Marina Richter – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

ONCE AGAIN (FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME) – Review by Marina Richter

December 1, 2023December 3, 2023 Marina Richter Audience Award, boaz yakin, Jeroboam Bozeman, Mecca ‘Meccamorphosis’ Verdell, ONCE AGAIN (FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME), Rennie Harris, tallinn black nights film festival

DeRay (Jeroboam Bozeman), a young man with a criminal past is given a second chance to descend to Earth and make things differently. As he plummets from the sky, with a massive blood stain covering his chest, his thoughts are traveling the same mythical route taken by the dying who are reliving their memories: “I built the temple, and now it’s gone, so why can’t I move on?” – he ponders. Biblical as this reference is, its meaning in Once Again (for the very first time) is to be sought somewhere else. At the same time, Once Again (for the first time) doesn’t follow a standard type of narrative storytelling. It’s not surprising that a seasoned and successful scriptwriter like Boaz Yakin can deliver truly brilliant moments that turn his film into an ever more addictive watch.

Festivals Interviews

Elisabeth Scharang on WOODLAND (TIFF 2023) – Marina Richter interviews

September 11, 2023September 11, 2023 Marina Richter Austrian films, Brigitte Hobmeier, Elisabeth Scharang, Jörg Widmer, TIFF 2023, Woodland

Austrian helmer Elisabeth Scharang’s breath-taking drama Woodland is about one woman’s struggle to cope with a deep scarring trauma. Set up in a secluded village in Waldviertel, the story unfolds slowly, carefully introducing new elements along the way. This multi-facetted film addresses many illnesses of our contemporary life without being preachy or didactic, focusing on its main character(s) to speak about what happens once we’re torn out of our comfort zone. Says Elisabeth Scharang: “When people get murdered or really hurt, even if you are physically present you feel like you don’t have the right to call yourself a victim”

Reviews

LORIK – Review by Marina Richter

March 20, 2018December 31, 2018 Marina Richter 0 Comments alexey zlobin, lorik, tallinn black nights film festival

A mysterious moment of divine intervention transforms an egotistical middle-aged actor into a man with a heart of gold in Alexey Zlobin’s Lorik a drama screening at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.

Reviews

STILL RIVER – Review by Marina Richter

March 12, 2018December 31, 2018 Marina Richter 0 Comments angelos frantzis, still river, tallinn black nights film festival

Greek director Angelos Frantzis’ mystery-drama Still Riverexplores the relationship of a married couple caught in a downward spiral in a small industrial town in Siberia, The film won the Greek Film Critics Association Award at Thessaloniki International Film Festival before competing in the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.

Interviews

German Filmmaker Henning Gronkowski on Girls, Drugs and YUNG – Marina Richter interviews

March 12, 2018December 31, 2018 Marina Richter 0 Comments henning gronkowski, tallinn blacknights film festival, yung

German director Henning Gronkowski talks about the intricacies of his feature film debut, Yung, centring on four female leads revelling in the Berlin party scene. The film premiered in the First Feature Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2018.