Flare Film Festival: are LGBT stories moving out of the margins?

by Winnie M Li  In the wake of Moonlight’s Oscar triumph, what role do LGBT film festivals continue to play?  This question lingered over the latest edition of BFI Flare, which ran 16-26 March at the British Film Institute (BFI) in London. In 2017, are LGBT stories finally moving out of the margins and into the… Read More

Some people aren’t celebrating Mahershala Ali as the first Muslim to win an Oscar: let’s talk about anti-Ahmadi discrimination

by Ayesha Mehta After years of disappointment with the Oscars disregarding diverse talent, and the growing frustration that Hollywood only tells black stories in the context of historical trauma and racist brutality, Mahershala Ali’s win for his role in a film about the contemporary experience of a young, gay, African-American was a moment brimming with significance.… Read More

Moonlight isn’t just a part of the conversation for film of the year, it is the conversation

by Shane Thomas Content note: this review contains spoilers It’s often said that a key facet of healthy relationships is open, honest, and clear communication. Perhaps less emphasised is that this applies to familial relationships as well as romantic ones. Eight years after his debut feature film, Medicine for Melancholy, Barry Jenkins has made a movie… Read More