The directorial debut of British-Palestinian writer and director Farah Nabulsi, The Present follows the story of Palestinian father Yusef (Saleh Bakri) and his young daughter Yasmine (Mariam Kanj) as they set off across the West Bank to pick up groceries and find an anniversary present for Yusef’s wife. Facing relentless roadblocks, checkpoints, and apathetic IDF…
Category: Film events and festivals
Hong Sang-soo’s “The Woman Who Ran” Review
While her husband is out of town on a business trip, florist Gam-hee (Kim Min-hee) decides to embark on a venture of her own to reconnect with three different old friends living across Seoul. Although reciting a script, Gam-hee routinely mentions to every friend how her and her husband haven’t spent a day apart since…
Nomadland Review
Nomadland is a curious beast; a sobering look at the ramifications of an ageing, expanding workforce in the gig economy following the 2008 recession, critical of the corporations who have forced people into this position, while also feeling at first glance like it’s pulling some of its punches. At least, that’s how this writer interpreted…
I am Samuel Review
The criminalisation of same-sex relationships in Africa is commonplace. In 2013, 38 African countries made homosexuality a crime under the law. Opposition to people of different sexual orientation has become more and more visible, with Kenya being one of those countries where homosexuality is criminalised and socially unacceptable; if convicted, a person could face up…
Moloka’i Bound Review
Winner of the Oscar-qualifying Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Best Short Work at this year’s ImagineNATIVE festival, Moloka’i Bound is the story of Kainoa (Holden Mandrial-Santos), a formerly incarcerated man who is trying to reconnect with his preteen son, Jonathan (Austin Tucker). Showing up out of the blue one day outside Jonathan’s school whilst Jonathan is…
64th BFI London Film Festival: ‘Relic’ Review
When Kay (Emily Mortimer), along with her daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote), visits her mother Edna (Robyn Nevin), a wave of bizarre incidents begins to occur. Upon arrival in Edna’s house, the woman is nowhere to be seen and she is reported as a missing person. Three days later, Edna comes home, dirty, disoriented, without shoes…
64th BFI London Film Festival: ‘The Painter and the Thief’ Review
We’re first introduced to Karl-Bertil, the thief of this story, through grainy CCTV footage. The painter, Barbora, watches the footage in shock as she watches him and another unnamed accomplice steal two of her oil paintings from a gallery. Confused as to why anyone would be interested in stealing two paintings from an artist unknown…
Asian Contents & Film Market 2020 Announces the Winners of Asia Contents Awards
On October 25th (Sun), the Asian Contents & Film Market announced the winners of the 2nd Asia Contents Awards online. The Asia Contents Awards recognizes outstanding TV and OTT dramas across Asia. 10 Awards categories are: Best Creative, Best Asian Drama, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Writer, Newcomer, Technical Achievement Award, Best Rising Star,…
64th BFI London Film Festival: ‘Shirley’ Review
Not to be confused with a faithful statement of reality, Josephine Decker’s Shirley is based on the semi-biographical novel of the same title by Susan Scarf Merrell. Blending fact and fiction, Shirley draws from the real-life accounts of famed American Gothic writer, Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss) writing her sophomore novel Hangsaman in the early fifties…
The 25th Busan International Film Festival Selections “School Town King” and “Sister Sister Run” Simultaneous Screening and GV with Thailand and Vietnam!
The 25th Busan International Film Festival, which opened on October 21st (Wed), screens its selections School Town King (Thailand) and Sister Sister (Vietnam) simultaneously in Busan and the local countries. It also has a special event where audiences in both countries can converse together through the online GV (Guest Visit). The Busan International Film Festival creates a new type…
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