Careless Crime Review

On the 19th of August 1978, terrorists set alight to the Cinema Rex in Abadan, Iran; killing over 420 people inside. While setting cinemas on fire was not unheard of before and during the Iranian Revolution of the late 70s – what happened at Cinema Rex remained one of the deadliest terrorist attacks for over…

BlackStar Film Festival: Right Near the Beach Review

It is hard to believe that it was just 30 years ago when the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders and recognised it as a “natural variant of human sexuality”. This change brought an annual celebration of International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. Nevertheless, the abuse and discrimination of…

BlackStar Film Festival: Pier Kids Review

“You can’t choose your family”, or so the saying goes. But for many LGBTQ+ youth this simply isn’t the case, as Elegance Bratton’s hard-hitting and poignant documentary about homeless queer kids of colour shows.

BlackStar Film Festival – ‘Unapologetic’ Review

How many black lives must be lost for the world to listen? How long do they have to fight for the world to understand that black lives matter? The USA has been affected by the unlawful killing of people of colour by the police for many decades, with the last 10 years being the worst….

1st Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh Announces Its Ambitious Programme

The producers of Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh are pleased to announce their plans for the first ever, free to access edition of the Festival, taking place digitally between 18 and 27 of September. Originally planned as a physical event, the Festival was repivoted to a purely digital form in light of the global pandemic of…

The Last Ferry from Grass Island Review

Amongst the 263 islands that make up Hong Kong, nestled near the Shenzhen border, sits Grass Island. Hiding away in a small fishing village on Grass Island is ex–hitman Ah Hoi (Tai-Bo). Retired from his life of crime, Ah Hoi now spends his days keeping a low profile and looking after his elderly mother, Ah…

22nd Udine Far East Film Festival: Victim(s) Review

Audiovisual texts, mainly film, are a desirable tool in the axiological education of many people. Thanks to the projection-identification mechanism, we can often relate to a film character and experience various emotional states with them, self-reflect and, like pedagogues, improve our quality of life by analysing our own emotions. There is one particular subject that…

22nd Udine Far East Film Festival: The House of Us Review

Wise upon her years, 12-year-old Lee Hana (Kim Na-yeon) is the backbone of her family; acting as a peacekeeper as she tries to calm raging arguments between her parents who are going through a divorce. Constantly cooking dinners in an attempt to bring her family back together – Hana’s gastronomic displays of affection aren’t appreciated…