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All articles/submissions end with the initials RB.
“I first discovered world cinema when looking for an antidote to the often sterile offerings of Hollywood film. A morbid curiosity for the extreme led me to Japanese cinema, where boundaries are pushed and the same rules don't seem to apply. World cinema can offer varying perspectives of worldwide social issues, and give a valuable insight into other cultures and ways of life.”
Date Of Birth: 03/05/1984
Favourite Films: Pan's Labyrinth, Irreversible, Ichi The Killer, Oldboy, Kung Fu Hustle
Favourite Genres: Horror, Animation, Thriller, Crime, Comedy
“I graduated with an MA in Visual Culture with English, where I got a chance to work with experts in film, both practically and theoretically. I wrote my dissertation on perceptions of violence in Japanese cinema, and look to continue with critical writing. I love games, graphic novels, watching movies and punk rock.”
All articles/submissions end with the initials NB.
“I love world cinema because it opens up possibilities in filmmaking and storytelling that Anglo-American cinema struggles to access due to commercial pressures. Much of the output is as varied as the countries that make it, and it is still possible to see a cultural identity within the work. As a screenwriter myself, my own early opportunities in the industry came from foreign-language cinema, and I long to give back some of the pleasure it has given me.”
Date Of Birth: 06/08/1983
Favourite Films: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Pan's Labyrinth, Brotherhood Of The Wolf, Das Boot, Tsotsi
Favourite Genres: Political Thriller, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Film Noir, Animation
“I'm a screenwriter and playwright working in the UK industry. I used to work for Bollywood, and developed a taste for world cinema in doing so. I also teach workshops in fight choreography, and am a sessional lecturer in Journalism, delivering the NUJ qualification to prisoners.”
nickbain.co.uk
“Although I have never lost my love of good popcorn movies, foreign and independent cinema has always been a lot more appealing to me. After watching Karate Kid a few too many times as a kid, I started watching a lot of Bruce Lee movies, which in turn opened my eyes to classics such as Seven Samurai. International cinema had a sophisticated appeal for me at that young age, but beyond this, I began to see it offered a lot more soul and depth than the big money blockbusters pasted on the side of Happy Meals. I always like to look a little deeper; I think people can be spoon-fed by filmmaker’s who just regurgitate unoriginal crowd pleasers. There’s better stuff out there you just have to look.”
Date Of Birth: 15/01/1987
Favourite Films: Funny Games, Delicatessen, City Of God, Zatoichi, Let The Right One In
Favourite Genres: Crime, Horror, French New Wave, Comedy, Thriller
“I have just finished my degree in English and Film, and been released into the real world. I love to write, and have started contributing to local magazines with music and events articles. I love music and sport but mostly I am fanatical about film and spend a lot of time in the cinema or working my way through DVDs. I have just moved back to Cambridge where I am enjoying the usual Pimms and punting with some very familiar and friendly faces.”
All articles/submissions end with the initials EM.
“I'm interested in other cultures. I think world cinema often offers more complex and interesting storylines than its Hollywood counterpart. There is more emphasis on making a really good film than there is on manufacturing a mass market product that can bring in the greatest profit margin.”
Date Of Birth: 01/11/1981
Favourite Films: Blame It On Fidel, Sin Nombre, The Chorus, Flame And Citron, All About My Mother
Favourite Genres: Drama, Comedy, Film Noir, Historical, Political
“I am a writer and read a lot of books. I'm interested in the way in which stories are shaped by us, but also mould us as a society into certain ways of thinking. I play guitar and write my own music. I love listening to live music, dancing, and travelling - and would like to do all of these things a lot more than I do... I have developed into middle age earlier than most, and already live in the country with my partner and my dog.”
giggle-magazine.co.uk
All articles/submissions end with the initials NM.
“With world cinema, you can watch dreams unravel inside somebody else’s brain - it is an invitation to think outside the box of language and reality. You are introduced to ideas and effects that have never been experienced before; there is an opportunity to develop a psychological imbalance if you are so inclined.”
Date Of Birth: 29/05/1988
Favourite Films: Amelie, Irreversible, The Dreamers, Paris Je T’Aime, La Vie En Rose
Favourite Genres: Drama, Budget Horror, Biography, Film Noir
“I like writing. I like cameras. I like France and French cinema the most. I work with the best people I have ever met in the quirkiest cafe I have ever known, and in my spare time I do various journalism-related activities. I work with Vice magazine, and sometimes I write for Red Bull; I am also the features editor of a non-profit little fanzine (tba-online.org), which maybe one day you’ll have heard of, who knows.”
letroisiememoulin.blogspot.com
All articles/submissions end with the initials MC.
"I enjoy world cinema because it provides the opportunity for a very different cinematic experience, allowing us to see worlds so different from our own. The people, their customs, their religions, and their places in history."
Date Of Birth: 23/04/1983
Favourite Films: Oldboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Apocalypto, The Orphanage, Battle Royale
Favourite Genres: Horror, Thriller, Drama, Romance Comedy
"Aside from film, I also enjoy travelling, particularly when it can be tied in with football, for trips such as the World Cup."
All articles/submissions end with the initials KW.
“I love foreign cinema because it one of the easiest and most accessible ways into another country's culture and society. With the advent of technologies such as the internet, the world is becoming a smaller place, and cinema is fast becoming an international form of entertainment, transcending language and national boundaries. There is much to be gleaned from the cross-cultural enjoyment of foreign films, and how iconic figures such as James Bond, would be just as recognisable in the UK as they are in a small village in Indonesia.”
Date Of Birth: 04/09/1987
Favourite Films: A Taste Of Cherry, Springtime In A Small Town, Tokyo Story, La Jetee, Red Sorghum
Favourite Genres: Documentary, Black Comedy, Film Noir, Asian Horror
“Currently waiting to start an MA in World Cinema and the Transcultural at SOAS, I also love travelling and have spent time teaching English in South America and Southeast Asia. I speak Mandarin Chinese as well as Spanish, and would love to start learning Arabic one day. My dream is to spend a year or two travelling by land all the way from England to India and Nepal.”
All articles/submissions end with the initials DJO.
“Reared on Channel 4's twilight screenings of Chinese ghost stories, Jackie Chan's clowning kung fu and the rubbery titan that is Godzilla; I was ensnared by world cinema at an impressionable age! Thrusting a VHS into the slot, thwapping ‘record’ at 1am, and prowling the airwaves became an obsessive ritual. Trawling for foreign video in a sea of static; captain, high priest and full membership of an esoteric cult of…one. My parents resisted indoctrination, preferring the home comforts of Inspector Morse to the playful nihilism of Takeshi Kitano's Sonatine. But I persevered. A long, long time ago, before the age of internet, a cursory synopsis in the day's paper was one's only primer. Expectations were low, occasionally confounded, but irregularly delighted by the excavation of true oddities. Hopping vampires, flying spectres, deathly concubines - familiar, yet uncanny characters, mythical exports framed by a beguilingly different cultural lens. Cinema, yes - but not quite as I'd known it before. Curiosity led me deeper into the aesthetically alien world of Asian cinema, and a passionate affair with the Hong Kong ‘New Wave’ spearheaded by John Woo, Tsui Hark et al began. Enrolling on a university film course was the next step. This proved a compelling (and compulsory!) eye opener - introducing me to French New Wave, European modernism and even the tortuous antagonisms of ‘art’ film. Equipped with some critical nous and a voracious appetite for the exotic, I currently undertake armchair excursions to seek out the same elixirs I did when I was 12. The sensual, the bizarre, the strange and the uncommon, lesser spotted "what the hell was that?!" moment are my quarry. And, armed with my trusty remote control - I shall seek them out…”
Date Of Birth: 07/10/1978
Favourite Films: Branded To Kill, The 10th Victim, Jigoku, The Blade, A Page Of Madness
Favourite Genres: Giallo, Horror, Martial Arts, Action, Nouvelle Vague.
“Music and cinema are engaged in a permanent tug of lust for my affections; and often intertwine. I'm a wannabe DJ, and avid collector of ‘60s/70s music, with a particular penchant for soundtracks, psychedelia and off-the wall sonic oddness. Ennio Morricone (all hail!), Bernard Herrmann and Lalo Schifrin loom large from my pantheon of composer-greats. Other habitual pleasures include talking to cats in a high pitched voice, pasty addiction and the masochistic self-denial that is looking for decent records in a charity shop.”
All articles/submissions end with the initials DB.
“Foreign-language/world cinema is an excitingly different flavour to the all too familiar blandness of cookie-cutter Hollywood product. It is no coincidence that Hollywood attempts to adapt so many foreign-language films, because the best of them most often exist outside the big budget bubble, and contain a creative verve that studio execs can only dream of. I find it enlightening and refreshing to gain a different cultural perspective in the films I watch, and while I love the big Hollywood blockbusters as much as the next person (maybe even more than the next person...), cinematic variety outside the norm is very important to me.”
Date Of Birth: 23/12/1987
Favourite Films: Downfall, Seven Samurai, Oldboy, Let The Right One In, Pan’s Labyrinth
Favourite Genres: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Thriller, Drama, Crime, Action, Comedy
“I am a graduate of Journalism and English from the University of Stirling, with aspirations for a career in journalism and a love for writing (about a variety of topics) and films/filmmaking in general. I currently work in a cinema, and indulge in my love for (almost) all types of movies by maxing out my free ticket allocation on a monthly basis.”
politicalaquarium.blogspot.com
All articles/submissions end with the initials DOB.
“I could never sleep as a child, and the TV used to keep me company until the early hours. So, I ended every day watching three hours of dodgy horror films and raunchy comedies. I believe that to find the best movies you have to search beyond mainstream and Hollywood.”
Date Of Birth: 22/02/1983
Favourite Films: Cemetery Man, Taxidermia, Visitor Q, The Beyond, Howl’s Moving Castle
Favourite Genres: Italian Zombie, Expressionism, Horror, Exploitation, Comedy
"I’m a vegetarian, movie and music nut who loves animals, nature, gardening, filmmaking, art, writing, and lots more. Most recently, I have started running a web-zine. Originally hailing from Plymouth, near where some of Churchill - The Hollywood Years was shot. I have rubbish tattoos and once fell, laughing, off a thirty foot cliff - and walked away undamaged."
butnu.co.uk
All articles/submissions end with the initials CD.
What I love about foreign-language cinema is how different in tone, style and content a lot are to the standard format we have become used to in mainstream cinema. Many are also wonderful glimpses into other cultures and histories; one of my favourite genres is the historical epic, and after seeing The Last Samurai I decided to check out some of Akira Kurosawa’s samurai epics, which I now adore. I love how we can see foreign films influencing mainstream western cinema, and I often find that I can lose myself in a foreign film, as they are frequently less predictable and stereotypical than movies made in America.
Favourite Films: Pan’s Labyrinth, Persepolis, Seven Samurai, The Wave, Throne Of Blood
Favourite Genres: Historical Epic, Thriller, War, Drama, Comedy
I recently graduated from Exeter University having studied Ancient History, and I’m now doing an MA in English and Film. I’m involved with the University’s Campus Cinema, where we show all manner of films every week in our on-campus cinema, and love watching films in my free time. I love music, mainly folk and rock from the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, although I have quite an eclectic taste in other types as well. When I’m not studying or watching films, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, going to gigs or walking in the country.
All articles/submissions end with the initials JCH.
“I initially fell into the world of foreign-language films via the genre of horror. In numerous attempts to scare myself stupid, I always tried to find the most terrifying film. This was something I ultimately found within the realms of world cinema, with the sheer lack of barriers and imagination feeding my appetite for disgust and fear via the moving image. I then discovered that these are things that many other genres in world cinema hold - the narratives shrugging off the enclosed nature of many Hollywood narratives and embracing the viewer into the realm of the film, where on many occasions you yourself are left to work out the plot rather than the usual Hollywood system of spoon feeding.”
Date Of Birth: 15/03/1989
Favourite Films: Martyrs, Suspiria, Pan's Labyrinth, Princess Mononke, All About My Mother
Favourite Genres: Horror, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
“I just recently completed my Film Studies degree at Kent University. For the first two years I focused mainly upon practical filmmaking, but I didn't truly find my stride until I focused upon the theoretical examination of films. After this, I joined the writing staff for the student newspaper while organising an independent film festival for my university with friends, and I haven't looked back since. With dreams of carving out some sort of film journalist career, I do reviews for theplayground.co.uk as well as subtitledonline.com, and I regularly try to update my blog which focuses upon film. Other interests include writing fiction and reading.”
betweenthereels.blogspot.com
theplayground.co.uk
All articles/submissions end with the initials SRI.
“It is interesting to see the varying perceptions that differ from the usual Hollywood films released. Foreign cinema can also provide a refreshing take on a genre that can often be clichéd and trite.”
Date Of Birth: 05/06/1990
Favourite Films: Breathless, All About My Mother, Eloise, Inside, Band Of Outsiders
Favourite Genres: Drama, French New Wave, Comedy, Thriller, Italian Neorealist
"I adore photography (with Cindy Sherman's film still series being a favourite), and love to read novels and biographies about historical figures or silent film stars. When I don't have my nose in a book or my eyes staring at a screen, I'll be with the ever expanding menagerie at home."
All articles/submissions end with the initials SR.
“A large portion of my high school French education comprised of watching Etre Et Avoir repeatedly, later followed by Jean De Florette and Manon Des Sources. Since then I've been hooked, and tried to branch out from French cinema. Thankfully I live very closely to not one, but two, independent cinemas. I'd like to see foreign-language cinema become (or be seen as) less niche - I've introduced lots of friends and family to foreign films they might not have otherwise tried with very positive results. Much foreign-language cinema tackles issues or presents situations that are far easier to relate to than Hollywood blockbusters, even if under a slightly more intellectual pretext. It also can't hurt to see films that have a different cultural perspective.”
Date Of Birth: 08/08/1989
Favourite Films: The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life, The Last Mistress, Pan's Labyrinth, The Black Panther, Let The Right One In, Milou En Mai
Favourite Genres: Thriller, Film Noir, Documentary, Black Comedy, Family Drama
“I'm a final year English Literature student at the University of Edinburgh, and I'm ex-Editor of the student newspaper The Student. This year I was web content writer for the official Edinburgh International Film Festival website. When not doing these things, I like second-hand bookshops, wandering aimlessly and making my own wine.”
twitter.com/SusanGRobinson
susanrobinson.wordpress.com
“I love all kinds of films, but I particular enjoy world cinema because, more often than not, foreign-language films are unpredictable, and they give a wonderful insight into other cultures, which has lead me to acquire a deep respect and understanding for how other nations think and behave. And unlike many other art forms, film is a collective effort of many talented individuals resulting in various expressions within one piece of work.”
Date Of Birth: 03/02/1971
Favourite Films: Spring Summer Autumn Winter… And Spring, Fantastic Planet, Throne Of Blood, Gion Bayashi, The Vanishing
Favourite Genres: Psychological Thriller, Horror, Asian Period Drama, Martial Arts
“I'm a freelance writer and researcher, and have had various articles published on film and television, Asian culture and well-being. I am a tai-chi practitioner and like reading books on personal-development. I'm a big tea drinker, and prefer those produced in China and Japan. I like to play guitar and compose my own songs. Oh yes, I hate sharing the cinema with noisy people - there ought to be a law against it.”
slpeet.com
cinemaretro.com
“For me, the main reason why I love foreign-language cinema is the same reason why I love cinema as a medium. Great cinema allows a director the chance to realise a vision, to create a world that can inspire, entertain, shock or scare the pants from the viewer. However, compromises need to be made in order for films to reach the cinema, and what is so great about foreign movies is that because the films are being made outside of Hollywood, less of the compromises are made with the vision of what the finished film should be. There is more imagination, more inspiration and more heart and soul in world cinema. This is where I am constantly surprised by what I see and hear.”
Date Of Birth: 19/06/1975
Favourite Films: Oldboy, Insomnia, Shogun Assassin, Zatoichi, Open Your Eyes
Favourite Genres: Martial Arts, Thriller, Sci Fi
“I spent years as an unsuccessful musician before helping friends launch the Glasgow PodcART website, which promotes lesser known artists, musicians, writers and photographers. This allowed me to fulfil my passion for film, as I now spend most of my spare time filming bands and making music videos. I have written film reviews in the past for the now defunct The-Dish website, and I also produce podcasts to promote art events, including the 2009 Glasgow International Film Festival and the GI (Glasgow International Arts Biennial).”
glasgowpodcart.com
tramway.org
All articles/submissions end with the initials STL.
“Like most film fans, I was brought up on a steady diet of Hollywood. But as I got older, for the most part, I found LA’s output to be somewhat uninspiring. Then during my A Level Film Studies course, I became aware of the likes of Akira Kurasawa, Guillermo del Toro and the French New Wave. I was fascinated by how Godard and Truffaut (names I’d never heard) could have influenced Spielberg and Scorsese. From then on I was hooked, and although I can still be found queuing up for the next Transformers and Pirates Of The Caribbean; you can bet come next year it’ll be the last Amenabar or Haneke that I’ll still be talking about.”
Date Of Birth: 21/02/1983
Favourite Films: Rashomon, Let The Right One In, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Princess Mononoke, El Mariachi
Favourite Genres: Sci-Fi, Horror, Comedy, Crime, Film Noir
"When I’m not sitting on front of a huge screen, or annoying my friends with talk of when I was sat in front of a huge screen, I like to keep fit by running or playing Squash. I’m also a rock music fan and try to go to gigs and festivals as often as I can. I also studied Film & TV Production at university, where I realised I was far more adept at writing than I was as a visionary auteur (I prefer sitting alone in a dark room to shouting at lots of people)."
denofgeek.com
All articles/submissions end with the initials SSP.
“World cinema is quite simply far more inventive, exciting and engaging than most of the films churned out of modern Hollywood. I was introduced to world cinema at an early age by my family, and have become far more interested in it recently with my academic studies in 6th form and at university.”
Date Of Birth: 03/12/1990
Favourite Films: Pan’s Labyrinth, Chungking Express, Downfall, Festen, Brotherhood Of The Wolf
Favourite Genres: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical/Epic, Thriller, Black Comedy
“I enjoy listening to an eclectic mix of music, seeing live bands and stand-up comedy, and gaming with friends. I’m currently studying History and Film Studies at the University of Hull, and was formally the resident film critic ‘Sam the Movie Man’ for a local community magazine.”
“My love of world cinema is firstly an extension of my interest in all of film, but it is also a chance to explore the globe from the comfort of my armchair - not to mention at a much lower cost than a round the world ticket. I can be taken to the Spanish desert, the Asian jungle, or the bustling cafe culture of Italy or France. The possibilities are endless. Culture really does affect people's outlook, and as a global media, film makes these various approaches to life accessible. It lets me witness other people's lives, and escape from my own.”
Date Of Birth: 29/04/1988
Favourite Films: Battle Royale, House Of Flying Daggers, Dancer In The Dark, 8 Femmes, Metropolis
Favourite Genres: German Expressionism, Dogme 95, Surrealism, Comedy, Horror
“I studied Film and Creative Writing at university, which I am fresh out of, and I am now floating around getting work where I can. I have written for several magazines and companies, both fiction and nonfiction. Aside from film and writing, I love various crafts, baking/cooking and dancing lindy hop.”
robynsimmons.blogspot.com
All articles/submissions end with the initials RW.
“World cinema is an antidote to the typical. There are only so many times you can watch Michael Bay destroy something before you long for someone to create a film a bit more cerebral and challenging. Foreign-language films are far more likely to do that, as they do not usually aim for mass appeal, meaning that they can take risks mainstream cinema often cannot.”
Date Of Birth: 14/11/1979
Favourite Films: Amelie, Pan's Labyrinth, Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Orphanage, Man On Wire
Favourite Genres: Drama, Thriller, Documentary, Fantasy, Crime
“I'm a frustrated writer, grounded traveller and amateur photographer (with a broken camera). It's about time I worked out what to do with my life, but, in the meantime, I just potter around railing against the world, drinking tea and listening to the woman next door argue with her daughter.”
