“The big important definition is that it's fashion IN film.” Dal tells me as we sit outside the watershed on a fresh Sunday afternoon. “It's not a fashion film festival which is the mistake that a lot of people often make and that distinction, that tiny word of two letters, is so crucial. Because what it should imply is that we're interested in film and Cinema”.
Read MoreYes, Pixar has created a film with laugh-out-loud moments and imaginative ideas, but what it really does, more than that, is depict the reality of what it is to live. It takes a risk - and uses a young person as their main character - and in doing so, invites older viewers to confront the fact that mental health can plague us from a young age. Moreover, for the younger viewers, it gives one important message - it is normal and okay to struggle. It gives shape to these scary abstract emotions.
Read MoreYou’ve probably guessed by now that the premise of The Assembly is where a group of autistic, neurodivergent and learning disabled people interview celebrities. I appreciate its heart is in the right place, and I don’t want to tear it apart completely. Except I do. It’s 2025 and it feels incredibly frustrating and disappointing to see disabled people treated like zoo animals.
Read MoreJane Schoenbrun’s freshman feature We’re All Going to the World’s Fair released in 2021. It is a film that captures what it meant to be a teenager growing up in the internet age, and the effect of the media consumed on one’s identity through a lo-fi horror aesthetic. This concept is developed further in their next film, 2024’s I Saw The TV Glow, swapping out the presence of internet access with that of nostalgic late night cable television. Within this lies the core identity of the film: the damage caused from the repression of identity, and more importantly, why the expressionism of oneself is important.
Read MoreHaving first seen the movie in my mid teens, somewhere in the early 2000’s, the movie was fundamental in the forming of my love of cinema. Besides this, I developed some strong emotional bonds over the love of this movie, at a difficult age where such things are pivotal.
Read MoreThe White Lotus returns to the screen for another iconic season, transporting us all to Thailand. The first two seasons took place in Maui and Sicily, and this season sees the return of familiar faces, including Belinda and Greg (now going by Gary) from season one played by Natasha Rothwell and Jon Gries. If we know anything about Mike White, it is that he likes his characters messy, complicated, delusional, and even diabolical. The mess that you're about to witness this season will probably have you taking Lorazepam.
Read More“Adolescence” follows the story of a thirteen-year-old school boy, Jamie Miller, portrayed by Owen Cooper, after he is accused of stabbing and murdering Katie, another school girl in his year. Within the four episodes, we see the events carried out after the crime is committed, including his arrest and the effects it has on him, his family and other members of the community.
Read MoreA long awaited return to original storytelling, Leigh’s latest effort brings previous collaborator Marianne Jean-Baptiste back to the forefront of the screen as Pansy, an agoraphobic housewife with a multitude of detestable mannerisms.
Read MoreIn 2022, Netflix reported that 40% of global users always have subtitles on, and 80% use them at least once a month.
Read MoreTo many, Batman is more than just his beginnings as a comic book superhero. Batman is not just the preserve of ‘comic book geeks’.
Read MoreMy question is, if these television shows are nothing more than garbage, why do so many of us tune in with eager eyes the minute they are released?
Read MoreThroughout history, women have been told to sit down, be quiet and keep to yourself. Growing up, we are constantly told that sex is purely an act of procreation, that it’s something females should endure not enjoy. It is normalised to a point that we start looking at female pleasure as something wrong, especially self-pleasure. I mean women like sex – I sure do anyway!
Read MoreSince Netflix’s breakthrough in 2013 with the debut of its original House of Cards series, many other streaming platforms such as Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video have made it possible for binge-watching to become mainstream.
Read MoreDespite visibly displaying all the hallmarks of the stereotypical female duo so often found in films: the hot, popular ‘queen bee’ and her nerdy, needy best friend, these two characters refuse to conform and subvert this dynamic throughout the film.
Read MoreLosing Joy is a short film about a young woman struggling to acknowledge the first anniversary of her sister’s death. Faith [Michelle Tiwo] is lost in grief until close friend and former girlfriend Olivia [Shanay Neusum-James] guides her into acceptance.
Read MoreIn the aftermath of the London Short Film Festival (LSFF) this January, I sat down with one of its founders, Philip Ilson to speak about what they have achieved. Now coming up to its 20th anniversary festival next year, Ilson has been able to take a look back at what they have achieved over the festival’s lifetime, and consider how this will inform their plans for the future.
Read MoreSince the beginning of the film and tv industry women have been pushed aside in roles that were traditionally dominated by men, such as directors, producers and writers. If we look back to the golden age of Hollywood, very rarely will you see a female working the camera, taking control of film direction and writing a hit. Many were leading ladies like Judy Garland, Vivian Leigh and Audrey Hepburn.
Read MoreTISWAS would probably be pulled off the schedule within one episode nowadays. Ahead of Bristol Ideas and Slapstick Festival’s much anticipated TISWAS: The Reunion, at St Georges Bristol on Saturday 16th April, Slapstick Festival and Bristol Ideas director Andrew Kelly shares his memories of TISWAS, and how it sparked a love of comedy that would last a lifetime.
Read MoreBristol Bad Film Club has been ongoing since 2013. Set up by film lover, Ti Singh, each month the club showcases a notoriously bad film (the badder, the better) at Bristol Improv Theatre. With all proceeds going to charity, the film club offers a unique experience - the audience paying a fiver to watch a film about killer bees, a lion mauling Kathy Griffiths or watching Sylvester Stallone’s bodyguard act.
Read MoreFrom skipping school to ride horses to making his acting debut in Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant, Shaun Thomas has made name for himself on both the big and small screen. His most recent release is Ali & Ava, a beautiful portrayal of a working-class, modern day love story. His second film with Barnard, Thomas plays Callum, a son to Claire Rushbrooks’ Ava and a young dad himself.
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