Chie Hayakawa’s impressive debut feature film presents a captivating dystopia about the calculation of elderly citizens’ right to a dignified life, the impunity of those who decide who is granted that right, and the elusive meaning of humanity, in near-future post-extinction capitalist societies. In a cruel, calculating and survival-of-the-fittest, deficit-ridden individualistic society, senior citizens are considered to be the least productive and most burdensome group to the economy and society.
Iranian filmmaker Sara Alaeddiny's debut short film, Hide And Seek screened at RapidLion South African International Film Festival and its well-crafted maturity caught the eye of Frame !ndependent...
Hlynur Pálmason’s third feature film is a beautifully crafted cinematic experience about the contentious definition of morality, ethics and perceived entitlement to nobleness. Steering clear of a pastoral or didactic tone the film bursts naturally out of the harsh, unwelcoming landscape of Iceland in all its glorious mysticism, whimsical cinematography and holiness of the analogue, 1:33 ratio aesthetics.
A red-eye flight from London brought me to Oliver Tambo International airport in Johannesburg as a guest of the 9th RapidLion South African International Film Festival in March 2023 and one of the first and most captivating films I caught was the feature length South African/UK documentary 1001 Days.
Screened at Rapid Lion International Film Festival, the wonderful feature length documentary, 1001 Days purports to present through a series of intimate and at times, uncomfortable conversations, a searing, emotional snapshot of motherhood in Alexandra, a township in South Africa during the crucial first three years of a baby's life.
Whilst attending the 9th RapidLion South African International Film Festival ostensibly to watch films, I was also keen to see what the infamous city of Johannesburg has to offer. Of course the many cafe bars and restaurants of the uber trendy Melville and Parkhurst suburbs hold attraction but I also wanted to get a taste of the history, politics and flavour of one of South Africa's most iconic cities.
