PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Fradique, director of the film Air Conditioner.
A conversation with Fradique, director of the Angolan film Air Conditioner, screening as part of this year’s Vilnius Film Festival. The film revolves around a caretaker and the mystery of falling air conditioning units. Fradique talks about the poetic realism of his film and expands on the importance of memory. He also talks about the filmmaking collective Geração 80, which he has founded and that proves that artistic cinema in Angola is alive and kicking.
Air Conditioner: One day, air conditioners in Angola’s capital Luanda start mysteriously falling from buildings. When security guard Matacedo is told to get his overheating boss an aircon unit before the end of the day, he embarks on a mission that includes a meeting with the eccentric owner of an electronics store. His search is the starting point for a pleasantly free film about the beating heart of Luanda: the buildings which visibly bear the city’s history, and the people trying to rebuild their lives after the civil war.
Marian Arechega, director of the vibrant Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival, discusses the 2026 edition programme, showcasing recent and diverse cinema from Spain.
Rome is once again expanding the scope of its Film Fest: thirteen days of cinema, international premieres, renowned auteurs, emerging talent, series, documentaries, and cinematic heritage—with Javier Bardem, Paolo Genovese, and Monica Vitti at the heart of an edition that …