Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: The Monopoly of Violence
The past few years has seen unrest break out in many placed around the world. One of the constants has been the reaction of the police. There have been almost universally robust responses, ranging from unnecessary overreaction to outright murder. The only groups who seem to spared the truncheon, baton, tear gas or Taser are …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Factory to the Workers
The transition from communism to capitalism in the former Soviet Central and Eastern European states was far from smooth. The dissolution of the USSR and the break-up of the Eastern Bloc removed the safety net provided by the state. The vacuum left was usually filled by the unscrupulous and opportunistic individuals, often connected to the …
Tribeca Review: My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To
It’s natural for siblings to squabble and bicker. The power dynamic between brothers and sisters is often established in early life and usually remains until they’re old and grey. Whilst families routinely disagree or hold long-standing grudges, they usually come together when something major happens. Like the death of a parent or loved one. Some …
Blu-Ray Review: Flowers of Shanghai
Hou Hsiao-Hsien is arguably the greatest Taiwanese filmmaker of all time. He’s definitely the director who has had the most influence on a global scale, especially during the 1980s and 1990s, striving to tell tales of his homeland. This focus won him the Golden Lion at Venice for City of Sadness. He’s made many remarkable …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review – Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
If the past decade has taught us anything it’s that racism is alive and well and thriving in America. The death of George Floyd might be the tipping point to finally bring some real change, if only to the way police departments behave. However, we’ve been here many times before and nothing ever really seem …
IFFR Review: Poupelle of Chimney Town
Whilst those of us in the West were brought up on a diet of Disney (and for younger generations, Pixar and Dreamworks), the experience was very different to that in the East. Over the last couple of decades, Studio Ghibli has taken its rightful place next to mouse industries as the best in the world. …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: My Dear Spies
Now that many records have been digitised and access may only be a few clicks (and a few more pounds) away, more and more people have begun to research their family histories. The popularity of sites like Ancestry.com around the turn of the century saw millions of people around the world cast their nets back …
Sheff Doc/Fest Review: Who We Were
On Earth at least, human beings are the only sentient lifeforms who spend a large proportion of their lives thinking about the bigger picture. Contemplating those pressing questions around life and death and whether there’s intelligent life out there in the vastness of space. Other animals are probably more concerned about where their next meal …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Lift Like A Girl
One of the ways in which many societies has changed over the last few decades is in the relationship between women/girls and traditionally macho sports. Whilst there was an initial push-back in some disciplines, particularly boxing, they’ve rapidly become areas where equal participation is starting to at least feel like the norm. Strangely, this is …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Splinters
Memories are precarious things. They can be elusive and fragmentary, especially when up against the sands of time. Our minds are tricksters, constantly finding new and imaginative ways to pull the wool over our eyes. That’s why we, as humans, document our experiences; from the early days of cave painting to today’s obsession with social …