IFFR
IFFR Review: La nuit des rois
Storytelling has played a vital role within communities and societies since humans first invented spoken languages. Predating writing, it’s the way that we’ve been able to pass on our histories, myths, legends and religions from generation to generation. These oral traditions have been vital for the evolution of our species. It still plays a huge …
IFFR Review: Shorta
Whilst the Black Lives Matter protests rapidly spread across the whole of America in early 2020, they weren’t just limited to one country. The situation within the US is undeniably unique, but in many ways it’s also a reflection of race relations in many places around the world. Much of Europe, with a history of …
IFFR Review: The Cemil Show
While America has Hollywood and India has Bollywood, Turkey contents itself with Yeşilçam. Between the 1950s and 1970s (known as the Yeşilçam era) it was churning out hundreds of films every year, often looking to the West for inspiration. This golden period produced an eclectic mix of styles and genres, including a slew on B-movies; …
IFFR Review: Bipolar
Dating back to Greek antiquity, the myth of Orpheus has captivated generations of writers and creatives. As one of the only heroes to visit the underworld and return to tell his tale, he’s part of a small and distinguished group. His stories have inspired filmmakers, most notably Marcel Camus for Black Orpheus and Jean Cocteau’s …
IFFR Review: Aristocrats
If you’re born in the UK, it’s easy to have the mistaken belief that class plays a much greater part in our society than anywhere else. Whilst this might once have been the case, it’s a huge factor in determining socio-economic success in most places around the world, one way or another. Japan, like many …
IFFR Review: Riders of Justice
“If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire…the A-Team”. Or at least ‘a team’. This ‘gang’ formula is an almost sure-fire cinematic gold in many ways. Take the Mission Impossible franchise, for example. If Ethan Hunt was all alone, it simply wouldn’t …
IFFR Review: Lone Wolf
Whilst today’s Hollywood spies may skydive onto buildings, drive sportscars at precarious speeds and use a myriad of imaginative gadgets, the stories themselves are often just variations on well-worn themes. There are always the good guys, the bad guys and the unknowable players, rearranged in infinite ways. Today’s covert operators owe a debt of gratitude …
IFFR Review: Gritt
Art is highly responsive to events in the wider world. In many ways, it acts as a reflection and critique of the socio-political state of the environment in which it is created. Artists use the only weapon they have, their art, as a means of protest. This spans the spectrum of the discipline from painting …
IFFR 2021 Preview
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has firmly established itself as one of the most exciting and ambitious dates in the European festival calendar. Now in its 50th incarnation, it has amassed a reputation for showcasing the most exciting and cutting-edge filmmaking from across the world. This year’s event takes place in two parts. In …