Anthony Chen’s Growing Up trilogy has become one of the most interesting coming-of-age projects in contemporary Asian cinema. Beginning with Ilo Ilo and continuing through Wet Season, and now concluding with We Are All Strangers, the series traces not only individual lives but also the shifting emotional landscape of Singapore itself. As the opening film…
Category: In Conversation with
28th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Chao Koi-wang (Director) and Kai Ko (Actor) of ” I Blew Out the Candles Before Making a Wish”
I Blew Out the Candles Before Making a Wish is the feature debut of directors Chao Koi-wang and Hu Chin-ye, offering a view of Macau far removed from its usual casino-driven image. The film focuses on everyday lives defined by debt, absence, and survival, following a young girl and a debt collector whose paths unexpectedly…
Panther Chan on Her New Album and Her Upcoming London Show – Exclusive Interview
Panther Chan doesn’t walk into a room unnoticed and neither does her music. There’s something very real about her presence. It comes from years of hard work, self-reflection, and staying true to who she is as an artist. She speaks thoughtfully, not because she has to, but because she means what she says. Over the…
CLOUDIAN on Their New Beginnings, Latest Single, “Faded Night”, and Working Together – Exclusive Interview
We met CLOUDIAN at the Courtyard Theatre just hours before their London show, catching them in a quiet moment before the chaos of touring. It was a warm, easy conversation – full of laughter and honesty. Despite clearly still recovering from illness after their previous stop in Italy, the group remained in high spirits, balancing…
To Be Seen, Yet Unheard: Mahesh Menon Explores Family and Identity in “A Letter for Tomorrow” – Exclusive Interview
When the Indian filmmaker Mahesh Menon brought his moving short A Letter for Tomorrow to this year’s BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, I was truly taken aback by how wonderful the film was. Drawing from his own upbringing in a matriarchal household, Menon explores the complexity within families – particularly how love is often…
ZELO Is Back: “Cola Comigo” and the Story Behind His Next Move – Exclusive Interview
Choi Jun-hong, better known as ZELO, has never been an artist to stay in one place. The South Korean rapper and dancer first made waves as the youngest member of the iconic boy group B.A.P, debuting in 2012 with their explosive single Warrior. From that moment, he quickly established himself as a dynamic performer, known…
Gaho Uncovered: From Solo Work to KAVE – Exclusive Interview
Gaho, a South Korean singer, is a one-of-a-kind artist with a strong and characteristic voice that’s easy to recognise and can really imprint on you. The more you listen, the more compelling his sound becomes. Long before the global rise of K-dramas turned their soundtracks into cultural exports, Gaho’s voice was already doing something rare:…
40th BFI FLARE: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: In Conversation with Lexie Bean, Director of “What Will I Become?”
Lexie Bean is a trans multidisciplinary artist whose work moves across writing, film, and community-based practice, always based on questions of identity, memory, and the body. For over fifteen years, they have worked closely with survivors of domestic and sexual violence, creating spaces for storytelling through books, performances, and visual work. Their practice is collaborative…
40th BFI FLARE: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival: In Conversation with Rahemur Rahman & Lily Vetch, Directors of “Body of Our Own”
Perhaps it is through artists that we come to see stories we might never have known otherwise, stories that exist beyond the margins. Body of Our Own is one such film. Centered on the lives of three women from the Hijra community, offering a perspective rarely seen on screen. The film is brought to life…
Still Rocking: Kris Main Talks His Double EP “JANUS” – Exclusive Interview
In our third conversation with Kris Main, the Korean artist reflects on a period of intense growth since our last interview. Over the past year, he has expanded his presence across multiple creative fields, collaborating with K-pop idols and rising hip-hop artists, performing at Korea’s largest hip-hop festival, and even stepping onto fashion runways. These…
Catch The Young on Their First Studio Album “EVOLVE” and the Journey Behind It – Exclusive Interview
Talking with Catch The Young, a South Korean rock band, is always a pleasure. It’s been amazing to see how much they’ve grown and succeeded over the past couple of years. Since their debut, they’ve shown that they are not only mature as artists but also great storytellers. Their first full-length album, EVOLVE, released two…
Banshimoku on Their New Single “心底心中したい” and Their Creative Process – Exclusive Interview
Through the night, hidden basement clubs in Tokyo keep the sound alive until dawn, where small crowds build a scene far bigger than their numbers suggest. Among them is Banshimoku, the Tokyo-based two-piece formed by vocalist and guitarist Shion Chiga and drummer Yamato Iohara, making music so good it makes you want to pack your…
Debbie Returns with “The Rain Isn’t Over”: Her Most Moving Single Yet – Exclusive Interview
On any given evening in South London, the area hums with endless possibilities. Move from Brixton to Peckham, from Deptford to Lewisham, and you’ll hear it: voices spilling out of basement studios, choirs rehearsing in church halls, and street performers singing their hearts out. London has always flourished with incredible artists from Black communities, many…
Pavel and Pooh at Milan Fashion Week: Thai Stars on Gucci, Tod’s, Italian Food and Their Next Big Chapter – Exclusive Interview
Milan Fashion Week has a particular kind of chaos. Not the stressful kind, but the cinematic kind – alright, maybe a little stressful too. The kind where the streets around Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga feel permanently gridlocked, where espresso becomes a survival strategy, where publicists murmur into headsets like air-traffic controllers, and where…
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