Franz Rogowski in a still from ‘Disco Boy’ by Giacomo Abbruzzese
In a hippy, trippy kind of way, filmmaker Giacomo Abbruzzese’s debut feature echoes fellow Italian Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Apocalypse Now’, as he journeys to the heart of darkness, with the help of spellbinding German actor Franz Rogowski.
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One of Roman Vishniac’s haunting photographs, courtesy of his archives
In a haunting documentary film by Laura Bialis, the story of Jewish photographer Roman Vishniac is captured in a way that pushes us to finally revisit the history of the past, in order to never make the same mistakes again.
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In her important, must-watch documentary ‘Bella’, filmmaker Bridget Murnane proves that you can’t keep a good woman down.
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Let me preface by writing that I tend to be sold right away on a film that features an exceptional woman as its central heroine. When that woman is a real life figure, still going strong and advocating both women’s rights as well as nature’s preservation, well the film immediately drives up to the top position of my favorite films. More on such a film, ‘The Woman Who Loves Giraffes’ in a minute. First bear with me and my mini trip down memory lane.
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Khalid Abdalla in a still from 'In the Last Days of the City'
I believe there are two types of films. There are those that take you on an adventure -- meaning you go through a rollercoaster of emotions and excitement while sitting in the theater, surrounded by others who share the same thrills with you.
Then there are movies which bring you on a journey, one that can last you a lifetime. Egyptian filmmaker Tamer El Said's 'In the Last Days of the City' belongs to the latter category. Once you inhabit its well-shot landscapes and meet its unforgettable cast of characters, they never, ever let go of you. And that's a good thing! More than a year and a half later, after my first viewing they continue to color my dreams and tint my emotions, but most importantly, they have changed the way I think of Cairo, Egypt and its courageous inhabitants.
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Chris Hondros/Getty Images; Courtesy of HONDROS Film
Just as the sound of bullets hitting a tin ceiling is heard, a mobile phone rings. "Call me back in about half an hour," says the man answering the phone.
And thus begins 'Hondros' one of the most beautifully terrifying cinematic looks into what it means to be a tried and true photojournalist. The man answer the phone is Chris Hondros. The late, great Hondros, who for years was the man behind the lens of some of the most iconic photographs of our times.
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