Filipino filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone has won acclaim for telling intense women’s stories and for having the courage to tackle controversial issues that are mostly avoided in her conservative homeland. But it’s fair to say that Jadaone’s latest production, Sunshine, is her boldest – and perhaps most brilliant – yet. The film features Maris Racal as…
Category: Foreign Films
27th Far East Film Festival: “Angry Squad” Review
When tax collector Kumazawa Jino (Seiyo Uchino) is scammed out of his hard-earned bonus by a professional swindler he is, quite rightly, angry. He decides to go after the man, but when he does find Himuro (Masaki Okada) the scam artist does the unexpected, he offers him a deal: immunity in exchange for help taking…
27th Far East Film Festival: “Cells at Work!” Review
If you’ve ever wondered what happens in the human body then Cells at Work! has the answers, well, kind of. Based on the manga of the same name by Akame Shimizu, Takeuchi Hideki has created a colourful, comical movie that is as hilarious as it is heartfelt. The story is set within the bodies of…
27th Far East Film Festival: “My Friend An Delie” Review
Childhood could be compared to a butterfly’s wing. So vital to the creature’s navigation yet so delicate that any human could tear it and impair it forever, the similar fragility of a young mind is not something that should ever be ill-treated. Director and actor Dong Zijian’s My Friend An Delie, in all its care…
27th Far East Film Festival: “The Stone” Review
What happens when two artists, known more for their work in music, acting, and design, step behind the camera to tell a story rooted in faith, greed, and blood? You get The Stone – a hypnotic, high-stakes thriller that pierces the surface of Thai spiritual subculture and delivers a cinematic experience rooted in Thai identity…
“Cloud” Review: Capitalism and Alienation in the Digital Age
Few directors are as skilled as Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa when it comes to articulating the alienation and paranoia of the digital age. One of his first international breakouts, already decades deep into his career, was 2001’s Pulse, a distressing ghost story about the gradual supernatural invasion of the online world which managed to accurately…
39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: In Conversation with Lee Yujin, Director of “Manok” – Exclusive Interview
South Korean filmmaker Lee Yujin brings a refreshing and nuanced perspective to the screen with Manok, a film that beautifully combines humour with moving themes of acceptance and belonging. Set in the rural village of Iban-ri, Manok follows its titular character as she returns to her hometown in the wake of her mother’s passing, only…
39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: In Conversation with Kim Si-a – Exclusive Interview
At just 16, Kim Si-a proved she is a truly talented young actress with her superb performance in Summer’s Camera, directed by Divine Sung. She beautifully portrayed the emotions of a teenager experiencing grief and self-discovery through her first love. After the world premiere at the 39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, we sat…
39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: In Conversation with Divine Sung, Director of “Summer’s Camera” – Exclusive Interview
Divine Sung is a filmmaker based in Seoul with an MFA in Film Directing from the Korea National University of Arts. She has directed short films such as True Story (2018) and My Boyfriend and Our Yesterday (2023). Summer’s Camera is her feature film debut. Summer’s Camera had its world premiere at the 39th BFI…
39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival – “Summer’ Camera” Review
Having its world premiere at this year’s BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, Summer’s Camera is the feature directorial debut of Divine Sung, a South Korean filmmaker. The film depicts a wonderful and subtle exploration of youth and love. It also captures the theme of self-discovery while painting a portrait of a high school student,…
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