rex

Another month, another espresso, another guest on our podcast: Matt recently spoke to David Fonjallaz, filmmaker and co-director of the Cinema REX in Bern, Switzerland, where David is responsible (among other things) for the repertory cinema programme – over the last year alone, the REX has shown programmes on David Lynch, Yasujiro Ozu and Andrea Arnold, on Iranian cinema and (currently) films told from the perspective of children. What are the challenges of running a cinema in 2026, and of scheduling a programme that is ambitious and that still attracts a cinema? But also: what are the joys of putting together such programmes on a monthly basis?

The recording was done live at the REX, so there’s the usual background murmur of cinemagoers and clinks of glasses and coffee cups (espresso, no doubt), but we hope the vibe more than makes up for the noise!

P.S.: This espresso episode is something of a sequel to our 2020 podcast, A Damn Fine Cup of Culture Podcast #37: Cinéma mon amour, in which we talked to Martina Amrein, who currently co-directs the REX alongside David. And for Matt’s lovesong to a well-curated cinema programme, check out his post from November 2024, A little less algorithm, a little more curation, please.

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Mid-February in the Swiss capital: as the pandemic grinds on it’s definitely getting to me more. Differently from many, it’s not the relative lack of social contact: I’m not the most social animal at the best of times. I would even say it’s been quite good for me and my wife that we’ve both been working from home for much of the last year, which means that we don’t just see each other in the morning when we’re still tired and in the evening when we’re tired again. I have been seeing a friend once a week for coffee, but beyond this I don’t acutely miss going out and meeting people in larger numbers than what I can count on one hand; I can get most of the social interaction I need via Skype, Zoom and Tabletop Simulator – the latter of which allows us to rule at the boardgame Pandemic during an actual pandemic. What times we live in!