Bermuda’s waters and the humpback whales that pass through them will be showcased during Air Canada flights, with the airline having purchased the rights to show “Where the Whales Sing” on its flights for a two-month period. In addition, a television station in Iran has bought the rights to broadcast the film in the Middle […]

Whale researcher Andrew Stevenson has started work on a follow-up to his acclaimed documentary ‘Where the Whales Sing’ – which for the first time will include unique aerial footage. Mr Stevenson also believes that he now has one of the largest databases in the world held by just one person from which he can make […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] Whale researcher Andrew Stevenson will screen his two award-winning documentaries, ‘Where the Whales Sing’ and ‘The Secret Lives of the Humpbacks’ at the Speciality Cinema and Grill in Hamilton on Monday [December 4]. It will be the first time both documentaries are screened back-to-back, starting at 6.30 pm, with a 15-minute […]

Crime Stoppers Bermuda will hold their 7th Annual Weekend Film Experience from February 29 to March 2, 2024. A spokesperson said, “Crime Stoppers Bermuda is thrilled to announce the 7th Annual Weekend Film Experience, its premiere fundraising event, to be held from February 29 to March 2, 2024, at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI]. This […]

The 2023 historical thriller Golda will be shown at BUEI on Saturday [March 9] at 7:30pm in the Tradewinds Auditorium. A spokesperson said, “Films at BUEI continue at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 historical thriller ‘Golda’ on Saturday, March 9th at 7:30pm in our Tradewinds Auditorium. “Golda is […]

BUEI Films will present a screening of the 2023 Romantic Comedy, ‘She Came to Me’, featuring a musically driven story about an operetta composer. A spokesperson said, “Films at BUEI continue at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 Romantic Comedy, ‘She Came to Me’, on Saturday, March 23rd at […]

[Written by Dale Butler] ‘Gold Bermudians’ is a new project launched by the Department of Culture in 2023 and, on March 25th, five new films were presented to a full house that left everyone very satisfied but wanting to know why there was such a strict time limit on such important topics. With a new […]

Films at BUEI continue at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 Dramatic Comedy, ‘American Fiction’ on Saturday, April 13th at 7.30pm in the Tradewinds Auditorium. A spokesperson said, “Films at BUEI continue at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 Dramatic Comedy, ‘American Fiction’ […]

BUEI Films is set the screen the 2023 Drama, ‘Memory’, directed by Michel Franco, starring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, on Saturday, April 27. A spokesperson said, “Films at BUEI continue at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 Drama, ‘Memory’ on Saturday, April 27th at 7:30pm in our Tradewinds […]

BUEI Films will showcase the 2024 film ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ on May 11, depicting the life of the reggae legend. A spokesperson said, “Films at BUEI continue at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2024 Musical/Drama, ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ on Saturday, May 11th at 7:30pm in our Tradewinds […]

The City of Hamilton invited the public to Barr’s Bay Park on June 22 for Fresh Air Films: Sunset Cinema, featuring Kung Fu Panda 4 and The Beekeeper, with free admission, food vendors on-site and more. A spokesperson said, “The City of Hamilton is inviting members of the public to join us at the iconic […]

BUEI Films will showcase the 2023 Comedy, ‘Fourth Grade’ on Saturday [June 8] at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI]. A spokesperson said, “Films at BUEI continues at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 Comedy, ‘Fourth Grade’ on Saturday, June 8th at 7:30pm in our Tradewinds Auditorium. [Wheelchair Accessible] […]

The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] is set to feature the 2023 comedy/mystery ‘Wicked Little Letters,’ directed by Thea Sharrock, as part of its ongoing ‘Films at BUEI’ series. A spokesperson said, “‘Films at BUEI’ continues at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 Comedy/Mystery, ‘Wicked Little Letters’ on Saturday, […]

Saltus Grammar School announced the winners of third annual Bermuda Youth Film Festival that was held at BUEI in the Tradewinds Theatre on June 20th. A spokesperson said, “The festival was founded by Therese Bean, Head of Creative Arts at Saltus Grammar School, in 2022 to encourage young people between the ages of 11 and 18 from […]

[Written by Dale Butler] Rosalie Gardens at 35 Angle Street, opposite Hubies, under the banner of Atlantic Publishing House, is pleased to release its first major activity for the summer season. The Rosalie Gardens Heartbeat Film Festival will take place at 8.00pm each night with the following: a short history of the area a tour […]

The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] is set to feature the 2023 adventure/comedy ‘The Book of Clarence’ on Saturday [July 27] at 7.30pm in the Tradewinds Auditorium. A spokesperson said, “‘Films at BUEI’ continue at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 Adventure/Comedy, ‘The Book of Clarence’ on Saturday, July […]

BUEI Films will showcase the 2024 Comedy, ‘Summer Camp’ on Saturday [August 10] at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI]. A spokesperson said, “‘Films at BUEI’ continues at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2024 Comedy, ‘Summer Camp’ on Saturday, August 10th at 7:30pm in our Tradewinds Auditorium. [Wheelchair Accessible]. […]

The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] is set to screen the 2024 adventure/drama “Arthur the King” on August 24, featuring a story about a stray dog who joins an endurance race. A spokesperson said, “‘Films at BUEI’ continue at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2024 Adventure/Drama, ‘Arthur the King’ […]

The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] is set to screen the 2023 fantasy/drama ‘Tuesday’ on Saturday [Sept 14] at 7.30pm in the Tradewinds Auditorium. A spokesperson said, “‘Films at BUEI’ continues at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 Fantasy/Drama, ‘Tuesday’ on Saturday, September 14th at 7:30pm in our Tradewinds […]

The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute announced the return of the Manhattan Short Film Festival, featuring Oscar-nominated shorts on September 26 and October 2. A spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] is excited to announce the return of the annual Manhattan Short Film Festival, screening this year’s Oscar-Nominated Short Films in our Tradewinds Auditorium […]

‘Films at BUEI’ will screen the 2023 crime drama ‘The Bikeriders’ on September 28th. A spokesperson said, “‘Films at BUEI’ continues at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 Crime/Drama, ‘The Bikeriders’ on Saturday, September 28th at 7:30pm in our Tradewinds Auditorium [Wheelchair Accessible]. “‘The Bikeriders’ is an American period […]

The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] is set to screen the 2023 mystery/thriller, ‘Eileen’ on Saturday [Oct 12] at 7.30pm in the Tradewinds Auditorium. A spokesperson said, “‘Films at BUEI’ continues at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute [BUEI] with the screening of the 2023 Mystery/Thriller, ‘Eileen’ on Saturday, October 12th at 7:30pm in our Tradewinds […]

[Written by Dale Butler] This “stirring Southern drama” received great reviews abroad and five stars and 100 roses from Bermuda audiences who have flocked to see this excellent full-length movie [1 hour 58 minutes], which was based on a true story. Produced by Bermuda’s own Wendy Tucker-Tannock, written and directed by Lynn Dow, with composer […]

The film Thoughts Become Things by Stephan Johnstone and Marq Rodriguez, featuring Bermudian Gombey culture, has been selected for showing at four international film festivals, winning awards along the way. A spokesperson said, “Thoughts Become Things, a captivating short poetry film that delves into the African and Native American ancestral dreams of a young Gombey, […]

The US debut of “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” took place in Beverly Hills this past Saturday, with Beyoncé styled by Bermuda’s Shiona Turini. As reported by the Daily Mail, the star-studded event was graced by celebrities like Laverne Cox, Tyler Perry, Kris Jenner, Corey Gamble, Gabrielle Union, Halle Bailey, Chloe Bailey, Winnie Harlow, and […]

Se skvěle kurátorovaným programem přichází do dvou pražských kin, Lucerny a Edison Filmhubu, festival Aussie & Kiwi Film Fest. V pátek 15. listopadu začne ve velkém sále Kina Lucerna jeho 11. ročník uvedením svérázného animovaného snímku Paměti z ulity, jehož režisér Adam Elliot byl před sedmi lety hostem Anifilmu a při té příležitosti poskytl Reflexu rozhovor. A co další snímky z druhé strany zeměkoule, které nás až do 20. listopadu čekají?

Beans [Canada, Tracey Deer, 4] As the 1990 Oka standoff envelops her Mohawk community, a shy tween achiever (Kiawentiio) decides to toughen up by ingratiating herself to the tough kids. Mixing the docudrama and coming-of-age structures offsets the inherent trickiness of both, but it wouldn’t work without an appealing and touching performance from its charismatic young lead.

Akilla’s Escape [Canada, Charles Officer, 4] Weed dealer hoping to leave the business (Saul Wiliiams) tries to recover his boss’ ripped-off cash and product without sacrificing a young gang member who reminds him of his younger self. Moody, laconic crime drama contextualized by the political history of Jamaican gangsterism.

Williams, a recording artist, also supplies the score. The kinds of films that play at the festival often economize by favoring black credit  screens over full title sequences, so it’s always a bracing change of pace to see a well-done one. The title sequence for this not only delivers a welcome jolt of mood and energy but does a lot of the storytelling work that would otherwise have to be done with expository dialogue.

New Order [Mexico, Michel Franco, 4] A wedding thrown by a wealthy family during a growing insurrection suffers a murderous attack by protestors and the kidnapping of the bride. Wildly disturbing vision of political violence and degradation takes its time unreeling its allegorical purpose.

David Byrne’s American Utopia [US, Spike Lee, 4] Filmed version of the Broadway version of David Byrne’s recent tour features joyous choreography, simple but arresting stagecraft, and songs from his Talking Heads and solo eras. When you shoot a concert film featuring David Byrne, you have to bring it, and Lee does that ably, finding countlesss different ways to shoot within a proscenium.

David Byrne has always been a hugely important artist to me, but I was surprised how moved I was to get to feel that I was at a live concert.

COVID has put the kibosh on much this year, but it can’t stop the capsule TIFF reviews. From the plague-ready, off-model edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, here’s my annual collection of mini-reviews.

The greatly cut-down slate included only slivers of the festival I’d program for myself in a regular year: four to five from international auteurs and a couple examples of global genre cinema. The missing items either are waiting in limbo as sales agents the world over hope that theatrical exhibition will return, or didn’t even get shot.

This list features more Canadian films and documentaries than I’d see at the fest (as opposed to catching them later.) Festivals tend toward the dour and downbeat but that was doubly true this time out. If we’re still trapped in our homes next year, I’ll likely be more vigilant about sorting through the slim pickings, supplementing our streaming experience with titles already available on other platforms.

That said, the overall hit rate was probably as strong as any other recent year. The average score on my numerical ratings would be higher, actually. It’s just that I saw the same festival everyone else did, starting with the film that garnered nearly universal acclaim, nabbed the People’s Choice Award, and will surely be part of the Oscars race—whatever the heck that will look like.

Films are listed in order of preference. Within categories that doesn’t mean much and entails a lot of apples-to-oranges comparisons. A festival near you, or not so near you but within your territory for geolocking purposes, may be virtually screening some of these soon.

The Pinnacle

Nomadland [US, Chloé Zhao, 5] When her town closes down in the wake of its gypsum mine’s closure, a self-reliant widow (Frances McDormand) moves into her van and joins the ranks of the nomad subculture, people who rove the US, taking whatever hard work they can get and living out of their vehicles. Rooted in social realist cinema, marked by a triad of transcendent qualities: poetic visual beauty, an indelible central performance and a deep love for the characters from the writer/director.

Recommended

Another Round [Denmark, Thomas Vinterberg, 4.5] Burned out high school teacher (Mads Mikkelsen) embarks with three colleagues on an experiment to enhance their performance by maintaining a blood alcohol level of 0.5% throughout their days at work. Not only an original booze movie, but a big one, full of turns and ambiguities, and an utterly masterful performance from Mikkelsen.

City Hall [US, Frederick Wiseman, 4] The latest of Wiseman’s distinctive epic-length observational documentaries studies the quotidian, procedural and human moments of human life as seen through the processes of municipal government in Boston, as held together by the thoughtful charisma of Mayor Martin Walsh. Improbably absorbing as always, this institutional cross-section offers a beguiling vision of an oasis of good government in the USA.

True Mothers [Japan, Naomi Kawase, 4.5] Parents of a kindergartner react with dismay when a woman contacts them claiming to be his birth mother. Luminous, delicate drama of shifting perspectives.

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds [US, Werner Herzog & Clive Oppenheimer] Documentary explores the science and mythology of meteor, from Chicxulub to ʻOumuamua. The intersection between scientific discovery and religious awe, central to all of Herzog’s beautiful and delightful nature docs, rises from subtext to text through the intercession of traditional elders, joyful researchers, and the Jesuit scholar of the Vatican’s heaven stone collection.

David Byrne’s American Utopia [US, Spike Lee, 4] Filmed version of the Broadway version of David Byrne’s recent tour features joyous choreography, simple but arresting stagecraft, and songs from his Talking Heads and solo eras. When you shoot a concert film featuring David Byrne, you have to bring it, and Lee does that ably, finding countlesss different ways to shoot within a proscenium.

The Father [UK, Florian Zeller, 4] Retired engineer (Anthony Hopkins) struggles to piece together the confusing reality of his living circumstances as his daughter (Olivia Colman) copes with his progressing dementia. Impeccably performed stage play adaptation puts the viewer inside the contradictory shifts of the protagonist’s subjective viewpoint.

Night of the Kings [Côte d'Ivoire/France , Philippe Lacôte, 4] When the red moon rises over MACA, the Ivory Coast’s toughest prison, its inmate boss appoints the new arrival as storyteller—a post that results in death if the tale ends before sundown. Prison drama with compelling narrative hook widens out to encompass ancient warfare, contemporary politics, and even a wizard duel.

Summer of 85 [France, Francois Ozon, 4] Love between two young men in a French beach town leads to a bizarre crime. Teen emotions run high in a sunlit melodrama of Eros and Thanatos.

Spring Blossom [France, Suzanne Lindon, 4] Bored with her classmates, an awkward 16 year old (played by the writer-director) pursues her attraction for a ruggedly handsome stage actor (Arnaud Valois.) Character drama sets aside the sexual aspect of this staple French cinema situation to focus on the emotion, periodically breaking from naturalism to have its characters express their feelings through dance.

Get the Hell Out [Taiwan, I-Fan Wang, 4] Taiwan’s notoriously pugilistic parliament tips into arterial spray when the effluent of a controversial chemical plant triggers a zombie epidemic. Zombie comedy features an eye-searing palette and an onslaught of optical overlays, and is paced like a quarter kilo of crushed Adderall.

Preparations to Be Together For an Unknown Period of Time [Hungary, Lili Horvát, 4] Top neurologist questions the accuracy of her recollections when she moves back home from the US to Budapest for a romantic rendezvous, only to find that the object of her affections professes not to remember her. Quietly suspenseful drama of psychological uncertainty.

Shiva Baby [US, Emma Seligman, 4] The ambient social pressures of a post-funeral gathering skyrocket for a directionless college student (Rachel Sennott) when attendees include not only the expected ex-girlfriend (Molly Gordon) but also the sex work client she’s caught feelings for. Knife-edge comedy of emotional suffocation uses a plucky suspense score for that extra frisson of social anxiety.

Under the Open Sky [Japan, Miwa Nishikawa, 4] Out of prison after a long sentence, an aging yakuza (Koji Yakusho) struggles with his volcanic temper as he attempts to go straight. Bittersweet drama anchored by a lead performance from Yakusho, a mainstay of contemporary Japanese cinema.

New Order [Mexico, Michel Franco, 4] A wedding thrown by a wealthy family during a growing insurrection suffers a murderous attack by protestors and the kidnapping of the bride. Wildly disturbing vision of political violence and degradation takes its time unreeling its allegorical purpose.

Limbo [UK, Ben Sharrock, 4] Syrian oud player grapples with guilt over family left behind as he cools his heels with other refugee claimants at a center in the bleak and isolated Outer Hebrides. Moments of deadpan humor and stark landscapes layer this exploration of displacement.

Violation [Canada, Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli, 4] Woman (Madeleine Sims-Fewer) exacts meticulous revenge after her brother-in-law rapes her. Although this jarring, meditative drama includes gruesome imagery and horror-exploitation motifs, it’s closer in spirit to Michael Haneke than Dario Argento or Wes Craven.

Shadow in the Cloud [New Zealand, Roseanne Liang, 4] When an WWII RAF Flight Officer (Chloe Grace Moretz) boards a Samoa-bound cargo plane bearing a mysterious package, a monstrous gremlin on board is just one of the surprises. Enclosed space horror-action thriller tips an 80s-style hat to Carpenter and Cameron.

Beans [Canada, Tracey Deer, 4] As the 1990 Oka standoff envelops her Mohawk community, a shy tween achiever (Kiawentiio) decides to toughen up by ingratiating herself to the tough kids. Mixing the docudrama and coming-of-age structures offsets the inherent trickiness of both, but it wouldn’t work without an appealing and touching performance from its charismatic young lead.

Akilla’s Escape [Canada, Charles Officer, 4] Weed dealer hoping to leave the business (Saul Wiliiams) tries to recover his boss’ ripped-off cash and product without sacrificing a young gang member who reminds him of his younger self. Moody, laconic crime drama contextualized by the political history of Jamaican gangsterism.

Enemies of the State [US, Sonia Kennebeck] Documentary pulls apart a labyrinth of contradictory evidence around Matthew DeHart, an Indiana man who was framed for child pornography by the FBI as part of a Wikleaks espionage case, or created a story of secret files to shield himself either cooked up a Wikileaks-related espionage smokescreen to mask his sex crimes. Invites the viewer to join a filmmaking team as it goes ever deeper down a rabbit hole.

The Inconvenient Indian [Canada, Michelle Latimer, 4] Essay-format documentary examines the Indigenous struggle for sovereignty and cultural reclamation in North America, as hosted by novelist Thomas King and inspired by his nonfiction book of the same name. Makes its case through cinematic language, pushing the archival footage and talking heads format to the background.

Beginning [Georgia, Dea Kulumbegashvili, 4] Depressed wife of a pastor bears the brunt of a persecution campaign from a local man hostile to their minority Baptist faith. The camera acts as a pitiless eye in this harsh, austere drama of pervasive male oppression.

The Truffle Hunters [Italy, Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw, 4] An aging generation of Piedmontese truffle hunters carries on the search for the elusive delicacy, fearing the poison bait left for their beloved dogs by ruthless newcomers to the trade. A documentary balm for lovers of food and canines luxuriates in the presence of sumptuously photographed forest eccentrics and their very, very good dogs.

Lift Like a Girl [Egypt, Mayye Zayed, 4] From ages 13 to 18, under the tutelage of a volcanic, motormouth coach, with a rubble-strewn lot on a busy Alexandria street, weightlifter Zebiba trains to be a champion. Fly-on-the-wall documentary inhabits a hardscrabble community powered by loving verbal abuse.

The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel [Canada, Joel Bakan & Jennifer Abbott, 4] Polemical documentary deploys narration, stock footage and talking heads (some appearing via lockdown video conference) to survey corporate capitalism and the struggle against it from Reaganomics to COVID and the George Floyd protests. Comprehensive primer for the prospective young progressives includes a call to continued electoral action.

40 Years a Prisoner [US, Tommy Oliver, 4] Documentary recounts the 1978 standoff between members of radical Black back-to-nature organization MOVE and Philadelphia police through the efforts of the son of two of the group members to secure their parole. A strong emotional hook greatly assists in telling a tenaciously complicated story.

Good

Pieces of a Woman [US, Kornél Mundruczó, 3.5] Grief tears a couple (Vanessa KIrby, Shia LaBeouf) apart after the death of their baby in childbirth, abetted by the insistence of her domineering mother (Ellen Burstyn) that they pursue legal action against their midwife (Molly Parker.) Wrenching drama marked by deep performances and key long take scenes. An otherwise masterful script reaches for the conventional when it hits its climax.

Wildfire [UK/Ireland, Cathy Brady, 3.5] After going missing for a year, a bipolar woman (Nika McGuigan) drops in on her sister (Nora-Jane Noone), opening the wounds of shared tragedy. Raw, unsubtle family drama against the backdrop of Northern Irish politics as Brexit threatens a fragile peace.

Fauna [Mexico/Canada, Nicolás Pereda, 3.5] Narratives nest within narratives when an actor visits his girlfriend’s family in a sleepy small town. Comic misunderstandings, naturalistic locations and twisting meta-story may remind seasoned festival-goers of the works of Hong Sang-soo, with Coronas instead of soju.

The Water Man [US, David Oyelowo, 3.5] Imaginative kid (Lonnie Chavis) heads into the Northwestern forest in search of a legendary immortal, thinking he holds the secret to curing his mom (Rosario Dawson) of leukemia. One of the more successful of a recent wave of films that put a somber sin on 80s kids adventure, thanks to a well-constructed script and Oyelowo’s sure control of tone.

The Way I See It [US, Dawn Porter, 3.5] Documentary profile of Obama-era Official White House photographer traces his arc from work for the Reagan administration to anti-Trump social media firebrand. Whether American viewers consider this slickly fashioned film heartfelt or sentimental will depend on party registration. It’s certainly explicitly designed to fire up Ds to get out there to de-elect the current president.

Okay

Bandar Band [Iran/Germany, Manijeh Hekmat, 3] A pregnant singer, her husband and their guitarist try to get their van through a floodstruck region to attend a contest gig in Tehran. Neorealist drama where the obstacles in the characters’ path are literal.

Penguin Bloom [Australia, Glendyn Ivin, 3] A former surfer left paralyzed from the chest down by a freak accident reluctantly bonds with a magpie chick named Penguin, which one of her young sons has rescued. Sun-dappled animal-related family drama about the depression and anger that can accompany a life-changing injury.

Falling [US, Viggo Mortensen, 3] Pathologically forbearing airline pilot (Mortensen) attempts to find a new situation for his lifelong miserable prick of a father (Lance Henriksen) as his dementia worsens. With one character incapable of change and another not needing to change, almost all of the scenes repeat the same dynamic.

Gaza Mon Amor [Palestine/France, Tarzan & Arab Nasser, 3] Middle-aged fisherman discovers a Greek statue and courts a wary dress shop clerk. Deliberately paced dramedy of life under oppression.

Concrete Cowboy [US, Ricky Staub, 3] After yet another expulsion from school, a troubled teen (Caleb McLaughlin) gets dumped for the summer with his father (Idris Elba), who belongs to Philadelphia’s threatened culture of inner city horse owners. A rich social milieu is the star of the show in this affirming drama, which could do with a stronger drive to activate its protagonist.

I Care a Lot [UK, J Blakeson, 3] Corrupt legal guardian (Rosamund Pike) who slaps unsuspecting seniors into care facilities to bleed them dry triggers a cat-and-mouse game when her latest prey (Dianne Wiest) turns out to be the mother of a wealthy gangster (Peter Dinklage.) Engaging thriller— until it betrays the contract it has established with the audience.

Not Recommended

Memory House [Brazil, João Paulo Miranda Maria, 1] Racist harassment from German co-workers drives dairy worker to vengeance. Blunts the political anger of its subject matter with enervating pacing.

For years TIFF has been intentionally or otherwise making it incrementally more difficult to do the event diehard style, as we have always done. Often it announces changes that blindside longtime loyalists—sometimes, as this year, after they’ve purchased their expensive memberships and ticket packages. This time around they surprised us by taking a tier of titles that any other year would be available through the package we purchased and moving them into a premium package previously reserved for the most publicized Gala films. For good measure, they threw in a couple of other medium-sized irritants.

To recreate something closer to our usual experience, we programmed another 25 titles already available on streaming platforms. Some actually played TIFF in the past; others were the types of movies that could have played the fest but didn’t.

I’m glad that we did, because the TIFF titles we were allowed to choose from included all of the duds of a normal year and none of the surprise masterpieces. Granted, it was a miracle that any films got made this year, and those that did tended toward the sorts of modest chamber pieces that could be produced under COVID protocol conditions.

This year crystallized a gradually growing realization we’ve been trying to suppress. So much has changed in the world of international cinema, from the festival’s position in their life cycle, to their subsequent availability, and even the style of the movies themselves, has completely changed since we started doing this in the mid 80s.

We have always gone to the fest for great films that we could otherwise never see, and started doing it in the VHS era. We don’t care about seeing things before anyone else does, or seeing the stars wave at us from the stage beforehand, or hearing audience members ask directors rambling questions afterwards. Even the virtues of a big screen experience are blunted by a dirty secret — a packed TIFF venue is not actually an ideal place to see a movie. Talkers and smartphone screens abound in every screening, and the bigger venues they convert into movie theaters for ten days are universally terrible.

You’d think that programming films from existing streaming platforms eliminates the other key part of fest-going, the surprise from out of nowhere. Except we got more of those with our alternate schedule than we did with the official titles this year.

In other words, after 36 years we are retiring from our vacation. Next year we’ll be doing a fully alternate replica of TIFF as we think of it from the past. The old rodeo is dead. Long live the new rodeo.

Here then is my final set of Toronto International Film Festival capsule reviews.

(Capsules for the 2021 Robin and Valerie International Film Festival will drop over time in Ken and Robin Consume Media.)

Recommended

Murina (Croatia, Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović) Teen (Gracija Filipovic) chafes at the agitated authority of her command-barking father (Leon Lucev) as he hosts a rich, glamorous old friend (Cliff Curtis) to try to sell him on a resort proposal. Taut, superbly acted family drama set against the stunning yet slightly sinister beauty of the rocky Croatian coastline.

Saloum (Senegal, Jean Luc Herbulot) Three gunslingers—the mastermind, the hard case, and the magic user—take an unscheduled pit stop at an eccentric communal resort, which harbors horrible secrets of both the man-made and supernatural varieties. Gorgeously shot, tightly edited contemporary horror western with political resonance and cool monster design.

Compartment No. 6 (Finland, Juho Kuosmanen) Traveling alone on a trip she was supposed to take with her Muscovite professor girlfriend, a Finnish archaeology student finds herself sharing a compartment on the train to Murmansk with a loutish miner. Naturalistic light romantic drama of human connection overcoming barriers of class and personality.

OUT OF SYNC (Spain, Juanjo Giménez Peña) Isolated sound mixer (Marta Nieto) is unnerved to suffer a strange delay in her hearing, which becomes all the more inexplicable as it worsens. Realist weird tale makes smart use of cinema’s relationship between sight and sound. 

Zalava (Iran, Arsalan Amiri) In pre-Revolutionary Iranian Kurdistan, a pig-headed police sergeant interferes with a djinn exorcism, sparking village hysteria. Tale of communal terror and its hazards generates suspense by skillfully modulating its pace.

Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (Indonesia, Edwin) After meeting cute by beating the crap out of each other at a construction site, two lovers navigate the vicissitudes of fidelity, vengeance, and impotence. A martial arts flick that isn’t an action movie, but rather an allegorical romantic drama with elements of satire and magic realism to go with its bruising 70s style fights.

Hold Your Fire (US, Stefan Forbes) Documentary recreates the 1973 robbery-turned-hostage incident in which a group of young black Sunni men hoped to steal guns from a sporting goods shop to protect themselves from the Nation of Islam, in which the beginnings of hostage negotiation techniques were created and implemented on the fly. Archival footage and compelling retrospective interviews illuminate a complicated narrative with resonances into the present day.

A Banquet (UK, Ruth Paxton) After her husband’s death, a brittle woman (Sienna Guillory) struggles with her eldest daughter’s (Jessica Alexander) visionary transformation, which has taken away her need to eat. Slow burn realist cosmic horror filters eating disorders, emotional control and female rage.

Kicking Blood (Canada, Blaine Thurier) Vampire (Alanna Bale) connects with a detoxing alcoholic, prompting her to reconsider preying on humans. Frosty supernatural indie drama extends the vampire-as-addiction metaphor.

Yuni (Indonesia, Kamila Andini) High schooler with a yen for purple chafes at the narrow expectations her religious school, family and village have for her.  Observational social drama enlivened by a vivid color palette.

Good

The Daughter (Spain, Manuel Martín Cuenca) Teacher at a juvenile detention center helps a pregnant 14-year old escape so she can live secretly with him and his wife at their mountain home and give them the baby when it is born. Ultra-restrained domestic thriller could stand a notch or two less restraint.

Dug Dug (India, Ritwik Pareek)  A local saint cult springs up when a motorbike keeps mysteriously returning to the site of its owner’s death. Gentle satire of faith and religious merchandising shows the sort of color and verve that raises hopes for a fresh wave of Indian art cinema.

Tug of War (Tanzania, Amil Shivji) A callow Marxist subversive falls for an Indian girl who has escaped her arranged marriage in British-controlled 1950s Zanzibar. Political romantic drama adopts the language of classic Hollywood glamor, albeit without the magnetic movie star performances the style depends on. Based on a classic Tanzanian novel.

Okay

Earwig (France, Lucile Hadžihalilović) In a creepy manor, an anxious loner (Paul Hilton) looks after a girl with teeth made of ice, at the behest of mysterious masters. The director’s first English language film pushes her dream narratives of childhood transformation into the far fringes of austerity.

Not Recommended

You Are Not My Mother (Ireland, Kate Dolan) A withdrawn teen’s depressed mother briefly disappears, prefiguring the revelation of a supernatural family secret. Contemporary folk horror with stronger direction than script, with extensive foreshadowing genre fans will be well ahead of and an inactive menace that doesn’t do enough to propel the story.

Snakehead (US, Evan Jackson Leong) Smuggled immigrant (Shuya Chang) works off her debt by acting as the right hand to the matriarch (Jade Wu) of an NYC Chinatown crime family. Socially conscious gangland drama features the bane of longtime documentarians turning their hand to fiction:  awkward, exposition-heavy scripting.

Arthur Rambo (France, Laurent Cantet) Rising literary star (Rabah Nait Oufella) plummets when the hate-filled tweets of his old alter ego resurface. Refined, uncinematic debate film presents thesis, antithesis, and credits.

Medusa (Brazil, Anita Rocha da Silveira) Member of AN ultra-right Christian school’s violent, pallid-masked theocratic girl gang  goes undercover at a coma ward in search of a disfigured model. Overlong, unfocused political allegory references the horror genre, chiefly by adopting Dario Argento’s color palette.

After Blue (Dirty Paradise) (France, Bertrand Mandico) On a psychedelic alien world, a young outcast (Paula Luna) frees the statuesque, wish-granting death-dealer Kate Bush and she must accompany her hairdresser mother (Elina Löwensohn) on a quest to hunt her down. Invokes the spirits of Jodorowsky and Barbarella for a sleepwalk trudge through an arbitrary sequence of dream-logic events. Like its influences it is perhaps intended for a chemically altered audience.

La Soga 2 (US, Manny Perez) Dominican hitman (Perez) has gotten out and is living with a devoted new girlfriend, until a corrupt CIA officer pulls him back in. Scrappy microbudget crime flick is Dominican. 

Gladiator 2: De langstverwachte film van het jaar is een mission impossible  VRT.beHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

1. Automatisierte Bots auf X greifen in den US-Wahlkampf ein (zeit.de, Eva Wolfangel) “Die Sorge, dass das Internet von Bots zersetzt wird, gibt es schon lange. Jetzt gibt es erstmals klare Belege für solche KI-Accounts – manche machen Stimmung für Trump.” Eva Wolfangel gibt einen Einblick in die derzeitige Forschung zu Bot-Netzwerken. Weiterer Lesetipp: Elon […]

REEES/Slavic Grad Film Series Bordenlens: Queer Outlines of Geography and Gender Organized by Sofia Guerra Sponsored by the Program in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, the Humanities Council, the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies and the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies. All Films Shown with English Subtitles

Bamako is a 2006 film directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, first released at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May and in Manhattan by New Yorker Films on 14 February 2007. The film depicts a trial taking place in Bamako, the capital of Mali, amid the daily life that is going on in the city. In the midst of that trial, two sides argue whether the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are guided by special interest of developed nations, or whether it is corruption and the individual nations' mismanagement, that is guilty of the current financial state of many poverty-stricken African countries as well as the rest of the poor undeveloped world. The film even touches on European colonization and discusses how it plays a role in shaping African societies and their resulting poverty and issues.

Malês portrays the difficult living conditions of Black men and women in 19th-century Bahia, fighting against extreme racism, poverty, and religious intolerance. The film features a prominent cast, including Rocco and Camila Pitanga, Wilson Rabelo, Bukassa Kabengele, Samira Carvalho, Rodrigo de Odé, Heraldo de Deus, and Patricia Pillar, along with the director Antonio Pitanga. The script is written by Manuela Dias, and the cinematography is by Pedro Farkas. The film, based on historical facts, depicts the Malês Revolt, the largest organized uprising by enslaved people in Brazilian history. The insurrection mobilized the enslaved and free Black population through the streets of Salvador against slavery in 1835. Led by Muslim Africans, called Malês, the rebellion took place at the end of Ramadan, celebrated in January by Islam. After the revolt’s failure, the demonstrators were severely punished, and repression against Black people in Brazil increased. In the feature, Antonio Pitanga plays Pacífico Licutan, one of the leaders of the uprising, who emphasized the importance of participation from different tribes and religions for the revolt’s success and the end of slavery. The film also presents other participants of the revolt, such as Anuna (Rodrigo dos Santos), Manuel Calafate (Bukassa Kabengele), Vitério Sule (Heraldo de Deus), and Luis Sanim (Thiago Justino), along with fictional characters who portray real-life dramas, such as Dassalu (Rocco Pitanga), Sabina (Camila Pitanga), and Abayome (Samira Carvalho).

Mathilde Bédouet's 'Summer 96' qualified for the Oscars by winning the prestigious César Award, France's equivalent of the Academy Award.

The NFB film earned its Oscars qualification by winning the Helen Hill Award for animated short at the New Orleans Film Festival.

In this Oscar-qualified short, a group of friends go on a roadtrip as their car – and their country – falls apart.

Three-time Oscar nominee Torill Kove, who won the Academy Award for her short 'The Danish Poet,' is back in the Oscars race this year with a new film about her memories of growing up in Kenya.

Students across the country are participating in NOVA's film production program to make videos about climate change solutions in their local communities.

The Sing Sing maximum security prison in New York held its first-ever film festival recently, with incarcerated men invited to judge the five entries.

Eastwood takes measured aim at the American justice system in a film that centers on a murder trial — and a juror who realizes he may be implicated in the crime.

The movie was the first Nesher made after returning to Israel following a decade-long stint in Hollywood.

Netflix explained, "We launched this licensed collection of films in 2021 for three years. Those licenses have now expired."

From the horror of the Holocaust to the struggles that the cousins face in the modern day, the movie is about the overall pains of life, film star Jennifer Grey iterated.

Their movies feature lush cinematography (whether in color or black-and-white), passionate romances that are all the more affecting because the characters are so very British.

The festival’s opening-night gala will feature the West Coast Premiere of Tom Nesher’s Come Closer at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.

Cameras started rolling for The White Lotus cast on the Thai islands in February

A série de sucesso sul-coreana retorna para uma segunda temporada em dezembro.

Undercover filming shows COP29 chief exec discussing new oil and gas projects ahead of climate summit.

Over the past year, Aya and Khalid have been filming their lives for a BBC documentary.