If you’d asked me a year ago did I believe cinema could change the world, I would have answered you with an enthusiastic “yes!” Now? Read on to find out…
Read More
A still from ‘Ladies Coffee’ courtesy of Al-Agroobi.
Amal Al-Agroobi's groundbreaking short 'Ladies Coffee' to premiere at London's AWAN Festival
The London-based Emirati director is a personal favorite and her latest project breaks all the conventions set for Arab women filmmakers, in favor of a genre bending short that begs to be watched on the big screen.
Read More
A still from the film © Reiner Holzemer Film
Reiner Holzemer's 'Lars Eidinger -- To Be or Not To Be' premieres in North America
The latest documentary from the German filmmaker, whose mission appears to shoot cinematic homages to all things cool, will be shown to FIFA audiences in Montreal on March 21st.
Read More
A still from the film, courtesy of © Tanit Films, Midi La Nuit, Instinct Bleu
Meryam Joobeur on Berlinale Competition title 'Who Do I Belong To' and the injustice of visas
The feature debut by the Oscar-nominated Tunisian-Canadian filmmaker is a cinematic painting, an ode to her ‘Brotherhood’ stars who were not given a visa to travel to the Berlinale. An injustice that seemed to go unnoticed in the midst of all the festival drama.
Read More
A still from ‘Brief History of a Family’ by Jianjie Lin
Seven DFI supported films to screen at this year's Berlinale
They include two projects ‘In Competition’, three in ‘Panorama’, one each in the ‘Encounters’ and ‘Generation’ sections.
Read More
Amos Gitai, center, on the set of ‘Shikun’
Amos Gitai’s ‘Shikun’ promises to offer a much-needed exercise in peace
The latest film by the prolific filmmaker, theater director, architect and artist has just been announced as a Berlinale Special at the upcoming Berlin Film Festival.
Read More
Fabrizio Rongione and Lubna Azabal in a scene from 'Amal’
'Amal' by Jawad Rhalib -- US premiere review
Moroccan-Belgian filmmaker Jawad Rhalib tackles Islamic intolerance and the results of forced multiculturalism in Belgian society. The result is a film which will leave you breathless.
Read More
'Toxicily' -- Festival dei Popoli review
There is no place in Italy as beautiful and as filled with diverse culture as the southern Italian island of Sicily. And yet no place has been abused more — by wars, invasions and more recently, pollution — the latter pointed out hauntingly by filmmakers François-Xavier Destors and Alfonso Pinto in their impressive ode to this modern “wasteland.”
Read More
Sofia Coppola's 'Priscilla' to close the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival
The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, which runs from October 27 to November 5, announced on Monday that this year’s Closing Night film will be Coppola’s film based on the 1985 memoir ‘Elvis and Me’ written by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon.
Read More
Challenging perceptions: An interview with 'Catching Dust' filmmaker Stuart Gatt
After world premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC earlier this year, Stuart Gatt’s captivating thriller finally screens in the UK at the upcoming Raindance Film Fest. And I caught up with the filmmaker to ask about his influences, why he’s so good at writing women’s characters and more.
Read More
Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival to open with Hansal Mehta's 'The Buckingham Murders' starring Kareena Kapoor
While at the BFI London Film Festival, where the title world premiered this past week, the filmmaker sat down for an insightful ‘Selfies Interview’ and discussed a bit about the film as well as why he loves having Kareena in his project.
Read More
'High & Low: John Galliano' London review
There are so many layers to filmmaker Kevin Macdonald’s film that it would take more than a few hundred words to get to them all. At the core of this stunning must-watch documentary is a fashion hero turned antihero who could be a poster child for explaining our current times.
Read More
Masculinity, fashion and biker culture decoded : Jeff Nichols' 'The Bikeriders' examined
Apart from the great look of the film and the immediate immersion for the viewer into the late 1960’s biker culture of the American midwest, ‘The Bikeriders’ also offers insight into masculine insecurities and strengths and in the process, becomes yet another favorite Jeff Nichols work of seventh art.
Read More
'Saltburn' by Emerald Fennell opens the BFI London Film Festival, with a twist
The film is exactly what is needed to encourage audiences to watch more cinema in the theaters, and amazingly enough, it is an Amazon MGM Studios production — proving that streamers do know it best if given the chance to do their thing.
Read More
'Maestro' -- A personal review
Once the absurd discourse about Bradley Cooper’s nose will have finally quieted down, those who have been lucky enough to have watched ‘Maestro’ on the big screen will realize they’ve witnessed a masterpiece.
Read More
Awards hopefuls, indie gems and streaming must-watches: My BFI London Film Fest wish list
There is just so much good stuff screening at this year’s London Film Festival — from a documentary about a nearly-cancelled forever fashion icon, to a film featuring Austin Butler and Michael Shannon as bikers, to MENA gems, Oscars and Golden Globes hopefuls and indie treasures. So buckle your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy fortnight.
Read More
Sci-fi reimagined: Talking to Moin Hussain about 'Sky Peals' in Venice
We often forget that some of the best films ever made didn’t come with colossal budgets and outrageous VFX, their brilliance established through a great story and very relatable characters. British-Pakistani filmmaker Moin Hussain’s debut feature, which premiered in Venice before being poised to screen at the upcoming London Film Festival, is just one of those films.
Read More
'Backstage' - Venice review
At the start of ‘Backstage’, the first feature directorial collaboration between Moroccan filmmaker Khalil Benkirane and Tunisian star Afef Ben Mahmoud, the unthinkable happens. And we, the audience, are along for the ride of a lifetime.
Read More
Amr Gamal on his groundbreaking, award winning film 'The Burdened' at Berlinale
The Yemeni film, which screened in the Panorama section and won the Amnesty International Film Award at this year's Berlin Film Festival, is a groundbreaking oeuvre which transcends the already strong power of cinema.
Read More
Reviewing David Fincher's 'The Killer' without giving too much away...
Starring the magnificently contained Michael Fassbender as the unnamed hitman, this is one film that must be viewed without any previous knowledge of its story and possibly on a cool Fall evening, with a shot of premium whiskey nearby. But you’ll have to see for yourself why that is.
Read More