SCENES ON SCREEN
The latest releases coming to cinemas and home media
Scenes on the big screen
The Fragments Festival, a celebration of inclusivity in film, will return to the Genesis Cinema, London, from the 28th of September to the 1st of October. This year’s festival comprises eight features, 26 shorts and 11 events, including parties, discussion forums and workshops.
The Old Oak, rumoured to be Ken Loach’s final film, will open the festival, with lead actor Dave Turner taking part in a live Q&A. It explores rising tensions in a small mining community when Syrian refugees are housed in the area.
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, directed by Anna Hints, will close the festival. The Estonian entry for the 2024 Academy Awards sees the smoke sauna become a safe space for women to share secrets and is an exploration of body positivity, mental health and feminism.
The rest of the programme includes Cory Sherman’s Big Boys, a coming-of-age tale where an unexpected crush has an impact on a camping trip and Unidentified Objects, from director Juan Felipe Zuleta, which focuses on an odd couple, road trip as two neighbours search for acceptance.
Hidden Letters, directed by Violet Du Feng and Qing Zhao, documents two women in modern-day China fascinated by Nushu - a secret language historically used by women forced into oppressive marriages. Deaf and non-binary Japanese filmmaker Mika Imai brings Ginger & Honey Milk to the festival, depicting a complex four-way relationship.
The family-friendly Oink, a stop-motion picture from Mascha Halberstad, sees a young girl raising a piglet, while Subject, directed by Camilla Hall and Jennifer Tiexiera, will round out the programmes, looking at how a documentary’s commercial success can impact the lives of those involved.
There are also a series of shorts programmes throughout the festival, with Wolf at the Door showing six UK-made films from female, queer and non-binary filmmakers; the international Bound Together programme tackles mental health, generational trauma, masculinity and acceptance; In Living Colour comprises a series of international arty and experimental shorts; while (Sites of) Home showcases the work of four female filmmakers, dealing with sensitive topics and different backgrounds.
A new weeklong film festival has been announced for Birmingham. Running from the 29th of September to the 5th of October, the Birmingham Anime Film Festival will show films at both the Midlands Art Centre in Edgbaston, and The Mockingbird Cinema at Digbeth.
The festival will include advanced screenings of Macross Plus Movie Edition (Shoji Kawamori, Shinichiro Watanabe) and Evangelion 3.0+1.01: Thrice Upon a Time (Hideaki Anno), as well as showing some of the most influential films in anime history such as Howl’s Moving Castle, Perfect Blue and Your Name.
On the 29th of September at the Midlands Art Centre, Perfect Blue will be shown alongside Belladonna of Sadness, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The next day, at The Mockingbird Cinema, family-friendly films such as The Place Promised in our Early Days and Suzume will be shown.
On the 1st of October, both venues will celebrate Studio Ghibli, with Arriety, followed by Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. On the 4th of October, in association with Grain and Glass, The Mockingbird Cinema will hold a drinks-paired screening of The Night is Short, Walk on Girl and the festival will conclude with a secret screening and pop-up Manga Shop on the 5th, held in partnership with Worlds Apart.
Scenes on the small screen
Blue Finch Films has announced the digital re-release of the French modern horror Calvaire, which will be available from the 19th of September.
It’s directed by Fabrice Du Welz, alongside cinematographer Benoît Debie, and stars Laurent Lucas, Philippe Nahon and Jackie Berroyer. The film follows a travelling singer in rural Belgium, who breaks down and is taken in by a psychologically fragile innkeeper.
On the 25th of September, the BFI will bring the 1968 thriller Targets to UK Blu-ray for the first time. Launching the career of Peter Bogdanovich and featuring the final on-screen performance by Boris Karloff, the film comments on the terrors of contemporary America while also paying homage to the films of Roger Corman.
The release includes a new restoration supervised by the director, as well as a 2003 audio commentary from Bogdanovich; an interview with Karloff’s daughter about his career and legacy; video essays on Karloff and Bogdanovich; an archive interview with Roger Corman and an illustrated booklet with an introduction from Sara Karloff.
The latest film starring Maggie Q will get a digital release on the 25th of September. 101 Films is distributing Fear the Night, by writer/director Neil LaBute.
It follows Tess, an Iraq war veteran and recovering addict who has returned home for her sister’s hen weekend. As she struggles to relax, the male stripper is suddenly hit with an arrow and it becomes clear that the group is under attack.
Following the announcement of Creepshow Series Four, Shudder will release the first three series of the revitalised horror anthology on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms on the 25th of September via Acorn Media International.
The series is produced by Greg Nicotero and features tales written by Stephen King, Joe Hill, Rob Schrab, Josh Malerman and more. Series Two will also include two new animated tales, as well as A Creepshow Holiday Special.
Cinephobia Releasing and Bounty Films has announced the home media release of The Latent Image, which will be available on DVD and VOD from the 8th of October.
The debut feature of Alexander McGregor Birrell, it follows a young thriller writer who is holed up in a remote cabin when a handsome stranger arrives on his doorstep.