LFF
LFF Review: Notturno
Gianfranco Rosi is a filmmaker whose focus has squarely been on the underdog. Whether that’s migrants searching for a new home or squatters living on the fringes. The Italian documentarian has the unique accolade of winning the two highest awards at Venice and Berlin. However, it was undoubtedly his 2016 film Fire at Sea, which …
LFF Review: Identifying Features (Sin Señas Particulares)
Hundreds of people die every year trying to make the journey north across the US/Mexican border. It’s a journey which is fraught with danger and the odds of successfully avoiding the authorities and safely crossing to America are stacked against you. Indeed, hundreds of thousands of people find themselves detained by the US Border Patrol …
LFF Review: Another Round
Mads Mikkelsen is an actor who will be familiar to UK audiences. Whilst he’s appeared in a number of huge Hollywood films, including Rogue One and Doctor Strange, it’s on the small screen for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter for which he’s most renowned. However, the Danish actor’s best work is in his domestic cinema. …
LFF Review: One Man and His Shoes
When the Chicago Bulls picked a talented young Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft, little did they know what effect the titan would have on the sport. However, whilst he was undoubtedly one of the best players of his generation, the University of North Carolina graduate’s meteoric rise to fame was to a large …
LFF Review: Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
In today’s world of gastropubs and artisanal gin bars, it’s easy to forget the role these establishments have played for hundreds of years of human history. The bar, pub, inn, tavern, whatever you want to call it, has served many purposes. They’ve been community hubs, places for friends to meet, meeting house for clubs and …
LFF Review – Rose: A Love Story
What would you do for love? Just how far would you go? It’s a question which has fascinated and troubled writers and storytellers for hundreds of years. If you look to the core of most stories, the ‘l’ word will almost always be there. Whether that’s through the sphere of romance, friendship or family. It’s …
LFF Review: Supernova
Anyone who has experience of a friend or relative suffering from dementia will know what an absolutely horrendous condition it is. It’s an illness which comes in all shapes and sizes but its impact is never less than devastating. Seeing someone you love gradually (or rapidly) fade away is traumatic. As scientific breakthroughs allow us …
LFF Review: Eyimofe (This is My Desire)
To even use the term ‘African cinema’ when describing the diversity and richness of myriad national film industries scattered across a huge continent, is to say the least slightly patronising. However, given the relative lack of exposure we have to it in Europe, it’s easy to slip into lazy generalisations. Whilst it’s a struggle for …
LFF Review: Wildfire
Whilst ‘the troubles’ in Northern Ireland might be over (although there are worrying signs that this isn’t the case) it doesn’t mean that those who lived through them can just move on. That’s the natural reaction. Ignore the past and look to the future. It’s something many countries have tried, but refusing to confront our …
LFF Review: Wolfwalkers
Whilst animation has always been popular with cinema audiences, until recently it was only really Disney films which attracted mainstream attention. With the rise in popularity of Pixar, Studio Ghibli and Dreamworks, it’s a genre which has become commonplace on the big screen. However, it’s often the smaller studios which produce the most innovative and …