Joe Richards casts his beady eye on what’s coming up at the WOW Film Festival.
March is a great time to be a film fan in Cardiff, as the long-running WOW Film Festival returns to Chapter Arts Centre. The festival will host a wide selection of films, both fiction and non-fiction, hailing from all over the world. From Patricio Guzman’s latest Chilean-based documentary, to the Tribeca award-winning drama Sworn Virgin, the WOW Film Festival should be on every independent cinema connoisseur’s radar.
As always, there’s much more to the festival than the films themselves, with plenty of workshops and discussions planned to run alongside the main features. Opening the festival is the Masterclass with Patricio Guzman, a seminar with the documentarian who has been dubbed as Chile’s answer to Ken Loach. Following what is sure to be a fascinating discussion, especially for budding film-makers, there’ll be a screening of his latest feature, The Pearl Button; a film that has been described by the L.A. Times as “lyrical, impressionistic and profound…”.
If that wasn’t enough to get you excited, there’s more. If you’re a fan of the hit BBC series Y Gwyll (Hinterland), then make sure you don’t miss the masterclass with Ed Talfan and Gareth Bryn, two of the minds behind the detective drama, which is also due to take place on the opening day. They will also be at Chapter to premiere their debut feature film Yr Ymadawiad (The Passing) – a supernatural melodrama – and following the screening, the pair will be sticking around for a Q&A session.
My own personal recommendation for a film that isn’t to be missed, is a screening of Joshua Oppenheimer’s shocking and essential 2013 documentary The Act of Killing. Telling the story of the mass killings in Indonesia between 1965 and 1966 in a bold and unique way, the film allows some of the main perpetrators to re-enact their experiences of killing through a film genre of their choice. As you can imagine, it makes for a deeply disturbing watch, but one that is difficult to turn away from. Not only does the screening give you another chance to see the riveting and visually arresting documentary – one of the best in the last decade – on the big screen, but it will also be followed by what will undoubtedly be an insightful and unmissable discussion.
The festival isn’t solely for adults – there are a number of PG-rated features showing on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th suitable for younger teens, providing they are willing to sit through the subtitles. Amongst others, there’s the Ethiopian-set Lamb and Our Little Sister from Japan, which tell stories with a particular focus on family. If you have a teenager who has never seen a foreign language film before, this could just well be the perfect time to introduce them to world cinema.
Undeniably the most exciting element of this year’s WOW Film Festival is its keen focus on works from female film-makers. With the introduction of an ‘F-rating’, you’ll be able to easily pick out the films that have either been written or directed by a woman, or simply feature a strong female presence in the narrative. The fact that the festival aims to acknowledge and celebrate the work of women in world cinema is just one of the many unique elements that distinguish it from any other of its kind. It is proof of the festival’s commitment to recognising diverse and alternative cinema, which is so often ignored by the mainstream.
Put simply, the WOW Film Festival is an unmissable event, even more so because it’ll be taking place in the cosy and chilled out ambience of the Chapter Arts Centre, in addition to other cinemas across Wales. Get tickets sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.
WOW Wales One World Film Festival, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. / Aberystwyth Arts Centre / Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea. Thu 10 Mar-Thu 17 Mar. Tickets vary per venue and feature. Info: www.wowfilmfestival.com
words JOE RICHARDS