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12 October 2020
Our Top Picks + Revolution & Social Change in Sci-Fi
by Abla Kandalaft, Coco Green, Thomas Barlow
A longer episode than usual in which we are joined by Media Fund Strategic Coordinator Thomas Barlow. Among the many other things he does is conducting anti-fascist history tours in his home city of Manchester!
Tom chose to focus on themes of revolution and social change in sci-fi, with a particular focus on Elysium, The Expanse and Battlestar Galactica. We discuss how the film and series creators depict the agents of change, the use of a single hero-like protagonist as opposed to the (...) Continue Reading »
Yet again, Encounters treats us to some of the most discerning curating out there. The various programmes never disappoint, the comedy shorts are funny, the horror shorts are scary, the experimental shorts are wacky. Covid means we miss out on many things: the wonderful Watershed venue and its underrated risotto, the networking, the warm, friendly atmosphere and chit chat with the directors, the hustle and bustle and human interactions that inject the fun and dynamism in the festival (...) Continue Reading »
9 October 2020
Eternal Beauty : A Bold Representation of Mental Illness That Goes Beyond Dark Comedy
by Benjamin Hollis
Craig Roberts’ « Eternal Beauty » is a bold representation of mental illness that breaks with cinematic tradition, adding a rare level of nuance and compassion to an often misrepresented topic. Sally Hawkins stars as Jane, an isolated woman struggling with depression, schizophrenia and an at times toxic environment - 80s English suburbia. A chance encounter and whirlwind relationship with fellow patient Mike (David Thewlis) appears to grant her a new lifeline but instead serves only to (...) Continue Reading »
Following Emerging Filmmakers Night’s latest edition, True Grit", Mydylarama had a chat with both prize winners about their work, their sources of inspiration and filming during Covid. More about the winning entries, Single and Stretched Out here.
First up, Critics’ Prize winner Ashley Eakin who directed Single, talks to us about representations of disabilities on film, shooting in Canada and her many upcoming projects.
Audience Prize winner Alastair Train, who won the award for Stretched (...) Continue Reading »
1 October 2020
Tommy Hodgson’s Encounters TOP 5
by Tommy Hodgson
Writer Tommy Hodgson offers his own top picks from this year’s Encounters Short Film Festival.
Breadline (UK, director: Carol Salter): Breadline displays intimate footage of a food bank in a Northern town through the gaze of an elderly volunteer and, in doing so, serves as a damning indictment of the austerity state which the Conservative Party has manufactured and sustained within the UK. Carol Salter’s short tale is a personal, and soul-searching look into the ordinary people who have (...) Continue Reading »
29 September 2020
Our Picks + "Colonial Chic" & Gone With The Wind
by Abla Kandalaft, Coco Green
This week’s focus is "colonial chic" in light of the touted and actual removal of Gone With The Wind from a number of programmes and archives due to its racist outlook. We discuss themes of colonialism and postcolonialism through film, namely the above and Jane Austen’s work and their filmic representations. As the saying goes, it’s not what you’re looking at it’s what you see.
Our picks this week are the Encounters Film Festival - GET YOUR PASS - and its expert, sharp-eyed curating - only £10 (...) Continue Reading »
21 September 2020
TRUE GRIT! EFN reveals its autumn edition...
by Mydylarama team
Another trimester, another season, another Emerging Filmmakers Night . Although the apocalypse is kept at bay, Covid is still raging, and given the fun had last time, the team decided to keep their winning formula and hold another live-streamed event on 28 September 2020.
And so, in that spirit of enduring resilience, behold the autumn edition: TRUE GRIT! EFN is a festival that celebrates talented filmmakers’s early work and gives a platform to many gems that might not have yet reached the (...) Continue Reading »
13 September 2020
Our Picks + Waves
by Abla Kandalaft, Coco Green, Matt Howsam
This week we are joined by Matt Howsam, a production coordinator in the VFX industry and a film critic.
We mention the hilarious and highly original One Cut Of The Dead by Shin’ichirô Ueda, a Japanese Zombie comedy in the style of some of the best mockumentaries out there and a homage to low budget filmmaking. Depending on where you are you can watch it on Shudder or buy the DVD (it’s from 2017). Abla also highlights the Netflix series Unwell, which looks at the dark side of the wellness (...) Continue Reading »
7 September 2020
Our Picks + Pablo Navarrete (No Extradition)
by Abla Kandalaft, Coco Green
This week, Coco and Abla interview documentary filmmaker and journalist Pablo Navarrete. Pablo’s latest film No Extradition is a record of the campaign of support for Julian Assange who is facing extradition to the US. He also follows John Shipton, Assange’s father, over several months as he fought to secure his son’s release from Belmarsh prison in the UK.
The filmmaker whose first documentary "Inside the Revolution: A Journey into the Heart of Venezuela" dates from 2009 was working for (...) Continue Reading »
24 August 2020
First edition of the Independent Iraqi Film Festival
by Abla Kandalaft
Oline and entirely free to watch, the Independent Iraqi Film Festival brings us features, shorts and discussions, shedding a spotlight on a thriving cinematic culture in the country and among the Iraqi diaspora.
IA: Israa Al-Kamali AH: Ahmed Habib RT: Roisin Tapponi SD: Shahnaz Dulaimy
1. How did the team come together and initiate the idea for the festival? IA: It started with a call from Ahmed Habib, one of the four people working on the festival, back in March. Ahmed and I got (...) Continue Reading »
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