Despite being a large continent with the most number of countries on the planet, and therefore one of the most diverse parts of the world, Africa has been severely underrepresented when it comes to cinema (while remaining extremely popular within local markets – Nigeria has one of the biggest film and television industries of all…

It was the incredible Mel Brooks who once said “I’ve been accused of vulgarity. I say that’s bullshit”, a wonderful and witty quote from the master of comedy himself. This sentiment could easily be applied to the characters in Wicked Little Letters, a film that tells the little-known story of a community in the small,…

If there was ever a character who defined the belief that life is filled with suffering and sadness, and it is also far too short, it would be the hapless, down-on-his-luck protagonist of Bob Byington’s brilliant and subversive Lousy Carter, in which we are introduced to the titular character, a failed (although he may prefer…

In the opening scene of his masterpiece Annie Hall, Woody Allen provides us with a quote that has gone on to become iconic: “Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering, and it’s all over much too soon”, which serves to be a perfect summary of life for those who have adopted it as their…

The concept of a soulmate is certainly very interesting, since the idea of everyone alive having someone designated as their ideal partner, while encouraging and beautiful in theory, is logically implausible and probably just a way to comfort those who have not had luck in terms of finding a long-lasting romance. However, for the sake…

A few years ago, the shocking revelation was that Joel and Ethan Coen, the proverbial two-headed director, were splitting and pursuing independent careers after nearly thirty years of working together. Joel Coen went on to make The Tragedy of Macbeth, a formally offbeat, German Expressionism-inspired adaptation of the greatest play in the history of the…

Humour is the balm that we apply to the wounds of the past, and few filmmakers have proven this to be truer than those who formed the movement we know as the Romanian New Wave. For the past couple of decades, we have seen some truly gifted writers and directors emerging from Romania, crafting films…

A couple of years ago, Jeymes Samuel (otherwise known as The Bullitts, under which he recorded music for several years) made a shift across the artistic aisle, going from an acclaimed musician to a film director, following the path of a small but solid group of artists who spread out into other areas in the…

Crime doesn’t pay, but it does help with the bills – a sentiment that is often the foundation of many works of art that endeavour to look at the trials and tribulations of ordinary citizens who find themselves in a situation where they have to resort to criminal activity, whether it is to make a…

It’s quite rare to find contemporary filmmakers who seem to be reinventing themselves, as well as their medium, with every new film they make. Jessica Hausner has been working for nearly a quarter of a century, the majority of that time spent in the proverbial shadows, making solid films that are not widely seen. It…