Cette Maison ★★★ 1/2 Visions of Haiti Film Season

Cette Maison is a reflective, almost cathartic film that handles the death of a loved one who passed too soon. Miryam Charles debut is a beautifully experimental, thought-provoking, poetic film that moves you greatly. Bridgeport, January 2008. A teenage girl is found hanged in her room. While everything points to

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Freda (2021) ★★★★★ Visions of Haiti Film Season

Freda is a film that grabs you and shows that despite the turmoil in Haiti, there is an insatiable yearning to move forward. Gessica Généus’ feature debut is a staggeringly powerful piece of cinema. Unforgettable. Freda (Néhémie Bastien) lives with her family in a popular neighbourhood in Haiti. They survive

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Haitian Corner (1987) ★★★★ Visions of Haiti Film Season

Raoul Peck’s Haitian Corner is rife with trauma; the psychological damage that Joseph cannot repress litters the film to brutal effect – a mesmerising performance from Patrick Rameau has you gripped throughout. A poet from Haiti flees to America after being imprisoned in his native country. Recovering from the experience,

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Sarajin ★★★★ 1/2 Rising Voices (TIFF)

Filmmaker Justin Kim WooSŏk’s latest short film, Sarajin, is a demoralising look at an immigrant families’ struggles when the industry they pitched their livelihoods to fails. It is an excellent film that doesn’t forget to leave us with hope. In a remote Alaskan town, DongSu, a snow crab fisherman, struggles

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The Ballad of Tita and the Machines ★★★★ Rising Voices (TIFF)

The Ballad of Tita and the Machines successfully finds that balance between being a great satire while making its point firm over the use of humans versus technology in the workplace. Miguel Angel Cabarello has created a truly delightful film. Tita, an injured elderly strawberry picker, reluctantly hires an AI

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Last Days of the Lab ★★★★ Rising Voices (TIFF)

María Alvarez’ Last Days of the Lab is a touching look at healing despite grief. With two top-notch performances from Alex Felix and Arianna Ortiz, this short film will easily connect with audiences. Mother Lucia (Arianna Ortiz) and daughter Isabel (Alex Felix) sift through old memories as they prepare to

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Smoke Sauna Sisterhood ★★★★★ Sea Change Festival 2023

An unbelievably intimate yet Anna Hints Smoke Sauna Sisterhood stunning documentary captures the beauty in being vulnerable, a profoundly cathartic viewing experience. In the darkness of the smoke sauna, a group of women tend to each other’s bodies as they share their innermost secrets and experiences. Their candid and cathartic

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The original 1987 horror classic Hellraiser returns to UK cinemas this week with a 4K restoration

It is time to re-experience the sublime agony of Hellraiser, as Clive Barker’s outrageously gruesome and influential horror masterwork returns to UK cinemas in a brand new 4K restoration – Hell has never looked so good! In the 1980s, Clive Barker changed the face of horror fiction, throwing out the rules

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Bloom (Short Film) ★★★★ TIFF 2023

Kasey Lum’s short film Bloom is a wonderful metaphor for finding yourself after the anguish of a relationship ending. Indulging in just the right amount of surrealism, Jodi Balfour’s performance is superb leveling up an already great film. Abandoned by her partner, Laurel (Jodi Balfour) stumbles through heartbreak and grows

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Seagrass ★★★★★ TIFF 2023

As absorbing a family drama as you will see, Meredith Hama-Brown’s Seagrass introspective feature debut is astounding. Excelling in the small moments, this is an exceptional look at a fractured biracial relationship. Set in the mid-1990s, a Japanese Canadian woman grappling with the recent death of her mother brings her

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