The war in the early 1990s and the break-up of the former Yugoslavia casts a long shadow over the culture of the Balkans. It’s no surprise that film-makers in the region are creating work which reflect the time…
By Day and By Night (De Dia y De Noche)
7 October 2011 by Leave a Comment
The world’s population is getting bigger and bigger every day. Our resources are threatened and in some towns and cities there are simply too many people for the local infrastructure to manage …
Mesocafe
6 October 2011 by Leave a Comment
The war in Iraq and the search for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) have been a source of inspiration for a number of films including In The Valley of Elah, The Hurt Locker and the hugely disappointing Green Zone. All of these come from a Western (American) perspective…
How To Start A Revolution
6 October 2011 by Leave a Comment
It always feels strange going to the cinema to see a documentary feature. When I think of factual films I tend to look towards Channel 4 or BBC 2 rather than a night out at the movies…
Amnesty (Amnistia)
5 October 2011 by 2 Comments
As I expected, my time at the Raindance Film Festival is exposing me to films I would never normally choose to go and see. Not because they aren’t worth seeing but simply because they would never normally have come onto my radar, not being amongst the blockbusters showing at the local multiplex…
Hollow
5 October 2011 by Leave a Comment
In the past couple of years there has been an explosion in the number of “found footage” films. Mostly these are films which look like they have been recorded on a camcorder and discarded after a horrific event of some description…
Interview – Fambul Tok Producer, Libby Hoffman
4 October 2011 by Leave a Comment
Fambul Tok is a moving documentary about the power of forgiveness and reconciliation which held its UK premiere at the Raindance Film Festival…
Fambul Tok
4 October 2011 by Leave a Comment
In my old job I worked with survivors of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. I was always struck by their dignity, desire to rebuild their lives and the lack of desire for revenge…
Skinning (Šišanje)
30 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
Last year at Raindance the short Balkan film strand drew both praise and criticism, particularly for the inclusion of A Serbian Film which horrified many viewers with its graphic scenes and distasteful plot. The controversy hasn’t put the Festival off the promotion of Balkan cinema…
Interview – Raindance Founder, Elliot Grove
28 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Raindance Film Festival starts today in London and I’m delighted that Elliot Grove, founder of the festival, took some time out of his extremely busy schedule to speak to me…