Doug Cummings

Touki Bouki (1973)

The Best of West African Cinema, at LACMA and LMU

Doug Cummings
Though it's often overlooked on the repertory circuit, West African film has long been a rich and vital voice in global cinema. Mired in tragedy, the region's colonial history has inspired a volatile mix of African tradition and aesthetics, European cosmopolitanism, and fierce political awareness. Throughout October, the Loyola Marymount......

Satyajit Ray's Films, Restored

Doug Cummings
In 1992, when renowned Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray was presented a lifetime achievement Oscar on his deathbed, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences couldn't find enough prints to assemble a tribute reel. "Literally," says Academy Film Archive director Mike Pogorzelski, "the only prints that were in the U.S......

LACMA Spotlights the Enigmatic Bruno Dumont

Doug Cummings
LACMA spotlights the mysterious work of a french master There are few filmmakers today as edgy or enigmatic as Bruno Dumont (Humanité, Twentynine Palms). His films sketch figures — usually young couples, often in French-speaking Flanders — in landscapes that lend metaphysical shadings to stark physical stories of bodies, sex......

Four Movies to See at the L.A. Asian Pacific Film Festival

Doug Cummings
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, the largest such event in Southern California, is now in its 29th year, and its lineup of films from more than 20 countries is, as always, a mixed bag of talent, intentions and indie spunk. Of the films screened for review, four stand......