In Focus

In Focus

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Talking about films today

Mainstream film criticism, an unappetizing stew of the shallow and the impressionistic, is in dire straits. An honourable exception is A. S. Hamrah and the latest collection of his reviews, “Algorithm of the night: Film writing, 2019-2025”, is warmly welcomed.   Sean Sheehan   Part of the problem, of course, […]

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Drugs, crime, punishment and an open question

A childhood memory in Bristol leads to a reflection on the social and legal treatment of drugs. The criminalisation of users is contrasted with scientific evidence and international experiences that question current policies.   Ben Stupples   Between the ages of eleven months and seven I grew up in Henleaze, […]

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Political memory behind King’s Cross façades

Between urban redevelopment and rising property pressure, an independent bookshop keeps alive a tradition of radical thought in London. Its presence recalls pacifist, anarchist and left-wing movements that shaped the city’s political history. (The Prisma memories)   Steve Latham   “Housmans bookshop” is a strange delight, among the now affluent, […]

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Ecofeminist art of resistance

Since her days working as an assistant to Graciela Iturbide – and now her artistic heir – Maya Goded has emerged as a vital figure in Mexican photography and documentary film making. “The serpent’s trail”, a precious and aesthetically pleasurable publication, is a work of memory and resistance.   Sean […]