Our film and media correspondent, Khalid Ali, reviews Sheikh Jackson (Egypt 2017), directed by Amr Salama Showing at the London Film Festival (LFF), 5, 7, and 12th October 2017 Amr Salama is no stranger to the LFF; his films Asmaa, and Excuse My French showed at the LFF in 2011 and 2014 respectively to great […]
Category: Film and Media
Exploring Disability in Film
Our film and media correspondent, Dr Khalid Ali, reports on the London Film Festival which takes place from the 4th to the 15th of October 2017. Andrei Tarkovsky, the Russian director, once said that ‘art portrays the desire of human beings to achieve a balance between their materialistic needs and moral standards’. The attitudes of […]
Fleeing a Spider’s Web
Enemy, directed by Denis Villeneuve, Canada-Spain, 2013 Reviewed by Dr Franco Ferrarini, Gastroenterologist and Film Reviewer Adapted from Josè Saramago’s novel The Double, Enemy is an intriguing film directed by Denis Villeneuve. The film narrative employs multiple metaphors, embedded in a dream-like environment, which may be difficult to notice or fully understand at first […]
Beautiful/ Dutiful Anhedonia
Film review: ‘My Father’, directed by Mohammed Adel, Egypt 2015 Reviewed by Professor Robert Abrams, Weill Cornell University, New York ‘My Father’ is a subtly crafted short film of unusual finesse that portrays the reality of caregiving for the elderly, particularly its emotional burdens and costs. An older man, wheelchair-bound and with a below-knee amputation, […]
Mohammed Adel on his short film, ‘My Father’
Egyptian director, Mohammed Adel, writes about his short film, ‘My Father’, which shows the difficulties of caring for his father in the weeks before his death. Writing about my short documentary film ‘My Father’ is not an easy task, just like when I started thinking of making the film itself. This is not because ‘writing’ […]
Film Activism: Science, Art and Social Reform
Our Screening Room editor, Khalid Ali (Khalid.ali@bsuh.nhs.uk), interviews film director and producer James Redford. Activism is defined as ‘efforts to promote or direct social, political, economic and/or environmental reform to make improvements in society’. James Redford, documentary filmmaker, producer, and humanitarian uses documentary filmmaking to truly earn the title of a ‘film activist’. I met […]
After the Storm: Liberation and Hope in Later Life
After the Storm (Kore-eda Hirokazu, Japan 2016), in UK Cinemas from 2nd June 2017 Reviewed by Khalid Ali, Screening Room editor Japan is well known for its relatively traditional social structures, a predetermined life course that heavily influences career choices. Kore-eda Hirokazu’s latest film After the Storm explores those paradigms through the story of Ryota […]
Death By Suicide: The Beginning After the End
The Levelling, directed by Hope Dickson Leach On general release in UK cinemas now Review by Professor Robert Abrams, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Even before you view The Levelling, a film written and directed by Hope Dickson Leach, its title gives off a disquieting aura; you feel you are about to enter the […]
Auditory Hallucinations, Agoraphobia and Extremism as Portrayed by Actor Ahmed Magdy
In this podcast, our Screening Room editor, Khalid Ali, explores the role of film in shining a light on mental illlness, dysfunctional families, and the rise of religious fanaticism with Egyptian director Ahmed Magdy. Recently introduced to acting, Ahmed talks about his portrayal of three challenging characters: a young man imprisoned in his mother’s house in […]
Romanticizing Tubercolosis
Our screening editor, Dr Khalid Ali (Khalid.ali@bsuh.nhs.uk), here writes about the importance of Romanian director Radu Jude’s new film Scarred Hearts (Romania, 2016) and interviews him at the London Film Festival in the podcast included below. Each year on the 24th of March, several organizations around the world celebrate ‘International Tuberculosis Day’. It serves as a […]