A new documentary follows the uncertain career of an X Factor star, raising uncomfortable questions about the price of fame. Continue reading
A symphony – with music! Revisiting Dziga Vertov’s ‘Man with a Movie Camera’ (1929)
Remembering the Troubles: Documentary, History and Truth
Three documentaries about the conflict in Northern Ireland raise some interesting questions about how we represent history: I, Dolours (dir. Maurice Sweeney, 2018); The Miami Showband Massacre (Stuart Sender, 2019); and The Ballymurphy Precedent (Callum Macrae, 2018).
Escape from North Korea: ‘Beyond Utopia’ (2023)
A suspenseful documentary follows refugees escaping from one of the world’s most repressive regimes.
Photography, class and creative labour: ‘Tish’ (2023)
A moving new documentary about the late British photographer Tish Murtha raises important questions about class, creativity and politics.
Documenting life in Gaza
Two documentaries made before the current conflict, giving an inside view of life in Gaza from the perspective of its inhabitants: Born in Gaza (dir. Hernan Zin, 2014) and Gaza (dirs. Andrew McConnell and Gary Keane, 2018).
The sixties started here: revisiting ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’
The relationship between pop music, youth culture and television has often been an uneasy one. Here’s a critical look back at one of the most fondly-remembered British pop shows, sixty years since it first appeared.
Education policy and the ‘war on woke’
In the past few years, education has become one of the key fronts in the so-called ‘culture wars’. It’s a development that is likely to prove extremely damaging for teachers and students.
Mutant Mayhem: understanding the longevity of the Ninja Turtles
The latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie breathes new life into a children’s franchise that might have been considered long past its sell-by date.
PAW Patrol and neoliberal hegemony: misreading the politics of toddlers’ TV
Is PAW Patrol just authoritarian capitalist propaganda? Such accusations may tell us more about adult critics than they do about children…
David Buckingham 