A Rabbit's Foot

Welcome to Issue 5 of A RABBIT’S FOOT, and to September, the month of surprises and dreams becoming fulfilled. I say that because I always feel my own ideas percolating in the summer months. Hope is fostered by the sun—at least it is for us Leos. 

The theme of this issue is ‘the artistic journey’ both interior and exterior. We thread profiles of living artists of all disciplines with stories of legends and, well…just stories we like, stories that are of optimism and of adventure. 

I asked Alfonso Cuarón, the multi award-winning academy film director about his dreams and ideas, about the magical surrealism of Latin America, and about where and how inspiration for a film comes to him. Over strong coffee, we discussed this and more, which you will read in these pages. His positivity about the younger generation was refreshing and inspiring, and his world view particularly captivating coming as it does, from the Mesoamerican and European mix he embodies. 

Also in this issue you will find pieces by Jonathan Becker—the master portrait photographer—on his mentor and friend Brassaï who he knew and loved; alongside profiles on young filmmakers including Molly Manning Walker, Celine Song, Davy Chou and Emma Seligman. 

Thanks to our friend Jeremy Thomas, Chris Contonou, my deputy Editor, talks to Peter Weir, another master film director of Gallipoli, Dead Poets Society, Witness, Master And Commander, The Year of Living Dangerously while Sara Ella Ozbek profiles Rudolf Nureyev. Peter Bradshaw takes us on a journey with his exceptional piece on Werner Herzog’s masterpiece Fitzcarraldo. Allan Scott the award winning writer tells about working with Nick Roeg, and Don’t Look Now, which is both an internal and external illustration of the inward and outward journey. And Chris and I were lucky enough to interview Alicia Vikander: the beautiful, strong and extraordinarily talented actress about her work and her method.

On the literary front Kevin Sessums explores Karen Blixen, whose adventures in Africa were immortalised in her book ‘Out of Africa’ and Sam Murphy meets the travel writer Peter Frankopan. Other pieces include the golden years of Amalfi by Joseph Bullmore and much much more…We even convinced Natasha A Fraser to write of Tennessee Williams.

For movie goers it’s been a magical few months. Cannes saw some mesmerising films which included Martin Scorsese deeply moving labour of love Killers of the Flower Moon, and Jonathan Glazer’s breathtaking The Zone Of Interest, and Justine Triet Anatomy of a Fall to mention a few standouts. Movie theatres are full as I write this, with this summer’s blockbusters Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Barbie and Oppenheimer doing fantastic business and showing the doubters once again that folks like to get off their sofas and head to the cinema; either for a date night or just for the wonderful quiet before the picture starts on the giant screen…The irony of all this ticket selling success is that the sound stages and sets where films are made are now silent, and the industry remains frozen due to industrial action from both SAG and the WGA. In many ways it was inevitable that there would be a showdown between the unions and the platforms and studios. With the evolving methods of distribution and with the ever growing appetite for streaming content, and the somewhat threatening arrival of AI, there had to be changes in the way artists were compensated. Hopefully talks will resume without the overly aggressive posturing from both sides. We launched this month our online blog series In Their Own Words which Luke Georgiades will edit and bring to you weekly. The idea is to give you a direct dialogue with participating artists.

Later in the month the team and I will be at the Venice Film Festival, and we will as ever keep you informed as best we can. 

 We urge you to look forward with optimism—it is in these times too easy to fall into a molasses of gloom as we face climate change, war again on European soil, and the further eroding of social principles of care for those in need—but we MUST hope and dream and show the younger generation that mankind can actually be ‘kind’ and find solutions to the most complex of problems. I believe we can make a difference each of us, and that of course picking up printed version of our wee magazine is a step in the right direction! Thank you to our amazing advertiser partners—and to our writers and of course to our team.

— Charles Finch, Editor-in Chief.

UK cover price: £20