Cannes film festival directors fortnight

A pair of Scottish animators struggle to make a film in A Cat Called Dom , world premiering as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival ’s feature strand. Chiefly a live-action documentary, it shows friends and collaborators Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson ( The Making Of Longbird ) trying to shoot a semi-scripted film for Will’s mother, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Their footage and outtakes are eventually worked into more of a behind-the-scenes story, showing the frustrations that get in the way of their filming, and the strain on their friendship. The cat of the title is DOM, an animated feline that lives on Will’s laptop screen and interjects with observations, questions and actions that shed a light on his feelings in a darkly humorous way. It’s a busy mix and scattershot by its very nature; this is a collage of emotions, events and styles that collide in a film that’s openly not what it was originally intended to be. But Anderson … [Read more...] about Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Will Anderson & Ainslie Henderson’s ‘A Cat Called Dom’

An Oscar statue goes missing in Hassan Nazer ’s amiable feature Winners , which had its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival . After the Oscar is inadvertently left in a taxi in Iran, the prize is sent to the post office, where it’s once again lost by a well-meaning postal worker. While he insists that it must have fallen out of his car in a rural location, the authorities insist that the man is detained, assuming theft, until the statue is located. And so there’s a ripple of urgency running through this otherwise gently paced comedy-drama. It’s no spoiler to reveal that the Oscar ends up in the hands of two children: nine-year-old Yahya and his friend Leyla. We’re let in on their secret as they hide the “doll” from their friends and, amusingly, put it in a dress to preserve its modesty (“It’s so Leyla won’t see him naked,” explains the boy). Their efforts to sell the find are thwarted: such items are of no use to the locals. As the … [Read more...] about Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Hassan Nazer’s ‘Winners’

Married couple Devorah Baum and Josh Appignanesi co-direct and produce the confessional documentary Husband , world premiering at the Edinburgh International Film Festival . Baum is a successful author, academic and speaker; Appignanesi won rave reviews for his last film, Female Human Animal , after his debut, Song of Songs , won awards at London and Edinburgh. And yet, both these Brits are beset by neuroses, as this frank film shows — or possibly exaggerates: the press notes describe it as being “on the cusp between auto-fiction and documentary.” Framed as a follow-up to their 2016 documentary The New Man , Husband is an uneasy and uncertain watch that provokes thought about relationships and feelings while occasionally amusing, in an uncomfortable sort of way. The key story takes place in the U.S., where Baum is promoting a book she has written about dealing with feelings such as guilt, paranoia, envy and self-hatred. With two small children in tow, … [Read more...] about Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Devorah Baum & Josh Appignanesi’s ‘Husband’

Mammootty and director B Unnikrishnan's highly anticipated cop film has finally got its title. The official first look and title poster of the project were revealed by the megastar and his son, actor Dulquer Salmaan on social media, on the special occasion of Chingam 1. The Mammootty-starrer has been titled Christopher , and the first look poster of the film looks highly promising. From the first look poster, it is evident that the B Unnikrishnan directorial is going to be an action-packed cop film. Mammootty is said to be playing the titular character Christopher, a police officer. The film's tagline says " Biography of a vigilante cop ", thus hinting that the film is going to be a different experience for the audiences. Dulquer Salmaan, who is all excited about his father Mammootty's new film, released the first look poster on his social media handles and wrote, " Presenting to you Christopher. Directed by B Unnikrishnan and written by Udayakrishna, the … [Read more...] about Christopher: Mammootty-B Unnikrishnan’s Cop Film Gets A Title

Rating: 3.0 /5 Star Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, Rahul Bhatt, Hardy Nation, Pankaj Rajput Director: Anurag Kashyap "Tumhara mind idhar phile dots jod raha hain," a character in Anurag Kashyap's latest thriller Dobaaraa tells Antara (Taapsee Pannu) when the latter ends up at a hospital after a chain of events sets her life upside down. This scene totally summed up the state of my mind when the word 'intermission' flashed on screen. Until this block, there wasn't a single minute where my eyes left the screen. What if I miss out a crucial detail? Yes, Anurag & co. keep the pace that taut in Dobaaraa ! So, does the film in totality strike the right chord? Let's find out. What's Yay: Performances, Anurag Kashyap's effective storytelling What's Nay: The timeline of events ain't well defined Story Set in Pune, Dobaaraa begins with Antara Bhatt (Taapsee Pannu), a local nurse moving into a new house with her husband … [Read more...] about Dobaaraa Movie Review: Taapsee Pannu And Anurag Kashyap Brew A Storm That Blows Your Minds

Recently, during the promotions of Dobaaraa , filmmaker Anurag Kashyap opened up about India's official entry to Oscars and said that he hopes The Kashmir Files does not become India's official entry to the Academy Awards. In an interview with Galatta Plus, Anurag said, "India might actually have a nomination in the final five if RRR is the film they pick. I don't know what film anybody is going to pick. I hope not The Kashmir Files." (sic) As expected, his statement did not go down well with Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and he slammed the Gangs Of Wasseypur director on Twitter. He tweeted, "Important: The vicious, genocide-denier lobby of Bollywood has started their campaign against #TheKashmirFiles for #Oscars, under the leadership of the maker of #Dobaaraa." (sic) Reacting to Agnihotri's tweet, a Canadian filmmaker Dylan Mohan Gray tweeted, "Yeah, actually it's (hatemongering, revisionist) garbage of no artistic merit and will be a further embarrassment … [Read more...] about Canadian Filmmaker Calls The Kashmir Files ‘Garbage’

Sky ’s Kenneth Branagh -starring Boris Johnson drama This England has been sold to 88 territories worldwide by distributor Fremantle . Michael Winterbottom ’s highly-anticipated series, which profiles the early days of the COVID pandemic under Johnson’s premiership, has been picked up by Movistar+ (Spain), Viaplay (Nordics and Baltics, Poland and the Netherlands), Cosmote (Greece), OSN TV and OSN+ (MENA), M-Net (South Africa), BBC First (Australia) and TVNZ (New Zealand), amongst others. Fremantle said further deals will be unveiled in the coming weeks. A U.S. buyer has not yet been announced. The show will debut on September 21 on Sky in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Fremantle International CEO Jens Richter called This England a “truly unique drama that combines Michael Winterbottom’s talent for conveying powerful real-world stories with a stunning performance from Kenneth Branagh.” He added: “This dramatic behind the scenes … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson Drama ‘This England’ Starring Kenneth Branagh Sells To 88 Territories