Featured image: Kali Reis as Kaylee in Catch the Fair One. (Courtesy of IFC Films.)
Here are some interviews for films that were released this past weekend, including boxing thriller Catch the Fair One, music documentary Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York, and sci-fi thriller Cosmic Dawn. Find the links to the conversations on YouTube below:
CATCH THE FAIR ONE
Catch the Fair One is a powerful thriller about boxer Kaylee (real-life boxer Kali Reis) who left the boxing world after her sister disappeared. With no one doing enough about missing and murdered Indigenous women, the film brings more awareness to that issue, as well as being a compelling thriller about Kaylee immersing herself into a human trafficking ring to find her sister.
After speaking with the film’s director and writer Josef Kubota Wladyka and the film’s star (with story by credit) Kali Reis at Tribeca, I was able to speak with the pair again in time for the film’s VOD and digital release on Feb. 11.
In our second conversation, Kali talked about her fellow boxers being excited to see her work in the film, the biggest differences between Kali and her character of Kaylee, as well as one of the film’s most powerful quotes. You can find the rest of our conversation above and find the film streaming on VOD and on digital formats.
WORST TO FIRST: THE TRUE STORY OF Z100 NEW YORK
In 1983, radio jockey Scott Shannon moved to New York to work for WHTZ “Z100,” brought his concept of the Morning Zoo to help the radio station go from the bottom of the ratings on its first broadcast to the top of the charts within 74 days.
Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York tells that story, as well as highlighting the history of the radio station, like how it started broadcasting from the top of the Empire State Building. The documentary started streaming on digital platforms on Feb. 11.
It’s directed, produced and written by Mitchell Stuart, who I was able to speak with for the film. We talked about how he feels hearing himself on the radio (as at various points in the film, he asks different musicians the same question), writing this love letter to New York radio, David and Goliath stories, some of his favourite interviews that ended up on the cutting room floor, and hype-up songs. Find that conversation right above.
COSMIC DAWN
Finally, my last conversation for this past weekend’s releases was for the sci-fi thriller Cosmic Dawn, where the main character Aurora (Camilla Rowe) witnesses her mother get abducted by aliens on a camping trip as a kid. Years later and still searching for answers, she meets cult member Natalie (Emmanuelle Chriqui), who brings her into a UFO cult, the titular Cosmic Dawn, led by the charismatic Elyse (Antonia Zegers).
I was able to speak with the film’s writer and director, Jefferson Moneo, about his film. We spoke about the research on the film and how the initial idea was more aligned with a Satanic cult, and then being inspired by one of his own personal experiences as a kid in Saskatchewan and an unexplained experience, as well as the lights in the film. We also talk about the locations used for the film, Klaatu’s “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft,” and more in between. Find that conversation below, too, and find it streaming on digital formats like YouTube, Apple and Google Play in Canada and the U.S.
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