Month: September 2020

Starring Henry Golding, this moving film is story of cultural displacement, unexpected romance and the search for a lost home. Kit (Henry Golding, Crazy Rich Asians) returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since he was six years old, when his family fled the country in the aftermath of the Vietnam-American war. He wants to scatter his parents’ ashes in their home country, but also hopes to rediscover his own roots and understand his identity. However, instead of a homecoming, he finds himself in an unfamiliar country – so much has changed in this vibrant, busy country, and he can no longer speak the language. He travels to Saigon and spends time with various people who are also trying to understand their place in the country. His cousin Lee reminds them of their shared youthfu...

A life-affirming celebration of female friendship and the power of youthful energy set in the lesser-known parts of London. When her mum unexpectedly leaves their home in London’s Hackney, sixteen-year-old Shola, aka ‘Rocks’, (Bukky Bakray) has to take on responsibility for her younger brother. She tries to keep below the radar of the authorities who might take him away while also wanting to live her teenage life to the full in the company of her group of girlfriends. The film is a genuine collaboration between its director, Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane, Suffragette), writing duo Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson, and its young cast who workshopped the storyline and dialogue through a long and detailed process. The result is a film which is a profound joy – not shying away from all that is...

This award-winning drama is a richly resonant character study and a commentary on Paraguayan class structure, beautifully portrayed by its impressive cast. The Heiresses is a love story set in Paraguay among the complacent wealthy gentry of the nation’s capital, Asunción. Chela (Ana Brun) and Chiquita (Margarita Irun) have lived together all their adult lives – during which they’ve never had to do a day’s work – in a beautifully appointed house that belonged to Chela’s family. As the story begins, disaster has struck. Chiquita is in trouble with the bank and  she must go to jail while her debts remains unpaid and the couple suffer the humiliation of selling most of their possessions. Chiquita, robustly confident, immediately settles into prison life but shy Chela is struggling with l...