Critical Week: I feel pretty

While all eyes continue to be on Los Angeles as the extent of the fire damage becomes even more horrifically clear, the film industry here in London continues relatively as normal. Bafta announced their film awards nominations on Wednesday, the usual expected lists with idiosyncratic touches here and there. And among screenings this week, Michelle Yeoh popped in (on great form) for a lively Q&A at a press screening for Star Trek: Section 31, which spins her Discovery character Philippa Georgiou off for her own action-comedy mayhem. It will be interesting to see how franchise fans take on the film's riotous tone.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
I'm Still Here • The Writer
A Complete Unknown
ALL REVIEWS >

There was also a late screening of Leigh Whannell's latest reworking of a monster classic: Wolf Man. Stars Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner make the most of the emotional angles in the somewhat thin script, and the grisly suspense will keep fans entertained. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright reunite with Robert Zemeckis for Here, a gimmicky experimental film that places a camera in one place for millions of years. The effects and imagery is impressive, but the mini-melodramas feel arch. From Lithuania, the New York-set drama The Writer features just two actors as they talk over the course of one afternoon, and it's properly gripping stuff, taking on big issues and quietly intimate emotion. Finally there was Charlie Shackleton's Zodiac Killer Project, documenting the film he never got to make. It's witty and inventive, and premieres at Sundance.

This coming week, among the films I'll be watching are Steven Soderbergh's Presence, the Irish drama Four Mothers, the musician doc Luther: Never Too Much and a restored screening of Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock, which I've never seen projected.

Screen: January TV Roundup

Extra television was required this autumn to prepare for casting my TV ballots in the 81st Golden Globes. But it's just impossible to catch everything. Still, I'd seen most nominees in each category before I cast my final-round votes, then cheered The Bear, Succession and Beef to victory on Sunday night. Here's what I've been watching over the past four months, starting with nine new series. Or in the first case, new-ish...

Frasier
Kelsey Grammer slips effortlessly back into his iconic role for a third time, still seeming like a man living in the wrong place and time, and loving it despite the constant annoyances. This reworking is more of a standard sitcom than the 1993-2004 iteration, with the usual collection of offbeat characters and predictable tensions. So that Niles-Frasier dynamic feels sorely lacking. That said, these people definitely grow on us. And it's the funniest new comedy in years, a rare show that can make us laugh out loud. (Paramount) 

Fellow Travelers
Lavishly and boldly assembled, this drama traces several decades in American politics through the prism of homophobia and fear, most notably in the 1950s McCarthy hearings. An epic romance is recounted in fragmented snippets that prevent the viewer from properly engaging with the narrative's emotional momentum, but individual scenes are gorgeously written and played, and various story arcs carry strong emotional wallops. Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey have wonderfully prickly chemistry in the central roles. (HBO)

Lessons in Chemistry
First-rate production values and excellent performances add both weight and depth to this 1950s drama, which takes a specific look at the often cruel suppression of women in American society. The story centres on ace scientist Elizabeth (a superb Brie Larson), a survivor of abuse who finds herself increasingly marginalised despite her brilliant mind. Strong performances from Lewis Pullman (as her colleague and romantic foil) and Aja Naomi King (as an intrepid neighbour) add terrific textures. (Apple)

The Brothers Sun
Michelle Yeoh storms the small screen as the mother of siblings (Justin Chien and Sam Song Li) who haven't seen each other in decades. One stayed in Taipei with their Triad boss dad (Johnny Kou) and became a killer, while the other moved with mum to Los Angeles and became "soft". The spiralling interaction within this family, plus a range of terrific side roles, makes this show worth a look, while the violence that surrounds them erupts in fiercely well-staged action sequences. It's a lot of fun, and keeps us on our toes. (Netflix)

Gen V
This spin-off from The Boys has a sparky young cast and a driving sense of momentum, plus the same intensely hyper-violent touches and gimmicky sexual shenanigans. The fresh-faced cast is likeable, even as their super-powered university student characters rocket through a series of outrageous situations while uncovering and trying to expose a massive conspiracy involving a shady cabal that is exploiting all of them. Ultimately, it's a bit of nasty nonsense that folds itself back into The Boys. (Prime)

Blue Eye Samurai
Beautiful manga-style animation brings this epic-legend series to life, with hour-long episodes that feel rather ambitious, but also textured and satisfying. Set in 17th century Japan, when being foreign was illegal, the story sends a young samurai who is half-European (thus the blue eyes) on a very personal quest. Secrets abound throughout the narrative, which unfolds with a wonderful series of unexpected adventures and relationships and lots of underlying secrets. And the characters have complexity and charm. (Netflix)

Still Up 
This sitcom is about an insomniac and her agoraphobic male pal who are never in the same room. Both are insufferable, difficult to like as they communicate by video chat. Thankfully, Lisa and Danny are brightly well-played by Antonia Thomas and Craig Roberts. But their misadventures feel contrived, as does how the story pushes them together. Along the way, they constantly poke fun at Lisa's partner (Blake Harrison), the show's most engaging character who's ridiculed for his humanity and sense of responsibility. Hmmm. (Apple)

Tore 
From Sweden, this is a pitch-black comedy that isn't afraid to get very grim indeed, as the young title character (William Spetz) grapples with both his sexuality and his grief. This makes it often tough to watch, as Tore isn't particularly likeable, because he acts without thinking about anyone, even himself. But it's fascinating to watch as his experiences push and pull him in various directions, shifting his perspective and trajectory. And Spetz delivers an astonishingly brave performance in a wonderfully messy role. (Netflix)

Escort Boys
Corny title aside, this French series has an intriguing premise that could serve as a fascinating exploration of masculinity. Alas, the story is told through a resolutely male gaze, with characters who are unflinchingly macho. It's about a teen girl who, to save the family farm, creates a stable of escorts with her brother and friends. The setting, in a part of France that looks like the Australian Outback, is gorgeous. While the obvious female themes are here, issues of sexuality only timidly emerge in the final two episodes. (Prime)

A   F I N A L   B O W

The Crown: series 6 
This final season's first half builds to the death of Princess Diana (the fantastic Elizabeth Debicki) and her seismic influence on the royal family and the world. Then the show returns to the Queen (Imelda Staunton), Prince Philip (Jonathan Pryce), Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville), Prince Charles (Dominic West) and his sons., tying up loose narrative loose ends. As always, this is impeccably produced, with first-rate acting in complex roles. And as it inventively blends fact with fiction, it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. (Netflix)

A N O T H E R   H E L P I N G

The Morning Show: series 3 
Far soapier than previous seasons, this show slows its momentum while diffusing the plot among various improbable character threads. Topicality remains strong enough to hold the interest, especially with powerhouse actors like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, Greta Lee and Julianna Margulies. It may not be as brisk, bold and nimble as the first season, but it's a rare show that takes on big issues relating to show business. And Jon Hamm has some nasty fun a the Musk-like tech baron on a mission. (Apple)

The Tourist:
series 2
Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald continue the adventures of the amnesiac Irishman, leaving the Australian Outback for Ireland and a new barrage of kidnappings, attacks and mayhem. It turns out that Elliot is actually scion of the Cassidy mob, and he reignites the feud with the rival McDonnell family. The twists and turns are fun, violent but gleefully played with tongue in cheek. While some of the random sideroads feel a bit annoying, the great Olwen Fouere is fabulously formidable as Elliot's no-nonsense mother. (BBC)

Upload: series 3
This show's plottiness increases once again, and the exhausting convolutions distract from the more entertaining relationships and sci-fi nuttiness. As the central premise splinters to follow other characters, Robbie Amell's Nathan is doubled as well, creating two main storylines while further beefing up supporting roles for leading ladies Andy Allo and Allegra Edwards, as well as Owen Daniel (as the entire afterlife hotel staff). This is a guilty pleasure, offering fun while never grappling with deeper ideas in the premise. (Prime)

Our Flag Means Death: series 2 
Adding some terrific new characters and spiralling adventure chaos, this pirate ship comedy charges confidently into its second season. It's hilarious to watch events continually rocket off in new directions, as the characters struggle to make sense of each new situation. This season starts off sparky and silly, then get a bit murky with lots of flashback-induced soul-searching. So the final few episodes feel a little meandering and corny. But the way the show continually punctures masculinity is fiendishly clever. (Max)

Elite: series 7
Madrid's party/murder school is back in session, with traumatised ex-student Omar (Omar Ayuso) now on staff while his new boyfriend (Fernando Lindez) is a student, improbably funded by last year's multiple-tragedy victim Ivan (Andre Lamoglia) then launching into an awkward love triangle. There's a feeling like the stakes have been raised, most notably with the aggressive police, who are seen illegally wiretapping teens and violently evicting homeless kids from a shelter. But several vanished characters are sorely missed. (Netflix)

I   G I V E   U P

Loki: series 2 
Rocketing back into its time-travelling, parallel universe mayhem, this show is far too pleased with its own impenetrable mythology to allow the viewer in. Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson have terrific chemistry, plus the great Ke Huy Quan, but it's swamped by overwrought production values and badly overwritten dialog. I tried to just sit back and have some fun with this, but lost the will to live by episode 3. (Disney) 

NOW WATCHING: Fargo (5), The Traitors (2), Invincible (2), Open To It.

COMING SOON: Expats, Feud: Capote vs the Swans, Mr & Mrs Smith, Sexy Beast, The Woman in the Wall, The New Look, Players, Abbott Elementary (3), True Detective: Night Country (4), The Conners (6), Queer Eye (8).

Previous roundup: OCTOBER 2023 > 

Critical Week: Camera ready

It's been a ridiculously busy week, with too many film releases and too many screenings as well, perhaps because Venice Film Festival ended last weekend. Eclectic screenings this week have included the terrific Gael Garcia Bernal in the biopic Cassandro, a colourfully well-made biopic about the exotico wrestler. Ken Loach's latest, and perhaps final, film The Old Oak is a triumph, a staggeringly clear-eyed depiction of ugly British attitudes with an emotive glimmer of hope. And Pablo Larrain's El Conde is a viciously inventive satire that depicts Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire with a jaw-dropping mentor.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Golden Delicious • Love Life
Cassandro • Fremont
A Haunting in Venice
ALL REVIEWS >

Kenneth Branagh is back this week with another all-star Agatha Christie adaptation, and A Haunting in Venice is the best one yet, a superbly gothic mystery thriller packed with shifty characters. Michael Jai White directs and stars in Outlaw Johnny Black, an enjoyable 1970s style action-comedy Western. Aaron Pierre lights up the screen in the small Canadian drama Brother, a dark drama celebrating tenacious immigrant mothers. And Pablo Berger's animated Robot Dreams is a pure delight, tracing the complex friendship between a lonely dog and his robot friend.

And there were even more: Bolan's Shoes is a melodramatic British drama that's beautifully acted but deliberately enigmatic. The Latent Image is an inventively freaky meta-thriller about storytelling; 20,000 Species of Bees is a moving Spanish drama about an 8-year-old wondering why he feels so uneasy about his gender; Gurkha Warrior is a skilfully made rah-rah celebration of the military prowess of the Gurkhas; and Samsara is an offbeat experimental drama that takes the audience on an inventive trip between lives. There were two docs: Carlos is a chatty visit with legendary musician Carlos Santana, while Summer Qamp profiles an extraordinary retreat centre for queer kids in rural Canada. There were also live shows Deeper and Deeper and Myra Dubois: Be Well.

Films this coming week include the all-star action sequel Expend4bles, Almodovar's Western A Strange Way of Life, Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson in The Great Escaper, Accused, Relax I'm From the Future, Ballywater, Rebel and the live show The White Factory.

Critical Week: Wine o'clock

Heading into the summer, the movies are an eclectic bunch, a surreal swirl of effects-based blockbusters, crowd-pleasing comedies, offbeat independent films and rather a lot of documentaries. At least this keeps us critics on our toes, and the main challenge is to watch all these films and still find time to enjoy the sunny weather. But it does help that so many of these films are things we're looking forward to (and bracing ourselves for disappointment). So the occasional unexpected gem is extremely welcome. This week I caught up with Catherine Hardwicke's Mafia Mamma, starring Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci in a silly comedy with a more serious drama lurking inside it. Out on digital this week in the US, it still doesn't have a UK release date. And the Bumblebee sequel Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was a very pleasant surprise: a big action movie that's actually a lot of fun, with strong characters and deeper ideas that grab the interest.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Medusa Deluxe • Blue Jean
Squaring the Circle
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
ALL REVIEWS >

Further afield, the web series Bridesman has been edited into a feature, and is much stronger. It's still silly and queeny, but has more bite now. From Canada, You Can Live Forever is a very nicely made low-key romantic drama about two girls who fall in love in their religious community. From Australia, Talk to Me is a particularly nasty and very effective horror movie about a demonic hand. And the engaging documentary All Man: The International Male Story traces the rise and fall of a fashion catalog that changed the way men dress themselves. I also attended the experimental film double bill Motion Picture at Sadler's Wells, which was fascinating and very beautiful. And once again, I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Critics' Circle National Dance Awards along with a terrific range of nominees, winners and, yes, critics.

This next week I'll be watching Pixar's new animated feature Elemental, Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings and the Take That musical Greatest Days. I'm also preparing to serve on the jury at this year's Bifan in Bucheon, South Korea, at the end of the month.

Critical Week: Starry starry night

Organising an event like the 43rd London Critics' Circle Film Awards, which took place on Sunday at The May Fair Hotel, takes me about seven months. Although since this was the first in-person ceremony in three years, the process felt a bit steeper this year. The main challenge was sourcing new sponsors as, aside from our wonderful venue sponsor, we had to start from scratch. But our organising committee came together and brought in a group of terrific partners who we hope to work with in years to come. And with our event in the middle of both Bafta and Oscar voting periods, the stars turned out to celebrate. It was a fantastic night. For more photos, see the Insta posts below. And there's also a full list of winners...

Of course working on this has meant skipping quite a few films, so I've only seen a few over the last two weeks. Magic Mike's Last Dance with Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek is enjoyable for what it is but frustrating for what it could have been. The Locksmith with Ryan Phillippe and Kate Bosworth is such an overfamiliar crime thriller that watching it is almost enjoyably relaxing. From Italy, Amanda is a bracingly original portrait of a prickly but endearing slacker. And the indie drama The Way Out has a fascinating edge that kind of vanishes into a genre thriller. I also revisited Baz Luhrmann's Elvis because it was a chance to see it again on a big screen, with an added one-hour Q&A with Austin Butler that was strikingly intimate.

This coming week I'll be watching Paul Rudd in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Alexander Skarsgard in Infinity Pool, Paul Mescal in God's Creatures, Alison Brie in Somebody I Used to Know and the Italian drama Nostalgia.

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43rd LONDON CRITICS’ CIRCLE FILM AWARDS
Full list of winners • 5th February 2023, The May Fair Hotel

FILM OF THE YEAR
Tár

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR (tie)
Decision to Leave
The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin)

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

The Attenborough Award:
BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR
The Banshees of Inisherin

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR sponsored by The House of Koko
Todd Field - Tár

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Martin McDonagh - The Banshees of Inisherin

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Nyman Libson Paul
Cate Blanchett - Tár

ACTOR OF THE YEAR sponsored by The House of Koko
Colin Farrell - The Banshees of Inisherin

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Kerry Condon - The Banshees of Inisherin

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Barry Keoghan - The Banshees of Inisherin

BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR for body of work
Florence Pugh - Don't Worry Darling, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Wonder 

BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR for body of work
Bill Nighy - Living

The Philip French Award:
BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER sponsored by MetFilm
Charlotte Wells - Aftersun

YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER
Frankie Corio - Aftersun

BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR
A Fox in the Night - dir Keeran Anwar Blessie

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio - Guillermo del Toro and Brian Leif Hansen, animation

DILYS POWELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Michelle Yeoh 

The Best of 2022: 42nd Shadows Awards

After the first few months of trailing pandemic chaos, 2022 felt much more normal for film critics, as we saw most major releases on the big screen. Oddly, the same can't be said for audiences, who seem happy to watch movies at home now, reserving cinemas for event blockbusters only. The ripple effects on the industry are already beginning to be felt, and it's scary to think that fewer and fewer truly inventive films will be able to be seen in theatres. No home cinema will ever replicate the feeling of watching something with a crowd immersed together in projection and sound.

So here are my favourites from 2022, a mixed bunch that I saw in cinemas, at home, at festivals and even on airplanes. Much more extensive lists are ON THE WEBSITE >

BEST FILM:

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once 
2. No Bears
3. The Quiet Girl 
4. The Inspection 
5. The Banshees of Inisherin 
6. Living
7. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
8. Decision to Leave 
9. She Said 
10. Elvis 

DIRECTOR:

1. Park Chan-wook - Decision to Leave
2. Romain Gavras - Athena
3. Charlotte Wells - Aftersun
4. Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert - Everything Everywhere All at Once
5. Sarah Polley - Women Talking
6. Iryna Tsilyk - Rock. Paper. Grenade.
7. Baz Luhrmann - Elvis
8. Georgia Oakley - Blue Jean
9. Maryna Er Gorbach - Klondike
10. Lila Neugebauer - Causeway

SCREENWRITER:

1. Kazuo Ishiguro - Living
2. Martin McDonagh - The Banshees of Inisherin
3. Jafar Panahi - No Bears
4. Marie Kreutzer - Corsage
5. Sarah Polley - Women Talking
6. Elegance Bratton - The Inspection
7. Rian Johnson - Glass Onion
8. Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert - Everything Everywhere All at Once
9. Dimitrij Schaad, Alex Schaad - Skin Deep
10. Lena Dunham - Sharp Stick, Catherine Called Birdy

ACTRESS:

1. Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once
2. Letitia Wright - Aisha, The Silent Twins, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
3. Ana de Armas - Blonde, Deep Water, ​​The Gray Man
4. Catherine Clinch - The Quiet Girl
5. Penelope Cruz - Official Competition, Immensity, On the Fringe, The 355
6. Cate Blanchett - Tár
7. Danielle Deadwyler - Till
8. Florence Pugh - The Wonder, Don't Worry Darling
9. Zar Amir Ebrahimi - Holy Spider
10. Jessie Buckley - Men, Women Talking

ACTOR:

1. Colin Farrell - The Banshees of Inisherin, After Yang, The Batman
2. Bill Nighy - Living
3. Jeremy Pope - The Inspection
4. Paul Mescal - Aftersun
5. Mehdi Bajestani - Holy Spider
6. Brian Tyree Henry - Causeway, Bullet Train
7. Park Hae-il - Decision to Leave
8. Oleksandr Yatsentyuk - Pamfir
9. Brendan Fraser - The Whale
10. Austin Butler - Elvis

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

1. Hong Chau - The Whale, The Menu
2. Samantha Morton - The Whale, She Said
3. Nina Hoss - Tár
4. Dolly De Leon - Triangle of Sadness
5. Frankie Corio - Aftersun
6. Gabrielle Union - The Inspection
7. Judy Davis - Nitram
8. Kiyohiko Shibukawa - Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
9. Lashana Lynch - The Woman King, Matilda the Musical
10. Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything Everywhere All at Once, Halloween Ends

SUPPORTING ACTOR:

1. Diego Calva - Babylon
2. Barry Keoghan - The Banshees of Inisherin
3. Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once
4. Ben Whishaw - Women Talking
5. Andrew Bennett - The Quiet Girl
6. John Boyega - The Woman King
7. Anthony Bajon - Athena
8. Brendan Gleeson - The Banshees of Inisherin
9. Russell Harvard - Causeway
10. Thomas Wodianka - Skin Deep

WORST FILM:

1. Samaritan
2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
3. Padre Pio
4. Dear Zoe
5. Where the Crawdads Sing 
6. The 355 
7. The Bubble
8. Moonfall
9. Mr Malcolm's List
10. Death on the Nile 

N O N - F I L M   D I V I S I O N

TV SERIES:

1. This Is Going to Hurt (BBC)
2. Heartstopper (Netflix)
3. The White Lotus (HBO)
4. Derry Girls (C4)
5. Hacks (HBO)
6. Welcome to Chippendales (Hulu)
7. Acapulco (Apple)
8. Ozark (Netflix)
9. His Dark Materials (BBC)
10. The Great (Hulu)

SINGLE:

1. Break My Soul - Beyoncé
2. Firebabe - Stormzy
3. Boyfriend - Dove Cameron
4. About Damn Time - Lizzo
5. Child of God - Chance the Rapper
6. Lift Me Up - Rihanna
7. Overthinking - Mabel & 24kGoldn
8. Oh My God - Adele
9. Bam Bam - Camila Cabello & Ed Sheeran
10. Psycho - Anne-Marie & Aitch

Critical Week: Mask up

The weather in the UK has broken all records, unbearably hot temperatures for a nation that has so little air conditioning. Thankfully, I was able to escape to cool theatres and cinemas! And the warm weather is continuing, so I'll be on the look out for ways to avoid the sweatiness. Films this past week included the Austen-style period romance Mr Malcolm's List starring Freida Pinto and Sope Dirisu. It's engaging but feels very gimmicky. And then there was Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, a surprising remake of Blazing Saddles as an animated kid-friendly romp set in feudal Japan. It's silly fun, perhaps too messy for children, but fans of the original will enjoy the references, including Mel Brooks voicing a new take on his original role.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
The Big City • My Old School
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time
ALL REVIEWS >

A little further afield is the British historical drama Prizefighter, about 1800 boxing champ Jem Belcher. It's simplistic, but is boosted by having Russell Crowe and Ray Winstone in key roles. Katie Holmes writes, directs and stars in the pandemic romance Alone Together, which is warm and engaging, and also predictable. The comedy-drama The Shuroo Retreat, follows a journalist to a wacky self-help weekend, with results that are funny and remarkably complex. The British romantic drama You Are My Sunshine is clearly a labour of love by inexperienced actors and filmmakers. It's awkward but has its moments. And there were two more selections of shorts in the Girls Feels series: Forces of Nature and Skin Deep, taking bold, insightful looks at young women coming of age.

Films to watch this coming week include the animated adventure DC League of Super-Pets, Juliette Binoche in Both Sides of the Blade, Will Poulter in The Score, Billy Porter's comedy-drama Anything's Possible and the horror thriller Hypochondriac.

Critical Week: Leader of the pack

It's been a very busy week, but there have been few screenings. The one big one was a festive press screening for the second Despicable Me spin-off prequel Minions: The Rise of Gru. It's as delightfully silly as expected, and rather a lot more manic than the last movie. The splintered plot is somewhat frustrating, but the gags are quick and consistent.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
George Michael: Freedom Uncut
Elvis • Olga • Apples • Wildhood
ALL REVIEWS >

I also caught up with the Swiss drama Olga (which I'd missed on its UK release last month), about a Ukrainian gymnast facing identity issues. It's powerfully involving, inventive and eerily timely. There was also the Brazilian documentary Uyra: The Rising Forest, a gorgeous odyssey about artistic indigenous activists raising awareness of an environment under threat. And I'm also on the short film jury for London Indian Film Festival, so watched 10 seriously engaging shorts. Tomorrow I'll meet with the other jurors to decide a winner of the Satyajit Ray prize.

It'll be another rather offbeat week ahead, and films to watch include the Ukrainian drama Sniper: The White Raven, the anime adventure Pompo: The Cinephile and the short film collection Boys on Film 22: Love to Love You.