Silence took Martin Scorsese nearly 30 years to make – and it shows

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The period drama set in feudal Japan is an epic of divine proportion, tackling grand questions of faith and colonisation with remarkable fervour Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email The year is 1640. Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) arrives in Japan with fellow Jesuit missionary Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver) to search for their missing mentor, Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson). There, Rodrigues witnesses how “Kirishitans” – historical Japanese Catholics – must practise their faith in secret because their religion is heresy in Edo-period Japan. As he observes how the Japanese belief differs from his teachings, Rodrigues begins to question his faith. Despite praying ceaselessly, Rodrigues does not hear back from God. Silence, one of Martin Scorsese’s passion projects, was released in 2016 after nearly three decades in development. Scorsese’s dedication mirrors the spiritual journey of his protagonist. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2SV6T...
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Pongo Calling review – Roma lorry driver turns viral activist after political persecution

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Film-maker Tomáš Kratochvíl follows the story of Czech-Mancunian trucker turned activist Štefan Pongo

Centring on an ordinary man with extraordinary determination, Tomáš Kratochvíl’s documentary shows how one simple video can ignite a revolutionary movement. After emigrating to the UK nearly 15 years ago, Czech Roma lorry driver Štefan Pongo built a new life for himself and his family in Manchester. At the same time, the persecution faced by his community never strayed far from Pongo’s mind. After hearing a speech in which Miloš Zeman, then the president of the Czech Republic, claimed that 90% of the Roma people were “socially unadaptable” and resistant to work, Pongo started a viral appeal online where he and countless other Roma compatriots posted selfies of themselves at their workplaces.

The appeal was straightforward, yet hugely impactful. Its aim was to battle harmful stereotypes thrust upon Roma people, which Pongo himself had experienced first-hand from a young age. In one particularly painful anecdote, he mentioned his primary school teacher rubbing his arms in front of the whole class to demonstrate how “dirty” the Roma are. As Pongo took a leadership role in the fight for Romani rights, his activism also translated into real-world actions, organising protest rallies in Brussels, and travelling to rural Slovenia to deliver aid to the most vulnerable in the community.

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