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 InterviewsInterview: Tomer Shushan Discusses His Oscar-Nominated Short Film ‘White Eye’
Set during one fateful night in Tel Aviv, Tomer Shushan’s White Eye is one of the most striking films nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the Oscars. Based on Shushan’s personal experience, the story surrounds an Israeli man who attempts to recover his stolen bike. As he alerts the authorities and tries to […] More
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in Festivals, Interviews
SXSW Interview: ‘Recovery’ Filmmakers On their Outrageous COVID-19 Comedy
The COVID-19 pandemic is no laughing matter. But for filmmakers Mallory Everton and Stephen Meek, the uncertain atmosphere was the perfect subject for their debut feature Recovery. In this outrageous road trip comedy, Everton and Whitney Call play a pair of paranoid sisters who go on a mission rescue their grandmother from her COVID-afflicted nursing […] More
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SXSW Review: ‘The Return’ Empathetically Explores the Complexities of Life After Isis
The headlines that open Alba Sotorra’s The Return will be familiar to many who have followed the news surrounding the emergence of ISIS in Syria during the past decade. Horrifying reports of beheadings, bombings and other brutal acts have caused the radical Islamist group to be one of the most feared in the world. Beyond […] More
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Miami Film Fest Review: ‘Beans’ Tells an Indigenous Canadian Story with Heart and Brutal Honesty
In contrast to the racial tensions and anti-refugee sentiments of the bordering United States in recent years, Canada has projected a public image of a more welcoming and tolerant nation. But like their American neighbors, it has a dark past of racialized oppression, particularly as it relates to the displacement of its indigenous people. Based […] More
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Miami Film Fest Review: ‘A La Calle’ Powerfully Illustrates Venezuela’s Humanitarian Crisis
With a presidency that continues to be disputed by two parties, Venezuela has become a microcosm of the ideological war between authoritarianism and democracy that has taken root around the world. In their new documentary A La Calle, Maxx Caicedo and Nelson G. Navarrete look back on the past decade of the country’s politics to […] More
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Miami Film Fest Review: ‘Sin La Habana’ Portrays a Complex Love Triangle
You’ve probably seen those films where a North American woman journeys to a foreign land to “find themselves.” In the process, they often find a spiritual awakening or even romance. In Kaveh Nabatian’s Sin La Habana, an Iranian-Canadian woman embarks on such a soul-searching adventure to Cuba, where she becomes smitten with the culture and […] More
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Miami Film Fest Review: ‘A State of Madness’ Is a Serviceable Period Drama
When Ryan Murphy released his latest TV production Ratched, narratives about psychiatric institutions became a hot topic again thanks to its a star-studded cast and glossy 1940s design. Set around the same as that One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest sequel on an island many miles away, another recent drama offers its own take on […] More
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Miami Film Fest Review: ‘Ludi’ Offers a Simple Slice of Immigrant Life
If you ask second-generation Americans about their parents’ immigration experience, you’ll likely hear stories of “blood, sweat and tears” as many sacrificed their own comfort to provide a better life for their children. That practice continues today as depicted in the contemporary setting of Ludi, in which an immigrant woman works tirelessly to provide for […] More
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PAFF Review: ‘This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection’ Is a Majestic Lesotho Drama
When you think about world cinema, Lesotho is perhaps one of the last countries that comes to mind. But with his remarkable debut feature This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese is putting his native country on the map. Indeed, this cinematic tour de force is a glorious tribute to a […] More
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PAFF Review: ‘The Fisherman’s Diary’ Is a Maudlin Message Movie
As much as we may deny it, we always bring our own subjective worldviews and experiences to the movies we watch and how receive them. The task of the filmmaker therefore, is to use their storytelling skills to generate empathy for people and worlds that are unlike our own. Such is the challenge posed to […] More
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in Festivals, Interviews
PAFF Interview: Desmond Ovbiagele Talks ‘The Milkmaid’ and Religious Extremism in Nigeria
Though cinema is sometimes dismissed as inessential entertainment, the medium can be used to bring much needed attention and awareness to important societal issues. That’s what filmmaker Desmond Ovbiagele hopes to achieve through his sophomore feature The Milkmaid. Inspired by the seemingly forgotten events of the Islamist insurgency in Nigeria, this harrowing tale centers a […] More
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in Festivals, Film Reviews, Reviews
PAFF Review: ‘Executive Order’ and ‘Stateless’ Explore the Vulnerability of Black Citizenship in Latin America
One of the most fascinating trends in cinema is how unconnected filmmakers can be coincidentally inspired to create work that is strikingly similar. Sometimes it’s the case of competing biopics, or it can be topical films exploring an important social issue. Such a phenomenon is revealed at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, where a […] More
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