The Film Stage

One of the more fascinating elements of the documentary WTO/99, directed by Ian Bell, is that while it visually feels like a relic, the political observations feel as predictive as they are reflexive. The film compiles a clear chronology of...

Premiering in Un Certain Regard at Cannes Film Festival, Akinola Davies Jr.’s acclaimed debut My Father’s Shadow went on to pick up a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or and, recently, Best Director at the British Independent Film Awards and...

One of the breakout features at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year, Hasan Hadi’s directorial debut The President’s Cake picked up the section’s Audience Award and the Caméra d’Or. Acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, Iraq’s Oscar entry will now have...

One of our favorite traditions in best-of-the-year festivities is a lineup that tends to find a more interesting path than any guilds or critics groups. The wonderfully eccentric John Waters, whose tastes always includes a mix of the unexpected and...

A sprawling odyssey of the Black experience, Independent journalists fighting back in Russia, the life of a bullfighter, a deep dive into the video-store era, meta dissections of true crime, a look inside one of the most ambitious films of...

Exceeding all expectations, Sinners became a critical and box-office hit when it was released this past spring. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, the film stars Michael B. Jordan as twins Smoke and Stack, who set up a juke joint...

One of the most formally assured debut features I saw last year, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s A Useful Ghost tells a peculiar, transfixing paranormal tale. A premiere at Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique where it won the Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prize,...

A mother and two daughters move into a cramped apartment in Taipei, a tentative step towards financial independence. Their struggle to survive provides the backbone to Left-Handed Girl, one of the most kinetic and accomplished movies of the year. While...

As we enter the final month of the year, we’ll be sharing an extensive look at the best in cinema of 2025 (bookmark here), but first, let’s look at the highlights when it comes to December’s new releases. We should...

Reteaming with A24 after A Ghost Story and The Green Knight, writer-director David Lowery returns next year with Mother Mary, an epic pop melodrama that brings together Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, Jessica Brown Findlay, Sian Clifford, and FKA...