many other platforms, just follow the link for more info:

Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21st Century created lots of buzz since it came out on January 3rd 2024. Some people loved it, others pointed out what was missing, and the artists featured in it, celebrated. But as we know, music is a very personal thing, and what one person likes....

24/01/2024

THIS! Feels like a Déjà vu or...wait a minute,
like Barbie the Movie plot?!?

Shame on you, Academy Awards®!
Well said Shannon Watts!

15/01/2024

Tune in tonight to Radio LoRa 97,5 MHz
from 22:00 - 00:00
for ** Representing 21st Century R&B - Part I **
featuring Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Lianne La Havas, Joss Stone, Nelly Furtado, Sade, Kelela, Aaliyah and many more 🌟📻

Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21st Century created lots of buzz since it came out on January 3rd 2024. Some people loved it, others pointed out what was missing, and the artists featured in it, celebrated. But as we know, music is a very personal thing, and what one person likes....

24/12/2023

Arriving just in time for Xmas 🎄🎄🔔🎄🎄

The podcast from the last Gimme A Beat is available online:
for ** Las Toreras at ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 2023 **
with a focus on the movie:
*Las Toreras* | SWISS FILMS | Filmbringer, written and directed by Jackie Brutsche, a successful, multifaceted Swiss-Spanish artist, featuring an interview with her and music from her bands: THE JACKETS and The S*x Organs 🌟📻

ig:

(follow the link for more info..)

In my previous Gimme a Beat, I reviewed the 19th edition of Zurich Film Festival. I have been exploring the female factor of the Zurich Film Festival for several years now. But this year, I had a chance to get together with so many female filmmakers and actresses that I decided to breakdown my revie...

22/12/2023

THIS ❤️
Thank you ETH Zürich for remembering Mileva Maric 🙏👩🏻‍🔬😍

18/12/2023

Tune in tonight to Radio LoRa 97,5 MHz
from 22:00 - 00:00
for ** Las Toreras at ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 2023 **
with a focus on the movie
*Las Toreras* | SWISS FILMS | Filmbringer, written and directed by Jackie Brutsche, a successful, multifaceted Swiss-Spanish artist, featuring an interview with her and music from her bands: THE JACKETS and The S*x Organs 🌟📻

ig:

(follow the link for more info..)

In my previous Gimme a Beat, I reviewed the 19th edition of Zurich Film Festival. I have been exploring the female factor of the Zurich Film Festival for several years now. But this year, I had a chance to get together with so many female filmmakers and actresses that I decided to breakdown my revie...

19/11/2023

During the ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL, I saw a touching documentary *Las Toreras* | SWISS FILMS | Filmbringer, written and directed by Jackie Brutsche, a successful, multifaceted Swiss-Spanish artist.

Seven years in making, *Las Toreras* documents Jackie's journey of discovering more about her mother, her mother's mental illness and how it affected the family and its dynamics. I was impressed by Jackie's art of storytelling and directing, as well as her courage to connect (with her) family to demystify painful, personal topics, ultimately seeking closure for herself and her loved ones.

A few days after I saw the movie, I reached out to Jackie to share my impressions and request an interview. She agreed 😍, and I had the pleasure of meeting with her to learn more about her story, her family, her art, and, of course, her documentary.

To hear my interview with Jackie Brutsche, tune in to December’s Gimme A Beat 🌟📻🎥

In the meantime, and if you are in Switzerland, don’t miss the opportunity to see *Las Toreras*.
For the premiers and special screenings, follow the link: https://www.lastoreras.ch/en/news
For the regular screenings, check the cinema’s sites directly.

If you are not in Switzerland, *Las Toreras* will be available online in 2024.
Don’t worry, I will keep you posted 😎

Jackie Brutsche is a successful, multifaceted Swiss-Spanish artist. She is a performer, musician, and filmmaker, blending harmoniously her talent and art. But Jackie lived her whole life with the burden of her family’s dark past lingering over her. More than 30 years ago, her mother took her own life after many years of struggle with mental illness. As the youngest member of the family, it seems that Jackie was least affected by this, and she used it as a positive force for her art. But at one point in her life, she realized that this dark, collective family experience impacted her as well, subtly, and she needed to confront it to move forward.

*Las Toreras* () is documenting Jackie's journey of finding more about her mother, her mental struggle and how this affected, and still affects the family dynamics. What I love about this documentary, is that Jackie takes us on this personal journey with her and allows us to discover things together as she discovers them. This kind of storytelling reminds us that there is no absolute truth, only different perspectives, the result of different experiences and circumstances blurred by emotions. And even though this documentary is, in essence, Jackie’s own perspective of the family’s past, by giving her mother a voice through diaries and art that she discovered, she makes It more objective and, consequently, even more powerful.

As the storyline developed, it was touching to see that with the support and openness of her conflicted family, Jackie embarked, together with all of them, on a journey that ultimately provided the closure they all needed.

What attracted me to watch *Las Toreras* was the trailer, amazing visuals and, obviously, from Gimme a Beat’s female focus, that Jackie is a female filmmaker. But, what really impressed me and made it memorable was Jackie's art of storytelling and directing, courage to demystify painful, personal topics combined with the power of raw and genuine emotions.
For all these reasons, this is another one of my highlights.

There is only one more chance to see *Las Toreras* | SWISS FILMS | Filmbringer at ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL, but fortunately, the documentary is coming back to the Swiss-German cinemas already in November (Riff Raff). Nevertheless, I would recommend seeing it on Saturday and using an opportunity to meet Jackie and ask her some questions. I saw on Monday, for its world premiere, and enjoyed not just the Q&A session but also seeing the whole crew, her dad, and her aunts 🎥📻

The tickets are still available, just follow the link: https://zff.com/en/movies/las-toreras

23/10/2023

The podcast from the last Gimme A Beat is available online:
for ** ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 2023 - Part I **
with a focus on the movies:
* Wald / Woodland | Picture Tree International GmbH*, directed and written by Elisabeth Scharang, with Brigitte Hobmeier as a lead actress, featuring interviews with both of them.
* Dead Girls Dancing | kalekone film | RAT PACK Filmproduktion *, directed and written by Anna Roller (), featuring an interview with her.
Also featuring reviews of these movies, impressions from this year's combined with music from hania rani, who wrote the music for Wald and selected music from female artists played in a variety of movies I saw 🌟📻

(follow the link for more info..)

2023 was another successful year for Zurich Film Festival. The 19th edition of Zurich Film Festival attracted 130’000 visitors (slightly less than the previous year). A total of 150 films were screened, 52 of them as World or European premieres – more than ever before. First held in 2005, Zurich...

22/10/2023

Lydia is a committed, caring midwife and loving friend. When we meet her, she finds out that her boyfriend cheated on her and is leaving her. Even if she is heartbroken, she decides to go to the bday party of her best friend, Salomé and supports her. There, she discovers that Salomé is pregnant. From that moment on, Lydia is focused on her work and her friend, keeping her private life and growing depression secret. A few months later, she meets a bus driver, Miloš, and has a one-night stand with him. Miloš seems to be exactly what she needs, and she falls in love with him immediately. But he is not interested. When they meet again a few months later, with Lydia holding Salome’s newborn baby, she tells the lie that spirals into more lies with dramatic consequences.

In her debut feature movie *Le Ravissement / The Rapture*, director and screenwriter Iris Kaltenbäck (), created a touching story about solitude and the hopeless desire for love and acceptance. Inspired by the intriguing story from the news, Iris gave Lydia a fascinating and complex background story. Instead of judging her for her lies and manipulative actions, Lydia’s character is built from many sides, showcasing her loving, nurturing sides and loneliness. As the story unfolds, it is hard not to sympathise with Lydia, who is so deeply unhappy and lonely that, regardless of the consequences, goes in for the kill, a few moments of illusion and pretend family life.

Hafsia Herzi () is brilliant in the role of Lydia. She portrays the main character with the attention it requires, capturing all the subtle elements that make this tragic character real and believable. Her eyes, silence and facial expressions carry more truth than any action or dialogue in the movie. The rest of the cast is also well-selected, most notably Alexis Manentis (alexis_manenti) as Miloš, who pairs very well with Hafsia. Alexis/Miloš also comes in as the narrator of the story, which I thought was a powerful element of the movie, because it brought yet another dimension. The narrator is not only asking the questions I had on my mind while watching the movie, but he also questions his role and responsibility in this tragic story.

For me, *Le Ravissement / The Rapture* | Be For Films | Xenix Film | Diaphana Distribution was another beautiful discovery of the ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL, a heartbreaking drama with a storyline that kept me on my toes from the beginning until the end. Like an accident waiting to happen, it was frustrating to watch it at times, knowing what would happen at the end. Regardless, I was glued to the screen, hoping that everything would be alright at the end, and, by some miracle, the tragedy would be avoided. And maybe it will be, at the end of the day, as the movie leaves us with an open end and a bit of hope.

ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL ended two weeks ago, but I am still going to share a few more reviews of my highlights, 12 from 30+ movies I saw. You can already see *Le Ravissement / The Rapture* in France and the French part of Switzerland (since October 11). And I am sure that it will come to Zurich very soon, and hopefully to the rest of the world.

This is another one of my highlights and I highly recommend it for you to watch it 🎥📻

for the trailer and more information, go to: https://diaphana.fr/film/le-ravissement/

Comment la vie de Lydia, sage-femme très investie dans son travail, a-t-elle déraillé ? Est-ce sa rupture amoureuse, la grossesse de sa meilleure amie Salomé, ou la rencontre de Milos, un possible nouvel amour ? Lydia s’enferme dans une spirale...

16/10/2023

Tune in tonight to Radio LoRa 97,5 MHz
from 22:00 - 00:00
for ** ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 2023 - Part I **
with a focus on the movies:
* Wald / Woodland | Picture Tree International GmbH*, directed and written by Elisabeth Scharang, with Brigitte Hobmeier as a lead actress, featuring interviews with both of them.
* Dead Girls Dancing | kalekone film | RAT PACK Filmproduktion *, directed and written by Anna Roller (), featuring an interview with her.

Also featuring reviews of these movies, impressions from this year's combined with music from hania rani, who wrote the music for Wald and selected music from female artists played in a variety of movies I saw 🌟📻

(follow the link for more info..)

2023 was another successful year for Zurich Film Festival. The 19th edition of Zurich Film Festival attracted 130’000 visitors (slightly less than the previous year). A total of 150 films were screened, 52 of them as World or European premieres – more than ever before. First held in 2005, Zurich...

09/10/2023

Another year, another great festival!
Thank you ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL, organizers and volunteers 🙏😍.

I will not be able to write a review for all the movies I have seen (30+ 😎), but there are a few more reviews for the selected highlights to come. In addition, I had the opportunity to interview a few female filmmakers and actresses and this, with my impressions and the music from the movies I have seen, will be featured in the next Gimme A Beat

Tune in to the next Gimme A Beat on Monday, October 16th 🎥📻

The comes to an end today. Despite the beautiful weather, it attracted 130'000 visitors. A total of 150 films were screened, 52 of them as world or European premieres – more than ever before. Stars like Jessica Chastain, Ethan Hawke, Mads Mikkelsen and Diane Kruger held film fans spellbound, and the new Frame cinema complex with its six theatres, proved a real crowd puller. Thank you for a great festival 🌟

08/10/2023

When we meet Emily and Luke they are two young people head over heels in love. Unfortunately, they have to keep their relationship a secret because they work at the same company, a competitive, ruthless hedge fund. Soon, just after their engagement, there is an opening at their workplace and in an unexpected twist, Chloe gets the promotion. As soon as it happens, we can sense that this particular event will affect the relationship dynamics of this young, ambitious couple. But they are determined to work through it. Especially Emily.

Can their relationship really survive everything? The rest of the movie explores this.

With her feature debut *Fair Play*, Chloe Dumont, writer and director of the movie, successfully explores gender and power dynamics of modern-time relationships. By setting the movie in a cut-throat, fast-paced financial industry, challenges are even more emphasised, creating a thrilling storyline. This is not the first movie that covers this topic, but we rarely see this perspective. Emily builds her career by working hard in this toxic, male-dominated workplace and gets more recognition and acknowledgement from her ruthless bosses than from the people who should be supporting her, her fiancé and even her family. I love the complexity of Emily’s character. We see a strong career woman who is also an emotional and fragile woman in love. I thought that it was interesting when she received her well-deserved promotion. Instead of celebrating it, she was apologetic, instinctively sensing that her promotion would create problems in her relationship. This was also a smart way for the director to subtly imply what would come next.

Both characters evolve and develop throughout the movie. While Emily becomes more confident and determined not to give up on her career or her relationship, Luke, at the same time, develops from a strong, supportive fiancé into a man crashing down under the weight of his own insecurities and frail male ego. It is heartbreaking to see their relationship crumbling down, but also very realistic and believable. And even when Emily makes some questionable choices, it is hard not to be on her side. Phoebe Dynevor is outstanding in the role of Emily, she brings this strong, intelligent and emotionally hurt woman to life. And Alden Ehrenreich as Luke pairs her really well. Together they make a believable couple and consequently, a lifelike movie storyline.

The movie keeps us on our toes, wondering what will happen next and where will story takes us. The unexpected ending is a powerful one providing closure for both characters and giving us an idea of where will they go next, from the career and relationship perspective. At the same time, both characters are given the freedom to decide whether they will learn from this experience or not.

From working in the financial industry for more than a decade, I was impressed by how accurately Chloe Dumont captured its toxic environment, with all the bad and good sides (yes, working hard can pay off). But, the quality of this movie is that it can be transferred to any toxic workplace, regardless of the industry. In addition, I can imagine that many modern, emancipated women will be able to relate to Emily, from the career and relationship perspective. And maybe there will be some men out there who will have the courage to recognise themselves in Luke as well.

Your last chance to see *Fair Play * | Netflix at ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL was this evening, but no worries, if you did not catch it tonight, the movie is already streaming on Netflix. Since this movie is another one of my highlights, I am encouraging you to check it out 🎥📻

Follow the link for more info: https://www.netflix.com/ch-en/title/81674326

An unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund pushes a couple's romance to the brink, threatening to unravel far more than their recent engagement.

07/10/2023

I knew a story about Maria Montessori (AMI), an Italian physician, educator, and innovator, the woman who created an educational approach that builds on intuitive learning and the natural curiosity of children.
But I never knew Maria’s private story and Maria as a woman, mother, and lover.

With her feature debut *La Nouvelle Femme*, Lea Todorov, director and the screenwriter of the movie, tells us this story. This is a movie about not just one woman ahead of her time, but women’s emancipation and empowerment, at times connected or even depending on difficult choices. By adding a fictional character, Lili d'Alengy, a Parisian darling with a dark secret, Lea puts Maria’s story in the perspective of the times when it happened and brings forward another powerful woman with different life choices but also ahead of her time. What I loved about this movie is that it doesn’t judge the characters it introduces to us. Instead, there is enough background story about them and the time they lived in, that we can understand and accept their decisions and behaviour. All of this is making the characters real and believable and the storytelling even more compelling.

Interestingly, while the movie is set in a time more than a century ago, the story can be, sadly, easily connected with our current times. Especially when looking at women’s struggles when facing difficult decisions and being torn between their desires, emancipation and assuming the more traditional female role.

*La Nouvelle Femme* reminds us that many of the issues women faced then still exist in today’s society and that solving those even today needs the power of women working together to change it.

The leading cast was perfectly selected with outstanding Jasmine Trinca as Maria Montessori and Leila Bekhti as Lilli. Without their on-screen chemistry and acting artistry, it would be hard to tell this important story. While we were getting to know both women's stories, we could also see how their bond went from initially uptight to a strong, supportive one. Something that even I experienced with some of my long-lasting, powerful female friends. In addition, the rest of the cast is also well-chosen, including charming Lea's daughter Sofia 😊

A few days after I saw the movie, I had an opportunity to get together with both Lea and Jasmine. With Lea, I talked about why it was important for her to tell us Maria Montessori’s story, moving from documentary to feature filmmaker and about her personal experiences as a daughter and mother. With Jasmine, I talked about why she accepted the role of Maria, her work with Leila and how she became the actress she is today.

To hear more, tune in to the next Gimme A Beat 📻

There are 2 more chances to see *La Nouvelle Femme* | Pathé Schweiz | Geko Films | Indie Sales at ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL, one of them happening this evening, so hurry up to get the tickets. I highly recommend this movie, so if you don't catch it now, look for it when it comes back to the cinema (March 2024) 🎥📻

Follow the link for both projections and tickets: https://zff.com/en/movies/la-nouvelle-femme