Film Festival
LFF Review: Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse
There are many who still sniff at horror cinema and persist on trying to diminish it. Over the last couple of years, the odious term post-horror has seeped into popular culture. This expression has been used to describe films such as Get Out, Split, It Comes at Night and The Witch, which allows praise to …
LFF Review: Ex-Libris – The New York Public Library
Libraries have played pivotal roles within societies dating all the way back to the ancient Greeks, ancient Egyptians and even the Sumerians. In more modern times, they’ve been a vital public resource, allowing everyone the access to knowledge, information and betterment. However, with pressures growing on public funding and austerity kicking-in around the world, they’ve …
Film Festival Preview: Celluloid Screams 2017
Celluloid Screams has cemented itself as a major player in the UK horror calendar. Renowned for its strong selection of independent and worldwide horror films, it’s strength lays within the diversity and breadth of features and shorts on offer. This year, the festival organisers have outdone themselves. Not only have they secured their strongest line-up …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Almost Heaven
Despite being one of the most populous, powerful and rich countries in the world, there’s a huge problem with youth poverty in China. Indeed, the Communist Party has spent billions building new cities and trying to encourage rural workers into urban areas. This had resulted in millions of young people being voluntarily displaced in order …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Radio Kobanî
Documentaries set in the midst of conflict or in former war zones are almost always concerned with the roles of the victors and the vanquished, the soldiers or the survivors. They often neglect those human stories which aren’t just purely about survival, but predominantly re-building lives from the rubble. Radio Kobanî is one such tale. …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: The Departure
Whilst there’s still a distinct gender imbalance in cinema, particularly behind the camera in big budget movies, things are slightly more balanced in documentary film-making. Indeed, the likes of Laura Poitras, Louise Osmond, Barbara Kopple and Amy Berg are amongst the best in the industry. Lana Wilson is a rapidly rising star. Her (co) directorial …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Brimstone & Glory
Documentaries are often stigmatised as being dry, overly-dependent on factual information and nothing more than something you’d watch on TV. Obviously, that opinion is nonsense, but it’s fair to say that some factual films aren’t the most visually appealing. However, there are many documentaries which are absolutely beautiful. Brimstone & Glory falls into this category. …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Risk
Laura Poitras is one of the most highly regarded and respected documentary film makers working today. She’s also one of the most hard-working. No stranger to controversy, her last film about Edward Snowdon, Citizenfour, won her an Academy Award. Along with My Country, My Country and The Oath, it was the third film in her …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Icarus
Cycling has always had an iffy reputation in terms of doping, but the admission by Lance Armstrong that he took performance enhancing drugs throughout his career jeopardised the credibility of the sport. There have been several films made about his downfall, but Icarus approaches the scandal from a different angle. Director Bryan Fogel sets out …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Wilders
The last decade has seen a worrying trend in Western politics. The rise in popularity of right wing political parties and politicians culminated with Brexit and the election of Donald Trump in 2016. However, all across Europe there has been huge gains for nationalistic and fascistic groups. Whilst the likes of Marine Le Pen in …