A Microphone in the Head (Mikrofon Peas)
FILM REVIEW WORKSHOP: the sudden death of a man triggers a chain of absurd events, in a movie overflowing with symbolisms, topics and messages - from the PÖFF Shorts section of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Border
FILM REVIEW WORKSHOP: young woman filmmaker undertakes a dangerous journey from her native Estonia to her gran's grave in Russia, in a movie bursting with originality and heartfelt simplicity - from the PÖFF Shorts section of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

A Goodnight Kiss (Irena)
Giedrė Žickytė’s documentary portrait of late Lithuanian intellectual Irena Veisaitė is both a celebration and a lament - from the Doc@PÖFF Baltic Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Death is Harder Than a Broken Heart
FILM REVIEW WORKSHOP: mother has to come to terms with her mortality and with the figurative death of her son, in this heartwarming black comedy - from the PÖFF Shorts section of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Goodbye Sisters
Two siblings venture up the Himalayas in search of a fungus/insect hybrid, in a spiritual journey with parallels to the Spanish Camino - filthy genius doc premieres in the Doc@PÖFF International Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Terra Vil
Portuguese riverside turns sombre and gloomy as young boy struggles with alcoholic father - from the Just Film Youth and Children Film Festival, a sub-festival of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Not Made for Politics
Women became the face of resistance as Belarus fought against Lukashenko, in this dirty doc dedicated to female Belarusians involved in politics - from the Doc@PÖFF Baltic Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

It’s Winter
High up on the mountains of Iran where men call the shots, an adolescent prepares herself for the forthcoming snow - immersive doc premieres in the Doc@PÖFF International Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Days of Wonder (Päivien Lumo)
Finish woman pays tribute to her reclusive and artistic late uncle by trying to piece together his long-forgotten writings and clips - from the Doc@PÖFF International Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Miss Jobson
Bob Marley's friend and lawyer Diane Jobson lived a life far from the spotlight; now the 80-year-old showcases her work, religion, and learnings from the late Rasta - from the Doc@PÖFF International Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Scarecrows (Putnubiedēkļi)
Airport workers negotiate the environmental conflicts of the shared airfield space, in this quirky Latvian documentary - from the Doc@PÖFF Baltic Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

The Feast of the Wolf
A territory in Croatia is apparently haunted by wolves being flown in by helicopter, and maybe the EU is to blame for transporting the animals - from the Doc@PÖFF International Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [Read More...]

Dream Machine
A mechanic and his wife watch cars literally fly up to the blue, as they grapple with problems closer to the ground - from LA Shorts [Read More...]

Divia
Drone-shot, technology-infused "silent" film offers an intriguing register of Russian devastation on Ukrainian soil - from the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival [Read More...]

All American
Young wrestlers become activists and well as contenders, in this all-American doc about overcoming obstacles in order to pursue dreams - from the Heartland Film Festival [Read More...]

A Way to Die: the Short-Films of Coil
Rockumentary explores two queer artists no longer living, and their shared taste for shock and experimental cinema - from the 12th Doc'n Roll Film Festival [Read More...]

Evidence
The political intertwines with the personal in Lee Anne Schmitt's feature-length self-reflexive documentary, as the American filmmaker explores her father's career in a business of very questionable ethics - from the New York International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Butthole Surfers Movie
Tom Stern’s love letter to one of the strangest punk phenomena of the '80 and '90s perfectly matches the goofiness of the American band - from the 12th edition of the Doc'n Roll Film Festival [Read More...]

I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol
Songwriting bassist Glen Matlock was evicted from the band he nourished, but he's here to tell his events the best way he knows how - from the 12th edition of the Doc' Roll Festival [Read More...]

A Beautiful Place
Dutch photographer-turned-filmmaker Isolde Woudstra follows mysterious Lebanese duo Hanover on their 2024 European tour, in this blend of talking heads and concert documentary - from the 12th Doc'n Roll Festival [Read More...]

Crying on Command
Dreams hang by a thread, in this engaging and challenging short drama - from the Flicker's Rhode Island International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Big Johnson
Delicious celebration of LGBTQ+ underground culture shines a light on Dean Johnson, a queer musician well ahead of his time - from the 12th edition of the Doc'n Roll Festival [Read More...]

Boy George & Culture Club
Rockumentary reveals Culture Club as a smorgasbord of heritages and influences; this diversity made their music rich but also caused their egos to explode - from the 12th Doc'n Roll Festival [Read More...]

Barrio Triste
Four petty criminals operate under the purview of supernatural entities, in this Colombian blend of spiritual and gangster flick - from the New York International Film Festival [Read More...]

Gavagai
In his self-reflexive new film, German director Ulrich Köhler meditates on the neocolonial hierarchies that he himself helped to perpetuate - from the New York International Film Festival [Read More...]

A Private Life (Vie Privee)
Jodie Foster is the unhinged shrink from hell, in this silly and fun French psychological thriller - from the 69th BFI London Film Festival [Read More...]

Winter of the Crow
British academic gets trapped in Poland just as the communist regime imposes martial law, in this interesting (if barely enlightening) marriage of horror and political thriller - closing film at the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Joan of Arc (Jóhanna af Örk)
Resembling an audiovisual installation, Hlynur Pálmason's featurette turns the effigy of a viking knight into a vulnerable French martyr - from the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Ashima
Crisp 4k restoration of first widescreen musical of communist China, the story of a ethnic woman kidnapped after refusing an arranged marriage, premieres at the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Copper
Mexican miner of few words is convinced that he has respiratory problems, in this distinctive character study with a touch a deadpan - from the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

She Walks in Darkness (Un Fantasma en la Batalla)
Young and lonely officer infiltrates Basque terrorist group to explosive results, in this measured and finely crafted police thriller (which doubles down as an enlightening comment on democracy) - now on Netflix [Read More...]

Good Valley Stories (Historias del Buen Valle)
Tiny, multiethnic and once quiet and peaceful community gets squeezed by Barcelona's sprawling urbanisation, in José Luis Guerin's austere and observational doc - from the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Sundays (Los Domingos)
GOLDEN SHELL WINNER Spectacular Basque drama proposes Catholic faith as a valid liberation path, thereby questioning progressive "freedom" ideals - from the Official Competition of the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Ballad of a Small Player
Colin Farrell plays an alcohol and casino addict hiding in Macao, in Edward Berger's silly thriller, with a toxic message for gamblers - on Netflix on Monday, October 27th [Read More...]

Her Heart Beats in its Cage (Jianiu Laide Mama)
Murderer seeking to reconnect with her child plays a fictionalised version of herself, in this brave, sincere and controversial piece of autofiction - from the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Growing Pains
American indie dissects a vast spectrum of issues plaguing ordinary Americans, but the poor artistry prevents the film from reaching its full potential - from the Boston International Film Festival [Read More...]

Nuremberg
Starring a superb, German-speaking Russell Crowe, James Vanderbilt's historical drama about Hermann Goering's Nuremberg trial reminds viewers that "evil" doesn't always wear a Nazi uniform - on VoD on Friday, January 9th [Read More...]

Sai: Disaster (Sai)
Japanese study of accidents and serial killers blends horror and psychological thriller devices, while boasting a tremendous music score - from the Official Competition of the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Currents (Las Corrientes)
Milagros Mumenthaler's new creation is a solemn, morose and elliptical meditation on suicide, depression and emotional isolation - from the Official Competition of the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Belen
Argentina's judiciary crucifies the victim of a miscarriage, in this mostly effective blend of courtroom and activist drama - in cinemas on Friday, November 7th [Read More...]

Franz
Agnieszka Holland delivers a disjointed and toothless biopic of one of the most subversive writers ever - from the Official Competition of the 73rd San Sebastian International Folm festival [Read More...]

Maspalomas
Stroke throws a spanner into the hedonistic life of an older gay man, in this superb Basque drama bursting with humanism, empathy and candid sex - from the 69th BFI London Film Festival [Read More...]

Dolores
Vicarious pleasures shape the lives of three generations of Brazilian women, in this tender tale of broken dreams - from San Sebastian and Rotterdam [Read More...]

Ungrateful Beings
Awkwardness prevails as a foreign dad takes his children on holiday abroad, in this highly engaging and entertaining study of emotional isolation - from the Official Competition of the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Couture
Angelina Jolie and South Sudanese newcomer Anyier Anei star in tender French-American drama about the pitfalls of fashion and the pains of cancer - from the Red Sea International Film Festival [Read More...]

The Fence (Le Cri des Gardes)
Claire Denis's new creation is a cryptic, sombre and solemn allegory of modern-day colonialism in West Africa - from the Official Competition of the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Two Pianos (Deux Pianos)
Arnaud Desplechin mixes stage performance, career ambitions, unrequited love and death to awful results (thereby wasting Charlotte Rampling's talents), in this pointless psychological thriller - from the Official Competition at San Sebastian [Read More...]

Los Tigres
Indomitable diver slips into drug traficking in order regain partial custody of his daughters, in this Spanish blend of underwater thriller and family drama - from the Official Competition of the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

Six Days in Spring (Six jours Ce Printemps-Là)
Black mother takes her children and new lover to a forbidden family holiday in her former in-law's St Tropez villa, in this quiet family "heist" drama - from the Official Competition at the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]

27 Nights (27 Noches)
Eccentric octogenarian fights for her freedom after her two greedy daughters lock her up in a "nuthouse", in this Argentinian study of justice and sanity - opening film at the 73rd San Sebastian International Film Festival [Read More...]