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Past Present Feature with Marcus MizelleAuthor: Marcus Mizelle
Past Present Feature is a film appreciation podcast hosted by Emmy-winning director Marcus Mizelle, showcasing todays filmmakers, their latest release, and the past cinema that inspired them. Language: en-us Genres: Film History, Film Interviews, TV & Film Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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E64 • Make The Struggle Worth It • PARSIFAL REPARATO, dir. of 'She' - Best Doc, Adelaide Film Festival following Locarno
Episode 9
Tuesday, 9 December, 2025
Italian documentarian Parsifal Reparato discusses She, his five-year journey inside Vietnam’s electronics manufacturing world, where young migrant women work 12-hour shifts producing devices for the global market. What began as labor-rights research grew into a portrait of fear, capitalism, and survival, earned through slow trust-building with workers afraid to speak openly.We unpack creative influences like Lars Von Trier’s Dogville, Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing, and the observational approach he absorbed from working with Roberto Minervini. Parsifal explains how the film’s black-box reenactment set became a space where workers could rebel, speak freely, or even destroy it. Instead, they rest together, revealing exhaustion itself as resistance.We talk filmmaking as labor, the emotional toll of activist storytelling, parting with his first editor and later rebuilding the film with Alicia Kam, whose perspective shaped its final form. Parsifal reflects on his Locarno premiere, the weight of representing real people on screen, and the responsibility of carrying stories born from hardship.Advice to filmmakers: trust your voice early, accept risk, and if you’re going to struggle, struggle for something that matters.What Movies Are You Watching? Listen to all episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more, as well as at www.pastpresentfeature.com. Like, subscribe, and follow us on our socials @pastpresentfeature The Past Present Feature Film Festival - Nov. 20-22, 2026 in Hollywood, CA - Submit at filmfreeway.com/PastPresentFeature
