Picturehouse Entertainment
Film Review: Tori and Lokita
Immigration is a perennial headline grabber in European countries. The migrant crisis tends to get people overly exercised and is used by many to fuel intolerance, hatred and racism. Most of Europe has benefited from colonialism in one way or another. Whether that’s economically or through the movement of labour. The slatter through slavery and …
Film Review: No Bears
Making a film involves a lot of blood, sweat and tears. It also demands a huge commitment on the part of the filmmakers, both personally and often financially. It can be a labour of love, but all directors are not equal when it comes to bringing their projects to fruition. Especially when they live under …
Film Review: Hit the Road
It’s astonishing, in many ways, that Iranian filmmakers can still keep making top-tier cinema. With all the restrictions and censorship in place in the country, it’s a miracle that any films get made at all. Directors have to navigate a minefield of rules and regulations, which seem to be in perpetual flux. The worrying recent …
Film Review: Hope
Anyone who has ever waited for results from a medical investigation knows that nagging anxiety. The fear of the worst. Of receiving that news you’ve always dreaded. That prognosis telling you how long you have left to live. Facing up to your own mortality and wondering how you’re going to spend your limited time left …
Film Review: Deerskin
There are few, if any, filmmakers working anywhere in the world today who have the inventiveness or singularity of vision of Quentin Dupieux. In a career which spans two decades (so far) the Frenchman has made a number of unlikely gems. His breakthrough came with Rubber, a film about a serial-killing tyre. He has gone …
Film Review: Bad Hair
Regardless of how multicultural western societies claim to be, when it comes to Afro-textured hair there’s usually a need for specialist and expert treatment. You can’t just walk into any old salon and be guaranteed the service you require. This isn’t just the case when it comes to cutting and styling, weaving and relaxing. The …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Sing, Freetown
In many ways the more recent history of Sierra Leonne is not so different to that of its neighbours. Its climate and habitat shielded it from conquest until the European colonisers arrived by sea. Perched on the west coast of Africa, several nations established trading posts until eventually the British created the settlement of the …
LFF Review: Never Gonna Snow Again
Whilst Polish cinema has always been surprisingly fertile, it’s witnessing somewhat of a renaissance at the moment. Historically, the likes of Kieślowski, Wajda, Munk and Żuławski have created some of Eastern Europe’s greatest films. Whilst they’re a tough act to follow, there’s a new generation who are once again leading the charge. It’s perhaps Malgorzata …
LFF Review: The Reason I Jump
For many of us, it can often be a struggle to communicate precisely what we’re trying to say. Whether that’s due to a lack of self-confidence, a speech impediment, lacking sufficient vocabulary or something else, it’s always terribly frustrating when you can’t fully vocalise what you’re thinking. Imagine then what it must be like to …
Film Review: Herself
It’s never a good time to be poor, but years of austerity, COVID-19 and Brexit mean that it hasn’t been this bad for a long time. It has become increasingly difficult to find safe and affordable housing in London, but that’s not uncommon for a European capital. Dublin is almost as bad and has similar …