Stories about Film
Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Awards highlights Hong Kong's censored productions
Beijing's boycott of the Golden Horse Film Awards has generated a space for Hong Kong's independent, less-commercial productions in the international film market.
How ‘Squid Game’ hijacked Halloween and a traditional Kenyan wedding ceremony
Despite the criticism that the series has received for its violence and gore, it has unquestionably become a global cultural phenomenon, exporting Korean pop culture to the world.
Hong Kong to ban films and punish unauthorized screenings on grounds of ‘national security’
An inspector authorized by the censorship agency may also enter and search premises without a warrant when they are trying to halt an unauthorized film screening or publication.
Basque separatist group ETA lowered its weapons 10 years ago. Has reconciliation truly happened?
A lot has changed for the better in the past 10 years … but Basque society is still working out a public memory about the previous four decades of violence.
Deputy from Kazakhstan says ‘Squid Game’ mirrors everyday life in the country
A parliament member in Kazakhstan said that real life in the country is comparable to the extreme poverty and struggle to survive portrayed in Netflix's Squid Game.
Chinese movie ‘The Battle of Lake Changjin’ turns the painful history of the Korean War into a glorious victory
The official message of the film is that China gained a decisive victory in the battle of Chosin Reservoir and young people should learn from the fearless, "hot-blooded" soldiers.
A disappearing cross-border river becomes the subject of a Central Asian documentary
With River of Nomads, the Adamdar/CA team narrates the environmental problems of the river Chu, which crosses Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. This is the first interview about their documentary.
Dissenting artist Ai Weiwei on Hong Kong: art would not be art if it cannot be done in the face of tyranny
'Art would not be art if it cannot be done in the face of tyranny… the artworks which fight for freedom are precious efforts of the human spirit.'
Jamaican activist filmmaker takes on extractive industries in the Caribbean
"In 2020, there was a very popular narrative that the COVID-19 pandemic was saving Planet Earth [...] I created GEFF 2021 to counter this narrative, because it is simply untrue."
China's crackdown on business, media and entertainment sectors is packaged as a ‘profound revolution’
China started a heavy-handed clampdown on the private corporate sector from Big Tech companies to property developers near the end of 2020. The crackdown then extended to education, culture and entertainment.
Is a revival of Tatar selfhood possible despite Russia's identity politics?
Can the political limitations on the use and teaching of native languages in Russia propel the revival of Tatar national identity?
Netflix animation “Trese” brings Filipino supernatural beings to our screens
"It’s so inspiring and hopeful to think about how Trese is going to open so many doors for other local artists who are dreaming to get their works published."
‘Courage is accumulative,’ said director of Hong Kong protest documentary at 2021 Cannes Festival
"This is a paradox, only if I stay in Hong Kong I can enjoy freedom, a freedom to overcome fear."
These African animators are saving their native languages using cartoons
Animation is an effective way of teaching young Africans life skills and languages that are often not taught in schools, as most African governments adopt official languages while discouraging native ones.
Will an award-winning animated film about a Czech woman in Kabul change how Czechs perceive Afghanistan?
A Czech animation movie won a major award for depicting a love story between a Czech woman and an Afghan man. But can this movie change perceptions about Afghanistan?
India mourns Dilip Kumar, the ‘tragedy king’ of Bollywood
Dilip Kumar was among the most legendary actors and producers of the Indian Cinema Industry. He worked on over 60 films over six decades and is mourned by many.
Amazon Prime TV series dangerously misrepresents Eelam Tamil narratives and histories
An Indian TV show, which launched its second season on Amazon Prime recently, landed deep in controversy for portraying the Lankan Tamils in a highly colourist and problematic manner.
Zagor: Legendary Italian comics series that captured Balkan hearts turns 60
"It's because of Zagor that I started reading comics and my life would be very different without him."
Netflix’s new series on Yasuke, the African samurai, is a new dawn for Black characters in animation
Rather than a biography of the African Samurai, the a six-part series takes the void of knowledge post-1582 as a starting point to a re-imagined alternate reality and fantastical story.
Critically acclaimed Bosnian film stirs up the barely buried ghosts of Srebrenica
Quo Vadis Aida? shows what genocide looks like by focusing on the fate of the victims, on family members being separated, knowing they will never see one another again.
Alternative Indian movies: Is Netflix at last embracing cultural diversity?
Netflix, which has become the entertainment go-to for millions during the pandemic's prolonged lockdowns, is exploring new Indian productions that stray away from the typical plotlines and visuals.
