Festival Reports

By Joseph Pomp.  Festival Premiers Plans d’Angers (literally, First Shots Festival of Angers—a city in northwestern France that more than makes up for its size in charm) is arguably the most important celebration of young filmmakers in Europe. Now in its twenty-seventh year, Premiers Plans boasts a list of alumni […]

By Cleaver Patterson.  Since its inception the BFI London Film Festival has – like the city which hosts it – prided itself in its ability to combine quirkiness with broad appeal. The result has always been an original and eclectic mix of films as seen in those shown in this […]

By Yun-hua Chen.  Viennale 2014 continues with its good tradition of being an audience-friendly film festival, with a wide range of discussion panels, art installations, events and parties open to the public. There are tributes to Viggo Mortensen and Harun Farocki. The latter’s earlier films, which are difficult to watch […]

By Brenda Benthien.  Cinefest, Hamburg’s international festival of German film history, focused this year on New Directions in Documentary Film. A range of volatile films from the 1960s through the 1980s illustrated how social upheaval and new technologies began to empower documentary filmmakers working to counter mainstream media. Since 1988, […]

By Anthony Killick. The Brighton Palestine Film Festival is one of the latest contributions to the worldwide proliferation of film festivals dedicated to Palestinian liberation. Taking place from the 7th–9th November at the soon to be demolished Brighton Arts Centre, the festival hosted screenings and talks, with a focus on […]

By Anthony Killick. “Kurdish people don’t just say democracy, we say radical democracy.” (Sema Yildiz) The Liverpool Radical Film Festival ran from the 13th–16th November. As part of an emerging UK wide Radical Film Network the festival makes its contribution towards regaining access to the city through the creation of […]

By Chris Neilan.  The 19th Busan International Film Festival was, as ever, an unrivalled showground for Asian filmmaking talent. A handsome 312 films were screened this year (up from 299 last year) from 79 countries including efforts from Kyrgyzstan, Kurdistan, Iraq, Bangladesh and Nepal as well as the usual heavyweight […]

By Gary M. Kramer.  The 52nd New York Film Festival (September 25-October 12) showcased 30 features, 15 documentary spotlights, and two shorts programs along with revivals, avant-garde films, and other special events. Here is a rundown of some highlights from the fest. Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye to Language assaults viewers with […]

By Zhuo-Ning Su. The Venice Film Festival, the worldwide oldest festival celebrating cinema, ended its 71st run earlier this month (August 27- September 6). Traditionally ranked alongside Cannes and Berlin as one of the most important stops on the cinematic calendar, Venice has seen its profile in the festival world […]

By Cleaver Patterson.  FrightFest, the London based film festival which takes place each year at the end of August, prides itself in showcasing the best of horror, both international and homegrown. This year’s event was no exception, with more films than ever before showing in this its fifteenth year. With […]