Parallel Tales: Asghar Farhadi Plays with Ideas of Artistic Voyeurism in a Frustratingly Opaque French-Language Drama
Asghar Farhadi’s tenth feature, Parallel Tales, premiered in competition at Cannes 2026, marking his first fully French‑language drama. The film follows reclusive novelist Sylvie (Isabelle Huppert) as she spies on neighbours through a telescope, leading to a stolen manuscript that blurs fiction and reality. Drawing on Rear Window and Kieślowski’s work, the narrative explores voyeurism and artistic ethics, but critics find its pacing sluggish and its characters constrained by concept. Despite structural flaws, Huppert’s performance and the film’s meta‑narrative spark lively discussion about authorship in contemporary cinema.
BFI Distribution Acquires Filipiñana, Directed by Rafael Manuel, for Theatrical Release in the UK and Ireland
BFI Distribution has acquired the Sundance‑awarded debut feature *Filipiñana* from Magnify for a theatrical release across the UK and Ireland in autumn 2026. The Filipino‑directed drama, which earned the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at Sundance...
Pulsing Brain, Twitching Tentacles: How Invaders From Mars Supercharged the Alien Invasion Movie
The British Film Institute has released a fully restored 4K UHD and Blu‑ray edition of William Cameron Menzies’s 1953 sci‑fi classic *Invaders from Mars*. The film, a Cold‑War allegory that equated the red planet with Soviet menace, pioneered striking production...
Obsession: Curry Barker Plays on the Twisted Ideas of the Manosphere in a Violent Make-a-Wish Horror
Curry Barker returns with *Obsession*, a genre‑blending horror that follows Bear, a shy man who breaks a novelty “One Wish Willow” and forces his crush Nikki into a violent, over‑the‑top devotion. The film juxtaposes slapstick comedy with gore, using the...
Guillermo Del Toro Receives BFI Fellowship From Cate Blanchett at the BFI Chair’s Dinner
Guillermo del Toro was honored with the British Film Institute’s highest accolade, the BFI Fellowship, presented by Cate Blanchett at the BFI Chair’s Dinner in London. The award recognizes his three‑decade career blending dark fantasy, horror and emotional storytelling, highlighted by...
The Christophers: Steven Soderbergh Pits Ian McKellen Against Michaela Coel for a Film Rich with Ideas About Art, Criticism and...
Steven Soderbergh’s new film The Christophers pairs Ian McKellen with Michaela Coel in a tightly wound drama about a retired painter’s unfinished legacy and a young restorer hired to forge his missing works. The plot centers on Julian Sklar’s plan to cash...
Great 8 Showcase Revealed for Cannes 2026
The British Film Institute and British Council have unveiled the ninth‑edition GREAT 8 showcase, featuring eight debut UK feature films slated for the Cannes Marché 2026. Unseen footage will be streamed online from May 8, with the titles available to buyers and programmers...
Sight and Sound: The June 2026 Issue
Sight and Sound’s June 2026 issue blends reverent retrospectives with forward‑looking industry insight. It opens with a deep‑dive on Marilyn Monroe, arguing that her talent has been eclipsed by her image, while Guillermo del Toro is honored with a BFI Fellowship that...
UK Global Screen Fund Announces Latest International Co-Production Awards
The UK Global Screen Fund, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has awarded £962,000 (≈$1.23 million) to six new feature films under its International Co‑production strand. The six UK independent producers will work with partners in 13 territories,...
BFI Player’s May 2026 Line-Up
BFI Player’s May 2026 schedule blends high‑profile new releases with historic world cinema. The month opens with Richard Linklater’s *Nouvelle Vague*, a BAFTA‑winning recreation of Godard’s *Breathless*, followed by six Brazilian titles spanning Cinema Novo classics to contemporary horror. Mid‑month...
Hokum: Damian McCarthy’s Horror Finds a Human Story Amid All the Creepy Grotesquerie
Irish writer‑director Damian McCarthy’s new horror feature *Hokum* follows American author Ohm Bauman, who returns to Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes and confront childhood trauma. While staying in a supposedly haunted hotel, Ohm and a mushroom‑enthusiast friend break into a...
Wild Foxes: The Body Keeps the Score in This Affecting Drama About an Injured Young Boxer
Valéry Carnoy’s debut feature *Wild Foxes* (2025) captured two Directors’ Fortnight awards at Cannes and joins a wave of Belgian youth‑centric dramas. The film tracks teenage boxer Camille, whose swift physical recovery after a severe fall gives way to phantom...
“A Story Marshalled with Dazzling Skill and Precision”: All the President’s Men Reviewed in 1976
The review lauds Alan Pakula’s 1976 adaptation of All the President’s Men for its meticulous recreation of the Washington Post’s Watergate investigation, noting the film’s reliance on authentic newsroom props and tight script revisions with the real reporters. Robert Redford...
Surviving Earth: Slavko Sobin Is a Beguiling Presence in This Well-Crafted Debut
Thea Gajić’s debut feature Surviving Earth arrives in UK cinemas on 24 April, following the volatile journey of Vlad, a Serbian musician and recovering heroin addict played by Slavko Sobin. Sobin delivers a beguiling performance that balances charisma with self‑destructive impulses, anchoring...
This Is Not a Vivaldi Biopic: Damiano Michieletto on Primavera
Damiano Michieletto’s feature debut *Primavera* premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, dramatizing Antonio Vivaldi’s early years at Venice’s Ospedale della Pietà. The film follows a fictional pupil, violinist Cecilia, as she navigates a patriarchal world while...