RITA DI SANTO assesses the winners of the most politically charged festival to date
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Weeded out
Birds of Passage powerfully illustrates how the cannabis trade is wiping out one of Colombia's indigenous peoples, says MARIA DUARTE
KATARZYNA KOSMALA introduces a retrospective by one of the most significant figures in contemporary US photography
MAYER WAKEFIELD is entertained but let down by an audacious production that, sadly, doesn't ring true
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by drama that, despite accomplished performances, cannot overcome an unfocused script
New releases from Sam Carter, Spell Songs and Les Thomas
Birds of Passage (15)
Directed by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra
FROM the team behind the Oscar-nominated Embrace of the Serpent comes another bold and ambitious drama which takes a unique look at the birth of the drugs trade in northern Colombia and its brutal effects on an unsuspecting indigenous community.
It examines the devastating impact of savage capitalism endured by a Wayuu family as, corrupted by the wealth and power that the sale of cannabis brings, we witness their rise and fall.
Inspired by true events, the film spans the period from from the 1970s to the 1980s and its five chapters show how its protagonist Rapayet (Jose Acosta) first gets into drugs trafficking when he meets a group of anti-communist US fighters.
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LEO BOIX applauds an audacious, self-questioning film about grief, friendship and film-making
JOHN GREEN relishes a powerful and moving drama that explores the lived realities of west London’s Punjabi community
In the final part of LAYTH YOUSIF'S series on the history of the NY Cosmos, he traces their experiences which have made them the team that always has success in their sights
Colombia’s success in controlling the drug trade should be recognised and its sovereignty respected, argues Dr GLORY SAAVEDRA