Ep 137: Naomi Ackie on playing Whitney Houston + focus on International Film Festival Rotterdam

Naomi Ackie, the British star of Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, talks to Anna Smith about preparing for her portrayal of the musical icon. Ackie has been longlisted for a BAFTA Film Award for Leading Actress for her extraordinary performance. She explains how important it was to her that the audience was being shown a side of Houston that perhaps they hadn’t seen before, particularly with her same-sex relationship with her girl friend Robyn Crawford. They also discuss the importance of having a female director, Kasi Lemmons, at the helm with the involvement of Whitney Houston's long-time producer Clive Davis, who is played by Stanley Tucci. Anna is also joined by Vanja Kaludjercic, the director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, giving insight into the 2023 programme and what it is that makes this film festival special. Vanja and Anna talk diversity, inclusion and internationalism within film and film festivals, and Vanja also picks out a few of this year’s highlights. Vanja also talks about why she has invited Girls On Film to return for the third time in January 2023 to record a live podcast episode - check back soon for that episode. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody was released in theatres nationwide in December 2022. 2023 International Film Festival Rotterdam is taking place from the 25th January 2023 to the 5th February 2023. For all information go to: https://iffr.com/en Other films mentioned in this episode include: The Plains, David Easteal, 2022 Mayday! May day! Mayday!, Yonri Revolt, 2022 Deadly Love Poem, Garin Nugroho, 2022 Sri Asih, Upi Avianto, 2022 Like & Share, Gina S. Noer, 2022 Indivision, Leïla Kilani, 2023 Le spectre de Boko Haram, Cyrielle Raingou, 2023 Mama dan so que sorriso, Cyrielle Raingou, 2023 Gagaland, Teng Yuhan, 2023 Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Host: Anna Smith. Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold Producer: Lydia Scott Audio Producer: Emma Butt Intern: Eleanor Hardy House band: MX Tyrants Principal Partners: Vanessa Smith and Peter Brewer. Thank you also to our Patreon Supporters.