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Voices from a Distant War; the Calling Blighty films
14 May 2019
"I’d better say a few words now that I’m here: it was six years ago we last spoke, do you remember?". Louis Shinberg was speaking to his family in Manchester, from Burma in 1944, one of 8000 messages filmed in the Far East at the end of World War II. The films offer an extraordinary… continue reading.
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Violent Masculinities in Dutch Cinema: Wolf and the Moroccan man
14 May 2019
International discussions on migration and integration regularly single out migrant men as a dangerous group, a threat to national safety. In the Netherlands, these debates are often targeted towards migrant men from one specific nationality, namely Moroccans (Roggeband & van der Haar, 2018). One of the key political figures in these debates is Geert Wilders,… continue reading.
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“Alexander Stoned?”: Irish Masculinity and Violence in Oliver Stone’s Alexander (2004)
14 May 2019
At a Macedonian banquet King Philip celebrates his second marriage amidst a raucous crowd, drink and debauchery. Rather than romance, the wedding symbolizes a national and political alliance between Greece and Macedonia, an alliance that is jeopardized when Philip’s son, Alexander, disrupts the speeches with contempt for the marriage and insults the bride’s father. Despite… continue reading.
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Failing the Test of Time: Last Tango In Paris
14 May 2019
A man curses god while he walks down Bir Hakeim bridge. The photography is stunning. The camera work is stunning. The man is stunning. A young stunning woman will soon walk into the scene, check him out with a mix of consternation and disdain, then keep walking towards a very Parisian building, careless, hopping over… continue reading.
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Cross-Dressing and the Comedy of Masculinity in Early Italian Film
13 May 2019
Cinematic cross-dressing intersects two discourses, drawing on meanings of performance and on the construction of gender identity and sexual difference. Not only do the clothes worn by the cross-dresser signify gender, but also in the ability to successfully wear the clothes assigned to a particular gender. For the cinematic cross-dresser it is the conflict between… continue reading.
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The Road to Sustainability Leads to the Palace of Wisdom
8 May 2019
When albert launched in 2011 at the Edinburgh TV Festival, it was to relatively little fanfare or excitement. Our presence at the event was little more than a branded rollerbanner, a laptop to show off our carbon calculator and a panel discussion that took place in one of festival’s smaller side rooms and clashed with… continue reading.
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Distributor's Corner: Pumpkin Interactive
23 January 2019
The brainchild of Kate Conway and Grant Davies, Bristol-based Pumpkin Interactive travels the world to find the best possible footage to produce resources relevant to the needs of both teachers and students in the fields of Science, Design and Technology, Textiles, Geography, and Drama and Performance. We spoke to Kate, from the award winning company,… continue reading.
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Sausages and Storylines: 40 Years of Grange Hill
28 November 2018
Set in a London comprehensive school, Grange Hill was first broadcast on 8 February 1978. Although initially conceived as a nine-part series, the programme proved to be so popular that it carried on until 2008. It also earned a reputation for its realism and willingness to tackle difficult subjects – from bullying and truancy to… continue reading.
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Asunder
28 November 2018
Professor Esther Johnson, Sheffield Hallam University, tells the story of an English town during World War I with her documentary feature film Asunder.… continue reading.
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Sounds of the City: The making of London Symphony
25 October 2018
In the early 1920s, a new genre of creative documentary emerged: the city symphony. Seeking to capture the essence of a given city, the films were often made by people with a background in the avant garde or the fine arts. Manhatta (1921), generally considered to be the first city symphony, was directed by the… continue reading.