News

New Akala EP about black history hits the right notes

A new and ambitious EP from west London MC Akala looks at the history of black people’s oppression—and their resistance.

Detroit exposes the racism of US society in the 1960s

The racism that caused the 1967 Detroit riots is honestly documented in Kathryn Bigelow’s new film and makes painful viewing

Culture round up

Polly Nor

Bleak, unsettling, and powerful images in Gregory Crewsdon's exhibition

For the first time ever three floors of the Photographers’ Gallery have been given to a single exhibition—and it does not disappoint.

Valerian—a magnificent sci-fi mess that gets lost in excess

As special effects catch up with the vision of filmmakers and directors, the plots of science fiction epics need to race to keep up, writes Ken Olende

Sexism has undermined Game of Thrones’ wide appeal

The seventh season of Game of Thrones is well underway and has been met with much rejoicing from fans.

Tragedy rubs shoulders with controversy at Edinburgh Festival

This year’s Edinburgh Festival has been caught up in political controversy before it has even begun.

Werq—Ballroom at the Barbican

Voguing comes to London in August.

Spooks, lies and the state—new film grasps for the truth

A serious but mild-mannered civil servant with a drinking problem gets caught up in a web of intrigue and collusion between the state and private intelligence services.

A Good Day to Die, Hoka Hey—photographer’s film avoids the big picture

There is a stereotype of war photographers as hard-living egoists hooked on the adrenaline of the chase.

War for the Planet of the Apes—Attempt at gorilla warfare ends in monkey business

The film did not live up to the preceding films and seemed unsure of what it was trying to be.

Soul of a Nation exhibition paints a bold picture of Black Power

A powerful new exhibition at Tate Modern brings together the work of black artists from across decades of struggle in the US, writes Harold Wilson

Exhibitions in Middlesbrough that inspire radicalism

The Middlesbrough Museum of Modern Art (Mima) is far from having million pound paintings hanging on sterile walls.

New film Freesia tells the story of the fight against Islamophobia

Freesia uses real examples of racist attacks to paint a picture of Islamophobia in Britain today. The film’s director Conor Ibrahiem spoke to Yuri Prasad

New documentary highlights human cost of housing crisis

Seldom has a film had a more timely release.

How can we solve the crisis and win decent homes?

Two new books look at the housing crisis from different perspectives. Socialist Worker interviews the authors.

Alone in Berlin shows the significance of small acts

Director Vincent Perez’s latest film brings Hans Fallada’s novel Alone in Berlin to the screen.

The Place is Here—exhibition celebrates our unity against the racists

An art exhibition in London and Middlesbrough shows black artists taking on racism and empire but it falls short on class politics, says Antony Hamilton

These Trees are Made of Blood—a jarring cabaret of state oppression and resistance

This horrifying cabaret pays tribute to the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo—women who never stopped searching for their children “disappeared” by Argentina’s dictatorship.

Film shows art rebel John Berger in his democratic element

The Seasons in Quincy provides a fitting and poetic tribute to the committed humanity of late art writer and revolutionary John Berger, says Jeff Jackson