Losing Joy is a short film about a young woman struggling to acknowledge the first anniversary of her sister’s death. Faith [Michelle Tiwo] is lost in grief until close friend and former girlfriend Olivia [Shanay Neusum-James] guides her into acceptance.
Read MoreAhead of the release of his biopic Rebel Dread, we speak to acclaimed videographer, film-maker and DJ Don Letts. Growing up with the ever-present threat of racism, police harassment and violence in London during the 60s and 70s, Letts found himself at the epicentre of the emerging punk movement in the late 1970s. Don Letts was central to the crossover between the rasta and punk scenes, which created something completely new and exciting which has influenced the sound of UK alternative music ever since.
Read MoreWelcome to March’s film and TV review round-up! February’s review round-up was such a success that we decided to keep the ball rolling. With reviews from writers across the globe, we’ll be bringing you their thoughts and opinions on some of the newest releases.
Let’s get stuck in…
Read MoreIt’s LGBTQ+ Awareness month, so let’s revisit a classic LGBTQ TV series - Channel 4’s coming of age classic Sugar Rush. Amy Watson tells us why she fell in love with it, and why ‘when you're full of teenage angst, questioning and/or experimenting with your sexuality, establishing your sense of style, and dabbling in things you shouldn't, it's very difficult not to’.
Read MoreWelcome to our first film review round-up! Our team of writers will be reviewing the newest releases across streaming platforms and in and bringing you their thoughts on a range of films and TV shows.
Read MoreRunning since 2005, Slapstick Festival is a yearly celebration of all things silent film and visual comedy in UNESCO Heritage City of Film Bristol. Everyday writer and photographer Vonalina Cake and culture editor Kerry Mead report back from the Silent Comedy Gala on Friday 28th January; a screening of three classic films from the silent comedy era, presented by Stephen Mangan in the impressive surroundings of Bristol Cathedral.
The Tragedy of Macbeth is an honourable adaptation, not only honouring the original text (the script uses only Shakespearean language) but also honouring the stage adaptations that came before it. Coen’s artistic film is a welcome version of the play that we didn’t think we needed; a highly stylised version that leans into the eeriness, thriller-like and violent narrative with nuance and passion.
Read MoreIt made me laugh, smile, almost cry, recoil, acknowledge, look back, inside and beyond. Tear Along the Dotted Line is a rough journey through the life of older millennials, the ones who can now look back at the idea they had of the world and themselves as adults when they were kids, and find it probably clashing with the reality they’re living in.
Read MoreThe festival runs from October to December with a range of films screened across Bristol. From the 1980’s classic Airplane! screened underneath Concorde to horror films such as The Descent shown at Redcliffe Caves, the festival is never lacking in exciting events.
Read MoreThe BFI London Film Festival, founded in 1957, hosted its 65th year at cinemas in London’s West End with the hub of the festival having taken place at BFI Southbank and the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. Around 160 films were showcased as part of the festival, either in-person or online along with industry events and panels included in the programme.
Read MoreCassandra Thomas, played by Carey Mulligan, is on a dangerous mission to avenge the death of her best friend as she singlehandedly attempts to confront rape culture one Nice Guy at a time. Take her home and take your chances - that’s the challenge posed by the tagline of Emerald Fennel’s directorial debut Promising Young Woman.
Read MoreWith many film festivals moving online during the pandemic, it was no surprise that BFI Flare did the same and I’m so glad they did.
Read MoreIt is important that we all recognise the limitations of art as a space of protest. If we are informed, enlightened, and educated, but do not go on to act, then our protest exists in aesthetic alone. It becomes performative. The virtue signalling of black squares that flooded Instagram in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the lack of meaningful progress since has taught us, yet again, that ‘protest’ without action will always be performative.
Read MoreThe Cotswold International Film Festival is the newest film festival from Kayleigh-Paige Rees and George Perry which began on New Year’s Eve – starting 2021 with a bang! It offers the chance for independent filmmakers around the world to showcase their work and earn recognition across several short film genres.
Read MoreThe new six-part BBC documentary stretches just over six hours long and employs Curtis’ signature style constituted of bold and abstract headings on colourful backgrounds alongside archive footage backed by a retrofuturistic soundtrack, provided mostly by Burial, Aphex Twin and Nine Inch Nails.
Read MoreIn real interviews with Ted Bundy, and indeed with Charles Sobhraj, the sense of self-mythologising is sickening. These men see themselves as fascinating, enigmatic characters. True crime dramas run the risk of presenting them as such.
Read MoreThere’s noticeable irony in a film called “Titan” killing the thing that created it. At least there is for all the Greek mythology fans out there. Just how can one little animated movie have severed a limb of the mighty multimedia conglomerate? How can 20th Century Fox Animation have been kneecapped by a film that was only 90 minutes?
Read MoreLockdown hasn’t been all doom and gloom; occasionally there is a silver lining. The UK Film Review Festival is such a silver lining. Without lockdown, this year’s hot new indie film festival wouldn’t have been born.
Read MoreAnother thing that has me inspired was the Wildscreen Festival – the first nature festival that started in Bristol. It runs from 19th-23rd October, showcasing ‘best photographers, filmmakers and creative professionals with the most committed conservationists to create compelling stories about the natural world’. It is an incredibly inspiring event which gives you access to discussions, keynote speeches, top tips for the industry such as becoming a nature photographer, a wildlife TV presenter and creating your own wildlife film.
Read MoreDark, Netflix’s first German-language show, still manages to be completely unique. It’s a thrillingly complex science fiction series featuring a cast of well-rounded, engaging characters. This is a show that has more in common with a puzzle box than a sitcom, and it is one of the most unique viewing experiences to premiere on Netflix in years.
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