Black Coal, Thin Ice

BAPFF: Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014)

It’s hard to write about this Chinese-produced, Golden-Bear-winning film festival staple without talking about noir. The monochromatic English title hints at the film’s debt to the genre: a series of gruesome, unsolved murders; an alcoholic, disgraced detective; an enigmatic, beautiful femme fatale; an overarching sense of uncertainty. But the Chinese title – Bai Ri Yan…

Sophie Hyde interview

Interview with 52 Tuesdays Director Sophie Hyde

About a week ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Sophie Hyde, the award-winning director of 52 Tuesdays. The film and the director are both remarkable – having had only a very busy work day to prepare for the interview, I went in with a list of half-written, largely-incoherent questions that she answered with aplomb,…