Asif Kapadia made his feature debut in 2001 with the stunningly confident epic The Warrior. Six years later, his second feature Far North is showing at the London Film Festival. Harsh and beautiful in equal measure, Far North confirms Kapadia’s unique talent and is one of the unmissable films of the festival. In the following interview, Kapadia tells us about living on a Russian ice-breaker for four weeks, old-fashioned filmmaking and seeing things with two different brains.
Interview by Virginie Sélavy

It’s a curious state of affairs that whilst 2007 saw the DVD release of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s entire output, the oeuvre of another so-called ‘cult’ figure like Hellman should remain in relative disarray. The recent release of three Hellman DVDs is the occasion to do the same with this singular American director in spite of the rather limited material available.
Feature by Jeff Hilson

Arriving at the end of the season, the London Film Festival attempts to summarise a year’s worth of cinema, cherry-picking the choicest titles from around the world. Largely eschewing awards galas and celeb-spotting, the festival aims itself squarely at those who love film in all its diversity, offering everything from major works by big-name directors to micro-budget experimental shorts and features.
Preview by Tom Huddleston

For two years running, the task of choosing the short films that make up the London Film Festival programme has fallen to Simon Young from the distribution company Shorts International and Philip Ilson, founder of Halloween and organiser of the London Short Film Festival. Out of the thousands of films that were submitted they had to select just over 40 shorts, which are organised into six themed programmes.
Feature by Virginie Sélavy

The Raindance Film Festival triumphantly opened last month with wacky stoner comedy Weirdsville. Ahead of the film’s UK release in November we talk to director Allan Moyle.
Interview by Alex Fitch

Black Time are a shadowy trio from London inspired by Link Wray, Huggy Bear and Suicide with two albums of feedback-saturated raw and primal garage dance tunes to their name. Here guitar-slinger Lemmy Caution discusses his 10 favourite movies.

Scandalous.

Are there any words so universally thrilling that they cause equal flutters in the loins of teenagers, teachers and aged thespian uncles? Revisiting Venus and Notes on a Scandal on DVD confirmed to me that there is such a word.
Column by CJ Magnet