Film Festival
Raindance Review: My Thoughts Are Silent
Ukraine, as a country, is often overshadowed by the behemoth on its eastern border. As the second largest country in what was the Soviet Union, it’s territory far outstrips its population or global influence. The same can be said about its cinema. Since gaining independence in 1991, Ukrainian filmmakers have struggled to get their voices …
Raindance Review: Survival Skills
There’s no genre of film quite like horror when it comes to obsessive fans. There’s equally nothing quite like their love for all things retro in any other sphere of filmmaking. The humble video cassette, for instance, is on a par with vinyl amongst collectors. There’s a nostalgia for those cheap straight to video films …
Raindance Review: Nafi’s Father
The European colonisation of Africa wreaked a scale of damage on the continent from which it may never recover. Africans were exploited and killed for precious natural and human resources. Whilst independence should have given countries a new start, most soon fell foul of corruption, civil war and a form of economic exploitation. Whilst the …
Raindance Review: He Dreams of Giants
If you were a studio head looking for a director to deliver a film on time and to budget, the last man on earth you’d turn to is Terry Gilliam. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is considered to be one of the biggest flops in the history of cinema. The former ‘Python’ has been trying …
Raindance Film Festival 2020 Preview
The 28th Raindance Film Festival takes place between 28 October and 7 November. This year’s showcase of some of the best of UK and international independent film will be a hybrid of select live events and an extensive virtual platform. The festival is a hotbed of creativity and talent, but as well as an industry …
LFF Review: Notturno
Gianfranco Rosi is a filmmaker whose focus has squarely been on the underdog. Whether that’s migrants searching for a new home or squatters living on the fringes. The Italian documentarian has the unique accolade of winning the two highest awards at Venice and Berlin. However, it was undoubtedly his 2016 film Fire at Sea, which …
LFF Review: Identifying Features (Sin Señas Particulares)
Hundreds of people die every year trying to make the journey north across the US/Mexican border. It’s a journey which is fraught with danger and the odds of successfully avoiding the authorities and safely crossing to America are stacked against you. Indeed, hundreds of thousands of people find themselves detained by the US Border Patrol …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: The Filmmaker’s House
Documentaries, probably more than any other genre, span a large spectrum of different elements and sub-genres. Whether that’s in how the film itself is made or the rationale behind its creation. Arguably the most contentious of these is the hybrid documentary or docufiction. A combination of fiction and non-fiction. What makes this style of filmmaking …
LFF Review: Another Round
Mads Mikkelsen is an actor who will be familiar to UK audiences. Whilst he’s appeared in a number of huge Hollywood films, including Rogue One and Doctor Strange, it’s on the small screen for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter for which he’s most renowned. However, the Danish actor’s best work is in his domestic cinema. …
LFF Review: One Man and His Shoes
When the Chicago Bulls picked a talented young Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft, little did they know what effect the titan would have on the sport. However, whilst he was undoubtedly one of the best players of his generation, the University of North Carolina graduate’s meteoric rise to fame was to a large …