Beautiful Kate

Just over 12 months ago, if you had asked me to list my favourite Australian films, it probably would’ve included Mad Max, BMX Bandits, Crocodile Dundee, Chopper and The Proposition (I’m not counting Walkabout as I count it as a British film made in Australia). Not exactly a glittering list of celebrated films and I [...]

EIFF2010: Festival Roundup

Of the twelve days that comprised this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, I was in town for six, during which time I was able to sample a good cross- section of the festival’s programme, meet a lot of great people and attend a few quality parties. For those of us returning to the festival from [...]

Tim and Puma Mimi: Perspective

It seems that Tim and Puma Mimi are just one of those bands whose music fires up the creative spirit in filmmakers. Mone is the latest director to fall for them with her colourful kaleidoscope animated promo Perspective.
You can find detailed ‘making of’ notes and videos here.

Tim and Puma Mimi / Perspective [...]

Valhalla Rising

Sometimes I know I’m going to love a film just from seeing one still. Sure, sometimes this assumption can prove hideously wrong, but on other occasions it can be a perfect presumption.
Arriving at the London Film Festival last year, I picked up the heavily packed programme and started thumbing my way through a head-spinning amount [...]

Flatpack Festival 2010

Set in the heart of the Black Country, last week saw the fourth year of Birmingham’s Flatpack Festival, not so much a straight up film festival, but rather a collection of screenings, talks, workshops and live events including an Odeon bus tour; all of which belies many of the preconceptions non-residents may have about Birmingham. [...]

MarBelle 2009 Top Ten

I begin each year with the heady intention of watching a film a day. A goal I’ve so far fallen short of (187 for ‘09 as of today), but if I ever do reach it God alone knows how much extra hair pulling and gnashing of teeth it’ll take to get down to this final [...]

Miss D 2009 Top Ten

This is my third year of composing a top ten and it doesn’t get any easier. As I explained a couple of years ago, who’s to say that if I saw my number one film on another day when I wasn’t in quite such a good mood that it would still be my number one? [...]

Colin Newman 2009 Top Ten

Ahoy! I’m Colin Newman, Brighton’s very own Vincent Price of illustration. A lot of inspiration for my work comes from my passion for cinema. I sit in the dark listening to movie scores and soundtracks, scheming and painting and crafting horrible things. Mr. Belle has cordially invited me to share my thoughts with you regards [...]

Filmstock: Establishing a Film Festival

When you live in a town where the closest thing to independent cinema is Legally Blonde 2 you could be forgiven for upping sticks to London. Instead, Luton-based Justin Doherty and Neil Fox of Zero Balance decided to create their own film festival, Filmstock.
How did you identify a gap?
Justin: We lived in the gap, we [...]

Dig! – Ondi Timoner

Shot over seven years, DIG! is a feature-length documentary about musicians Anton Newcombe, leader of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Courtney Taylor, head of the Dandy Warhols, star- crossed friends and bitter rivals. DIG!’s director Ondi Timoner took away this year’s Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, with Palm Pictures [...]