A film worth its weight in gold, lingering on in one’s thoughts, from a filmmaker whose vision never ceases to amaze.
Read MoreNisrin Erradi in a still from Laila Marrakchi’s ‘Strawberries’ courtesy of Lumen, Atelier and Mont Flueri
Sandra Wollner's 'Everytime' wins top Un Certain Regard prize in Cannes
And ends up occupying a large part of my heart too, with its story of overcoming grief by bringing about the impossible.
Read More
Isabelle Huppert and Adam Bessa in ‘Parallel Tales’ photo © Carole Bethuel
Simply, poignant: Asghar Farhadi's 'Parallel Tales' premieres in Cannes
The film by the Iranian helmer has gained space inside my thoughts since I first watched it on the Croisette, always a sign of something special in a work of the seventh art.
Read More
Lyna Khoudri and Fares Fares in a still from ‘Eagles of the Republic’ by Tarik Saleh, photo © Yigit Eken
Tarik Saleh's 'Eagles of the Republic' is coming to a cinema near you!
The film, which was in Competition in Cannes last year, is being distributed by Curzon and will be in cinemas in the UK and Ireland starting May 22.
Read More
Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler in a still from Paweł Pawlikowski’s 'Fatherland', photo © Agata Grzybowska
Pawel Pawlikowski’s 'Fatherland' in Cannes, a personal review
Near the beginning of Pawel Pawlikowski’s stunning film on novelist’s Thomas Mann’s return to Germany in 1949, the author and his daughter Erika drive through war-torn Frankfurt, the city reduced to rubble. It’s a scene which showcases in the first clip from the film, but it also features in current events, as I awoke on the morning to the news that multiple Russian-deployed drones had hit Kiev, bringing the haunting film home. In more ways than one.
Read More
Tecla Insolia and Michele Riondino in a still from ‘Primavera’ courtesy of Curzon
Put Damiano Michieletto's upcoming film 'Primavera' on your must-watch list, now!
The award winning Italian director with more than twenty years of operatic productions under his belt has now ventured into film making and his first feature is a cinematic masterpiece of sight, feelings and sound.
Read More
Jude Law as Putin and Paul Dano as Baranov in ‘The Wizard of the Kremlin’, photo courtesy of Signature
Olivier Assayas' 'The Wizard of the Kremlin' is the best film you'll watch this year
And the one that singlehandedly decodes it all, including our present chaos, by presenting an image of the “enemy” in welcomed shades of grey — opening April 17th in UK & Irish cinemas.
Read More
Cinema Dreamin': Gerald Fox's lyrical documentary 'Kinaesthesia' to world premiere at BFI Southbank
Inspired by the eminent film historian Vlada Petrić, who was also the filmmaker’s cinema professor, the film celebrates the centenary of the “dream film” in cinema and its years of flowering during the silent film period — and will be part of a weekend program, from the 17th to the 19th of April selected by Fox, of essential films on the theme of dreams in silent cinema.
Read More
François Ozon's latest masterpiece 'The Stranger' is a spellbinding watch
The French filmmaker’s screen adaptation of Albert Camus’ written words translates and updates the story of Meursault and lifts it up to appeal to contemporary audiences by tackling our obsession with fitting in, at any cost.
Read More
Arif Jakup and Agush Agushev in a still from ‘DJ Ahmet’ in UK cinemas from 27th March
Georgi M. Unkovski's 'DJ Ahmet': When love, music and community expectations collide
The 2025 Sundance World Cinema audience pick and Special Jury Prize winning film will be in UK cinemas starting 27th March and is the feature debut by NY born Macedonian award winning filmmaker Georgi M. Unkovski.
Read More
Deliver us from evil: Why Raoul Peck's 'Orwell: 2+2=5' should be a must-watch for everyone, right now
In his latest documentary, the BAFTA and César winning documentary filmmaker provides the audience with a road map, in the form of George Orwell’s groundbreaking writing, attempting to break us free from the chains of misinformation and totalitarianism. Whether we use it or not, is ultimately our choice. Or is it?
Read More
Adriano Giannini and Pilar Fogliati in a still from ‘A Brief Affair’ by Ludovica Rampoldi
'A Brief Affair' by Ludovica Rampoldi: A Cinema Made in Italy review
It’s easy to believe that a beloved Italian screenwriter’s first directorial venture will be a watchable, intriguing film featuring great performances and possessing nuances of noir as well as unpredictable turns. And in Rampoldi’s hands, that is exactly what ‘A Brief Affair’ turns out to be.
Read More
Juliette Binoche and Anna Calder-Marshall in a still from ‘Queen at Sea’
'Queen at Sea' by Lance Hammer - Berlinale review
There are films which devour you at first watch and this Juliette Binoche starrer is one of those works of the 7th art, one which grabs hold of you right away and never really lets go.
Read More
A still from ‘Narciso’, photo by © La Babosa Cine, used with permission
Marcelo Martinessi's 'Narciso' is on fire! A Berlinale review
The brilliance of a film is sometimes in the casting and Martinessi’s latest film, screening in this year’s Panorama section, proves that point, with a central cameo by an actor who makes you sit up in your chair as soon as he enters the picture.
Read More
'The Beauty'on FX: The part Ashton Kutcher was born to play, delving into our physical obsessions and Christopher Cross
I’ll admit that I haven’t been this impressed by a character’s entrance since Henry Fonda appeared in Sergio Leone’s ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ and managed to go against everything we had come to expect from the blue eyed superstar. And that’s just talking about the first scene of the upcoming FX drama series ‘The Beauty’.
Read More
Adam Bakri in a still from ‘All That’s Left of You’, courtesy of T A P E Collective
'All That's Left of You' review: Remembrances of things distant
The latest film by Palestinian-American helmer and actress Cherien Dabis is an ode to a land she’s never really known, having grown up in the diaspora, to which more and more Palestinians belong each day.
Read More
A still from Chloé Zhao’s ‘Hamnet’ courtesy of Universal Pictures UK
Witnessing the magical reinvention of Shakespeare's own story in Chloé Zhao's must watch film 'Hamnet'
Reinventing Shakespeare, to make his plays and own story more actual and better understood by contemporary audiences, is the key to keeping him alive. And the Chinese-American indie filmmaker turned big budget director finds that balance, perfectly, in her latest film.
Read More
From left, Kritika Kamra, Shreya Dhanwanthary and Juhi Babbar, in a still from Anusha Rizvi’s ‘The Great Shamsuddin Family’
Why Anusha Rizvi's 'The Great Shamsuddin Family' should be a required must-watch for all women
In short, the film not only passes the Bechdel test with flying colors, and showcases a cast of extraordinary actresses playing members of one fabulous family, but it should also be credited with creating a new kind of “Rizvi test”, one which can be used for showing Muslim women characters which finally break down all stereotypes created so far in movies.
Read More
Kate Winslet and Toni Collette in a still from ‘Goodbye June’ courtesy of Netflix
It's a family affair: Kate Winslet's directorial debut 'Goodbye June' was penned by her son Joe Anders
And somehow, coming from such illustrious parents, it should be no surprise Anders came up with such a touching, beautiful script — yet incredible talent at such a young age still remains the stuff of legends for me.
Read More
Jeremy Xido's 'Sons of Detroit' shines the light on our own preconceptions about race and the American dream
When people say, or write, things like “what has become of America?” pointing to our current leadership and our contemporary USA, I always think, we’ve been there all along — because America was built on slavery, and the kind of human/civil rights abuses that never let up.
Read More