In When the Wind Blows, filmmaker Ziqing “Gigi” Yang transforms grief into a strange and tactile science-fiction landscape. The film follows Birdy, an awkward amateur scientist whose fragile experiment pulls her into a dimension that feels both uncanny and intimately familiar. As she moves deeper into this inner world, she is forced to confront the loss she has kept buried for years. Rather than presenting grief as a problem to be solved, Yang allows it to exist as sensation,

The Lee Strasberg Film Festival (LSFF) has unveiled an impressive jury for its milestone 10th edition, led by Academy Award-winning actor Al Pacino. The festival, taking place 13–15 November 2026 at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in West Hollywood, will once again celebrate outstanding independent filmmaking and authentic screen performances inspired by the Method acting tradition. Pacino's appointment carries special significance. A longtime friend and protégé of

The Somerville International Film Festival returned this past weekend, showcasing an eclectic selection of independent films from the United States and around the world or as Boston Magazine called it “fresh cinematic visions”. Dedicated to inspiring, motivating, and recognizing emerging talent, the festival was held in the vibrant Davis Square neighborhood at The Rockwell. Selected from a multitude of entries, this year's official lineup included 18 local and international f

In Skuzland & Shygirl – FREAK is WILD, director Annika White and co-director Carl Knight transform a small Harlem apartment into a world without stable boundaries. Hyper-sensual performances move through mirrored rooms, tactile interiors, grotesque humor, and layered digital spaces, creating a visual universe where the freakish and the glamorous are not opposites, but part of the same liberated vocabulary. The official music video for Skuzland and Shygirl’s collaboration trac

A new platform aims to give independent films a lasting home beyond the traditional festival experience. The Bigger Screen has officially announced the launch of NEWCINEMA/, a new streaming initiative created to help independent filmmakers connect their work with audiences around the world. Described as "The International Showcase for Independent Film," the platform combines professional streaming with editorial promotion, offering filmmakers an alternative way to present the

This week marked the 12th edition of the Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival. The Official Selection featured 33 outstanding independent films, carefully chosen from submissions received from around the world. The festival's Streaming Selection remains available until 8 August. More information can be found on the festival's website. Kris De Meester, curator of the Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival, reflected on this year's edition: "The Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival continues

The Auteur Cinema Archive proudly welcomes No Longer / Not Yet, the remarkable observational documentary by American-born, Paris-based filmmaker and choreographer Jacquelyn Elder, to its growing collection celebrating singular voices in contemporary independent cinema. Winner of Best Documentary Short at the Liminal Dance Film Festival in Washington D.C. and selected for festivals including Cinedans, Doc.Boston, Dallas Dance Film Festival, Winter Film Festival New York, Montp

Some films explain themselves. Others arrive like a nightmare and ask only that we feel them. They Are Killing Us..., directed by Canadian filmmaker Maurice Cormier, belongs firmly to the second category. Described by Cormier as a non-narrative surrealist and experimental short with elements of science fantasy and body/eco horror, the film emerges from a nightmare vision of a possible near future. It is a work shaped by anxiety: climate change, war, racial violence, attacks o

The Auteur Cinema Archive is proud to welcome The Feast, the award-winning debut short film by Georgian filmmaker Mariam Bitsadze, to its growing collection of remarkable independent cinema. Premiering at the Tbilisi International Film Festival, where it received the Main Prize for Best Short Film, and later selected by festivals including the Brussels Independent Film Festival, The Feast immediately established Mariam Bitsadze as an exciting new voice in contemporary cinema.