THE DEVILS REBORN: The Resurrection of Ken Russell's Butchered Masterpiece.
PLUS Vale Agustina Chiarino; We review SUPERGIRL, LUCID, A MOSQUITO IN THE EAR; Taika and Jenna together for KLARA...; Trailers from London's Muslim IFF; Classic Nordic noir; and, the other Supergirl.
I reverse-engineered my introduction to the cinematic wonders of Ken Russell (1927-2011). In 1980, I was aware of the British director’s reputation as an anti-establishment icon but I hadn’t yet watched any of his films. My first plunge into the Russell oeuvre was that year’s American studio pic, ALTERED STATES, in which deprivation-tank science reverts William Hurt to mankind’s base simian form. It led me to the rock opera TOMMY (amazing!), the simmering drama WOMEN IN LOVE, and the techno-thriller BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN. By the mid-’80s release of his sexed-up Frankenstein-origin romp GOTHIC and mind-melting LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM, I was all in.
I raise Russell because at this year’s Cannes Film Festival the hot ticket screening was the 4K-restored Director’s Cut of his 1971 film THE DEVILS. An adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s 1952 historical novel The Devils of Loudun and John Whiting’s play The Devils, it began as a prestige undertaking (led by the casting of Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave) until early screenings led to a torrent of ill-will towards its perceived blasphemy. Most notable amongst the sequences condemned was ‘The Rape of Christ’, in which naked nuns in the throes of orgiastic passion pull a statue of Our Saviour from a church wall and have at him.
The Vatican released a statement, calling it, “an insult to cinema”; Finland, Italy and the U.K. banned it. U.S. distributor Warner Bros. butchered it with their ‘censorship scissors’, making worse the reputational damage that had already been done. It was a remarkable about-face from the studio, who had been unwavering in their support of Stanley Kubrick’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE the very same year, but Ken Russell’s vision of Catholicism and politics was deemed too much. THE DEVILS in its original form was thought to be entirely lost.
Ironically, a new Warner Bros. specialty label called Clockwork will launch with an exclusive seven-day U.S. season of Ken Russell’s THE DEVILS from October 16. The director, raised a devout Catholic, has always claimed his work is, in fact, a very religious film made by an artist trying to make sense of his own faith. “It’s about the degradation of religious principles,” Russell once said, “and about a sinner who becomes a saint.”
Simon Foster, Editor: SCREEN-SPACE
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WORLD CINEMA MOURNS AGUSTINA CHIARINO.
One of the most influential and beloved figures in contemporary Latin American cinema, Uruguayan producer Agustina Chiarino led the rise in South American film culture globally over the past two decades. Her passing from cancer on June 18 has been felt across the region and amongst friends and colleagues across the world. She was 49.
As a producer, she oversaw Adrián Biniez’s GIGANTE, THE MIDFIELDER and THE WAVES; Pablo Stoll’s HIROSHIMA; Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge’s ALELI and DON’T YOU LET ME GO; Pablo Solarz’s I WOKE UP WITH A DREAM; and, Miguel Calderón’s THE DISCIPLE OF SPEED. Her role as a teacher and mentor at the International School of Film and Television in Cuba and presence at such industry initiatives as TorinoFilmLab, the Doha Film Institute, the Sundance Institute, Locarno’s Open Doors and Ventana Sur had an immeasurable impact on young filmmakers (READ: Cinema Tropical)
FIRST-LOOK TRAILER: TAIKA WAITITI’S KLARA AND THE SUN WITH JENNA ORTEGA
After some time in the filmmaking wilderness (see NEXT GOAL WINS), Taika Waititi looks to be back in whimsical form with his new film, KLARA AND THE SUN.
Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s bestselling novel, the New Zealand director introduces audiences to Klara (Jenna Ortega), an Artificial Friend who wants nothing more than to find the perfect home.
KLARA AND THE SUN is in U.S. and Australian cinemas from October 22, 2026.
FOSTER’S FILM REVIEWS
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SUPERGIRL (Dir: Craig Gillespie; starring Milly Alcock, Jason Momoa, Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenaerts and David Krumholtz). The stakes are low but the engagement is high in Craig Gillespie’s SUPERGIRL, with Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El the dark heart of a punk-lite pastiche that plays best as a girl-power anthem, slightly less so as a superhero pic. Kara self-medicates the grief of losing her family in the same world-destroying event that launched cousin Kal-El (David Corenswet) earthbound. But when her dog Krypto is poisoned and she needs to track down face-studded misogynist Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) for the antidote, she finds a purpose (if, in the scheme of a big-budget studio pic, it’s pretty minor). More driven is teen Ruthye (Eve Ridley), also seeking Krem but with far more vengeful intentions. The two leads are great together; ‘unhinged female anti-heroes’ is what director Gillespie does best (I, TONYA; CRUELLA). Just like DC guru James Gunn’s Marvel-farewell pic GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, the second act is a total bummer (what is it with him and prison cells?!). But when Alcock finally dons the skirt-and-cape, she fits Gunn’s trademark skewy vision of comicbook heroism perfectly. ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
LUCID (Dirs: Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall; starring Caitlin Acken Taylor, Georgia Acken, Amber Dandelion, John Luna and Vivian Vanderpuss). In Deanna Milligan’s feature-length version of her 2021 short, manic and messy Mia (Caitlin Acken Taylor, a fierce, fearless source of dark energy) is the outsider in a class of art-school outsiders, often chided by her teacher for the shock-and-awe cliches she keeps presenting as ‘art’. “Dig deeper!”, he demands, setting in motion a drug-fuelled, hallucinatory meta-journey into childhood trauma, creativity and madness. Milligan and co-dir Ramsey Fendall are all sorts of ‘indie’ - independent, indulgent, indecipherable - in this ‘90s-set horror-oddity, drip-feeding bizarre imagery and monstrous manifestations in their unpacking of an artist’s angst. Ken Russell and The Kuchar Brothers would’ve really dug its lo-fi shock tactics and dense, DIY set direction. Full disclosure - when Mia screeches at her lecturer, “I’m not making it for old men!”, it’s like the film was talking to me. That said, I recall my cool younger self watching films like this, projected onto a bedsheet pinned to a wall in some dank, smoky inner-city studio. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A MOSQUITO IN THE EAR (Dir: Nicola Ranciari; starring Jake Lacy, Nazanin Boniadi, Micky Singh, Amina and Ruhi Pal). American soon-to-be-dad Andrew (Jake Lacy) spots a toy tiger at a street vendor upon arriving in Goa. “Look”, he exclaims, “like in Life of Pi!” Given how he and wife Daniela (Nazanin Boniada) react to the society and culture of their soon-to-be adopted daughter Sarvari (Ruhi Pal, wonderful), it is entirely likely that watching Ang Lee’s palatable Indian fairytale is the only prep work they’ve done. They don’t speak a word of Hindi, despite having six years to prepare; they become frustrated when delayed at Sarvari’s orphanage, indifferent to how leaving the only home she’s known will impact her. Adapted from the graphic novel, Nicola Ranciari’s international adoption story examines the polar extremes inherent in throwing together two parties with different dreams of family life but no means by which to communicate. Does it err too close to saviorism? Is the casting of brown-skinned Boniadi purposefully designed to counter such arguments? Why is this story from the white American’s perspective and not entirely through the eyes of the adopted Indian girl? Valid discussion points all, but they don’t derail this heartfelt drama. ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
WORLD WATCH
AHUB LAUNCH CONNECTING AUDS AND EURO ANIMATION: Co-financed by Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia arts sector, Animation HUB will extend the life of Europe’s short film output (READ: FilmNewEurope).
RUSSIAN ATTACK HITS KYIV’S DOVZHENKO FILM STUDIO: The costume shop, which housed the largest costume collection in Ukraine, took the brunt of the June 15 attack, with many of the 100,000 pieces lost (READ: NVU).
HARMLESS FF ANNOUNCES 2026 LINE-UP: The Serbian event combines screenings, master classes and panels emphasising socially engaged cinema and contemporary political realities (READ: Cineuropa)
TOEI’S MONKEY QUEST BUILDS BUZZ AT ANNECY: The Japanese animation giant’s latest 3D-CG feature earned raves after a special WIP screening (READ: Variety)
LATEST TRAILERS | MUSLIM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The Muslim International Film Festival returns with bold, original cinema celebrating powerful stories, fresh perspectives, and the future of Muslim storytelling on screen. | July 2-5, 2026; London.
GHOST SCHOOL (Dir: Seemab Gul; starring Nazualiya Arsalan, Samina Seher and Adnan Shah Tipu). When the only school in the village is closed because a teacher is possessed with Jinn, a young girl chooses to take an unprecedented risk and unleash magical forces.
ISH (Dir: Imran Perretta; starring Farhan Hasnat, Yahya Kitana and Avin Shah) Twelve-year-old best friends, Ish and Maram wrestle to hold onto their friendship, in the wake of a traumatic police stop & search.
HIJRA (Dir: Shaheed Ameen; starring Lamar Faden, Khairia Nazmi and Naif Al-Daferi). Amidst rugged terrain, a grandmother and her granddaughter trace the paths of lost memories and footsteps.
WHY WE LOVE MOVIES
DEATH IS A CARESS | Døden er et kjærtegn (Dir: Edith Carlmar; starring Claus Wiese, Bjørg Riiser-Larsen and Eva Bergh; Norway, 1949). The first ‘Nordic noir’ directed by a woman defies the moral conventions of the studio-backed American film noir of the period. Otto Carlmar’s and Arne Moen’s script addresses abortion, features half-naked lovers and includes characters who openly discuss and endorse adultery.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I am Kara of Argo City, daughter of Alura and Zor-El, and I don’t scare easily.” - Supergirl (Helen Slater), SUPERGIRL (Dir: Jeannot Szwarc; 1984)
And if SCREEN-SPACE isn’t enough Simon for you…:
LISTEN to me co-host the weekly film and TV podcast SCREEN WATCHING with Dan Barrett, of Always Be Watching notoriety;
WATCH/LISTEN Dan and I reflect on the films of 1987 in our fun retro-podcast, BEST MOVIE YEAR (available to watch on our YouTube channel)
FOLLOW my curatorial efforts as Festival Director of the SYDNEY SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL.
Cant wait to see this restoration. It blew my mind when I first saw it at the Atheneum in Melbourne. Thanks