Polish cinema has had a strong relationship with the Venice International Film Festival for decades, but its presence on the Lido has been noticeable in recent years. In 2022, Damian Kocur’s Bread and Salt (Chleb i sól) competed in Orizzonti and won the Special Jury Prize, with Kocur turning an ordinary summer in a small…
Category: Film events and festivals
83rd Venice Film Festival: “Children of the Monkey” Review
Becoming a parent changes your life, but becoming the parent of a child with a disability can change it in ways nobody can fully prepare you for. There are appointments, routines, worries about the future and, depending on the child’s needs, a level of physical and emotional care that can continue for a long time….
83rd Venice Film Festival: “Diane in the Loop” Review
A mother wants to leave the past behind but her daughter wants to dig it back up. That difficult starting point is the premise of Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni’s Diane in the Loop. Diane (Ninon Borsei) learns that her mother (Sandrine Blancke) was raped three years before she was born. For Diane, discovering what…
Asian Cinema at the 70th BFI London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival has unveiled the programme for its 70th edition, and Asian cinema will once again form an essential part of the celebration. From long-awaited works by some of the continent’s most respected filmmakers to daring debuts, intimate documentaries and large-scale genre spectacles, this year’s selection reflects the extraordinary breadth of filmmaking…
“Perhaps Love” (2005) & Peter Chan’s Path on Climbing Mountains, Walking on Thin Ice
In the last section of Close Encounters with Master Filmmakers – Movie Talks: Peter Ho-sun Chan hosted at the Hong Kong Film Archive, it is revealed that Chan had just wrapped up the latest film he worked on and caught a morning plane from Chengdu to Hong Kong to attend the talk on the same…
“Dog Day Evening” (2026) Review: Absurdity of Ordinary Desperation
Dog Day Evening (2026) was released nationwide immediately after its premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival’s Asian New Talent section. It is director Mak Tin Shu’s directorial debut. Although a “new talent” as a director, Mak was not really new or fresh to the Hong Kong film industry. His scripts for Trivisa (2016) and…
Director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla’s Journey in Creating “Ah Girl” – Exclusive Interview
Having shared the spotlights in Rotterdam, Hong Kong, and ahead of its premiere in Shanghai, director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla’s debut feature Ah Girl, 13 years in the making, presents a bittersweet self-healing childhood of a 7-year-old curious girl Swee Swee (Xuanjing ONG) in the post-divorce turbulence of her parents. Ah Girl comes from a…
“Ah Girl”: A Heartwarming Look at Family and Loneliness – Review
Inspired by director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla’s own childhood experiences and long-held reflections, the Singaporean filmmaker’s debut feature Ah Girl follows the resilient Swee Swee (Ah Girl) as she journeys through a childhood scarred by hardship and bruises. Set in the 1990s, the 7-year-old Ah Girl (Xuanjing ONG), and her younger sister Ah Tian (Sydney…
Raindance Icon Award 2026 Recipients: MIRIAM MARGOLYES and LLOYD KAUFMAN + EDDIE COCHRAN RECEIVES POSTHUMOUS ICON AWARD
Actress, writer, and comedian Miriam Margolyes and American filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman have been named recipients of the 2026 Raindance Icon Awards, part of the festival’s 34th edition running from 17–26 June in London. Margolyes will receive her award at the Raindance Opening Gala on 17 June, following the UK premiere of April X (dir. Michel…
Raindance Film Festival Returns to London with Bold Line-Up of Indie Voices and Global Stories
The Raindance Film Festival returns to London from 17–26 June for its 34th edition, presenting one of its most wide-ranging programmes to date. This year’s programme includes 85 narrative and documentary features alongside 112 short films, with more than half of the feature selection coming from first-time directors. The festival also expands its immersive strand,…
79th Cannes Film Festival: “We Are Aliens” Review
Japanese animation is in a class of its own, with a style that is hard to match. While many countries produce visually impressive animated films, very few reach the same level of thoughtful storytelling that Japanese animation delivers. Its real strength is not just the beauty of the artwork or the technical skill behind it,…
79th Cannes Film Festival: “Che Guevara: The Last Companions” Review
Before Che Guevara became a symbol on posters and T-shirts, he was a revolutionary who helped change Cuba forever. Alongside Fidel Castro, he helped overthrow the Batista regime in 1959, promising dignity and equality for ordinary Cubans. Decades later, whether admired or criticised, Che’s shadow still hangs over Cuba and much of Latin America. His…
79th Cannes Film Festival: “Blaise” Review
Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue’s Blaise takes something very ordinary – the fear of saying the wrong thing and the need to be liked – and turns it into one of the strangest and funniest animated films in recent years. Beneath its dry humour and absurd situations lies a painfully honest portrait of people who…
79th Cannes Film Festival: “Flesh and Fuel” Review
Screened at the 65th Critics’ Week and featured in the Special Screenings section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Pierre Le Gall’s Flesh and Fuel is set within the often unseen world of European truck drivers. The film depicts the exhausting pace of life on the road and the emotional emptiness that can grow within…
