What we learned at Marrakech Film Festival 2023
We reflect on an unusual, but exciting edition of the Arab world's biggest film festival.
This photobook recalls the psychedelic world of Candy, Andy and the Bearandas
From Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, Candy and Andy was a short-lived comic book combining quintessential Englishness with 1960s experimentation
Naomi Kawase’s next film is about “human evaporation”
At Marrakech Film Festival, the auteur talks about her commitment to reviving her hometown of Nara, as well as 'Johatsu,' a cultural phenomenon where people disappear without a trace.
Emerald Fennell is sitting in a corner of the Dorchester Hotel’s Chang bar. It is dimly lit red-velvet Bright Young Things; and I suspect this is where many secrets were once shared before they made their way into London high-society (you know, in the good old days.) She greets me in a rouge-coloured dress and matching lipstick, sporting a new blunt blonde bob. It is modelled after Natasja Kinski’s character in Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas she tells me and that she took her hairdresser a still from the film as inspiration. Now that she mentions it, Emerald looks a lot like Kinski. At least, she does while sitting here at the glamorous Chang Bar.
Why are we here, then? Emerald’s third film Saltburn has just been screened at London Film Festival, and to rapturous praise. It tells the story of a young and clever Scouse upstart who, when joining the Oxford University, befriends a handsome and charming member of the British aristocracy, and falls crazily in love with his world…with murderous consequences. If it sounds a bit Talented Mr—rah-rah—Ripley then yes (and those comparisons have already been made) but Saltburn is its own monster: more twisted, more stylish, and is gorgeously directed; from the libraries and pubs of Oxford to the large houses with their Caligulan parties filled with excessive drinking, sex, and vomit. Oh—and there are scenes where Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan frolic naked in large country fields (you might have heard about those.) Here, Emerald Fennell discusses Saltburn, which is the latest entry in a long tradition of great British genre stories set in large houses, with beautiful people, and the looming shadow of traumatising desire.
Latest Issue
Molly Manning Walker: A New Direction
The up and coming filmmaker talks to Chris Cotonou alongside an exclusive photoshoot with her football team Babes FC.
Benoît Delhomme: “I paint with the damage cinema inflicted on me”
The great cinematographer discusses his incredible career and his longstanding love for painting.
LATEST ISSUE
Snoh Aalegra: Nostalgia Trip
As she releases the third and final of her Summer singles, the Iranian Swedish-born musician talks finding her artistic identity, cinematic soul, and the three life-changing lessons she learned from her mentor, Prince.
Into the Dreamscape with Anna Biller
The acclaimed auteur talks her unique filmmaking style and her new Gothic-horror novel Bluebeard's Castle.
Alfonso Cuarón: “Impulse Is Where The Beauty Is”
The academy-award winning filmmaker talks to A Rabbit's Foot Editor-in-Chief Charles Finch.
Alicia Vikander: Roots, Rhythm and Process
The actress talks to Editor-in-Chief Charles Finch about her creative journey.
Fitzcarraldo: A Journey into Darkness
Peter Bradshaw pens an appreciation of Werner Herzog's colossal masterpiece.
The Divine Transcendence of Alice Coltrane
Music writer Holly Alvarado waxes lyrical on the life and legacy of Alice Coltrane, whose voyage through consciousness and the divine made her the unsung heroine of Spiritual Jazz.
The Inner Turmoil of Tennessee Williams
Natasha A. Fraser explores the charmed and excessive lifestyle of one of America’s greatest playwrights.
A Journey Through Time: Adventures with Peter Frankopan
Sam Murphy talks to the literary giant about his travels and books The Silk Roads and Earth Transformed...
Rudolf Nureyev: An Artist is an Island
Sara-Ella Ozbek writes of the life and times of the Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer.
The Golden Years of Amalfi
Joseph Bullmore pens a tribute to the Amalfi Coast and its years of glamour.
On Karen Blixen: Dane, Countess, Stoic, Syphilitic, Storyteller
Writer Kevin Sessums pays tribute to the incredible Karen Blixen.
Alan Scott: Writing Don’t Look Now
Don’t Look Now screenwriter Alan Scott pens an insider tribute to Nicolas Roeg’s influential British horror, which turns the Venice Canal into an eerie stage for psychological precognition.
The Sound of Brazil: Renata Rosa on 20 Years of ‘Zunido Da Mata’
The Brazilian musician talks about the making and magic of her acclaimed debut album.
A Conversation with Peter Weir on The Year of Living Dangerously
The great American filmmaker discusses his underrated masterpiece with Deputy editor Chris Cotonou.
Brassaï and Eye
Jonathan Becker reminisces on his mentor, the great photographer Brassaï, his influence in his own career, and those halcyon days spent with the genius in France and the United States. This is Brassaï, by one of the artists who knew him best.
Explore A Rabbit's Foot
Darren Aronofsky: “I was not aware how much love was in the world for Brendan [Fraser].”
Darren Aronofsky opens up on his creative process, environmental work and his time with Brendan Fraser.
Wes Anderson: “Our stories might be more or less a shared daydream.”
What makes Wes Anderson tick? In the following discussion, the auteur describes where he finds inspiration between cinema and his dreams.
Oliver Stone: “I don’t love dictators any more than you do. I don’t like bullies. I hate them.”
Journalist Seumas Milne interviews legendary filmmaker Oliver Stone.
Ken Loach: “I don’t agree you need a political cause to make a movie.”
An icon of British film, Ken Loach discusses his activism in cinema and capturing inner humanity.
Paolo Sorrentino: “Knowing Too Much About Yourself Can Be Dangerous”
Malcom Pagani speaks to Italy’s most celebrated contemporary filmmaker, Paolo Sorrentino.
Summer With Monica
She's done it all: art-house film, Hollywood cinema, and now the theatre. But Monica Bellucci's greatest adventure is being a mother. She opens up to Chris Cotonou about the power of children, the virtues of doing nothing, and entering her icon era.
Penelope Cruz: In Conversation
Jason Solomons talks to Penelope Cruz about her iconic career, her love for Italian cinema, and new film L'immensita
An Hour With Valeria Golino
ARF Editor-In-Chief Charles Finch engages in open conversation with actress, filmmaker and personal friend of his, Valeria Golino
Ethan Coen: Sex And Movies And Sex And Sex
Filmmaker Ethan Coen talks new film Drive-Away Dykes and writes a personal ode to sex (and sex, and sex) on the movie screen.
The Essential British Romance
Stretching over a hundred years, we present the very best of British romance films.
A Love Letter to ‘Love Jones’
Haaniyah Angus pens an appreciation for Theodore Witcher's 1997 cult-classic romance.
John Pawson: “Stillness has a spiritual dimension.”
The iconic minimalist architect John Pawson discusses his lessons from Japan, his appreciation for stillness, and his love for travel.
Somewhere Between the Spiritual Space: Antony Gormley
The famed sculptor of The Angel of The North reaches for the heavens in this candid interview...
The Genius of Jacque Henri Lartigue
We explore Lartigue's joy for life in this passionate photo essay.
The Adventures of Paddy Leigh Fermor and Joan
One of the greatest warrior-poets of the modern era, Patrick Leigh Fermor travelled far and wide and fought almost everywhere he went. But his biggest love was his wife Joan, a woman whose photography is finally finding a deserved reputation.
The Passions of Ireland — A Complicated Love Story
From books, to revolution, to cinema, and back again — we chronicle the many romances of Ireland at breakneck speed.
Loving Malcolm
In this intimate portrait, the writer Young Kim reflects on her romance with Malcolm McLaren, the seminal punk designer and manager of The Sex Pistols.
Nick Broomfield: “A documentary…is a voyage into the unknown.”
The award-winning documentarian discusses the importance of truth and the women who've changed his life in this free-wheeling interview.
Fanny Ardant: “Even when I was young, I never thought of myself as attractive.”
A legend of French cinema, Fanny Ardant describes her love of 'secret liaisons', beauty—and the state of film today.
Steve McQueen: The King of Cool
Steve McQueen is synonymous with the old-age of Hollywood cool. But what happened to enigmatic leading man? And has our style changed?
Rudolph Valentino: The Original Latin Lover
Peter Bradshaw looks into the rise, fall and untimely death of the 1920's silent film heartthrob Rudolph Valentino.
Marion Cotillard: “If we want the world to be better, we must start by looking at ourselves with love.”
In this candid profile, the journalist Richard Gianorio, Marion Cotillard’s friend, explores the enigma of France’s most compelling star.
The King and The Queen: The Wild Love of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard
The tragic romance of the two of the most graceful lovers to ever be immortalised in Hollywood's silver screen...
A Man and a Woman: The Ultimate Romance Film
We return to Claude Lelouch’s seminal 1966 classic—observing its portrayal of romance and impact on French culture.
Cosmic Love in “Á bout de souffle”
Luke Georgiades offers a different perspective of love in Jean-Luc Godard's A bout de souffle.
Mike Nichols: A Prince of Motion Pictures
The iconic director Mike Nichols gets an up close and personal essay on his life both on and off the screen.
The Art of Selling Sex: The Erotic Film Poster
Writer Luke Georgiades unties the art of the erotic movie poster.
The Temptations and Taboos of Luis Buñuel
We explore the sexual surrealism in the films of iconic auteur Luis Buñuel.
Sam Taylor-Johnson: “I can see by an eyelash movement whether the scene is going to work or not.”
The director of 50 Shades of Grey takes us through a few of the loves of her life.
The Double Lives of Isabel Sandoval
The Lingua Franca director talks filmmaking as an act of self-therapy, her love affair with the auteurs of the past, and the radicalism of cinematic sensuality.
Film, Frogmen & Love: The Dark Novellas of Rachel Ingalls
Writer Genevieve Gaunt examines the erotic, elegiac world of 70's cult feminist novelist Rachel Ingalls.
Love and Tragedy In The Realm of The Senses
We unpack the story behind Nags Oshima's erotic arthouse masterpiece, and the gruesome murder it was inspired by.
Alex Cox: “You can’t be an authentic punk and be in the establishment.”
Punk director Alex Cox breaks his silence with a rare interview on his love for Western films and the making Sid and Nancy.
Ava DuVernay: “I believe in Destiny.”
Multiple Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay discusses her fateful first love for cinema.
Recommended Reading
In Defence of Heartbreak: Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
Filmmaker Nathalie Ryan embraces heartbreak in this passionate essay on Michel Gondry's 2004 opus.
Ravish Kumar: The Showman
Ravish Kumar is the subject of While We Watched, a documentary following the journalist as he navigates Modi's India.
Shea Whigham Is At the Top of His Game
The acclaimed character actor talks appearing in Across the Spider-Verse, his love for Don Corleone, and chasing Tom Cruise across the world in Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part 1.
Clara Cullen In Conversation
Argentinian director Clara Cullen talks her signature cinematography style, studying with Werner Herzog, and her debut feature Manuela with guest writer Hannah Ghorashi.
Expressing Queerness: The cinema of Gregg Araki
Guest writer Ros Tibbs explores the cinema of Gregg Araki, a pioneer of the Queer New Wave.
Inside Charles Finch’s star-studded BAFTA party
Take a glimpse into the glamorous event that ushers in the exciting third act of awards season.
A Journey of Doubt: Edward Berger on All Quiet on the Western Front
Director Edward Berger talks making his Best Picture nominated anti-war masterpiece.
Tropical Malady: On Mythos and Metamorphosis
Alex Clark dives deep on Apichatpong Weerasethakul's spiritual rumination on love and transformation: Tropical Malady.
Now Playing Everywhere: How to Build a Global Cinema
The CEO and founder of intellectual streaming service MUBI shares how he projected his love for cinema into our living rooms.
Fellini’s Dreams
Our Rome correspondent Alain Elkann reminisces on Fellini’s Rome and his encounters with the director…including in his sleep.
Easy Rider and the Counterculture
The Guardian’s film critic explores how Easy Rider became the movie of the sixties counterculture.
Adventures With Al Ruddy
ARF Editor-In-Chief Charles Finch has an affectionate conversation with his friend, mentor, and iconic film producer Al Ruddy...
Spike Lee, Malcolm X, and The Radicalism of Black Joy On-Screen
As Malcolm X celebrates its thirtieth anniversary, we reflect on Lee’s powerful career as a filmmaker affecting black representation.
Ai Weiwei: “Our pursuit of truth can only tell us who we are.”
Against all odds, Ai Weiwei explains how he hopes his recent foray into filmmaking can influence new ways of thinking.
Director’s Style
Since the advent of cinema, great directors have cultivated their personal style off-screen as well as through their movies. Here, we explore the sartorial triumphs of the filmmakers...
Alain Elkann Interviews Monica Vitti
Reprinted with love, a classic interview between Alain Elkann and the great artist Monica Vitti.
An Ode to Beirut’s Red Knight, and Drinking Arak with Anthony Bourdain
Ramsay Short pens an ode to Beirut's legendary communist bar, a hot spot for the likes of Anthony Bourdain and Ravi Shankar.
Jane Birkin: The Eternal Romantic
The English-born fashion icon, musician and actor who rose to prominence in France has died this week aged 76. The writer and film executive Issy Carr profiles an extraordinary woman who leaves behind a timeless legacy of love, style and creative collaboration.
