Film Festival News | Little White Lies

Festivals

A woman in a white coat stands in a dimly lit room, with others behind her wearing similar clothing.
Festivals

Sweet Dreams – first-look review

by Marina Ashioti

Ena Sendijarević hits the sweet spot with this offbeat, surreal period piece set on a remote Indonesian island.
Two women dancing in a nightclub, illuminated by colourful strobe lights.
Festivals

Animal – first-look review

by Marina Ashioti

Dimitra Vlagopoulou gives a knockout performance in Sofia Exarchou’s resort-set second feature about a group of seasonal performers.
Hands holding a vintage black-and-white photograph against a wooden surface.
Festivals

Marseille Film Festival explores cinema as a medium of escape

by Kitty Grady

A world away from the glitz and glamour of Cannes, another French coastal city aims to build a more inclusive and challenging vision of a film festival.
A large outdoor cinema screen displaying a film poster. In the foreground, a crowd of people are gathered to watch the film screening. In the background, historic buildings and a domed structure can be seen, suggesting an urban setting.
Festivals

A journey through the past at Il Cinema Ritrovato

by Esmé Holden

What can a film festival dedicated to the screening of older cinema tell us about the present state of audience engagement with movie watching?
Portrait of a man with a serious expression, his face illuminated by dim light against a dark background.
Festivals

In Camera – first-look review

by Hannah Strong

Naqqash Khalid’s inventive feature debut is a spiky take on navigating the British film industry as a non-white actor and trying to find your identity amid the hostile present day.
Two adults, a woman and a man, sitting together in an indoor setting with art prints on the wall behind them.
Festivals

The Hypnosis – first-look review

by Hannah Strong

A power couple on the brink of pitching their start-up experience unexpected tension after a hypnotherapy session causes one of them to lose all their social inhibitions.
Close-up of a woman's face, with vibrant orange and red lighting casting a dramatic glow on her features.
Festivals

Red Rooms – first-look review

by Hannah Strong

Pascal Plante presents a piercing take on true crime in this austere, affecting psychological thriller.
A woman with dark hair and a serious expression, wrapped in a light-coloured blanket or shawl.
Festivals

Fremont – first-look review

by Hannah Strong

A young Afghan immigrant finds herself adrift in San Francisco in Babak Jalali’s poetic fourth feature.
Two people lying in the snow, one standing and one prone on the ground.
Festivals

Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall wins the 2023 Palme d’Or

by David Jenkins

The psychological courtroom thriller with the great Sandra Hüller wins the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Three young people, two girls and one boy, sitting on a bench outdoors. The girls have long blonde and dark hair, and the boy has short brown hair. They are holding what appears to be some kind of electronic device.
Festivals

Riddle of Fire – first-look review

by Hannah Strong

Three precocious kids set out on a quest for blueberry pie in Weston Razooli’s throwback adventure film.