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Rita di Santo
Once gaza
Cannes Film Festival 2025 / 6 June 2025
6 June 2025

RITA DI SANTO draws attention to an audacious and entertaining film that transplants Tarantino to the Gaza Strip

cannes
Cannes Film Festival 2025 / 30 May 2025
30 May 2025

RITA DI SANTO reports on the films from Iran, Spain, Belgium and Brazil that won the top awards

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Interview / 20 May 2025
20 May 2025

RITA DI SANTO speaks to the exiled Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa about Two Prosecutors, his chilling study of the Stalinist purges

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Cannes Film Festival 2025 / 16 May 2025
16 May 2025

RITA DI SANTO surveys the smorgasbord of films on offer at this year’s festival

STUDY OF THE ALIENATED WORKER: Joana Santos as Aurora in On
Interview / 18 March 2025
18 March 2025
RITA DI SANTO speaks to Laura Carreira about her study of workers in an Amazon warehouse,  On Falling
(L) Mohammed Almughanni; (R) An Orange From Jaffa
Interview / 6 November 2024
6 November 2024
In the second of a two-part report RITA DI SANTO speaks to Palestinian film-maker Mohammed Almughanni
NO SHAME, NO JUDGEMENT: Nykiya Adams as the 12-year-old Bail
Cannes film festival 2024 / 26 May 2024
26 May 2024
RITA DI SANTO casts an eye over the winners - and the overlooked films - from this year’s festival
DREAMLIKE: a still from Francis Coppola's psychedelic depict
Cannes Festival 2024 / 21 May 2024
21 May 2024
RITA DI SANTO assesses the political reaction to Francis Coppola’s epic, self-funded depiction of the decline of the US empire
Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel in Megalopolis (2024)
Cinema / 5 May 2024
5 May 2024
RITA DI SANTO looks at what is on offer
Kaleem Aftab, director of Red Sea Film Festival; a still fro
Interview / 12 December 2023
12 December 2023
RITA DI SANTO interviews Kaleem Aftab, director of the Red Sea Film Festival 
Janet Novas in The Rye Horn
Film Festival / 2 October 2023
2 October 2023
RITA DI SANTO relishes the mix of traditional and innovative films on offer, and particularly the rich sample of new Latin American work
Ken Loach's The Old Oak (left) and Aki Kaurismaki’s Fallen
Film Festival / 29 May 2023
29 May 2023
Star critic RITA DI SANTO recommends two outstanding depictions of working-class lives in England and Finland as the pick of the bunch
The new film by Ken Loach: The Old Oak
Cannes / 8 May 2023
8 May 2023
RITA DI SANTO looks forward to political offerings at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival 
Josep Abad and Ainet Jounou in The Gravedigger’s Wife (202
Culture / 7 December 2022
7 December 2022
Khansa as Mohammad
Cinema / 16 June 2022
16 June 2022
RITA DI SANTO reels off her disappointment at Sundance 2022 Festival's tedious mediocrity
Matteo Pittiruti as as Bastianeddu in Paolo Taviani’s Leon
Culture / 17 February 2022
17 February 2022
RITA di SANTO recommends a series of films that address admirably present-day concerns
AUTHENTIC: La Chica Nueva (The New Girl)
CINEMA / 31 March 2021
31 March 2021
New films from Latin America pack a sharp political punch
INTRIGUING: A Cop Movie
ROUND-UP / 7 March 2021
7 March 2021
Europe dominates the programme – and the awards
Scene from Pebbles winner of Tiger Award
CINEMA / 9 February 2021
9 February 2021
New young global talent gets a chance to shine
PROFOUND: Frances McDormand in Nomadland
CINEMA / 14 September 2020
14 September 2020
Story of life on the edge in the US wins top prize
Perplexed: Elia Suleiman in It Must Be Heaven
Cinema / 17 November 2019
17 November 2019
Radical European cinema takes centre stage
Iron in the Soul: The Adventure of Sukran The Lame
Film Round-up / 3 November 2019
3 November 2019
Turkey's film-makers tackle burning contemporary issues PICAP Iron in the Soul: The Adventure of Sukran The Lame
Masterful: Martin Eden
Cinema / 17 September 2019
17 September 2019
The world's biggest film festival was noticeable this year for works addressing acute social and political issues
Film first: Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite
Film reviews / 27 May 2019
27 May 2019
The gongs struck for film-makers tackling big issues at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, says RITA DI SANTO