We caught up with writer/director Dan Hodgson at Encounters in Bristol. His second film LOVE IS BLIND was screened at Encounters and has been shortlisted for a short film Palme d’or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Can you tell us a bit about how your first short-Are You Albert-came about? In the final few years of her life my grandma was in a care home with dementia and the idea grew (…) Continue Reading »

As we were up in Bristol for Encounters, we caught up with Elizabeth Mizon, programmer for the Radical Film Festival, which will take place on 9-11 October, just opposite the Watershed, the current home of Encounters, at the Arnolfini. We had a chat about funding, this year’s programme and whether the political environment in Britain has led to an increase in interest. More info at: (…) Continue Reading »

It’s a busy time in festival world and the Mydy team has been spreading itself thin trying to cover screenings and events. High-up on our list of not-to-be-missed fests is the unfailingly excellent Bristol-based Encounters Short Film Festival. Our two-people strong delegation was sent, and after having worked our way through the entire Watershed men and the 9 series of competitive shorts, we (…) Continue Reading »

Signe Baumane’s Rocks in My Pockets is a magic realist cartoon, revelatory in its examination of the repercussions and repetitions of mental illness within a genealogy. The hand-drawn animation is flat, jerky and superimposed onto footage of (…) Continue Reading »

Your previous documentaries are all about widely varying subjects. What inspired you to make one about Greenpeace? I try and do something different from one film to the next. I like looking at new subject matter and trying new approaches. This one emerged from the realisation that there was all this footage, all the original rushes used in Greenpeace’s campaigning films in the 1970s that (…) Continue Reading »

Now in its tenth year, the British Urban Film Festival aims to celebrate and promote independent, urban cinema in the UK. This year BUFF will have free masterclasses (in addition to its usual lineup for all the budding filmmakers hoping to be selected for future festivals) and short films online. BUFF Previews: Still Water (2014) isn’t at all urban but brings a bit of fantasy to the (…) Continue Reading »

Years ago, in 10th grade, my World History Ms Coehlo explained the nonsensical nature of the Holocaust being that they weren’t really another race, they were German. At the time, all I could think of was myself and I interpreted this statement as racism being okay only if you’re really dealing with another race. Now, remembering this story I think of ‘folk’ notions of race. It’s common that (…) Continue Reading »

As Hollywood’s fiscal calculations ensure it pumps out sequels, prequels and trilogies (some disguised as ‘new content’), the Remake Film Festival tried out a different relationship between old box office hits and current day moviemaking. Filmmakers across the globe were invited to reimagine, reinterpret or remake scenes from classical Hollywood movies – specifically Psycho, Casablanca and (…) Continue Reading »

Festival Scope have just sent us news that they’d partnered with the Venice Film Festival to set up Sala Web, an initiative that allows them to screen premieres online for 5 days. Sala Web showcases a selection of films from the Orizzonti Competition. New films will be available for streaming until the 11 September (inc. Jake Mahaffy’s FREE IN DEED). More info at home.festivalscope.com/ (…) Continue Reading »

The Sheffield Doc/Fest Environmental Award winner charts the early days of Greenpeace and the eco-movement, from its humble beginnings as a ragtag band of hippies attempting to stop a nuclear test to the establishment of a media savvy, international campaign group. The starting point is 1971, when a small group of activists, including rookie journalist Robert Hunter, set sail from Vancouver (…) Continue Reading »