It is rare to encounter a film that is so utterly honest and true to its subject, no matter how difficult a tale that is to tell. Gregorio Sassoli and Alejandro Cifuentes, the duo behind the documentary ‘Saint Damian’ have managed such a feat, and in the process, have created a masterpiece that will crack open some much needed truths, all the while conquering every heart in the audience.
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A still of Karla Murthy with her father, courtesy of the filmmaker
A very personal review: 'The Gas Station Attendant' premieres at Sheffield Doc Fest
Back when I was growing up in the US, there was a saying: “Everybody loves a winner” a phrase derived possibly from the 1967 song. Nowadays, from social media to the movies, and through everything in between, we’ve come to love the “losers” much much more. In her personal documentary, award winning filmmaker Karla Murthy talks about one such person. Someone very very close to her — her dad.
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Wholesome fun: my thoughts on Disney's 'Elio'
I attended a special Father’s Day UK screening of the film this past weekend and was impressed by the hold ‘Elio’ had on the younger audiences. But the story has completely changed from the one announced in 2023 — from “sci-fi horror” to a lighthearted, yet meaningful comedy adventure about a little boy’s need to be accepted.
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Soad Hosny and Hussein Fahmy in a still from ‘Watch Out for Zouzou’ by Hassan el-Imam
Holding up a mirror to a time of possibilities: 'Watch Out for Zouzou' opens this year's SAFAR film festival in London
The 1972 Egyptian classic enjoys a gorgeous, brand new restoration, allowing younger audiences to discover its magic and its message, while bestowing on those revisiting the film an eerie sense of “what could have been?”
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Five reasons to love the new 'How to Train Your Dragon'
I’ll give you five reasons to watch the upcoming live action adaptation of the beloved 2010 animated film, which will open in US theaters on June 13th.
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Rodrigo Santoro and Denise Weinberg in a scene from ‘The Blue Trail’ by Gabriel Mascaro
A [feminine] case for 'The Blue Trail' by Gabriel Mascaro
While another Cannes title may be a heavy contender for Brazil’s submission to the Best International Feature Film category for the Oscars this year, I would argue that the reason the previous Brazilian film fared so well in last year’s award season race is one: an extraordinary woman at the center of its story.
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Benicio del Toro and Mia Threapleton in a still from ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ in theaters on Friday
The Magnificent Wes Anderson: Why 'The Phoenician Scheme' is my fave since 'Grand Budapest'
At the core of his latest film, Anderson, along with co-writer Roman Coppola and leading man Benicio de Toro, has created a wonderfully entertaining antihero of contradictions: European yet eerily Trumpian, bigger than life yet soft spoken, bearing many passports yet without a fixed address, a self professed diplomat who carries a crate of hand-grenades — just in case they are needed. And more often than not, they are.
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Reinventing the narrative: 'Nino' by Pauline Loquès Cannes Review
If you thought a film following a man’s weekend after discovering he’s ill couldn’t be charming, funny, tender, warm and thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end, journalist turned filmmaker Pauline Loquès will change your mind. And your hearts, forever.
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Cannes Gem: A review of 'Urchin' by Harris Dickinson
A film that, aside from its spellbinding leading man and touching crucial themes about the habits that bring us down, again and again, also begs the question: “Who do the streets of London belong to? Those who thread upon them or those who call them home?”
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To be Muslim, French and Queer: 'The Little Sister' Cannes review
What do you do when you don’t see people like you represented in French literature? Well, if you are Fatima Daas, you write a character that has never been shown before — a lesbian, Muslim young woman, first generation French daughter of Algerian immigrants. And then, a great filmmaker and actress like Hafsia Herzi might make it into a film that ends up in Cannes, in Competition. Well, this is what happened.
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Tom Cruise must need a nap after 'Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning'
He runs across London, dives to the depth of the Baltic Sea, flies through the South African sky, most of the time outside an airplane, and never misses a beat — and I was exhausted just watching him do it all…
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The power of one, letter: 'The Extraordinary Miss Flower' review
If I were to sum up this wondrously dreamy doc in a couple of words, I would say it’s a hippie, trippy psychedelic cinematic joy of a film, and one you should not dare to miss.
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To be young, gifted and... gay! A review of Iair Said's 'Most People Die on Sundays'
A personal tale based on the filmmaker’s own experience centering around the death of his father, this succinct film mixes a successful blend of realism, absurdity, comedy and drama to create a wondrous work of the Seventh Art.
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The brothers hanging out in ‘The Accountant 2’, courtesy of Warner Bros.
I'll give you one, no make that 2 good reasons to watch 'The Accountant 2' with Ben Affleck
Do you really want to know what those are? Well, for one, the brothers’ duo the American star creates along with Jon Bernthal is cinematic chemistry 101. And the other reason? Read on!
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A photo of the Weber siblings in Bremerhaven, Germany in 1946
Courage decoded: Beth Lane's 'UnBroken' is the film you need to watch on Netflix
A film which tells the real story of seven Jewish siblings, separated by war and reunited after 40 years, helped by the kindness of strangers along the way, and told by the miraculous offspring of the youngest sister. And now you can watch this inspirational gem on Netflix, starting on Holocaust Remembrance Day — April 23rd.
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Olmo Schnabel's 'Pet Shop Days', EP'd by Martin Scorsese to finally release in the US
Starting out limited, in NYC and LA, the film is a wonder to behold and Schnabel, a filmmaker to watch.
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Worst work if you can get it! Why I love Bong Joon-ho's 'Mickey 17'
Beyond the sci-fi comedy starring Robert Pattinson, in the story of a man who gets reprinted in 3D every time he dies — and comes out of the machine with the same quirks and patterns of a regular paper printer — there lies a profound film about learning to live with all parts of our personality — even those we may not always like.
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Anthony Mackie is Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’
Why 'Captain America: Brave New World' got me into Marvel films. Wholeheartedly
With a dissent in popular opinion and critics seemingly agreeing this is one of the weakest installment of the franchise, I’m here to throw the tables upside down and explain why I love Anthony Mackie in the tight-fitting costume of the world-saving superhero, but also how I got into the film way more than I should have.
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Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry in a still from the film, photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
'The Fire Inside' review: The true life story of a modern, strong, unapologetic and beautiful woman
Winning doesn’t always bring about happiness and success. So the tale of gold winning boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields teaches us, in a new film written by Barry Jenkins and directed by Rachel Morrison, coming to UK cinemas on February 7th.
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DFI's 2024 Fall Grants announcement includes projects by Youssef Chebbi, Sofia Alaoui, Mehdi Hmili and Anas Khalaf
As well as a feature doc by Iraqi actress and filmmaker Zahraa Ghandour, a web series by Palestinian storyteller Amer Shomali, Damien Ounouri’s and Adila Bendimerad’s follow up to festival fave ‘The Last Queen’, and shorts by Qatari talents Mahdi Ali Ali and Majid Al-Remaihi.
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