RIP Hector Babenco, my favourite South American film director (Pixote, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Carandiru). I was lucky enough to hear him talk in the London Film Festival when he presented Carandiru in 2003. Most people – including myself – first came across Brazilian cinema with the 1981 film Pixote, a Cannes Festival stunner. […]
Lee Kuan Yew: my obituary
When everything is said and done, and whatever his contradictions, I am a big admirer of Lee Kuan Yew, R.I.P. There are very few people who’ve had such a massive impact on their societies but that impact is very often negative (see Mao or Stalin). When all is said and done, I’m sure that LKY’s […]
Greek Press Conference at the World Travel Market 2014
The Greek Press Conference At the 2014 World Travel Market marked a return to the good old days – and by that I mean pre-crisis. In those days the main worries and questions centred upon whether Greece is good value with respect to Turkey, Tunisia or Egypt. Since 2009 the focus had been on the […]