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 ReviewsFilm Review: ‘My Father’s Shadow’ is a Poignant Love Letter to Lagos and its People
It has become a cliche of filmspeak to state that a city is portrayed like a character unto itself. But it’s hard to not think of that analogy in the case of the affectionate depiction of Nigeria’s most iconic city in Akinola Davies Jr’s My Father’s Shadow. Indeed, this auspicious debut feature is a vibrant, sensorial […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Hilla Medalia Discusses the Oscar-Shortlisted ‘Children No More: Were and Are Gone’
As the nominations voting period for the Oscars beckons, one of the films to look out for is Hilla Medalia’s Children No More: Were and Are Gone. Shortlisted for Best Documentary Short, this film is a gutting look at the work of a silent activist group in Israel, who hold up the names and photos […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Actress-Director Cherien Dabis Talks ‘All That’s Left of You’ And Putting a Palestinian Spin on the Hollywood Epic
As one of several International Feature Oscar submissions exploring the Israel-Palestine conflict, Jordan’s All That’s Left of You stands out as one of the more memorable entries. This decades-spanning drama charts the course of Palestinian history from the initiation of the Nakba to the present day, through the eyes of one family. The result is […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Alireza Khatami Discusses Canada’s Oscar Entry ‘The Things You Kill’
With its surrealist flourishes and dark tone, The Things You Kill may not immediately appear to be based on real life. For director Alireza Khatami, this provocative film is his most personal yet. Centering a pair of mysteriously connected men aptly named Ali and Reza, it follows a Turkish professor’s unravelling in the wake of […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Brittany Shyne and Sabrina Schmidt Gordon Talk ‘Seeds’ and Black Legacies
With its delicate, observational approach, Brittany Shyne’s Seeds was a standout at the Sundance Film Festival, duly winning the coveted Grand Jury Prize among US documentaries. The film follows the lives of Centennial Black farmers whose generations-spanning livelihoods are under threat. Since its premiere, their stories have captivated audiences and won numerous prizes on the […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Clement Virgo and Tamara Berger Talk ‘Steal Away’
Set in an enigmatic world that evokes both the antebellum South and more contemporary European locales, Clement Virgo’s Steal Away is a fascinating drama bearing resonant themes. It centers a pair of young women – a Congolese refugee and a sheltered scion of a wealthy family – who are drawn together and form a complicated […] More
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TIFF Review: ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ Speaks Loud and Clear on the Horrors Afflicting Gaza
During a prior awards season, celebrated Austrian auteur Michael Haneke decried cinema’s penchant for exploiting real life atrocities as fodder for entertainment. Citing Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List as an irresponsible example, he cautioned about using manipulative devices generate suspense and melodrama. Such ethical discussions will surely resurface around the release of another similarly acclaimed film […] More
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21 Films to Watch at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival
Hot on the heels of Telluride and Venice, the fall film festival circuit makes its next stop in Canada, with the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival set to unravel from September 4th to the 14th. And with another impressive lineup of exciting titles, it promises to be another wonderful showcase of new cinema. As the popular festival […] More
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in Festivals, Interviews
HollyShorts Interview: Hayden McLean Discusses the Community-Building of ‘The Last Dance’
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and that sense of community is embodied in both the filmmaking and the story behind Hayden McLean’s short film The Last Dance. Inspired by his own personal history and the experiences of Britain’s Windrush generation, this touching drama depicts a family as they plan for […] More
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in Festivals, Interviews
Tribeca Festival Interview: Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian Carretero Explore Puerto Rican Society in ‘Esta Isla’
Riffing on classic film tropes of forbidden love and coming of age, Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian Carretero’s debut feature Esta Isla is at once familiar and distinct. Portraying the lives of a young couple from opposite sides of Puerto Rico’s socioeconomic divide, the film explores the underseen far-flung corners of the island to examine […] More
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in Festivals, Interviews
SXSW Interview: José María Cabral On the Vibrant Culture of ’42nd Street’
Music has been an integral part of Latina American culture since time immemorial, with many distinctive genres emerging from this region. One of those rapidly emerging in recent years is Dembow, an energetic interpretation of reggaeton and Jamaican dancehall. The music has captured the creative imagination of younger generations, as is vividly documented in José […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: ‘Sugarcane’ Directors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie Discuss their Historic Oscar Contender
In 2021, a stunning discovery rocked Canada and the world at large, when unmarked graves were uncovered at a residential school run by the Catholic Church, where indigenous children were sent to assimilate into Canadian society. The investigation revealed a larger trend of cruelty perpetuated by the residentical school system, and caught the attention of […] More
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