TIFF '23: Shadows of Our Violent Past

by Cláudio Alves

Examining troubled history through art can be a necessary confrontation, even a search for catharsis. You can't move into a brighter future without acknowledging the shadows lurking in the past. It's no wonder, then, that countless filmmakers use their skills to make these excavations on the dig site of the screen. For all that Shinya Tsukamoto's Shadow of Fire and Felipe Gálvez Haberle's The Settlers tackle their respective countries' histories, they're not traditional period pieces content to passively restage yesteryears. They bear the weight of an artist's singular vision…

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Doc Corner: Maite Alberdi’s 'The Eternal Memory'

By Glenn Charlie Dunks

After garnering a (somewhat surprising?) Oscar nomination for The Mole Agent in 2020, Chilean director Maite Alberdi’s next feature was always going to be on people’s radar. With The Eternal Memory she has yet again returned to stories of the elderly in society. Unlike Mole, which had a comedic touch (I’m surprised Diane Keaton hasn’t optioned the film rights), The Eternal Memory is strictly dramatic in its telling of the ravages of Alzheimer’s Disease to one of her home country’s most celebrated journalists and authors, Augusto Góngora.

As you might expect, this isn’t an easy watch. Anybody who has seen what dementia does to a person will recognise many of its subject’s hardest moments. It’s probably a hardened soul who wouldn’t shed a tear by its end.

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International Oscar Race -- Big First Round of News!

by Nathaniel R

Festival season is about to begin (we kick off with Elisa in Venice again!) which means it's nearly fall. That also means various organizations and academies and councils around the world are deciding which of their country's films they should submit to the Oscar race for Best International Feature Film.

We now know 2 official submissions and a few finalist lists so let's start sharing the good news...

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Doc Corner: Patricio Guzmán’s 'My Imaginary Country'

By Glenn Dunks

The spectre of director Patricio Guzmán’s career lingers over his latest, My Imaginary Country. It would be hard not to considering he is the most prominent and prolific documenter of modern Chile. But in this case it feels different. It isn’t just a case of the viewer bringing their knowledge of the director’s work into a latest. Rather, the new work is reflecting those films going back fifty years.

For you see, Guzmán has made a name for himself detailing the horrors of the Pinochet dictatorship. Most prominently across two of the most impressive film trilogies you will ever see (The Battle of Chile parts one to three, and the run of Nostalgia for the Light, The Pearl Button and Cordillera of Dreams). He didn’t expect this beloved homeland to fall once again to civil war, which is what it appeared was happening in 2019...

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Best International Film: Chile, Netherlands, Spain

by Cláudio Alves

I'm pleased to bring you the annual grouped reviews of the less high profile submissions for Best International Film Oscar. Many major contenders have already been reviewed (check the end of this article for links), but others remain unexamined. With 93 titles to consider, that's bound to happen. So as we wait for December 21st, when the Academy announces its 15-wide shortlist for this particular race, let's take a look at some of those submissions, starting with three previous champions from the category's history.

Chile won once before, while the Netherlands has three Oscars, and Spain counts four previous victories. This year, they submitted a portrait of colonialism, a drama about war's hell, and a dark comedy starring an Oscar-winning international star… 

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