Yuen Woo-ping’s “Blades of the Guardian” Review

In Blades of the Guardians, director Yuen Woo-ping returns to the wuxia tradition with a film that emphasises the physical and moral foundations of the genre. Known internationally for influencing the style of cinematic combat – just look at The Matrix trilogy and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Yuen treats the film as a way…

28th Far East Film Festival: The New Poster is Here!

For a few days each spring, Udine turns into the hub of Asian cinema. The premieres, the talks, the packed schedules, the chance encounters between artists and audiences. These are the visible mechanics of any festival. But what truly gives it meaning is something less tangible: the people. A festival audience is a living, breathing…

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…

Jonny Durgan’s “G.S.W” – Short Film Review

Driven by a compelling narrative, Jonny Durgan’s G.S.W. slowly tightens its grip on the viewer, refusing to let go until the final moments. Built around a single emergency, the film examines moral fracture and the collision of professional duty with personal fear. The film follows Beth (Genevieve O’Reilly: Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, Ahsoka,…

Singapore International Film Festival: “10s Across the Borders” Review

10s Across the Borders is a pan-Asian documentary feature directed by Chan Sze-Wei, spotlighting the ballroom scene culture in Southeast Asia. Starring three pioneers Xyza Pinklady Mizrahi, Teddy Oricci, and Aurora Sun Labeija from the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand, it uncovers this fascinating subculture derived from African and Latinx communities in New York in a…

62nd Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival: “The Long Departure” Review

One of the greatest pleasures, or perhaps essential rituals, at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (TGHFF) is exploring its consistently strong shorts program, particularly the documentary section. They usually struggle to reach wider audiences outside of the festival circuit, making this showcase a rare opportunity. This year, among a blossom of Taiwanese short films,…