Joshua Oppenheimer discusses his collaboration with Adi Rukun, the importance of empathy, and the magical realist landscape and soundscape of his Oscar-nominated documentary The Look of Silence.
Canada’s Top Ten has strong films but lacks imagination
Canada’s Top Ten of 2015 represents a very strong slate of films. Yet it doesn’t quite reflect the diversity and originality of Canadian films last year.
Compassion may be the enemy in A War
Tobias Lindholm continues to explore how trauma affects networks of people in this complex character study of a Danish officer whose compassion may be his undoing.
Gerard Barrett on addiction and loneliness in Glassland
Irish writer-director Gerard Barrett’s second film, the sensitive and heartbreaking “Glassland” — about an almost grown boy, John (Jack Reynor) and the stress he faces when he’s forced to become his parent’s (Toni Collette) parent — premiered at Sundance last year. Barrett discusses how he got interested in the film, how he works with actors, and how he designed the aesthetic for the film.
Unlocking the Cage on chimpanzee rights
Do intelligent non-humans like chimpanzees, elephants, and dolphins deserve human-like rights? According to Steven Wise, the animal rights lawyer at the centre of Chris Hegedus’ and D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary Unlocking the Cage, it’s overdue.
Hail, Caesar: The Coen Brothers’ Golden Age
The Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar is a glorious, hilarious tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood. With its very own Esther Williams (Scarlett Johansson), Carmen Miranda (Veronica Osorio), and Gene Kelly (Channing Tatum), it’s got all the stock characters and genres of classic cinema. Even Roger Deakins’ 35mm cinematography mimics old movies, framing the action head-on as if filming a stage.