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.
With Venice and Telluride getting the ball rolling, the fall festival circuit continues with the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Running from September 5 to 15, TIFF continues to be a major launching pad for awards season titles, culminating with the coveted People’s Choice Award. Awards Radar will be on the ground to provide coverage […] More
While the lineup announcements of the fall festivals give Oscar-watchers a preview of the awards season to come, another kind of Oscar buzz is building in the form of the HollyShorts Film Festival. Now in its 20th year, this highly-regarded Los Angeles festival unveils over 400 short films vying for the top prizes and perhaps […] More
Through the Global section of their annual Film & TV lineup, SXSW has premiered some of the most inspired Latin American filmmaking in recent years. In keeping in that vein, the latest Audience Award winner in this section was the Dominican Republic’s Bionico’s Bachata. Directed by Yoel Morales, the film follows the madcap odyssey of […] More
In 2019, French filmmaker Ladj Ly made a grand arrival with his Oscar-nominated thriller Les Miserables. Exploring a similar milieu of a Parisian suburb divided along class and racial lines, his follow-up Les Indésirables follows the tensions between an activist and the upstart mayor who is determined to marginalize her working-class neighbourhood. Ahead of the […] More
In 2018, Meryam Joobeur garnered major attention with her Oscar-nominated short film Brotherhood. Exploring the impact on a Tunisian family when a son returns from fighting with ISIS, that filmmaking experience inspired her to expand the story. Six years later, Joobeur’s powerful debut feature Who Do I Belong To is now set to captivate audiences […] More
Blending social commentary and delirious genre thrills, Kidnapping Inc. was a highlight of Sundance’s Midnight section in 2024. Directed by Bruno Mourral, it follows two Haitian kidnappers who become embroiled in a larger political conspiracy when they take on their latest job. Following its premiere in Park City, Awards Radar caught up with Mourral to […] More
As the world faces the uncertain future of aritificial intelligence, the problem of racial bias has become a hot topic. This subject is central to Jazmin Jones’ thought-provoking documentary Seeking Mavis Beacon, which examines one of the original AI representations of a Black woman. Probing deeper to investigate the real woman who inspired the face […] More
In the aftermath of 9/11, the United States waged a now infamous war on terror against jihadist groups in the Middle East. As military operations bombarded this region, the collateral damage was immense, forcing thousands into refugee status. This situation forms the focus of Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi’s tense drama In the Land of […] More
Playing in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Pedro Freire‘s Malu is a fiercely acted drama about a fading actress living in a Rio de Janiero slum. As she tries to struggles to build a thriving community, her relationship with her daughter and mother becomes increasingly fraught. Ahead of the […] More
Set against the backdrop of social and political instability in 1992 Peru, Klaudia Reynicke’s Reinas is a poignant family drama told from the perspective of its two young sisters. As their mother plans their migration, their estranged father attempts to reconcile with them, causing further complications within the family dynamic. Ahead of its world premiere […] More
In 2016, a Tunisian woman named Olfa Hamrouni endured a living nightmare when her two eldest daughters became radicalized by the infamous Muslim extremists ISIS and disappeared. Years later, Olfa revisits the painful memories to tell the story of her family in Kaouther Ben Hania’s deeply moving documentary Four Daughters. Using professional actors to portray […] More
With various critics groups already announcing their picks for the best non-English language films of the year, Anatomy of a Fall has emerged as the obvious consensus choice. But in a surprising plot twist in the unfolding narrative of the Oscar race for Best International Feature, this captivating courtroom drama was snubbed in favor of […] More
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