Directed by Patric Chiha, A Russian Winter offers a necessary portrait of the post-2022 lives of Russians who chose exile. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian identity has often been flattened into a single political narrative, leaving little space for those who reject the regime, or for the difficult, uncertain process of…
Tag: Berlinale
76th Berlin International Film Festival: “Papaya” Review
A compact and light-hearted Brazilian animation, Papaya, screening at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, feels exceptionally sincere and heartening as director Priscilla Kelle’s feature debut. Without dialogue, the constant adventure of the papaya seed reflects a teeming Amazonian forest landscape blazing with colours through its vitality and the complex interactions of plants coexisting within…
76th Berlin International Film Festival: “Iván & Hadoum” Review
Hadoum, a Moroccan woman, and Iván, a Spanish trans man, are colleagues in a greenhouse in southern Spain, where they fall in love. However, this love is tough. It has to face problems such as class and race, and, most practically, it interferes with Iván’s promotion. Behind it all lies the expectation of his entire…
76th Berlin International Film Festival: “The River Train” Review
In many regions of Argentina, the malambo exists not only as a dance but also as a cultural inheritance etched into the body – a percussive ritual passed from father to son, from dust to bone. Each step lands with such force that it feels like the earth itself is trembling. The more you watch…
76th Berlin International Film Festival: “I Understand Your Displeasure” Review
In I Understand Your Displeasure, Kilian Armando Friedrich creates a powerful and moving portrait of domestic and migrant workers, focusing not only on their daily labour but also on the psychological pressures they face while trying to keep both life and work in balance. Friedrich’s camera remains intimately close to Heike (Sabine Thalaou), the cleaning…
76th Berlin International Film Festival: In Coversation with Kilian Armondo Friedrich, Director of “I Understand Your Displeasure”
Premiering in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival, I Understand Your Displeasure, directed by Kilian Armando Friedrich, is a wonderful work. Known for his background in documentary cinema, including Nomades du Nucléaire, which debuted in Berlin and later won the German Short Film Award, Friedrich brings the same observational intimacy and ethical…
76th Berlin International Film Festival: “Paradise” Review
Paradise is a cinematic odyssey spanning two distant countries. Directed by Jérémy Comte and co-written by Will Niava, this debut feature interrogates the seduction of deception while celebrating the stubborn, unquenchable beauty of human life. The film confronts the shadowed world of scams and street crime, yet both directors remain committed to portraying the vibrancy,…
76th Berlin International Film Festival: “Yellow Letters” Review
Premiering in Competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, Yellow Letters, directed by İlker ÇATAK and written by him alongside Ayda Meryem ÇATAK and Enis KÖSTEPEN, begins as a simple, intimate family story that gradually reveals itself to be far more powerful and troubling. The opening is shattering in its simplicity. Under the dark lights…
75th Berlin International Film Festival: In Conversation with Sarah Miro Fischer, Director of “The Good Sister”
Sarah Miro Fischer began her film studies at the Escuela Nacional de Cine in Bogotá before returning to Germany, where she gained experience in script development, set management, and as a 2nd AD. Since 2018, she has been studying at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin, developing her craft through various projects as a…
75th Berlin International Film Festival: “The Good Sister” Review
Sarah Miro Fischer’s The Good Sister, screened in Panorama at this year’s Berlinale, is a haunting exploration of family bonds tested by the unimaginable. The film depicts the emotional turmoil of Rose (Marie Bloching), whose brother Sam (Anton Weil) is accused of a sexual offense. By centering the narrative on a sibling rather than the…
75th Berlin International Film Festival: “We Believe You” Review
Child custody battles are among the most emotionally taxing and legally complex issues in family law. The courtroom, meant to be a place of justice, can often become a space where trauma is perpetuated, particularly for victims of domestic violence and abuse. The protracted and repetitive nature of legal proceedings, where children are repeatedly asked…
75th Berlin International Film Festival – “Village Rockstars 2” Review
Seven years after the release of the critically acclaimed Village Rockstars (2017), filmmaker Rima Das revisits the vivid terrain of Kalardiya to continue the subtle narrative of Dhunu (Bhanita Das). Now on the cusp of adulthood, 17-year-old Dhunu confronts the complex realities of life in her small Assamese village, a world shaped by cyclical floods,…
75th Berlin International Film Festival: “Hysteria” Review
A study in humanity might be one good way of summarising Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay’s 2025 film Hysteria. Where is the line between a righteous act and a performative spectacle? Büyükatalay attempts to answer the question when a dishonourable burning of a Quran for a shoot sparks conflict between parties, and Hysteria becomes a meta film…
19th London Korean Film Festival: In Conversation with Kim Hye-young, Director of “It’s Okay!”
With the 19th London Korean Film Festival on the horizon, audiences will be able to experience many wonderful films, and one of those films is It’s Okay! (Also known as It’s Okay It’s Okay It’s Okay! – 괜찮아 괜찮아 괜찮아!), a tender coming-of-age story that presents Kim Hye-young’s impressive directorial debut. First premiering internationally on…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 