Visions du Réel Review: Flee
Throughout the current ‘refugee crisis’, which has seemingly been classed as such because it impacts on Europe, the narrative has tended to focus on generalisations. There’s an obvious reason for this, but it’s easy to forget that behind every story is a human being. A person with their own set of unique circumstances and family …
Visions du Réel Review: Operation Wolf Patrol
According to the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) there are roughly 15 million people taking part in hunting in America. Whilst its popularity is on the wane, this differs markedly between urban and rural areas. The US is a nation who love their guns and their right to wave them around in public. With …
Film Review – Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies
The release of a feature film is usually the culmination of a huge amount of work and effort by a large team of people. Whilst the public praise for a successful movie is normally showered upon the director and cast, with occasional mentions for cinematographers, editors and sound design, it’s very much a team effort. …
Film Review: Together Together
Long gone are the days when a nuclear family was the norm and anything else caused comment or even scandal. In most of the Western world, at least. Today, these units come in countless shapes and sizes. Whether that’s individuals, couples or more, having a mum or dad, in the traditional sense, is no longer …
Visions du Réel Review: Cane Fire
For many, Kauaʻi is like paradise on Earth. The Hawaiian island is often referred to as the ‘Garden Isle’ due to the lush tropical rainforest which covers much of its surface. Its breathtaking beauty has made it a popular destination for the rich and famous. Not to mention the many Hollywood films which have been …
Visions du Réel Review: Many Chickens, Lots of Luck
When you mention the word ‘documentary’ to most people their first response is often to think you’re talking about some investigative TV programme. As a genre, evidenced by the fact it’s actually categorised as such, it’s much maligned and misunderstood. What many fail to understand is the wide range and breadth of what falls within …
Visions du Réel Review: Lobster Soup
Until relatively recently, life in the small coastal town of Grindavík on the southern peninsula of Iceland solely revolved around the fishing industry. To a large extent, this remains the same, but the introduction of quotas and its proximity to the major tourist attractions of Blue Lagoon and the Bridge Between Continents have slowly changed …
Visions du Réel Review: Ostrov – Lost Island
The Soviet Union spanned a vast area of Northern Eurasia, comprised of a number of nominal ‘republics’ and comprising countless different races, ethnicities and religions. Its dissolution sent much of the remaining Russia into chaos. Whilst order was (eventually) restored to almost all the country, inevitably some places fell between the cracks. That is the …
Visions du Réel Review: Courage
Despite campaigning on an independent platform, Alexander Lukashenko soon showed his true colours after his became the first democratically elected president of Belarus. One of his first major actions was to cement ties with Russia and twenty-six years later he’s often referred to as the last dictator in Europe. As you can probably imagine, his …
Visions du Réel Review: The Bubble
Largely thanks to an unusually long period of peace and decades of medical and scientific advancements, most, if not all, of the Western world has rapidly aging populations. Whilst standards of living and life expectancy are undoubtedly improving, birth rates are increasingly falling; with many now choosing not to have children. As societies, we’re not …