It’s All About Almodóvar in this month’s issue. Plus Branagh on Belfast, excellent new animations Flee and Belle, Jean Renoir interviewed and the Black Film Bulletin’s tribute to Menelik Shabazz
“Scratch the glossy, colourful veneer of a Pedro Almodóvar film and you’ll always find a political standpoint,” writes Maria Delgado, introducing her in-depth interview with the Spanish director. Almodóvar’s latest film Parallel Mothers is no exception, excavating his homeland’s fascist past, whilst simultaneously looking to its future in the shape of two women going into labour. Our cover honours the great director with an ode to the dazzling colours that run through all of his films.
Elsewhere in this issue, two Belfast-born filmmakers in Kenneth Branagh and Mark Cousins discuss growing up during the Troubles, the magic of movies and Belfast – the place, as well as Branagh’s eponymous new film.
Animations abound with two in-depth dives into Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee and Hosoda Mamoru’s Belle, distinct and beautifully designed works which push the boundaries of the medium.
The Black Film Bulletin returns with a tribute issue to the pioneering Black British filmmaker Menelik Shabazz, with reminiscences from his collaborators and colleagues.
Plus, with one eye on our upcoming Greatest Films of All Time poll, we look back to an incisive archive interview with Jean Renoir.
