Mahamat-Saleh Haroun tells a poetic yet haunting story of life and death driven by female agency.
The lavish wedding ceremony keeps hitting snags, especially when future mother-in-law Sohni Ammi (Farazeh Syed) is accidentally shot in the leg during a fireworks celebration. It’s just another sign of the bad luck that dogs bride Zeba (Mamya Shajaffar), an “Angel of Death” whose previous three fiancés all died. Desperate to marry off her son Sajawal (Channan Hanif), even to a potential black widow, Sohni Ammi has the wedding proceed while a doctor stitches up her leg. It’s only late that night, in their bridal chambers, that Zeba and the viewers first see the grotesque birthmark covering half of Sajawal’s face. Is he possessed by a demon? Or, like Zeba, is he just a victim of fate? Lali will address all these issues and more,…
The 2026 Berlin Film Festival has concluded, and the winners have been announced, notably Yellow Letters. Despite not being able to win any prize at the 76th Berlinale, an all-Pakistani production definitely made waves at its premiere. Packed with the Pakistani community, the screening was warmly welcomed by Berlin’s audience. I’m talking about Lali, directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat. Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Khoosat elaborated on the meaning of the title: “Lal means red, and if somebody’s blushing, you’ll say that they have lali on their cheeks. But there are two versions of it, one uses a different alphabet. So if you change that, Lali also means sun.” Red is pretty much the central theme of the film, but the director resolved that he…
It was exciting enough to see the new Gore Verbinski film, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, months ahead of time at Fantastic Fest 2025. But I was shocked to hear I’d actually scored a face-to-face interview. It underscored for me just how much I love the man’s work. He’s the kind of director who does big mainstream movies about decidedly odd stuff. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was based a theme park ride and introduced one of the most eccentric characters ever. Verbiniski has been all over the genre map leaving solid marks along his path. Mouse Hunt (1997) is a marvelous bit of stunt-laden slapstick that makes great use of stars Nathan Lane, Lee Evans and Christopher Walken. The…
A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.
Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, Wyatt Russell, and Kurt Russell star in the Apple TV series.
Two codependent best friends become addicted to the heroin-like touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world.
Plus: ‘Ghost Elephants,’ ‘Microbudget,’ ‘Bring the Law,’ ‘The Napa Boys,’ ‘EPic.’
The 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam has concluded, so here’s our reviews, features, and interviews (so far).
Özgü Namal and Tansu Biçer star in İlker Çatak’s portrait of a pair ensnared in political turmoil in Turkey.