Film Festival

There’s nothing quite like watching a huge action film on the big screen. One which is full of explosions, gunfire, car chases and fighting. While everything usually looks so slick and stylish, there’s a lot of craft which goes in to choreographing those big moments. To create each set piece, it takes much planning and …

IDFA Review: In Viaggio

When Pope Francis, aka Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became head of the Catholic Church and God’s emissary on Earth in 2013, he became the first pontiff from the Americas. He took control at a time of great difficulty for the ancient institution. While the world had entered a period of political and social turbulence, the church …

DOC NYC Review: The Elephant 6 Recording Co.

While great music can spring up anywhere in the world at any point in time, it’s difficult for any band to grow a following and become known outside of their own hometown. It takes a lot of talent and hard work. Blood, sweat and tears. This is a lot easier when you’re part of a …

IDFA Review: Innocence

Whenever there’s a spike in youth crime or truancy in the UK, a certain sector of society starts the call to bring back national service. The concept of all young adults, when they reach a certain age, undertaking a period of military service. The theory is that it teaches a number of key skills, including …

IDFA Review: The Adventures of Gigi the Law

The life of the rural policeman or policewoman hasn’t really changed that much over the decades. While colleagues working in big cities have to deal with very modern problems such as cybercrime, terrorism and organised crime gangs, in the countryside life generally passes by at a more lethargic pace. Days often merge into one. Small …

IDFA Review: The March on Rome

At the end of World War II, the Allies had assumed they’d banished the scourge of fascism from Europe forever. However, a hundred years after the March on Rome, seen as the birth of the modern movement, it’s raising its face again. In countries like Hungary, where it holds a sway, but more troubling in …

IDFA Review: Aurora’s Sunrise

Although Turkey still refuses to acknowledge that it happened, the Armenian Genocide was one of the lowest points in European history. In the years running up to World War I, the Ottoman Empire deported well over a million Armenians and forced them on death marches across the Syrian desert. Those who survived were taken to …

IDFA Review: Things I Could Never Tell My Mother

Religion can be a strange beast. Previously intelligent and open-minded people can suddenly change their entire worldview if they fall under the sway of a new belief. This can cause problems with friends and family, even drive a wedge between them. While there’s often a desire to respect this change of direction, it can be …

IDFA Review: Ice Under His Feet

The Russian invasion and bombardment of Ukraine has brought home just how powerful Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is in his homeland. The former KGB analyst has been in power now, one way or another, for over twenty years. He’s established an iron grip on the country, making a bargain with oligarchs and suppressing any opposition through …