FILM REVIEWS AND NEWS

It seems fitting that Brick Lane, the iconic creative corner of the capital, has been chosen as the staging ground for the upcoming Spring Edition of the Day Job Film Festival. As someone who spends a significant portion of my life immersed in the world of independent cinema, I find myself increasingly drawn to events that eschew the velvet ropes of the West End in favour of something more tangible, more raw, and more human.

OBEX (2026) is an artistic, black-and-white surrealist film following Conor, a solitary man who lives with his dog, Sandy. Conor discovers a video game that will provide him with an adventure and a purpose, with this comes chaos and enlightenment. 

Looking ahead to the South by Southwest programme, there is a distinct sense of electricity surrounding the short film selection. By synthesising our own existing critiques with the growing speculative chatter from across the pond, I have compiled a list of the short films that should be at the very top of your "must-watch" list this year.

Souvenir is a tense portrayal of young, same-sex female love.

Here are the twelve films that have firmly planted themselves at the top of my watchlist for the 2026 festival.

Today, that excitement has found its lightning rod with the announcement that the 22nd edition of the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF26) will open on 25 February with the UK Premiere of Everybody To Kenmure Street.

Meadowlarks, directed by Tasha Hubbard, follows 5 siblings who are reunited after being separated from their parents during the Sixties Scoop of 1955-1985, in which over 200,000 Indigenous Canadian children were forcibly taken from their families and adopted by white families or placed under foster care.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival has always occupied a singular space in the awards season calendar. It serves as a sophisticated precursor to the Academy Awards, often highlighting the intersection of global stardom and genuine cinematic craft. This year, the festival has announced that Miley Cyrus will be the recipient of the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award at the 2026 ceremony.

It’s official: Trieste Science+Fiction Festival is celebrating its 25th birthday, and what a spectacular party it sounds like! For over two decades, this festival in Italy has been a beacon for all things fantastic and imaginative, proving year after year that science fiction is far more than just spaceships and laser guns. The best sci-fi holds a mirror up to our own world, and the line-up for October 28 to November 2 promises to be one hell of a compelling reflection.

Cut Short is noted as telling a "true story." What was the process of researching and adapting Jayden's real-life experiences, and how did you balance the need for factual accuracy with the demands of dramatic storytelling?

Having just announced the 2025 lineup for the North East International Film Festival, we spoke with the Festival Director, Lisa-Marie Tonelli, to talk about the films that stood out, emerging voices taking risks, and the logistics (and challenges) and running a film festival in 2025.

Well then, here we are, another year, another brilliant lineup from the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). As a critic who's always looking for a good yarn and a bit of cinematic magic, the latest announcement from the 38th TIFF has certainly piqued my interest. They've just unveiled their Closing Film, some of the Gala Selection titles, and a few animated gems, and it's looking to be a festival of truly impressive scale and prestige.