82nd Venice Film Festival: “Girl” Review

Girl was the directorial debut of SHU Qi. It was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated films at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. Girl marked SHU Qi’s first step into directing. It captured immense attention at the event. SHU Qi is a regular presence at Cannes, Berlinale, and the Venice Film Festival. Her first arrival…

82nd Venice Film Festival: “The Sun Rises on All of Us” Review

One of the benefits of seeing films at their very earliest screenings, before they’ve even been unveiled to the world at a splashy festival premiere, is being able to experience them truly blind. In the case of The Sun Rises On Us All, the latest film from Chinese auteur Cai Shangjun, which just premiered in…

82nd Venice Film Festival: “Silent Friend” Review

Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi’s Silent Friend traces three distinct eras – 1908, 1972, and 2020 – through the enduring presence of a single ancient ginkgo tree, connecting lives and histories across time. The film traces how humans have tried to understand the natural world under the witness of an ancient ginkgo tree in the botanic…

82nd Venice Film Festival: In Conversation with Adam Suzin, DoP of “Father”

Polish cinematographers are among the most talented people behind the camera, shaping European and global cinema. Legends like Sławomir Idziak (Black Hawk Down, Blue), Paweł Edelman (The Pianist, Cold War), Ryszard Lenczewski (Ida, Last Resort), and Janusz Kamiński (Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan) are known for their superb compositions and visual depth. And the new…

82nd Venice Film Festival: “Songs of Forgotten Trees” Review

In Indian cinema, women have long been denied the role of true protagonists. Too often, they are framed as satellites orbiting male narratives, often instrumentalised rather than fully realised characters. Screened in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival, Songs of Forgotten Trees, directed by Anuparna Roy, challenges that legacy by placing women at…

82nd Venice Film Festival: “Father” Review

Tereza Nvotová’s Father (Otec) had its world premiere in the Orizzonti section at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, and from its opening frame, we are in the hands of a filmmaker unwilling to compromise on emotional or cinematic truth. Known for her courageous portraits of trauma in Filthy and Nightsiren, Nvotová turns her attention…