Category: UK
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SHORT FILM: WANDER TO WONDER
“Wander to Wonder” is a 2023 short stop-motion animation film directed by Nina Gantz and written by Simon Cartwright, Daan Bakker, and Stienette Bosklopper. It won the BAFTA Award for Best British Short Animation and was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards. The film features Terence Dunn as Billy Budd,…
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SISTER MIDNIGHT
“Sister Midnight” (2024) is a darkly comic, surreal horror-drama written and directed by Karan Kandhari in his feature debut. The film stars Radhika Apte, alongside Ashok Pathak, Chhaya Kadam, and Smita Tambe. Set in the dense, chaotic sprawl of Mumbai, the film blends deadpan humor, social satire, and grotesque fantasy to explore alienation, repression, and…
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ENYS MEN
“Enys Men” (Cornish for “Stone Island”) is a surreal, slow-burning folk horror film released in 2022. It was written, directed, and edited by Mark Jenkin, known for his work on “Bait.” The film is shot on 16mm film, giving it a grainy, analog aesthetic, and is set in 1973 on an isolated, uninhabited island off…
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SACRED HOUSES: THE MAREEL, SHETLAND ISLANDS, UK
The Shetland Islands, a remote archipelago in the North Sea north of the Scottish mainland, had one cinema, The North Star in Lerwick, which was converted into a music venue in 1989. In complete transparency, I worked extensively with a band called “Idlewild” during their early days. They were strong advocates for remote concerts in…
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DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
“Doctor Zhivago” is a 1965 sweeping historical romance and political epic directed by David Lean, adapted from Boris Pasternak’s controversial Nobel Prize-winning novel, with a screenplay written by Robert Bolt. Set against the backdrop of World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the Russian Civil War, the film follows the personal and romantic turmoil of…
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THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a 1975 musical, comedy, and horror film written by Richard O’Brien and directed by Jim Sharman, who also co-wrote it. The film, based on O’Brien’s 1973 stage play of the same name, has become a cultural phenomenon despite initially being a box office flop upon its release. The film…
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SHORT FILM: WILD SUMMON
“Wild Summon” is a 2023 natural history fantasy film directed by Karni (Arieli) and Saul (Freed), which reimagines the life cycle of a wild salmon through the lens of human experience. The film follows a female salmon who, upon reaching maturity, embarks on a perilous journey from the river to the open sea and back…
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IF…. (NSFW)
“if….” is a 1968 British satirical drama directed by Lindsay Anderson and is regarded as one of the defining films of 1960s British cinema. Blending realism with surrealism, the film is a scathing critique of institutional authority, class privilege, and societal repression, set against the rigid backdrop of an English public (private) boys’ school. It…
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THE HUNGER
“The Hunger” is a 1983 horror film directed by Tony Scott in his feature directorial debut. Inspired by the 1981 novel by Whitley Strieber, the film explores themes of immortality, desire, and decay and is noted for its Gothic aesthetic and erotic undertones. The story centers around Miriam Blaylock (Catherine Deneuve), an elegant and enigmatic…
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BLUE JEAN
“Blue Jean” is the 2022 debut feature film by British director Georgia Oakley. The film is a poignant drama and quietly powerful character study set against the backdrop of Thatcher-era Britain in the late 1980s. The film explores themes of identity, secrecy, and resistance in a time of political oppression and widespread homophobia, particularly focusing…
The Other Cinema 