Skip to main content
Reel-world reminders
MARIA DUARTE samples some hard-hitting offerings at this year's 64th BFI London Film Festival
BFI

THIS year’s BFI London Film Festival has not been immune to the effects of the coronavirus, holding virtual screenings for the first time.

Blurring the line between cinema and television, its opening film Mangrove (pictured) is one of five original films in the Small Axe stable, created by award-winning director Steve McQueen for the BBC.

They are based on the real-life experiences of London’s West Indian community and Mangrove follows the true story of Frank Crichlow (a superlative Shaun Parkes), the owner of the Mangrove Restaurant in Notting Hill, who became the target of police harassment.

Donate to the Fighting Fund
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
round up
Cinema / 3 April 2025
3 April 2025
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Sebastian, Four Mothers, Restless, and The Most Precious of Cargoes
fotw
Film of the week / 3 April 2025
3 April 2025
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends a drama that explores the formative years of Richard Burton’s life
FOTW
Film of the week / 13 March 2025
13 March 2025
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends a deliciously dark thriller that explores the complex loyalties within a marriage
round up
Cinema / 13 February 2025
13 February 2025
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE review Cottontail, Memoir of a Snail, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, and Captain America: Brave New World
Similar stories
nottingham 1
Exhibition review / 20 February 2025
20 February 2025
ANDY HEDGECOCK relishes two exhibitions that blur the boundaries between art and community engagement
round up
Cinema / 13 February 2025
13 February 2025
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE review Cottontail, Memoir of a Snail, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, and Captain America: Brave New World
round up
Cinema / 7 February 2025
7 February 2025
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews September 5, The Fire Inside, Bring Them Down, and Love Hurts
vegas
Cinema / 31 October 2024
31 October 2024
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Anora, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, Blitz, and Heretic