Shane Slater
Shane Slater is a passionate cinephile whose love for cinema led him to creating his blog Film Actually in 2009. Since then, he has written for AwardsCircuit.com, ThatShelf.com and The Spool. Based in Kingston, Jamaica, he relishes the film festival experience, having covered TIFF, NYFF and Sundance among others. He is a proud member of the African-American Film Critics Association.
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in Festivals, InterviewsSXSW Interview: Director Tunde Skovran Reflects on ‘Who I Am Not’ And Its Intersex Subjects
Delivering one of the most touching documentaries (Who I Am Not) at SXSW 2023, actress-turned-director Tunde Skovran explores the lives of two South Africans from contrasting backgrounds who share one particular condition in common. Namely, they where both diagnosed as intersex and experienced various forms of trauma and self-doubt. Through this illuminating film, however, Skovran […] More
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in Festivals, Interviews
SXSW Interview: Director Kaveh Nabatian Talks Haiti and the Artistic Collaboration behind ‘Kite Zo A’
Clocking in at a mere 67 minutes, Kaveh Nabatian’s Kite Zo A is a short documentary feature that nevertheless packs a punch. Exploring Haitian history, culture and spirituality with the help of poetry, music and dance, Kite Zo A is a soulful cinematic immersion into the atmosphere of the island nation. Following its international premiere […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Director Stephanie Malson and Producer Malaika Paquiot Discuss their Jamaican ‘Getaway’
For many Black people living in America, the issues underpinning the Black Lives Matter movement are a source of constant anxiety. But for some like June (Melissa Kay Anderson) – the lead character in Stephanie Malson’s Getaway – the struggle is of little concern. When the horrors hit close to home, however, she is forced […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Walé Oyéjidé Speaks On the Intentional Beauty of ‘Bravo, Burkina!’
With its radiant cinematography and runway-ready costumes, Walé Oyéjidé’s Bravo Burkina! was certainly one of the most striking films at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. And for the multi-hyphenate filmmaker, this intentional beauty was by design, as he sought to show the story’s immigrant characters in the best light. Oyéjidé goes into detail about the […] More
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in Festivals, Interviews
Sundance Film Festival Interview: Marija Kavtaradze Discusses the Intimacy and Sexuality in ‘Slow’
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival saw the premiere of one of the most unique romance dramas ever made. Directed by Marija Kavtaradze, Slow follows an interpreter named Dovydas and a dancer named Elena who fall in love and must navigate Dovydas’ asexuality. Featuring oustanding chemistry between its lead actors and a fresh perspective on intimacy, […] More
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in Festivals, Interviews
Sundance Film Festival Interview: Glorimar Marrero Sánchez Explains the Meaning of ‘The Fishbowl’
At the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Puerto Rico received a rare opportunity to show an authentic representation of its society and people. For director Glorimar Marrero Sánchez and her debut feature film La Pecera (The Fishbowl), that reality was not the postcard-ready image of the island, but a society still reeling from the effects of […] More
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Sundance Film Festival Review: Black Trans Lives Matter in ‘The Stroll’ and ‘Kokomo City’
Trans representation in the media has been slowly but surely improving over the years, most notably in the success of TV’s Pose. At this year’s Sundance, a pair of enlightening films showcase the next step in this push towards authenticity. Focusing on the lives of Black trans sex workers, The Stroll and Kokomo City tell […] More
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Sundance Film Festival Review: ‘Milisuthando’ Profoundly Reckons with the Legacy of Apartheid South Africa
The common image of apartheid South Africa often involves outright racial violence in the streets and cluttered townships straddling the country’s major cities. But there’s another underdiscussed element to the apartheid system, where separatist Black states where declared as independent entities within the country. The first of those forms a central concern of Milisuthando, a […] More
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Sundance Film Festival Review: ‘Girl’ Is a Modest Mother-Daughter Drama
“The walls will be pink, gold. The cupboards will be white, soft like clouds. And when we walk on it, it will be like we are in the sky.” The opening lines of Adura Onashile’s Girl echo similarly idyllic sentiments fuelling immigrant dreams for their new life. But as has been proven many times before, […] More
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20 Films to Watch at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival
After two virtual editions, 2023 sees the Sundance Film Festival return full force to its Park City home with a hybrid format of in-person and online programming. And following the announcement of the lineup, it’s clear that this could be one for the history books. Indeed, from groundbreaking documentaries to fresh new voices in independent […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Saim Sadiq Discusses Pakistan’s Brilliantly Provocative Oscar Contender ‘Joyland’
Among this year’s shortlisted Oscar contenders for Best International Feature, few of them have attracted as much media attention as Pakistan’s Joyland. This outstanding debut feature from director Saim Sadiq has taken a winding road in its awards campaign, after being banned and then unbanned in Pakistan for its central love triangle involving a trans […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Score Mixer Alvin Wee Discusses the Big Sound and Tender Emotions of ‘Devotion’
As movie theaters attempt a return to a post-COVID normal, Hollywood delivered some big blockbuster experiences in 2022. One such example is the war film Devotion (directed by J.D. Dillard, interviewed by Joey here), based on the true story of the first African-American aviator to complete U.S. Navy training. Integral to the film’s power is […] More
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