Turtle Walker: Discovery of Turtles nesting and habitats

Raindance 33 Film Festival- The Vue, Lower Regent Street, London. UK Taira Malaney’s Turtle Walker, a 2024 heartwarming documentary film produced over seven years, presenting a  lovely portrait life of a curious conservationist, Satish Bhaskar, who lived alongside rare sea turtles for 19 years to unravel the mysteries that surround them in the late 1970s. The life of Satish Bhaskar born in Vypeen, Kochi, Kerala, southern India, is addressed following his conservationist investigation, when he ventured to the spectacular Andaman and Nicobar Islands and other surrounding islands for turtle surveys which actually saved these sea turtles from extinction, as most turtle’s … Continue reading Turtle Walker: Discovery of Turtles nesting and habitats

A penguin rescued from oil pollution

THE PENGUIN LESSONS cert 12 in UK cinemas now Adapted from a novel by Jeff Pope about Tom Michell’s post as a teacher in anupmarket boarding school in Argentina, in 1976, Steve Coogan plays the part ofthe teacher and adopter of a penguin to enchanting effect.Director of this film – Peter Cattaneo is already acclaimed for several verypopular movies including The Full Monty and Military Wives.Acclaimed actor Jonathan Pryce plays the Headmaster of the school where abomb goes off just as the new teacher is arriving. Argentina is an unstableplace to live in the times documented with politically motivated wars … Continue reading A penguin rescued from oil pollution

Emilia Pérez takes 13 Oscar Nominations

Only one of the 10 films nominated for best picture was directed by a woman- Coralie Fargeat’s controversial horror  The Substance, and Fargeat was also the only female screenwriter with solo credit across the 10 scripts in contention. Brady Corbet’s three-and-half hour epic, The Brutalist, about a Hungarian Holocaust survivor of second world war played by Adrien Brody coming to post war America to be an architect, took 10 nominations, as did Wicked, the hit adaptation of the Broadway show. James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, came away with eight nominations, as did Edward Berger’s papal thriller Conclave, starring … Continue reading Emilia Pérez takes 13 Oscar Nominations

Revelatory biography of a surprising and complex man

Dive into the pages and Celebrate one of the REAL stars of the USA! There are 24 chapters in four parts in this very readable book.  The book contains many black and white illustrations and photographs showing Redford as a star with other actors, pictures of his family, his youth  and some of his personally executed artworks. Redford originally studied Art at higher education level and then travelled Europe where he lived on a shoestring taking in the galleries and the beauty of the landscape and architecture.  When he returned to the USA he worked as a set designer and decorator  for films.  While he … Continue reading Revelatory biography of a surprising and complex man

Conclave

CONCLAVE – ADAPTATION OF A ROBERT HARRIS NOVEL (2016) BASED SOLELY IN THE VATICAN, ROME. Award winning actor Ralph Fiennes takes on the lead in this interesting saga about voting in a new Pope in Rome’s Vatican where there is a conclave of eminent Catholic clergy from around the world. Playing Cardinal Lawrence, he is one of the people who could be voted in to be the next Pope. He plays an Englishman which is a different nationality to the one itemised in the original book.In a fictional story, 72 hours are featured in this film directed by Academy Award … Continue reading Conclave

Pylon

A young boy and his sister wander through a field on a hazy summer’s day wherethey are confronted by a gang of older boys who force the child up an electricitypylon — with earth-shattering ramifications. Barnaby Blackburn’s devastating short British drama PYLON is a poignant exploration of fractious family relationships, the horrors siblings subject each other to, and the indelible marks they leave. The film was made with Ken Loach’s production company Sixteen Films and has qualified for the 2025 BAFTAs.Barnaby Blackburn is an award winning writer/director. At the age of 26 he won aBAFTA for writing promos for the BBC’s Winter … Continue reading Pylon

Roald Dahl, a new play

A new play at the Royal Court in London is set to explore World’s No 1 storyteller, Roald Dahl’s legacy and contradictions. Giant by Mark Rosenblatt takes place over the imagined course of an afternoon in 1983, in which Dahl must decide how to handle the scandal that could sink his career. A book review he has written for a literary magazine, comparing Isarel to Nazi Germany and called all Jews cowards if they don’t condemn the Israeli state, has caused quite a dismay. The Witches by Roald Dahl could well be his masterpiece, is about o come out and … Continue reading Roald Dahl, a new play

RAINDANCE LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2024. “THE MAN WITH A THOUSAND FACES. L’HOMME DE

MILLE VISAGES”. 90 MINS. PYRAMIDE INTERNATIONAL – FRANCE/POLAND. ALL NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED. A documentary about a real life imposter who has charmed a string of ladies all round the globe. Made by filmmaker Sonia Kronlund about a real man hiding behind many identities, the film is based and was instigated by a personal friend’s experiences and took several years to put together. The maker of this film said at Q and A that it was a difficult one to make – “one of those stories which feels like you don’t really know why you’re working on it” – it … Continue reading RAINDANCE LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2024. “THE MAN WITH A THOUSAND FACES. L’HOMME DE

Raindance Film Festival: The Quiet Maid

“THE QUIET MAID” – RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL LONDON 2024 (92 mins) in association with Calladita films and others.INTELLIGENTLY EXAMINING CLASS TENSIONS AND UNFAIRNESS “RESCUED” BY SATIREThis film brings to mind all kinds of conflicating episodes, feelings and behaviours which may echo with many a viewer. Poor Ana (Paula Grimaldo) is a Columbian housekeeper in the Costa Brava trying to fund a close relative’s aspirations to become a doctor while she is underpaid and witnessing spoilt bourgeois people who though speaking the same language, have nothing else in common with her at all.Directed, written and produced by up and coming Miguel … Continue reading Raindance Film Festival: The Quiet Maid

Police car filmed hitting a cow twice

According to Surrey Police A police officer who filmed deliberately driving a police car into a cow has been removed from frontline duties. Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said: “ I fully appreciate the distress our handling of this incident has caused  and will ensure that it is thoroughly and diligently investigated. At this time, the officer who was driving the police car has been removed from frontline duties pending the outcome of these investigations.” Beau Lucy, a 10-month-old breeding heifer, has no broken bones and is recovering in a barn with other calves but could still die of shock, … Continue reading Police car filmed hitting a cow twice