Egyptian director, Mohammed Adel, writes about his short film, ‘My Father’, which shows the difficulties of caring for his father in the weeks before his death. Writing about my short documentary film ‘My Father’ is not an easy task, just like when I started thinking of making the film itself. This is not because ‘writing’ […]
Category: Film and Media
Film Activism: Science, Art and Social Reform
Our Screening Room editor, Khalid Ali (Khalid.ali@bsuh.nhs.uk), interviews film director and producer James Redford. Activism is defined as ‘efforts to promote or direct social, political, economic and/or environmental reform to make improvements in society’. James Redford, documentary filmmaker, producer, and humanitarian uses documentary filmmaking to truly earn the title of a ‘film activist’. I met […]
After the Storm: Liberation and Hope in Later Life
After the Storm (Kore-eda Hirokazu, Japan 2016), in UK Cinemas from 2nd June 2017 Reviewed by Khalid Ali, Screening Room editor Japan is well known for its relatively traditional social structures, a predetermined life course that heavily influences career choices. Kore-eda Hirokazu’s latest film After the Storm explores those paradigms through the story of Ryota […]
Death By Suicide: The Beginning After the End
The Levelling, directed by Hope Dickson Leach On general release in UK cinemas now Review by Professor Robert Abrams, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Even before you view The Levelling, a film written and directed by Hope Dickson Leach, its title gives off a disquieting aura; you feel you are about to enter the […]
Auditory Hallucinations, Agoraphobia and Extremism as Portrayed by Actor Ahmed Magdy
In this podcast, our Screening Room editor, Khalid Ali, explores the role of film in shining a light on mental illlness, dysfunctional families, and the rise of religious fanaticism with Egyptian director Ahmed Magdy. Recently introduced to acting, Ahmed talks about his portrayal of three challenging characters: a young man imprisoned in his mother’s house in […]
Romanticizing Tubercolosis
Our screening editor, Dr Khalid Ali (Khalid.ali@bsuh.nhs.uk), here writes about the importance of Romanian director Radu Jude’s new film Scarred Hearts (Romania, 2016) and interviews him at the London Film Festival in the podcast included below. Each year on the 24th of March, several organizations around the world celebrate ‘International Tuberculosis Day’. It serves as a […]
London Human Rights Watch Film Festival
Film activism: London Human Rights Watch Film Festival- 6-17 March 2017, https://ff.hrw.org/london Introduction by Khalid Ali, Screening room editor Film events have recently become a platform for standing up against social injustice, and racism; the Oscar ceremony on Sunday 26th February was a powerful statement from film makers uniting against violation of human rights. […]
Film Review: It’s Only the End of the World
It’s only the end of the world, directed by Xavier Dolan, Canada, France 2016. In UK cinemas from 24th February 2017 Reviewed by Dr Franco Ferrarini Louis (Gaspard Ulliel) is a 34-year-old gay playwright who feels an urgent need to meet his family after 12 years of estrangement, to tell them about his terminal illness […]
Film review: Arrival
What can aliens teach us about being human? Review of Arrival, my film of 2016 (USA, 2016, directed by Denis Villeneuve) By: Dr James Hartley, Foundation Year 2 at Brighton and Sussex University Healthcare Trust The above question is one that is commonly asked in the sci-fi genre. Think Sigourney Weaver’s portrayal […]
Film Review: Dubai International Film Festival
United by film in United Arab Emirates An overview of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), 7-14th December 2016, https://dubaifilmfest.com/en/page/223/diff16.html Dr Khalid Ali, Screening room editor Cinema can be a contemporary mirror of our society as film-makers tell their stories reflecting on universal political, social, and economic challenges. Health and well-being were prominent themes in the […]