The history of cinema, in many ways, began in the factory – its first frames capturing the daily lives of male and female workers as they filed out of the Lumière factory in Lyon in 1895. This simple, silent image marked the inception of the filmic medium, recording not just the physical movement of workers,…
Category: Documentary
One Fluid Night LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: A Weekend of Love, Life, and Identity
Launched in September 2023 at Genesis Cinema in East London, One Fluid Night (OFN) is a groundbreaking film event that presents a competition of short films alongside performances by singers, dancers, and cabaret artists, all celebrating the multifaceted themes of life, love, and identity through the lens of international LGBTQIA+ cinema. After a successful year…
KCCUK Announces London Korean Film Festival Programme
The 19th edition of the London Korean Film Festival (LKFF), organized by the Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) with the support of the Korean Film Council, proudly presents its 2024 programme. The festival will run from November 1 to November 13 at venues including BFI Southbank, Ciné Lumière, and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)….
“Finding Her Beat” Review
Drums typically represent the most ancient musical tools within any society, and the Taiko has a historical presence dating back over 2,000 years in ancient Japan. Archaeological and anthropological studies suggest that during the Jomon era, people used drums as a means of communication or in religious rituals. However, the percussion instruments of that time…
Fragments Festival: In Conversation with Sharmaine Weed, Protagonist of “Pure Grit”
Throughout the decades, the prominence of Native American men and women has declined. Undoubtedly, this is because of the horrific suffering they have endured due to colonization, as well as the widespread struggles on reservations nowadays. While foreign colonizers tried hard to strip away the culture of Native Americans, the people fought hard to preserve…
6th London East Asia Film Festival: “Keep Rolling” Review
On the set of her 2017 film Our Time Will Come, Ann Hui is slapping wet mud all across the backs of actors. Her other hand is clutching a walking cane. She stands in the pouring rain, puffing cigarettes, and yelling orders. Reaching 70 years of age – and spending the past 40 plus years working in film…
65th BFI London Film Festival: “Ride the Wave” Review
Premiering at the London Film Festival this year, Martyn Robertson’s Ride the Wave follows the life of a 14-year-old surfer, Ben Larg. Hailing from the Island of Tiree in Scotland, at such a young age Ben has already grown a strong love for water sports and a passion to make it in life as a…
“Delphine’s Prayers” Review
“The old man I slept with for 15,000 francs…it gives me goosebumps” 30-year-old Delphine confesses in one scene. She is telling the story of how she sold her body as a teenager to pay for hospital treatment for her niece who was sick with malaria. Despite Delphine’s efforts, her young niece passed away before Delphine…
23rd Udine Far East Film Festival: “Keep Rolling” Review
On the set of her 2017 film Our Time Will Come, Ann Hui is slapping wet mud all across the backs of actors. Her other hand is clutching a walking cane. She stands in the pouring rain, puffing cigarettes, and yelling orders. Reaching 70 years of age – and spending the past 40 plus years…
BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival: “P.S. Burn This Letter Please” Review
Autumn-time 1958, two individuals have broken into the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City and made off with thousands of dollars’ worth of luxurious Italian wigs. The accused are the two drag queens Claudia – Claude Diaz – and Josephine Baker – Robert Perez – who stole the wigs for their own drag acts…
