documentary

BFI London Film Festival 2014: The Immortalists

by Maryann O'Connor 16 October 2014

The Immortalists is a documentary about two scientists determined to reverse the aging process. So far, so uncontroversial. But their research goes beyond the latest skin brightener, curing Alzheimers or strengthening aging limbs – they seek to reverse aging in its entirety at the cellular level, potentially making us immortal.

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In Review: Still the Enemy Within

by Maryann O'Connor 3 October 2014

Still the Enemy Within is a collection of personal accounts from those miners involved in the mother of industrial disputes in 1984; their experience of the undeniably mission-like efforts of Margaret Thatcher to dismantle an entire industry and the lives of those dependent on the livelihood of mining. The film is a living antithesis and […]

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In Review: Finding Vivian Maier

by Maryann O'Connor 24 July 2014

John Maloof won a box of negatives at auction in the U.S., not knowing how the contents of that box would change his life. He discovered that the negatives were brilliantly shot photographs taken by someone called Vivian Maier and was surprised to find that she worked as a nanny. There begins John’s journey to […]

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In Review: Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon

by Daniel Goodwin 18 July 2014

We all know Hollywood as a land of scandals and secrets but first-time director Mike Myers does his best to unearth a few via superstar manager Shep Gordon. An industry bigwig and “ethical hedonist” with unprecedented insights into A-list lives, who is also partial to a bit of sex and substance abuse. In his day, […]

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In Review: Made in America (2013) on DVD

by Maryann O'Connor 20 May 2014

It’s hard to know what the intention was with this joint effort from Ron Howard and Jay Z. It’s a film of a two day music festival in Philadelphia, which is heavily punctuated by starry emissions of self-help mantra, back stories about artists such as Janelle Monáe and Run DMC, and short interviews with the little guy […]

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Birds Eye View Film Festival 2014: Lucky

by Daniel Goodwin 11 April 2014

Laura Checkoway’s documentary about young, homeless mother Lucky Torres and her battle through life in downtown New York is an unyielding exposé of a troubled soul struggling to raise a family during times of hardship.

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In Interview: David France on How to Survive a Plague

by Maryann O'Connor 27 March 2014

How to Survive a Plague is a life-changing documentary, directed by David France, which follows NYC activists from the early 1980s onwards desperately campaigning for the HIV and AIDS crisis to be taken seriously by US politicians, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pharmaceutical Companies and hospitals. Through pure perseverance and sweat, blood and oceans […]

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Nordic Film Festival 2013: My Stuff

by Maryann O'Connor 12 December 2013

When you see Petri Luukkainen running through the snowy streets in the altogether within the first few minutes of My Stuff, you may wonder if this Finnish documentary about a dude trying to find meaning in his life might be a little off the wall.

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In Review: When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun on DVD

by Mairéad Roche 11 December 2013

A nation of approximately 6 million people living ‘on the roof of the world’ without a substantial army or trading agreements with the west, Tibet found itself railroaded by the juggernaut of the Chinese Red Army in 1959. Many documentaries and feature films later, with Tibet still occupied by China, film maker Dirk Simon looks […]

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Nordic Film Festival 2013: Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart

by Mairéad Roche 10 December 2013

Documentary Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart centres around musician Kai Latvalehto; a member of a successful Finnish rock band who goes from Finland on a road trip with his father Tauno to return to where they had lived in Sweden when Kai was a boy.

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Nordic Film Festival 2013: NWR

by Mark Searby 29 November 2013

Director of indie films Drive and Only God Forgives, Nicolas Winding Refn seems like an enigma within the film world. This documentary gets as close as possible to a man with different ideas than most.

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