A Book Review by Brandon Konecny. A history of soviet cinema, encompassing the films of Russia as well as the non-Russian former Soviet satellites, is an endeavor as large as the former empire itself, whose territory once covered approximately one sixth of the Earth’s surface. A project of that scale […]
The Carriage Set Upright: Stephen Broomer on Potamkin
By Brian Wilson. Stephen Broomer’s rapid ascension on the avant-garde landscape has been, quite simply, astounding. In the span of just seven years, Broomer has completed 35 short films and videos. His work utilizes a range of formats, including super 8, 16mm, and digital video, and is constantly pushing the […]
Noir from the States to the Ilses: The Stranger and Appointment with Crime from Olive Films
By Tony Williams. 1946 was an “annus mirabilis” (“amazing year” for those who never studied Latin) for American, British film noir, and many of its international counterparts. Both appearing a year after the end of World War Two, The Stranger and Appointment with Crime were generic achievements in their own right […]
The Kids Are Alright: Miss Kiet’s Children
December 18, 2017
By Jeremy Carr. Young Haya is having a rough time. At the beginning of the documentary Miss Kiet’s Children, this precocious primary school student is terribly upset. She fell on her way to school and her pants are dirty. She is sad and shameful. Her teacher, Kiet Engels, offers to give […]
Swimming in Poetry: The Shape of Water
December 14, 2017
By Elias Savada. When Guillermo del Toro makes a film, people take notice. For me, these are delicious, often unsettling – and sensitive – events. Critics adore his unique skill and have grown accustomed to his stylish shadings; audiences may be put off by his films’ strangeness, a tendency to excite […]
Various Industries Post-Independence: New African Cinema by Valérie K. Orlando
December 13, 2017
A Book Review by Cecilia A. Zoppelletto. Charting the recent film industry of an entire continent is an unimaginable task and, even if that could be done, the result would be an encyclopaedic creation of hundreds of pages satisfying merely the need for lists and facts. But is it actually […]
A New Platform for Chinese Independent Cinema: An Interview with Jia Zhangke and Marco Muller
December 12, 2017
By Martin Kudláč. A new Chinese film festival emerged this year, Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival, inaugurated in the Ancient City of Pingyao listed on the World Cultural Heritage map. Founded by internationally-recognized Chinese independent writer-director-producer and seasoned festival director Marco Muller, the festival embraced dialogue between Eastern […]
Luck in Debuting from Georgia: An Interview with Ana Urushadze on Scary Mother
By Martin Kudláč. The emerging Georgian filmmaker Ana Urushadze unveiled her first feature-length directing effort Scary Mother, a Georgian-Estonian co-production made at the prestigious Swiss showcase in Locarno. While introducing her bleak psychological drama about emancipation onto the festival circuit, she nabbed the Swatch First Feature Award at the Concorso Cineasti […]
A Stilted, Flat Wonder Wheel
December 8, 2017
By Elias Savada. Woody Allen has gone dumpster diving. His new film, Wonder Wheel, is anything but wondrous. In fact, it stinks. The aging auteur may open his movie with a cloud-specked blue sky framing the aquamarine beach umbrellas and masses of New Yawkers absorbing the sun across every inch of […]
Money, Censorship, and Films of the Chinese Independent Cinema: An Interview with Han Dong
By Martin Kudláč. The inaugural edition of the Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival introduced several emerging filmmakers from the Chinese independent cinema. China produces over 800 films annually and lacks a vital platform to curate new independent production for potential domestic and international releases. Pingyao was founded […]