LFF
LFF Review: I am Samuel
If you’re gay and out in most places in the world you’re likely to face some level of prejudice and/or discrimination on a daily basis. However, whilst it’s all highly unpleasant, unnecessary and out of order, there’s a stark difference between how you’re treated in a ‘progressive’ country and more ‘traditional’ state. According to Amnesty …
LFF Review: Chess of the Wind
Given the turbulent political and social situation that has dogged Iran’s modern history, it’s in many ways surprising that their cinema is so good. Despite operating under a number of restrictions and government censorship, it’s easily the strongest filmmaking country in the region. Despite the odds stacked against them, Iranian directors have been regular award-winners …
LFF Review: 180° Rule
For many women who live in Islamic countries, their movements are under the control of the dominant male in their lives. Whether that’s a husband, father or brother. Regardless of how good or bad that relationship may be, their freedoms and daily routines are (technically) bound by patriarchal consent. Failing To abide by these rules …
LFF Review: The Reason I Jump
For many of us, it can often be a struggle to communicate precisely what we’re trying to say. Whether that’s due to a lack of self-confidence, a speech impediment, lacking sufficient vocabulary or something else, it’s always terribly frustrating when you can’t fully vocalise what you’re thinking. Imagine then what it must be like to …
LFF Review: The Painter and The Thief
As Mark Twain once opined, “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” As current events are demonstrating all too comprehensively, sometimes you just couldn’t make it up. When it comes to cinema, it can often be those true stories which are the most fascinating …
LFF Review: Honeymood
Marriage is a contract full of rituals, many of which have been passed down through countless generations. If you have a religious wedding, the customs and practices you undertake can hark back to the (relevant) holy book itself. However, whilst virginity is often now no longer the fabled pre-requisite of such unions, the wedding night …
LFF Review: Stray
It’s unusual to see stray dogs on the streets of most Western countries. Whilst canis familiaris is a common sight almost everywhere else in the world, pets without owners tend to end up in animal rescues or shelter; with a limited life expectancy. However, In Turkey, they’re very much part of the landscape and the …
LFF Review: Mangrove
When the HMT Empire Windrush landed at Tilbury Docks in 1948, it signalled the start of a widespread migration from the Caribbean. These immigrants were invited to the UK to plug holes in the British labour market, predominantly within the health service and public transportation. Most of these newcomers settled in London and were largely …
LFF Review: The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao
Whilst siblings are often close, there’s something rather unusual about the bonds between sisters. A connection which, despite being invisible, is incredibly hard to break. An understanding and intimacy which is difficult to describe. This complex relationship has been captured on celluloid in the likes of Ginger Snaps, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Virgin Suicides …
LFF Review: Burning Cane
There has been a reckoning over the last few years and finally we’re beginning to see black voices being given the opportunity to make the films they want to make. One such film-maker is Phillip Youmans. At the age of nineteen, the New Orleans born, New York resident made Burning Cane. Despite still being in …