Cinema for me is…
Michelle in 23 Frames
1. Describe yourself in ten words.
Avid Baker
Ardent Cat lover
Goal-orientated Go-Getter
Concise 🙂
2. Your best quality? Your worst habit?
My best quality is my go-get-it attitude. My worst habit is biting my nails.
3. Your dream job?
Film director or showrunner.
4. What do you like most about your country?
The food, the language, and most of all, the free healthcare.
5. Your favorite dish in your country?
Imqarrun fil-forn, a truly decadent pasta bake in the oven.
6. Which word or phrase in your native language do you like the most and what does it mean?
“Mal-berqa, aqbeż għall-qargħa.” It means seize the opportunity, but literal translation is quite funny.
7. What European capital have you visited lately?
Berlin, Germany.
8. Other than your own, which European country would you love to live in?
France, Ireland, the Netherlands, to name a few. Loads of great places to pick from.
9. What does Europe mean to you? 3 values.
Opportunity, Solidarity, Hope.
10. What film made you fall in love with cinema?
Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (1986). I watched it for the first time at 13 and it enthralled me. The way they approached all the practical effects and the matte paintings lead me to becoming super interested in films and the more I learned about what went into it and how they approached it, the more I was enchanted by cinema.
11. Your favorite film theatre? What do you like about it?
Kino Babylon in Berlin. It was a small theatre with a ceiling painted blue with gold star ornaments. I just really enjoyed the vibe of the place.
12. Who is your movie hero?
Holland March from The Nice Guys.
13. Which movie director would you like to be?
A mix of Jim Henson and Milos Forman.
14. Briefly describe your favorite scene.
To put it very briefly, in Amadeus (1984) when Mozart is welcomed to the Austrian court and Salieri has composed a piece especially for him. The Emperor requests to play it for Mozart and bungles it up. When Mozart is about to leave, the Emperor reminds him that he forgot the sheaf of paper the music is composed on, and Mozart says he doesn’t need it, “It’s all here” (paraphrased) and taps his head.
15. What are the 3 best European films you have seen in the last year?
Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (Céline Sciamma, 2019) FR Another Round (Thomas Vinterberg, 2020) DK The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2018) GB.
16. Which film character do you most identify with?
Sophie, from Howl’s Moving Castle (2004).
17. Your favorite soundtrack or song?
Anything by John WIlliams or Joe Hisaishi.
18. If you had to live in a movie, which one would you like it to be?
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989).
19. Your life becomes a bio-pic. Who plays the role of you?
Michael Cera.
20. Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be very musical and be the sort of person who can intuitively pick up an instrument or sing very well or something.
21. What is your most treasured possession?
The photos I have of my friends and family.
22. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Getting into The Animation Workshop. I met so many incredible people there and learned so much!
23. What is your motto?
It’s extremely cheesy, but it’s the one about try, try again and if you don’t succeed, uh, something, something…