Author: Stephen A Russell

Stephen A Russell is a freelance arts journalist with a passion for film whose work can be found care of Fairfax and SBS, The New Daily, The Music and The Lowdown Under, among other reputable sources of cultural criticism. You can also hear his dulcet Scottish brogue and wayward snorts courtesy of Joy 94.9, Radio National and Noosa FM.

Facing the demon: Filthy and the spectre of male violence

Filthy

A Slovak and Czech co-production – like many of this year’s CaSFFA offerings – the festival theme of ‘Neighbours’ takes a dark but important turn in Slovakian director and actor Tereza Nvotová’s startling debut feature Špina. Translated into English as Filthy, this remarkable if harrowing movie goes to the dark heart of male violence against […]

Everybody Needs Good Neighbours: Meet CaSFFA Juror Stephen A Russell

Pictures of the Old World

While it is certainly true that the citizens of our national capital of disputed dual nationality are now blessed with the glorious Czech and Slovak Film Festival (CaSFFA) annually, its spiritual home is, of course, the cinematically obsessed city of Melbourne. It’s a movie-mad metropolis that I, myself a dual national (though, to the best […]