2016 was a turning point for Kim Young Geun when he won the talent show Superstar K [an equivalent of Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol]. The singer impressed the judges with his cover of Sam Smith’s Lay Me Down, which later led to more exciting performances on the show. A year after winning the…
“Censor” Review
The relationship between British filmmakers and the state censor, the BBFC, is an odd and fascinating one. In recent years, several directors have gone on the record to speak about how they show screenplays to the BBFC during their writing process, while the classification board itself even runs a podcast aiming to rehabilitate its image…
“Promising Young Woman” Review
Cassie (Carey Mulligan) lays sprawled across her seat at a local dive bar – lulling her head and slurring her words. She’s blistering drunk, all alone, and attracting the stares of a group of guys. ‘That is just asking for it’ one of them huffs, another one decides to go over to Cassie and offer…
23rd Udine Far East Film Festival Sets New Dates and Location
Among Asian film festivals that take place in Europe, the Udine Far East Film Festival is the cherry on the cake. Often filled with a superb film programme and unforgettable guests, the festival was defeated by the pandemic last year. Although it took place online, there were still great films to choose from, not many…
BFI Flare: LGBTQ+ Film Festival: “Rurangi” Review
No matter where you go in the world, rural areas are almost always more traditionally conservative than metropolitan ones. You’ve read the countless think pieces on behalf of the “forgotten America” that voted for Trump to the shock of the cities, and you’ve seen how the Conservative party has a stronghold on the British countryside,…
BlackStar Film Festival’s 10th edition to take place August 4-8, 2021.
BlackStar Projects, the premier organization celebrating visionary Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and media artists, is proud to announce that the next edition of their annual festival will take place August 4-8, 2021. The festival will be held virtually again in light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. “So much has changed in the past decade, for…
BFI Flare: LGBTQ+ Film Festival: “Boy Meets Boy” Review
Much like how Pulp Fiction spawned an entire genre of poor imitators, Andrew Haigh’s 2011 film Weekend has a lot to answer for. The beautiful simplicity of that whirlwind gay romance seems effortless in the hands of such an accomplished filmmaker, to the extent that countless other filmmakers have seen it and assumed they too…
BFI Flare: LGBTQ+ Film Festival: “Valentina” Review
In Brazil, 82% of trans kids will drop out of school at some point during their education. Among these children is Valentina (Thiessa Woinbackk) a 17-year-old girl who’s just moved across the country with her mother Márcia (Guta Stresser) to start afresh in a new town and retake her sophomore year. However, problems arise when…
“I Want to Be the Artist Who Gives Hope with Music That Brings Comfort.” – In Conversation with Singer Lim Jisoo
Lim Jisoo, an emerging South Korean singer, came to light in 2019 when she won Vocal Play, a variety show where the singers had to sing without instrumental accompaniment at times. With her powerful and unique voice, Jisoo blew the judges away with the cover of Imagine Dragons’ Radioactive. After winning the show, Jisoo was…
BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival: “P.S. Burn This Letter Please” Review
Autumn-time 1958, two individuals have broken into the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City and made off with thousands of dollars’ worth of luxurious Italian wigs. The accused are the two drag queens Claudia – Claude Diaz – and Josephine Baker – Robert Perez – who stole the wigs for their own drag acts…
Music for Healing: BTS MTV Unplugged Review
MTV Unplugged is a flagship MTV programme which was launched on 26th November 1989 with performances by Elliot Easton (The Cars), Syd Straw and Squeeze. With acoustic sets and stripped back, pared down. performances, Unplugged featured iconic sets by some of the most famous musicians of the time including Aerosmith, Elton John, Annie Lennox, George…
“I’m Quite Happily Living My Life Because I am Doing What I Want To Do.” – In Conversation with ColorTheBen
Let there be no mistake, becoming a singer isn’t an easy task. However, with a love for music, expressing one’s feelings and inspiring people to do the same, more people are encouraged to take on a new journey of becoming an artist, in whatever capacity it suits an individual. Born in South Korea, Ben Kang…
“You Have to Put Your Heart in the Project for Your Project to Have Heart.” – In Conversation with Kevin Derek, a Documentary Filmmaker and Producer
When your interview starts with lots of laughter, you know that the conversation is going to be a delightful experience. Kevin Derek is an interesting person; he is smart, humorous and self-critical. But, above all, he is a thoughtful and very passionate, award-winning documentary filmmaker whose latest production More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story…
BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Preview): “Cowboys” Review
In just a few years, there have been major steps forward in trans representation on screen. Complaints about cis gender actors signing on to play trans roles are increasingly becoming a thing of the past, whereas just five years ago it could have been a cynical way for an actor to get an Oscar nomination….
VIEW OF THE ARTS 