What happens when all you?ve ever dreamed of is taken away? That is a question that many films ask, but few answer it as beautifully and spiritually as Chlo? Zhao?s The Rider. This is a partially fictionalized story set on the Pine Ridge Reservation. It blends fiction...
I recently had the chance to talk by phone with Academy Award winner Vanessa Roth about her new short documentary, The Girl and the Picture, that played at the Newport Beach Film Festival. The film tells the story of Madame Xia, who as an eight year old girl survived...
When a woman abandons her family, how are we to understand her? In Dominic Savage?s The Escape, we may be tempted to be judgmental. We may ask if being unhappy is enough of a reason in itself to destroy her family. We may look down at her?or perhaps we may ponder what...
As the Newport Beach Film Festival comes to a close, I want to express my appreciation to the festival for allowing me to take part in so much over the last week. I also want to thank the staff and especially the volunteers for all the work they put in to make the...
Why should people go to film festivals? Because it may be the only chance they get to see films like Meerkat Moonship. This South African film by Hanneke Schutte features wonderful cinematography and a story of overcoming fear to be able to embrace life. Young...
I began Tuesday by watching Cardinals, a film directed by Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley that was the Canadian Spotlight film on Friday night, . It is the story of a woman who has returned home after years in prison after being convicted of killing her neighbor in a...
The interaction of news events and the journalists covering the events made up the focus of the first two films of the day. Another News Story, directed by Orban Wallace, follows the story of immigrants to Europe from the time they land on the Greek island of Lesbos...
It certainly isn?t news that most films are made by men. Women have been working for the chance to be directors for a very long time. Half the Picture,?a documentary by Amy Adrion, speaks with some of the women directors who have found success about the hurdles that...
I always like to fit in some shorts at NBFF. From time to time I?ve seen shorts here that end up with Oscar nomination the following year. I started my day with a group of shorts called ?Held Back & Shortly Set Free?, which was described in the program as...