Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Donate
Stay Connected

LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network.

Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen
Donate
Podcasts The Frame
The Flame Starter Behind 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'
solid pale red banner
()
The Frame Tile
Episode 20583
Listen • 25:41
The Flame Starter Behind 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'

Writer and director Céline Sciamma talks about her intimate period film; Harvey Weinstein's trial heads for closing arguments; the spiritual experience of Ambient Church.
Adèle Haenel, right, and Noémie Merlant star in Céline Sciamma's "Portrait of a Lady on Fire."
Adèle Haenel, right, and Noémie Merlant star in Céline Sciamma's "Portrait of a Lady on Fire."
(
Neon
)

On today's show:

Céline Sciamma's Burning Story

(Starts at 8:00)

"Portrait of a Lady on Fire" is set in the 1700s. The setting is a remote island in France. The world on screen is populated by women, but the men who dictate the rules of the world beyond the screen are an invisible presence. The story is about a passionate love affair that emerges when an artist is hired by a mother who needs her daughter to sit for a portrait. The portrait will be used to convince a potential suitor to marry her.  The artist and her subject end up falling in love, and in the process we see a world that is defined by the female experience and point of view. The film is written and directed by Céline Sciamma, who talks with John Horn about the research that went into reimagining a woman's history that hasn't been told. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-fQPTwma9o

The State of NY V. Harvey Weinstein

(Starts at :45)

John talks with Variety's Elizabeth Wagmeister, who's covering Harvey Weinstein's trial in New York. The defense has rested and closing arguments begin tomorrow, with the jury expected to receive the case next week. Which side seems to have the upper hand at this point?

Chillin' In A Church

(Starts at 19:00)

Ambient Church is pretty much what it sounds like: atmospheric, chill-out music performed inside houses of worship. It's part concert, part light show, part communal art experience. Ambient Church provides a rare home for those who love and create this esoteric minimalist music. The Frame contributor Paul Ratliff went to a show and has our story.