A peek at what's playing at the 72nd annual Berlinale

please welcome new contributor John Lynn-Fernandez

M Night Shyamalan, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, and Connie Nielsen are on the jury

The Berlin Film Festival kicked off last night. It's the second of the "Big Five" film festivals each year (after Sundance, before Cannes). In this preview, some films that stand out as potential highlights of the festival. But, of course, you never know which discoveries or films will emerge as the triumphs until audiences are watching them...

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Sundance: 'The Janes' Brings Context to Modern Women’s Struggles

by Eurocheese

"The Janes" are a popular topic at the Sundance Film Festival this year, and given the way women’s rights are under attack in the US today, their story remains relevant. Earlier in the festival, the fictional Call Jane highlighted one woman’s story when she became involved with this group. In The Janes, documentarians Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes show the real women who lived this history, detailing the backstory of this group and showing us what a future with restricted women’s rights might look like...

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Michael Douglas is the Guest of Honor for the 2022 Meihodo Film Festival

by Nathaniel R

Last year, you may recall, the Meihodo Film Festival honored Juliette Binoche. This year another iconic star, Michael Douglas will be doing double-duty as their Guest of Honor / Advisor. The Meihodo Film Festival, now in its fourth year, is an all streaming international short film festival focused on young visual artists...

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AFI Diary #4: "Jockey," Audience Award Winners and More

Christopher James wrapping up his 2021 AFI Fest coverage. 

JOCKEY wins the Audience Award

Phew! The AFI Film Festival is done. The weekend was full of lots of great movies from around the world and some high profile premieres, such as Swan Song, Tick, Tick... Boom, and Bruised ! Still, there are a few more reviews to wrap up the festival with including Jockey, starring Clifton Collins Jr, which took the Audience Award for Narrative Feature...

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AFI Diary #3: "Parallel Mothers" and "Petite Maman"

Christopher is covering the 2021 AFI Fest Film Festival. Follow along for his reviews.

The hits just keep coming during AFI Fest. Two renowned international filmmakers screened their new films this weekend - Pedro Almodóvar and Celina Sciamma. Check out the latest reviews below:

Parallel Mothers (Pedro Almodóvar)

Pedro Almodóvar is a genre unto his own. The legendary Spanish director has made dramas, comedies, thrillers and everything in between over his forty-plus year career. No matter the tone of the movie, there are certain colors, beats and stylistic choices that are undeniably Pedro. We don’t look at a bright, dark red color the same thanks to his work in cinema. One of the great joys in watching a Pedro Almodóvar film is watching the plot change from what you expected it to be and what it actually is. Parallel Mothers is top-tier Almodóvar, particularly because it subverts one’s own expectations and becomes a much more emotional, haunting and political picture...

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