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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Tribeca Film Review: ‘Socks on Fire’ Illuminates the Dark Behind A Happy Family Portrait
As its title promises, Bo McGuire’s Socks on Fire opens with a shot of socks burning on a clothes line. Symbolic of what’s to come, it sets the tone for the emotional carnage inflicted on his own family in Alabama. Documenting the fallout in the wake of its matriarch’s death, Socks on Fire illuminates the darkness […] More
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Tribeca Film Review: ‘Catch the Fair One’ is a Propulsive and Meaningful Thriller
There’s more than meets the eye in Josef Kubota Wladyka’s gripping new thriller Catch the Fair One. Set around the world of competitive women’s boxing, its unpredictable storyline digs deeper to investigate the harsh reality of sex trafficking. As it uncovers the ugly underbelly of this horrifying world, this cinematic gut-punch is suitably unsettling. Catch […] More
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in Festivals, Interviews
Tribeca Interview: Nana Mensah Discusses her Unexpected Directorial Debut ‘Queen of Glory’
Nana Mensah didn’t intend to direct her debut feature film Queen of Glory, but we’re glad she did. In our recent Awards Radar interview with the actor-writer-director, she discussed her unexpected road to using all three skills for this moving dramedy about a Ghanaian-American woman reconnecting with her roots upon her mother’s sudden death. As […] More
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Tribeca Film Festival Review: ‘All These Sons’ Is an Empathetic Reflection on Chicago’s Gun Violence
Three years ago, Bing Liu made his mark on the documentary scene with his deeply personal debut feature Minding the Gap. Following the lives of himself and his two skateboarding friends as they approach manhood, the Oscar-nominated film was a raw and evocative examination of masculinity. Co-directed with Joshua Altman, Liu’s sophomore effort All These […] More
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in Reviews
Film Review: ‘Port Authority’ Tells a Quintessential New York Story
Throughout the history of film, television and literature, stories of small-town outcasts seeking a new life in New York City have become commonplace. In one of the latest iterations of that popular storytelling trope, Port Authority gives a peek into the lives of a particularly underrepresented community. Directed by Danielle Lessovitz, this delicate drama tells […] More
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in Interviews, TV
Interview: Nicco Annan on Becoming Uncle Clifford in ‘P-Valley’
With its gritty depiction of the community surrounding a strip club in Mississippi, P-Valley was one of most compelling new shows of this past TV season. Central to its allure is Nicco Annan as the strip club’s fearless owner Uncle Clifford, in a glamorous and gutsy non-binary role that defies expectations. In our recent Awards […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: Derek Tsang Discusses his Anti-Bullying Oscar Nominee ‘Better Days’
As the 93rd Academy Awards approaches, one of the most compelling underdog contenders in Derek Tsang’s Better Days. Representing Hong Kong, the film explores the harrowing effects of bullying from the perspective of a young schoolgirl and the man who becomes her friend and protector. In a recent Awards Radar interview, Tsang discussed the social […] More
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in Interviews
Interview: 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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