Ioncinema

Way of the Gun: Rasoulof’s Bold, Blunt Indictment of Iranian Regime There’s been little opportunity for artists to clearly or critically speak truth to power in post-revolutionary Iran, where filmmakers and actors are often censored through brute force. Anything considered...

The only animated film in the competition, Michel Hazanavicius has been a favorite of the festival landing several competition berths beginning with 2011’s The Artist. The Most Precious of Cargoes became his fourth feature to compete just after showcasing Coupez!...

The narrative behind Mohammad Rasoulof‘s journey to the Cannes competition (his first) will be talked about for a long time. Escaping his homeland (and an eight-year prison sentence from the country’s authorities for making the film), The Seed of the...

It’s been a solid three decades since Shaji N Karun’s Swaham competed for Palme in 1994, making this a significant moment for Indian auteur cinema. Yet, it’s an even more monumental occasion for Payal Kapadia, transitioning from docum cinema to...

The popular French actor working in just about every film genre has been on the Croisette on a couple of occasions but as a filmmaker got his first taste when Sink or Swim (also known as Le grand bain) —...

Thief of Hearts: Lellouche’s Sprawling Romance Has Arrhythmia A common occurrence for actors moonlighting as directors is not knowing how to hone a focus, crafting a narrative around the performers, often to the detriment of the film itself. Such is...

One of the favorited Brazilian filmmakers of the Cannes film festival with Madame Satã (2002), O Céu de Suely (2006), and winner A Vida Invisível de Eurídice Gusmão having all premiered at the fest’s Un Certain Regard section. Adding Special...

Destiny Indemnity: Ainouz Retrofits a Noir Classic “Love, when you get fear in it, it’s not love any more, it’s hate,” wrote James M. Cain in his indelible, eternal noir 1934 novel The Postman Always Rings Twice. Director Karim Aïnouz...

I still recall when Miguel Gomes took over the Directors’ Fortnight section with not one, but three films for the The Arabian Nights trilogy (Volume 1: The Restless One, Volume 2: The Desolate One and Volume 3: The Enchanted One) in...

Runaway Groom: Gomes Charts a Barren Odyssey In what serves as an extremely taxing personification of cold feet, Miguel Gomes feels as if he’s going through stylistic motions with his latest feature, Grand Tour. A surprise project considering his long...