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 Shadows off the beaten pathIndies, foreign, docs and shorts...
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THE LIBRARIANS |
MR NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN |
PALESTINE COMEDY CLUB
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| See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 26.Feb.26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Librarians Review by Rich Cline |  MUST  SEE
SUNDANCE FILM FEST Now streaming...
|  Addressing the important issue of book banning, this open-handed, honest documentary can't help but get our blood boiling. It chronicles the systemic removal of library books dealing with poverty, race, gender and any hint of sexuality, falsely labelling them as pornography. But for trained librarians, this violated their professional ethics. So they fought back against what proved to be a far-too-organised attack on privacy and intellectual freedom. In Texas, a Republican politician sends a list of 850 books to be removed from libraries, backed by Governor Greg Abbott. Ignorant parents leap on the bandwagon, as do timid school administrators and politicians who contrive to link ideologies with "smut and porn". But librarians were appalled, noting the clear parallels with McCarthyism and Nazi Germany. As boon-banning spreads across the US, activists push their prejudices on everyone in the name of "family values". But librarians know that this is deliberately targeting the best books ever written, those that help people think for themselves. Emotive and honest, this expertly assembled doc hinges on the fact that any librarian, or anyone who has read Ray Bradbury's seminal novel Fahrenheit 451, understands that the only people hurt by banning books are kids. Hiding a book is like telling a child with any kind of diversity that they need to be removed from civilisation, that they're unworthy of existence. Most insultingly, this movement is led by groups like Moms for Liberty who claim to be serving God, but they are actually pushing political views and bigotries. And they have become oppressors. It's important to remember that there is no pornography in school libraries, because librarians won't allow it. What activists label as "smut and porn" is actually just something they disagree with or don't understand. The film is a terrific mix of interviews, newsreel footage past and cleverly selected film clips. Many of these caring librarians were sacked and violently threatened for merely asking questions. They know that it's important to read stories and history that makes us feel uncomfortable. But others want us to only read narratives that support their views, even if they're false. They want to control all dissemination of information. And the hugely inspiring, passionate librarians know that they have no choice but to take a stand for what's right. It's clear who actually cares about the children.
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| Mr Nobody Against Putin Review by Rich Cline | MUST SEE
|  dir-scr David Borenstein prd Helle Faber with Pavel Talankin, Pavel Abdulmanov, Vladimir Putin, Joseph Stalin, Lavrenti Beria, Viktor Abakumov, Pavel Sudoplatov, Yevhen Konovalets, Vladimir Kara-Murza release UK 14.Oct.25, US 21.Jan.26 25/Denmark 1h29 Now streaming...
|  Tracing the work of a Russian teacher through his own eyes, this documentary bristles with his cheeky, honest personality. Frustrated by demands that he convey government propaganda, he opts instead to make this film. Russia's insidiously manipulative messaging is frightening, especially as it echoes so strongly in how other governments deliberately lie to create their own false histories. This is an inspiring, powerfully personal film with huge ramifications. Likeable young teacher Pavel Talankin, known as Pasha, is videographer and event coordinator at a state school in Karabash, a badly polluted town in Russia's industrial heartland. In 2022, Putin launches his "special military operation" into Ukraine, and federal orders demand that teachers enforce a new patriotic curriculum supporting the war. Angry at being required to deliver false lessons, he resigns. But a filmmaker in Europe asks him to document the situation there, even though it's illegal to do so. So he gets his job back and starts filming everything, becoming increasingly defiant. Pasha narrates the film with a jaunty, self-deprecating sense of humour. He uses deadpan sarcasm to explain how teachers are forced to talk about Ukraine's "demilitarisation" and "denazification" while guest speakers delivering absurdly warped messages. Pasha is a hugely likeable guy who simply refuses to be a pawn of the corrupt regime. He encourages the kids to express themselves, argues about politics with his cranky mother and is often accompanied by his adorable dachshund Nebraska. He maintains relationships with his past students; terrifyingly, many of them are of age for military service. It's fascinating to see this kind young man face such an unthinkable situation. Pasha films several unnerving events, including a pro-war rally that reflects how the propaganda has shifted the national mood. And he documents creeping militarism in the educational system and how soldiers' deaths are routinely covered up. He watches the chilling effect this loss of freedom is having on the children. And he realises that he is putting himself in danger. "I might love Russia more than the regime's supporters do," Pasha says. "Love for your country means saying, 'We've got a problem.'"
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| Palestine Comedy Club Review by Rich Cline |
|  dir Alaa Aliabdallah; prd Charlotte Knowles with Alaa Shehada, Hanna Shammas, Diana Sweity, Ebaa Monther, Khalil Al Batran, Raed Al-Shyoukhi, Sam Beale, Alaa Aliabdallah "Regash" release US Nov.25 dnyc, UK 27.Feb.26 15/Palestine 1h38  Now streaming...
|  In a land where people have no control over their daily lives, comedy is a logical reaction. This fly-on-the-wall doc follows a group of lively Palestinian comics who confront everyday tragedies with humour. It's skilfully shot and edited in an evocative style that captures these life-loving, energetic performers. Watching them cope with difficult situations by making each other laugh is infectious. So the film becomes both urgent and important. "Building anything sustainable in Palestine is really hard," says Alaa about his desire to start a local standup scene, assisted by British comic Sam. Along with following these six comics to their hometowns, the film covers their tour, starting in Ramallah, then visiting theatres around Israel. Although although only Hanna (from Haifa) and Ebaa (from Golan) have documents that allow travel outside the West Bank. The others must get special permission and go through a gruelling border check. Then they are invited to perform in London in English, just as war breaks out back home. Warm wit infuses this film, as meeting these comics' families helps us see where they get their vividly observational senses of humour. Their sharp-edged show involves improvisation, sketches, music and movement. Treading a fine line, they cleverly poke fun at issues that are deadly serious for them, including politics and religion, maintaining personal perspectives to challenge audiences without offending them. It's fascinating to see each crowd react in their own way, especially as jokes hit differently in each theatre. But it's clear that this kind of performance is essential. And now it can also show the world what's happening in Palestine. On this tour, the group travels to parts of the country they are not normally allowed to see, including the Palestinian National Theater in Jerusalem. And even before the war, they are prohibited from working with comics from Gaza or travelling there. Each of these tenacious, resilient artists speaks about how this makes them feel like they don't belong in Israel, longing for a homeland that is free. And they know that it's vital for them to keep sharing Palestine's story in an accessible way. No matter where we are, but especially in the most difficult parts of the world, it's essential to have people who make us laugh.
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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL © 2026 by Rich Cline, Shadows
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