The issue of War widow representation in Israeli cinema is one of the most complex for the local industry for it seems to be unique and with a very local and specific iconography. The war Widow is a difficult character to digest. Because this is an especially painful topic in Israel, its mode of representation is almost always problematic. Gila Almagor in Tofano's siege is one of the first characters of the modern war widows to appear on Israeli cinema screens. The human and social complexity of the status of widows was not represented adequately and personally until her complex and fine appearance in this film. It was mostly Preceded by cliches of heroic women who have sacrificed for the nation with characters to which it was very difficult to get attached, nor to their personal grief. Siege was directed by an unknown Italian director of that period. Although Gilberto Tofano was brought as a professional director on the wings of inspiration made by the French New Wave of those years, he managed to turn out a very exciting work which has caught the Israeli warmth and sense of social siege which surrounds the Israeli widows, including the great expectations from them and the social stigmas. Tofano wrapped his leading lady with lots of warmth and gave a place of honor to Almagor's impressive presence in the film. This is without a doubt one of Almagor's best and most accurate performances. The restraint in her performance plus the shooting and expressive use of angles by Tofano and his soft European touch which was far off from the aggressive local product managed to produce a sense of documenting an authentic tragedy with a tangible personal touch that minimized the national dimension. The result stands the test of time proudly several decades after its creation.
A satirical comedy that pokes fun at Spanish social and political stereotypes, featuring parodies of real events and special guest appearances from the political sphere.
7th century Arabia. A time of feuding tribes vying for power and supremacy. Courageous Princess Hind (Aiysha Hart) refuses to serve as concubine to the merciless Sassanid Emperor Kisra (Sir Ben Kingsley). Escaping with her father King Numan into the vast and unforgiving desert, Hind is pursued by Kisra’s mercenary and his bloodthirsty troops. Father and daughter are forced to trust a mysterious bandit (Anthony Mackie). Against all odds, Hind unites the fractious tribes against the powerful invading military of the Sassanid Empire. In an epic showdown, the Battle of Ze Qar will forever change the Arabian Peninsula and echo throughout history.
Fleeing from their violent father, siblings Lucía and Adrián take refuge in a remote mansion. With the help of a hidden micro-camera on a cat, Lucía uncovers a terrifying secret: their neighbors are part of a criminal network that kidnaps teenage girls to make snuff films, and they intend to get rid of the siblings. As Lucía fights to protect her brother, she must face a dark family curse that follows them into their newfound sanctuary.
In 2013, an Australian man a few months shy of turning 60 decided to walk the Camino de Santiago – an 800km pilgrimage trail across the top of Spain. He had no known religion, and absolutely no idea why he felt so deeply compelled to do this torturous walk. But compelled, he was. He completed the walk, battling a “triumvirate of pain” - a knee that he later discovered lacked an...
Calvin Trask lives in a dead end Arctic town on the fringes of society, until mysterious stranger Lucas Wade arrives, turning his solitary life upside down. Calvin's curiosity gets the better of him and is quickly pulled into Lucas' dangerous world. As secrets slowly unravel, Calvin realises just what kind of jeopardy he's put himself in, a place where murder and betrayal are a...
In 2013, an Australian man a few months shy of turning 60 decided to walk the Camino de Santiago – an 800km pilgrimage trail across the top of Spain. He had no known religion, and absolutely no idea why he felt so deeply compelled to do this torturous walk.
But compelled, he was.
He completed the walk, battling a “triumvirate of pain” - a knee that he later discovered lacked any meaningful cartilage, a blister the sight of which would make a grown man weep, and shin-soreness that felt like his lower limb had been split with a mountain axe wielded by a demented troll.
Arriving at the end of the Camino, the majestic cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, he expected an epiphany – an answer to the question he’d been asking himself every day: Why am I doing this?
But no answer came.
So when he got home he wrote a book, hoping the answer would reveal itself in his scribblings. The result was The Way, My Way, a humourous and self-deprecating book that many consider the best memoir ever written on walking the Camino.
The book has now been made into a film, and it’s an extraordinary account of a man at a pivotal point in his life, searching for meaning and finding himself undergoing a fundamental transformation so profound that he now divides his life into “Before the Camino” and “After the Camino.”
It’s a story particular to one man, yet of appeal to anyone seeking a greater meaning from life.
