We are taught when wars began and when they ended, who surrendered and who won, but rarely what happened to ordinary people the day after peace was declared. What happened to the children who had no parents to return to, no home, no money and, in many cases, nobody interested in whether they survived? Set…
Tag: reviews
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF 26): “The World Before” Review
I have always said to myself that not every film needs an extraordinary story. Korean independent cinema has repeatedly shown how much can be found in everyday lives, familiar places and experiences that might, at first, seem too small for the big screen. And, in all honesty, these films do not always have an easy…
83rd Venice Film Festival: “Lovers in the Blue Night” Review
Indian women filmmakers have been behind some truly remarkable independent films in recent years. The talent has always been there; the opportunities have not always followed quite so easily, especially when it comes to making that difficult second film. That is one of the reasons it is so exciting to see Anuparna Roy back at…
83rd Venice Film Festival: “One Minute to Midnight” Review
After I finished watching Nicolas Pariser’s One Minute to Midnight, one question popped into my head: what happens when a man reaches middle age and begins looking back at how he has treated women, loved them, misunderstood them, and perhaps taken certain things for granted? It is a subject worth exploring, especially at a time…
83rd Venice Film Festival: “What Belongs to Others” Review
Polish cinema has had a strong relationship with the Venice International Film Festival for decades, but its presence on the Lido has been noticeable in recent years. In 2022, Damian Kocur’s Bread and Salt (Chleb i sól) competed in Orizzonti and won the Special Jury Prize, with Kocur turning an ordinary summer in a small…
83rd Venice Film Festival: “Children of the Monkey” Review
Becoming a parent changes your life, but becoming the parent of a child with a disability can change it in ways nobody can fully prepare you for. There are appointments, routines, worries about the future and, depending on the child’s needs, a level of physical and emotional care that can continue for a long time….
83rd Venice Film Festival: “Diane in the Loop” Review
A mother wants to leave the past behind but her daughter wants to dig it back up. That difficult starting point is the premise of Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni’s Diane in the Loop. Diane (Ninon Borsei) learns that her mother (Sandrine Blancke) was raped three years before she was born. For Diane, discovering what…
Asian Cinema at the 70th BFI London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival has unveiled the programme for its 70th edition, and Asian cinema will once again form an essential part of the celebration. From long-awaited works by some of the continent’s most respected filmmakers to daring debuts, intimate documentaries and large-scale genre spectacles, this year’s selection reflects the extraordinary breadth of filmmaking…
TAEMIN “PHASE 1: Soft Violence” Review: An Attempt At Something New – EP Review
What do you do when you’re an artist with an already well-established visual and musical language? Do you tap back into what everyone loves you for, or try something new? Taemin is having a go at the latter in his newest 10-track EP PHASE 1: Soft Violence, promoting it with a title track we wouldn’t…
XG’s THE CORE Tour Lands in London
Japan has never lacked girl groups; what it has lacked is the international machinery needed to turn its acts into global phenomena. Much of the Japanese idol industry has traditionally focused on its domestic audience, leaving many talented performers without the visibility they deserve elsewhere. Yet when a Japanese girl group does break through internationally,…
Trapped Inside the Hive Mind: “Colony” Review
Yeon Sang-ho, the director of Train to Busan (2016) and Peninsula (2020), once again ventures into the zombie film genre he is well-versed in. In Colony, the zombie outbreak takes place in an enclosed high-rise in Seoul. The visceral horror of the film is enhanced by its choreography, sound design, as well as its claustrophobic…
HYPER JAPAN 2026: Exploring THE SIXTH LIE’s Impact on Anime and Rock – Interview
Hyper Japan is always full of surprises, but THE SIXTH LIE never needed one. The Japanese rock band walked on stage, played the first song and straight away had the audience with them. Whether fans knew every lyric or had only discovered them through anime, everyone seemed equally caught up in the performance. While the…
PSYCHIC FEVER on “DIFFERENT”, Songwriting and Their Global Rise – Exclusive Interview
There comes a point in every group’s career where they stop trying to prove themselves and simply start making the music they want to make. For PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE, that moment comes with DIFFERENT. Their second studio album doesn’t stick to one genre or one formula, and that’s exactly the point. Moving between…
HYPER JAPAN Festival 2026 Returns to London with Three Days of Japanese Culture, Music and Entertainment
London is set to become the centre of Japanese culture once again as HYPER JAPAN Festival 2026 returns to Olympia Events, London (Hammersmith Road, W14 8UX) from Friday 24 July to Sunday 26 July 2026. Running over three days, the festival is the UK’s largest celebration of Japanese culture, bringing together live music, anime, gaming,…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 