Film
Hiro Murai’s filmmaking offers a fresh look at modern angst
Strange days — Hiro Murai is having a moment. Following his acclaimed work with Donald Glover, the filmmaker is now one of the most sought-after in Hollywood, tackling contemporary anxiety with an absurdist touch.
Written by: Niall Flynn
What Netflix did next: self-love & gender nonconformity
Are you still watching? — Writer Megan Nolan bravely ventures into the latest Netflix Original releases, in an attempt to figure out if anything is worth our time anymore. This week, it’s A Kid Like Jake and Juanita.
Written by: Megan Nolan
Flat Earth: inside the world’s biggest conspiracy theory
Behind the Curve — In new documentary Behind The Curve, filmmaker Daniel J Clark gets to know the people who believe the earth is flat. ‘There are continents outside of our Antarctica that are full of the elites and the rich and the powerful, and the government wants to keep that a secret.’
Written by: Ralph Jones
London skateboarders on masculinity and mental health
Minding the Gap — Camaraderie, catharsis, and angry white boys: UK skateboarding collective I Should Not Be Here review Bing Liu’s Oscar-nominated doc, Minding The Gap.
Written by: Beth Webb
What it’s like to grow up under FBI surveillance
Feel like you’re being watched? — After investigating rumours of surveillance in her Arab-American neighbourhood, journalist Assia Boundaoui uncovered one of America’s largest pre-9/11 FBI terrorism probes.
Written by: Hannah Clugston
Journalism’s future: finding truth in a post-truth world
The man behind Bellingcat — With his open-source website Bellingcat, journalist Eliot Higgins has uncovered the story behind the Skripal poisonings, flight MH17, and the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Now, he’s taking his investigations to the next level.
Written by: Hannah Clugston
The LGBTQ documentaries you need to see this year
Around the world — As the BFI Flare gears up for its launch later this month, festival programmer Zorian Clayton highlights the best documentaries from the 2019 programme.
Written by: Thomas Curry
What Netflix did next: camp clichés, cheap laughs & death
Are you still watching? — Writer Megan Nolan bravely ventures into Netflix’s Original releases, in an attempt to figure out if anything is even worth our time anymore. This week, it’s whimsical ‘cancer comedy’ Paddleton and the uncomfortably cliched Ideal Home.
Written by: Megan Nolan
Apichatpong Weerasethakul on the future of film in Thailand
The director speaks — The Bangkok-born filmmaker has spent the last 30 years exposing repression and corruption in his home nation. But now, he’s turning his focus to a feature made, and set, outside Thailand. Why?
Written by: Alexandra Genova
Terence Nance is the mind-bending misfit film needs now
Random Acts of Flyness — Space Jam 2 director Terence Nance is a multidisciplinary powerhouse: actor, writer, filmmaker, musician. Now that he’s pivoting from innovative TV to a big-screen blockbuster, he’s as committed as ever to avoiding the comfort zone.
Written by: Simran Hans
