Latin American cinema has lost one of the foundational figures of the radical film movement which flourished fifty years ago, when the two avant-gardes, the aesthetic and the political – were conjoined. Paul Leduc, who died in Mexico City on … Continue reading
Reflections on Cuban cinema, in answer to questions from the Havana Glasgow Film Festival, ahead of this year’s festival which opens on November 10th with ‘Cuba: Living Between Hurricanes’. https://hgfilmfest.com/2020/10/19/extraordinary-cuba-an-interview-with-michael-chanan/ Recommend on Facebook Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments … Continue reading
In May 2005 I bought a new pocket-sized video camera. The next day I took it with me to try out when I went to visit Kiarostami’s installation, ‘Forest Without Leaves’, at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and as … Continue reading
Very sad to hear of the death in Havana of the pioneer of Cuban cinema, Julio García Espinosa, at the age of 89. One of the founding members of Cuba’s film institute, the ICAIC, of which he was President from … Continue reading
There was something magical about the first time I met Fernando Birri, who celebrated his 90th birthday a few days ago. I had just arrived in Cuba for the first Havana Film Festival in 1979. Checking in to the Hotel … Continue reading
One of the notable features at the inaugural conference of the Radical Film Network in Birmingham last weekend was the mix of generations, from new blood to survivors from the days of the IFA (Independent Filmmakers Association) in the 1970s. Speaking … Continue reading
‘Interrupted Memory’ at Birkbeck Friday 9 January at 6pm One of the interviewees in Interrupted Memory (Memoria interrumpida) (Michael Chanan, 2013, 116mns) recalls being detained in the 1976 coup in Argentina. She was beaten and raped. She began, defensively, to … Continue reading
Ishtar Yasin’s film about the work of the Chilean painter Julio Escámez. Film de Ishtar Yasin sobre la obra del pinto chileno Julio Escámez. Recommend on Facebook Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Print for later … Continue reading
This is how I remember Richard Attenborough—setting up a shot for Oh! What a Lovely War, in a photo I took myself. He’s the one in the hat. The news of his death takes me back to where I … Continue reading
When Sight & Sound sent out their invitation to contribute to their best documentaries poll, I’m afraid I bottled out, and sent this response. Dear Nick, Thanks for inviting me to contribute to Sight & Sound’s best documentaries poll. I’m … Continue reading