Year: 2023 Runtime: 22 minutes Directed by Sean Schiavolin By Joan Amenn Flashback to the Academy Awards 2021 and the nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Troy Kotsur won for his role in “Coda” (2021) and called his father his “hero” in his acceptance speech. For those that missed it, his speech and his win was remarkable because he is only the second deaf actor to … Continue reading To My Father: Tribeca Film Festival 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 123 minutes Directors: João Salaviza, Renée Nader Messora Writers: João Salaviza, Renée Nader Messora, Henrique Ihjãc Krahô Actors: Ilda Patpro Krahô, Henrique Ihjãc Krahô, Luzia Cruwakwyj Krahô, Solane Tehtikwji Krahô, Debora Sodre By Sarah Manvel This is an unusual film, seemingly a hybrid documentary but also clearly acted in parts, about an unusual group of people, the Krahô tribe, a group of about … Continue reading Crowrã/The Buriti Flower: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 87 minutes Writer/Director: Ramata-Toulaye Sy Actors: Khady Mane, Mamadou Diallo, Binta Racine Sy, Moussa Sow By Sarah Manvel First-time director Ramata-Toulaye Sy has struck gold with her first feature, “Banel & Adama,” and has also made history as the first French woman (and only the second black woman; she is also Senegalese) to have her debut film be selected for the main … Continue reading Banel & Adama: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review
Year: 2022 Runtime: 93 minutes Director: Francisca Alegria Writers: Francisca Alegria, Manuela Infante, Fernanda Urrejola Actors: Mia Maestro, Enzo Ferrada Rosati, Leonor Varela, Alfredo Castro, Marcial Tagle By Joan Amenn Just to answer the most burning question readers of this review will have, no cows sing in this film. The title, like the film, is a gloriously surreal plunge into magical realism. Be prepared to … Continue reading Review: The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future
Year: 2023 Runtime: 80 minutes Director/Writer: Kattia G. Zúñiga Actors: Ariana Chaves Gavilán, Cala Rossel Campos, Fernando Bonilla, Joshua De Leon, Milagros Fernandez, Gabriela Man By Rosa Parra Latin American cinema, Central American cinema in particular, isn’t given the necessary attention and acknowledgment it deserves. “Sister & Sister” (Las Hijas) is an example of why this type of cinema should be talked about alongside the … Continue reading Sister & Sister (Las Hijas): SXSW 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 88 Minutes Directed by Heba Khaled, Talal Derki, Ali Wajeeh By Sarah Manvel Sometimes the purpose of a documentary is to shine a light on a part of the world most people will never see. Sometimes the purpose is to provide a voice to people who feel they have no voice of their own (which is nonsense of course, we all have … Continue reading Under the Sky of Damascus: Berlinale 2023 Review
Film critic Calum Cooper reviews Carol Morley’s newest film, the eccentric “Typist Artist Pirate King”, which is currently playing at the Glasgow Film Festival. Continue reading GFF2023 Review: Typist Artist Pirate King
Year: 2022 Runtime: 87 minutes Directed by Jub Clerc Written by Jub Clerc and Steve Rodgers Actors: Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Ngaire Pigram, Mark Coles Smith, Tasma Walton, Carlos Sanson Jr., Andrew Wallace, Pedrea Jackson, Mikayla Levy By Sarah Manvel Most movies about teenagers get it wrong. Either the teens are treated like little kids, behaving perfectly and being perfectly cared for, or they are treated like … Continue reading Sweet As: Berlinale 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 90 Minutes Director: Erica Tremblay Writers: Erica Tremblay, Miciana Alise Stars: Lily Gladstone, Isabel Deroy-Olson, Ryan Begay, Shea Whigham, Audrey Wasilewski By Morgan Roberts Her sister is missing. Her niece is no longer in her custody. What can Jax (Lily Gladstone) do? In this heartfelt and anxiety-producing drama, Jax kidnaps her niece and searches for her missing sister after she disappears from … Continue reading Fancy Dance: Sundance 2023 Film Review
In Their Own League 