Stephen Saito

At a "Sly Lives" Q&A, Questlove spoke about how D'Angelo agreed to be in it to talk about burnout (many wouldn't), recalling the pressure on him to take his shirt off each night for "How Does It Feel," which he saw from beyond the drums on tour. Went from thinking about all we missed to all he gave.

You could also do a triple feature at Venice of the Noomi Rapace film "Mother," the Czech film "Father," and the Jim Jarmusch film "Father, Mother, Sister, Brother"

It wasn’t easy, even in L.A., to find a theater playing “Highest 2 Lowest,” but if it’s in your neighborhood, it’s unbelievable with an audience. Scrambling to think of a better stretch of theatrical experiences than Naked Gun, Weapons & now this. Spike and Denzel turned the NoHo 7 into the Palais.

Interview: Mstyslav Chernov on "2000 Meters to Andriivka" The "20 Days in Mariupol" director discusses about returning to Ukraine for this urgent look at the cost of combat from the frontlines.

And Mytyslav Chernov on "2000 Meters to Andriivka," now making its way across theaters in the U.S. moveablefest.com/2000-meters-...

Petra Costa on "Apocalypse in the Tropics" "The Edge of Democracy" director discusses her powerful follow-up, looking into how a growing fusion of church and state imperiled Brazil.

And Petra Costa on "Apocalypse in the Tropics," now on Netflix moveablefest.com/petra-costa-...

Julia Loktev on "My Undesirable Friends: Last Air in Moscow" The director discusses this landmark doc about Russian journalists racing against time to report on their government's free speech crackdown.

It's been surprising the most buoyant directors I've talked to lately have been those with films about the most grim situations in the world. Maybe that's the attitude that pulls them through to begin with. Anywho, here's Julia Loktev on "My Undesirable Friends" moveablefest.com/julia-loktev...

This is great.

You’ve been a daily inspiration for me and I know so many others. Will miss you in the masthead championing the best of the best, but eager to look for you in the credits as a producer where I know you’ve done the same since “What Happened Was”

Melody C. Roscher's "Bird in Hand" - Tribeca 2025 Film Review A young woman's return to see her mother on the eve of getting married threatens to become an event in and of itself in this anxious comedy.

"Bird in Hand" is the kind of mischievous misfit that are generally the best that Tribeca has to offer and Melody C. Roscher's debut feature is no exception. A thorny comedy about identity that takes the inspired tact of structurally unraveling as its character does moveablefest.com/melody-c-ros...

Bryan Poyser's "Leads" - Tribeca 2025 Film Review Heather Kafka gets a well-deserved spotlight as an acting teacher who wonders if her whole life is performative in this smart comedy.

Been following Bryan Poyser since I was in college, so the Tribeca entry "Leads" about professional ups and downs hit particularly hard, featuring a great performance from the generally under-utilized Heather Kafka. moveablefest.com/bryan-poyser...

I’m convinced it was negotiated between Mulaney’s people and Newman’s people and someone told Randy on the day of and oblivious to all of it, he said “Nah.” I’ve been saying for weeks it would’ve been a perfect Larry Sanders subplot.

Sam Davis on Bringing Out the Soul of "The Singers" The director discusses bringing people together - and formal ideas - in this stirring musical short where a night at a bar reveals a lifetime.

I also was excited to talk to Sam Davis, who gathered together singing talent from a variety of viral videos from around the world, packed 'em in a bar and turned it into a touching drama about men shedding their inhibitions in "The Singers" moveablefest.com/sam-davis-th...

Paula González-Nasser's "The Scout" - Tribeca 2025 Film Review A location scout confronts not feeling as if she's in the right place in her life in this elegant and transfixing character study.

Some exciting stuff to share on day #1 of Tribeca - former location scout Paula González-Nasser turns out to be an impressive writer/director with "The Scout," recognizing how being let into other people's lives as part of her work allows her to reconsider her own moveablefest.com/paula-gonzal...

Took me a while, but the Cannes Closing ceremony is streaming on Brut's Tiktok www.tiktok.com/@brutofficie...

Laurent Cantet's "Enzo" - Cannes 2025 Film Review "BPM" director Robin Campillo brings his longtime collaborator's final film to the screen with the fire of a young man & considerable wisdom.

Started the fest w/ "Enzo," but saving it for last. I refrained from getting personal in my review, but Laurent Cantet's "Human Resources" was a gateway to my love of foreign films & that his last film is about a teen whose eyes are opened to other worlds, well... moveablefest.com/laurent-cant...

Anne Emond's "Peak Everything" - Cannes 2025 Film Review The director delivers some sunshine in dark times with this wild romcom in which an anxious man with a broken lamp finds light elsewhere.

I worry I might be too big a fan of Canadian filmmaker Anne Émond to be trusted, but as a longtime admirer, it was thrilling to see her throw her all into "Peak Everything," a wild end-of-the-world comedy with a meaty role for Piper Perabo. moveablefest.com/anne-emond-p...

Louise Hémon's "The Girl in the Snow" - Cannes 2025 Film Review This crafty drama concerns an educator who's come to enlighten a rural village at the turn of the 20th century and feels she's regressing.

Had a great time in the frigid cold of Louise Hémon's "The Girl in the Snow," set at the turn of the 20th century, but feels very 21st as a teacher tries to bring education to a rural community in the Alps that wants to hold onto their old unscientific beliefs. moveablefest.com/louise-hemon...

Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's "A Useful Ghost" - Cannes Review History doesn't happen in a vacuum, but a Hoover holds the key to exploring a painful past in this sly, provocative satire from Thailand.

I wouldn't want to know much myself about "A Useful Ghost" going in, but Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke finds a novel way to reckon with recent history in Thailand by suggesting how ingrained the supernatural is in everyday life to delightful effect moveablefest.com/ratchapoom-b...

Alexe Poukine's "Kika" - Cannes 2025 Film Review Manon Clavel delivers an engaging turn in this sly character study of a social worker who turns to sex work stimulates in unexpected ways.

Probably the filmmaker I'm most excited to see where she'll go next is Alexe Poukine. There's some genuinely original editing choices at the start of "Kika," her spry second narrative feature about a social worker who moonlights as a reluctant sex worker. moveablefest.com/alexe-poukin...

Ugo Bienvenu's "Arco" - Cannes 2025 Film Review A pair of kids from different eras try to close the gap in this inventive and socially conscientious animated adventure.

I joked with someone how nice it was to learn Felix de Givry did good for himself after playing the adrift deejay in Mia Hansen-Løve's "Eden." Apparently that set was where he met animator Ugo Bienvenu & they co-wrote the deliriously imaginative adventure "Arco" moveablefest.com/ugo-bienvenu...

It's been noted elsewhere the fest is filled with remarkable child performances and some of the strongest are in "The President's Cake," a charming coming-of-age tale set in '90s Iraq where a girl is tasked w/baking for Saddam without being able to afford ingredients moveablefest.com/hasan-hadi-p...

A gem in the ACID lineup was "Entroncamento," a sensational Portuguese crime drama about an outsider to a community who gets ahead in being able to size up her surroundings in ways the locals can't see moveablefest.com/pedro-cabele...

I wasn't prepared at all for Valery Carnoy's "Wild Foxes," which really announces "Last Summer" heartthrob Samuel Kircher as a star who's going to be sticking around a long time, playing a young boxer who contends with the psychological fallout of a freak injury moveablefest.com/valery-carno...

It might've not been such a surprise after Lloyd Lee Choi's shorts "Same Old" & "Closing Dynasty" have been knockouts in recent years, but his feature "Lucky Lu" is a stunner, a modern "Bicycle Thieves" riff that may share a similar body but infused w/singular soul moveablefest.com/lloyd-lee-ch...

It's been a joy (and at least a lil exhausting) to spend the week digging into Directors Fortnight and Critics Week at Cannes, but wanted to share a few of the discoveries and pardon the 🧵...

Have been a little bit bummed walking around Austin the last couple days and realizing a lot of my old haunts are gone. But just got out of a screening of Uvalde Mom, a doc about the aftermath of the shooting, and when Al Green showed up midway through, the place erupted, so at least there’s that.

Discoveries made at True/False this year: Myrid Carter’s extraordinary family portrait “A Want in Her,” the propulsive all-archival “WTO ‘99,” Sasha Wortzel’s delicate Everglades evocation “River of Grass” and Kinkao, a great new Thai restaurant that replaced Chim’s on the main drag.

Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay's "Hysteria" - Berlinale 2025 Film Review A savage filmmaking satire finds misplaced anger in current conversations about representation when some controversial film reels go missing.

Also haven't seen a lot written about "Hysteria," which I think is the fest's hidden gem, similar in many ways to "The Teachers Lounge" a couple years back as a sharp race relations satire hidden in a cleverly conceived whodunit moveablefest.com/mehmet-akif-...

Kateryna Gornostai's "Timestamp" - Berlinale 2025 Film Review Director Katerina Gornostai creates a remarkable portrait of the Ukrainian school system and their belief in a brighter future for the young.

Starting to wrap up my Berlinale coverage, but hope this is just the beginning for "Timestamp," a beautiful doc about the Ukrainian school system continuing on that I suspect will be amongst the year's best films moveablefest.com/timestamp-ka...

Sophie Brooks' "Oh, Hi!" - Sundance 2025 Film Review A singular comic performance from Molly Gordon drives this comedy about the unraveling of a couple to great heights.

Headed back home after a solid Sundance in spite of feeling it’s on shaky ground w/its reduced number of venues & uncertainty about a future home. Still, hugely passionate audiences, volunteers and filmmakers. Ended w/“Oh, Hi!” a tremendous Molly Gordon showcase moveablefest.com/sophie-brook...