Under the moody lilac skies of the Northern hemisphere, comes an 80-minute life sampler of the hopeful and free-spirited youths of Iceland, directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson. There’s only really two plot points of the whole film, which would explain its length; the rest is filled in with the characters’ – particularly Una’s – emotional conflicts…
Tag: film
77th Cannes Film Festival: “Universal Language” Review
The latest absurdist gem sitting behind the oh-so-frightening curtain of non-English cinema is Cannes Directors’ Fortnight: Audience Award winner Universal Language, directed by and starring Matthew Rankin. In Persian and French, the film lands us in the snow-laid streets of Winnipeg, starting off in the French immersion school attended by Nazgol (Saba Vahedyousefi), Negin (Rojina…
77th Cannes Film Festival: “Locust” Review
Every generation has its angry young men, rebelling against the cultural conformity of the era. From James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and Marlon Brando in The Wild One pushing back against the stifling conservatism of the Eisenhower age, to the various turn-of-the-century studies of disaffected adults stilted by middle-class life, these are snapshots…
77th Cannes Film Festival: “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” Review
Kowloon Walled City, a military fort turned ungovernable residential area in Hong Kong that was demolished in 1993, feels like the product of a screenwriter’s imagination run wild. As depicted in Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, the city’s self-sustaining ecosystem is almost entirely shut off from the real world, its 35,000+ residents living and…
RM Contemplates with His Latest Single “Come Back To Me” – MV/Single Review
In an industry where 3.5 minutes are considered too long for a song, RM takes a bold approach with his new single, Come Back to Me. The track runs for 6:29 and is complemented by a superb music video. True to his style, RM has collaborated with top talent from the film and television industry,…
Exploring New Horizons: The 1st Muslim International Film Festival Celebrates Muslim Experiences on Film
The first-ever MUSLIM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL will take place from May 30th to June 2nd in London’s Leicester Square. This festival champions the narratives of international Muslim filmmakers and highlights their compelling stories, serving as a platform for productions inspired by Muslim culture and faith, and welcoming filmmakers from all backgrounds. At a time when…
Beyond Preservation: Curation and Programming of Korean Film Archive – In Conversation with Kim Hong-joon, Director of the KOFA
The theme of the Far East Film Festival’s retrospective program this year was “Saving the Past: 50/50: Celebrating 50 Years of Korean Film Preservation” and it was focused on a tumultuous yet pivotal decade for Korean cinema. The 1950s were a time of great upheaval and these films – restored under the direction of the…
26th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Zhang Yudi, Director of “The Midsummer’s Voice” – Exclusive Interview
Peking Opera, a revered Chinese art form blending centuries-old traditions, faces challenges in modern times, struggling to engage the younger generation. Despite government support and international interest, efforts to modernise it and attract younger viewers have shown mixed results. However, Zhang Yudi’s film The Midsummer’s Voice offers a fresh perspective, focusing on the struggles of…
26th Far East Film Festival: In Conversation with Eugene Domingo and Jun Lana of “Becky and Badette” – Exclusive Interview
In Becky and Badette, director Jun Lana is facing the social media machine and what those who use it can be willing to do to gain fame. The comedy tackles this subject through Becky and Badette, played by Eugene Domingo and Pokwang. Best friends since their school days, they are in dead-end jobs, completely broke,…
26th Far East Film Festival “The Goldfinger” Review
Felix Chong’s loose fashioning of the real-life Carrian Group financial scandal of ‘80s Hong Kong into film is a polarising triumph that you’ll either get or you won’t. The Goldfinger has actors Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau reuniting on screen, two decades since their starring together in Internal Affairs (2002)—which, amazingly, was also directed…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 