Tag: Film Festival

  • Personal Favs From The Berlinale

    Personal Favs From The Berlinale

    After the announcements of the main awards of this year’s Berlinale, other films also deserve recognition. In the Encounters section, The Klezmer Project was directed by Leandro Koch and Paloma Schachmann. Although it did not win (Here, by Bas Devos, took the prize), The duo’s work deserves stand-alone appraisal. Leandro, a frustrated Jewish wedding cameraman […]

  • Femme moves to 2023

    Femme moves to 2023

    I interviewed filmmakers Sam Freeman and Ng Ping for a Chat Cinema podcast last year. The BAFTA nominees had completed their short film noir FEMME. Fast forward to this week, the duo unrolled their feature debut FEMME at the Berlinale. A continuation on the sexual repression theme from the duo’s first work, the longer version […]

  • A Belarusian Spirit

    A Belarusian Spirit

    I admit when I first interviewed Aliaksei Paluyan about his film COURAGE I was a bit nervous for him. Our conversation happened after a plane was “diverted” to Minsk with a Belarusian dissident. Mr. Paluyan has a defiant spirit considering there is a nemesis only a few hours away with a long arm, thin skin […]

  • A Balancing Act at the Berlinale #73

    A Balancing Act at the Berlinale #73

    The 73rd Berlin International Film Festival is the first fully in-person Berlinale event since 2020.  Before the festival, Executive Director Mariette Rissenbeek and Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian spoke about their objectives this year. Overcoming the impact of the pandemic and closer ties with the U.S. are two such challenges. Meanwhile, there has also been a […]

  • On Tap at IFFR 2023

    On Tap at IFFR 2023

    I never know what to expect at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The Dutch fest always provides twists and turns with a program that challenges my views on cinema.

  • A Laugh Came From There, REALLY!

    A Laugh Came From There, REALLY!

    A mockumentary from a South African filmmaker seemed a bit of a long shot. Attending a film festivals is about viewing cinema outside of one’s comfort zone. Part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam Return of the Tiger Section, Daryn’s Gym was a curious title with an unusual premise. Surprisingly, the work from director Brett […]

  • Family, Life and Excess

    Family, Life and Excess

    “Family Is Family”. A family can be a source of inspiration for artists. Morgane Dziurla-Petit’s family inspired work Excess Will Save Us is an examination of close relationship and manipulations. From a small French Village Petit points a lens at inhabitants whipped up by paranoia by far off event. However, in this story, who are […]

  • Tribeca Fest Likes

    Tribeca Fest Likes

    The New York City Film Festival unspooled its usual cinema fair of polished works by filmmakers from around the world. The mixture of physical and virtual continued this past June for ten days. God Said Give Em’ Drum Machines is the story of how a sound was created in the Detroit music scene. Check out […]

  • Tribeca Shorts

    Tribeca Shorts

    In the shorts category, I watched some small works worthy of attention. The Resemblance from Derek Nguyen goes into “Black Mirror” Territory with a story on grief. Mooptopia from Delany Buffett takes on the shallow fleeting meaning of social media fame. Five O listed many directors: Ismaïl Alaoui Fdili, Yassine Lassar Ramdani, Elsie Otinwa, Florence […]

  • Tribeca 2022

    The biggest New York based film festival starts tomorrow. Tribeca unspools for ten days of filmmakers showcasing long and short works.