Z365" or "Festival all year round" is the new strategic point of the Festival in which converge investigation, accompaniment and development of new talents (Ikusmira Berriak, Nest); training and cinematic knowledge transfer (Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, Zinemaldia + Plus, Filmmakers' dialogue); and investigation, disclosure and cinematic thought (Z70 project, Thought and Discussion and Research and publications).
Flanked by director Michael Showalter, actress and producer Jessica Chastain spoke to the press yesterday after the screening of her latest film, The Eyes of Tammy Faye in the Official Selection. She says that she saw the documentary on Tammy by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato in 2012 and was blown away by her compassion and love. She realised that she only knew her from the sensationalist way that the media used to portray her, and so decided to buy the rights to film her true story. Showalter said he relished the opportunity to work with Chastain and see her in this role. Having grown up watching the Bakers on TV in the 1980s, he thought that visually it was an extraordinary story to tell. Chastain also spoke about the challenges she faced to play Tammy Faye: she worked for seven years on the role with a dialect coach because the Minesota accent is very particular, and also had to learn to sing like her and put on a higher-pitched voice. “For sure, it’s technically the most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” she confessed. She also stressed how much she admired Tammy Faye’s consistency and authenticity: “even when she was thrown out of the church she never stopped loving and forgiving people. She was always true to what she preached.”