European Film Institutions call for the Freedom of Incarcerated Iranian Dissident Mohammad Rasoulof

Owen Frost on 9 April 2020

Mohammad Rasoulof, director of the recent There Is No Evil, who was recently incarcerated in Iran, has gained international attention from many filmmakers and institutions since his Iranian jail sentence. Institutions such as European Film Academy (EFA), the Deutsche Filmakademie, Accademia del cinema Italiano-Premi David di Donatello, the Cannes Film Festival, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and many others have all issued statements expressing their deepest concerns.

Rasoulof was recently imprisoned for one-year according to his lawyer, for allegedly “attacking the security of the state” following the “propaganda” content in There Is No Evil. The sentence also demanded he stop making films for two years. However, it is time for more filmmakers and directors to stand up against the Iranian government’s blatant censorship and punishment of dissident art. 

Rasoulof was unable to attend the February Berlin International Film Festival ceremony to collect his prize for There Is No Evil, a film connecting four stories about involvement in the death penalty in Iran. Executive producer Kaveh Farnam claims that the wave of political executions in 1988 was what ultimately inspired the film. Rasoulof’s own experience of lack of freedom of expression has also been noted in the film’s message of freedom and humanity under despotic regimes. 

Indeed, There Is No Evil is openly critical of the Iranian justice system and its use of the death penalty. Iran has been described by international human rights scholar Javaid Rehman in his 2018 UN General Assembly address as having “one of the highest death penalty rates in the world”. According to Amnesty International, it is still behind China as the world’s leading state executioner and leads the way in terms of the execution of minors. Homosexuality is still considered an offence punishable by death in Iran. 

The stakes were extremely high for Mohammad Rasoulof and crew, and all involved knew the risk that they were taking in defying the authoritarian regime. The film was made under complete secrecy and producer Farzad Pak thanked “the amazing cast and crew who put their lives in danger to be on this film”. The creative ways in which Rasoulof clandestinely defied the regime are astounding: with Rasoulof giving direction to scenes shot in an airport through an assistant, not having his name appear on any official documentation and shooting many scenes in remote regions of Iran. 

However, in a recent statement, Rasoulof wanted the outcry to not only affect successful directors such as himself and Panahi but also to extend to the younger independent filmmaking generation who have not got the same resources to circumvent Iran’s intrusive activities. Farnam claims that many independent filmmakers have even turned to work on the Iranian government’s own film projects due to the lack of funds at their disposal. The resourcing gap is evident: the Iranian government have the helicopters and unlimited logistical and financial systems to shut down a whole street, as opposed to independent filmmakers where this is purely “impossible”.  

This is not the first time that Iran has used its authoritarian powers to ban film directors from creating dissident films. In November 2019, action from over 200 Iranian film industry members came when Kianoush Ayari’s film The Paternal House was banned a week after its opening weekend in Iran. Well known Iranian director Jafar Panahi back in 2011 was also convicted of making “propaganda films” and sentenced to 20 years film-free.  

Rasoulof and other Iranian directors continue to make films under increasingly unfair sanctions. In his powerful Berlinale Skype speech broadcasted to the world from his daughter’s phone, he highlights that everyone “can actually say no, and that’s their strength.” It is imperative not to forget about Rasoulof’s and others’ crucial films which lobby unfair regimes across the world. We must join the outspoken film institutions in support of these oppressed directors who rightfully express their freedom of expression through art.

Image Credit: Screen Daily

Don’t Spend A Bunch On Brunch

Anushka Searle on 25 March 2020

Let’s be honest brunch is expensive, with most places charging £8 for some avocado on toast! But it doesn’t have to be. You can make an amazing budget friendly brunch at home, and the best part is you can eat it in your pyjamas. Listed below are some delicious brunch ideas, that will definitely impress your brunch pals.  

Frittata 

This Italian omelette is extremely easy to make, and much easier than a fancy French omelette. The basis of the frittata is slow-fried beaten egg, but you can throw anything into the mix to make it extra tasty. A frittata is a great way to use up leftovers so why not try adding cheese, boiled potato, asparagus, or even sweet potato? Great served with salad and even toast.  Not only is this dish extremely budget friendly, but a great dish to share! 

Loaded Toast 

Why buy toast from a restaurant when you can make it so easily? Honestly, I’m not a big fan of avocado unless it’s encased with other flavours. Therefore, my favourite way to eat avocado on toast is to use a tub of guacamole, and to top it with a fried egg and some chilli flakes, to make an instantly flavoursome avocado on toast.  Alternatively, why not try toast topped with hummus, cracked black pepper, cucumber slices, and some rocket.

Crepes

Once you nail how to make crepes you will always have an impressive dish. My recipe: whisk together 2 eggs, and 360ml oat milk, then add 8 heaped tablespoons of plain flour one at a time until fully combined. The mixture should lightly coat the back of a spoon. Cook in an oiled hot pan and be patient with them. The best thing about crepes is that they use 3 ingredients that you probably already have, and you can top them with anything from sweet to savoury.  I like to add cinnamon to the batter, and topped with maple syrup, bananas and whipped cream. 

French toast

For us brits French toast is more well known as eggy bread, which frankly makes it sound gross. But I think it’s highly underrated. French toast can be made with very few ingredients, all of which are cheap and probably already in your kitchen. Soak your bread in a mixture of egg and milk, and feel free to add vanilla and cinnamon if you want it sweet. Fry the bread in a pan and it’ll be done in minutes! Top with anything you have, or if you really want to impress your brunch pals then whisk up some ricotta, icing sugar, and vanilla, with some chopped strawberries to make an impressive sweet topping.

Header image credit: Twitter

Changing The Way The Cookie Crumbles

Anushka Searle on 6 March 2020

Statistics show that 83% of chefs in the UK are male, according to data from the Office of National Statistics employment in 2018. Time then to cover three incredible chefs, who have managed to force their way into the small demographic of female chefs to show that women can be successful in a culinary world.

Claire Saffitz

Credit: Claire Saffitz x Dessert Person, YouTube

If you don’t know Claire Saffitz then where have you been? Not only is Claire Saffitz a trained pastry chef (though she recently claimed that she’s “not a chef”) and a contributing food editor of Bon Appétit magazine, she is also a YouTube sensation! Saffitz’ stardom began in 2017 when she began the show Gourmet Makes for Bon Appétit’s YouTube channel. The show consists of Saffitz trying to recreate popular snack foods as well as elevating the foods to a more gourmet standard. Indeed the rising popularity of Gourmet Makes was due to Claire’s relatable ‘low’ moments. 

Claire herself stated in an interview with Mashable that “there’s some sort of transference from people, they get stress relief from watching my stress” and for anyone that has watched the show, this is certainly true. We are used to watching culinary shows where the chef is the expert and we absorb the information as viewers but it is Saffitz’s stressful cooking that engages us with content that has more entertainment value. It is certainly uplifting to watch Saffitz go through a rollercoaster of emotions, to then seeing her happy and relieved at the end of the episode. Therefore it is this emotional vulnerability, that is often deemed a ‘weakness’ in women, which has catalysed Claire Saffitz’s success. 

Ravinder Bhogal

Credit: The Independent

Ravinder Bhogal was born in Kenya to Indian parents and grew up in London. It is this mixed culture and heritage that has enabled Bhogal to create impressive fusion dishes and menus. Bhogal is not just a remarkable chef, for she is also an award-winning food writer, journalist, TV presenter, stylist and restaurateur. Her most impressive achievement is the opening of her restaurant Jikoni in 2016. 

Jikoni is frankly an adorable restaurant with a cosy almost café-like feel to it and is designed in an overtly ‘feminine’ style, with a pale pink colour scheme and floral designs. However, it is not only Jikoni’s design that makes a statement but Bhogal’s menu too. Jikoni offers a variety of Asian comfort food, but with intriguing British, African and Middle Eastern twists, showing off Bhogul’s accumulation of travel and culture. The dish on the menu that appealed to me the most was the “Cold Silken Tofu, Peanuts, Puffed Wild Rice, Caramelised Foxnuts”, mainly because I was very intrigued by what foxnuts were, and also because it was one of the many creative vegan options on the menu. Bhogul’s interest in developing vegan dishes came about when her niece decided to become vegan. Consequently, Bhogul created a completely vegan menu for W London, which included her niece’s favourite, caramel tofu with garlic confit rice and chilli smacked cucumbers.

Samin Nosrat

Credit: People.com

Samin Nosrat introduces herself on her website ciaosamin.com with “Hi. I’m Samin Nosrat. I cook. I write. I teach” and while it’s clear and simple, it undoubtedly does not give Nosrat’s talent justice. If you’re a foodie, or simply have access to a Netflix account, then you need to watch Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. The docuseries is based on Nosrat’s New York Times bestselling, and James Beard Award-winning book titled Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, which is written on the premise that the way to master the culinary arts is to master these four elements. In the Netflix series, the four elements are explored through four episodes in four countries: Italy, Japan, Mexico, and her home in California, USA. Its success led to Nosrat becoming an international culinary celebrity. 

Nosrat is recognised for her talent as well as her endearing personality (please watch “Brad Makes Focaccia Bread with Samin Nosrat” on Youtube). The Guardian even described her as someone that “projects the kind of charisma that fosters a sense of familiarity, allowing audiences to believe they know her”, which is very similar to the reason behind Claire Saffitz’s success. 

Header Image Credit: Pexels

Miss Americana: Taylor Swift’s Political and Musical Journey

Anushka Searle on 21 February 2020

This eye-opening film begins with Taylor Swift looking through her old diaries and songwriting books, immediately declaring to the audience that this film will expose Swift’s secrets, both personal and musical. Swift reminisces over the quill pens she use to write with and shows her nerdy side with excitement over her “glass quill with an inkjet”. Through all the controversy that we’ve seen Swift go through, the world began to ignore her talent. However, this film begins by bringing us back to Swift’s humble beginnings, of writing songs when she was just 13, a girl with stars in her eyes. The film engages you with home videos from Taylor Swift receiving her first guitar on Christmas morning, to Tim McGraw hitting number 60 on the Billboard charts. 

Credit: Netflix

This biographical documentary depicts Swift’s musical journey from country star to pop icon, while also showing the creation of her new mature masterpiece, Lover. What stood out for me specifically was the clear artistry behind Swift and Joel Little’s song producing process. The film not only showed how Lover was created as an apologia for Swift’s lack of political activism but significantly exposed her talent for songwriting and for making hit-worthy music. Swift is not seen writing in a flashy music studio with a big production company. Lover is instead created with just Joel Little beside her, with Taylor Swift wearing joggers and a baggy t-shirt. Indeed, the studios Swift and Little write in (Electric Lady Studios) were designed to be relaxing to encourage artists’ creativity, and most famously that of Jimmy Hendrix. Swift, unlike many big artists, isn’t hiding behind a glass screen singing into giant microphones and letting big producers do the work for her, she is part of the entire creative process. We even get to see how Swift comes up with the music video for ‘Me!’, which won three awards for Best Video (MTV Europe Music Awards), Best Visual Effects (MTV Video Music Awards), and Best Female International Artist Video (MTV Video Music Awards). 

Credit: The New York Times

Additionally, the release of this film was coupled with the release of Taylor Swift’s single ‘Only The Young’, and much like the film, it expresses Swift’s opinion on the current political climate and her place in it. We see in the film how it was Swift’s court case against David Mueller that produced this fire in her to speak up, not only for herself but also politically. However, it is Taylor Swift’s disappointment over the result of the Tennessee midterm elections, and her want to no longer be silenced by men in her life, that fortified the power song ‘Only The Young’. This song powerfully declares that Swift and any other young individual should never let their voice be silenced, because it is the young that are most affected by this political climate, and therefore only the young can understand the struggle and must be the ones to continue to advocate change. Though the young may have been “outnumbered, this time”, and may be disheartened by a bad election result, or problematic legislation, Swift tells us that this song is “basically saying resist”. Telling us to keep resisting, because social movements are gradual, and change will only come about if the young persist in making their voices heard.

No matter your opinion on Swift this is an astonishing film, that explores how female celebrities are controlled and silenced. It truly shows how passionate Swift is about human rights, and her impassioned need to use her influential voice for social and political reform. Therefore, this film will undoubtedly give anyone newfound respect for Taylor Swift, not only for her artistry but for how unfairly she has been treated over the years. 

Header Image Credit: Pitchfork

3 Easy Noodle Dishes

Anushka Searle on 14 February 2020

If you’re someone that practically lives off pasta, then why not try expanding your range of carbs. There is more to noodles than just a pot noodle, or super noodles (not that these aren’t tasty). Noodles can be extremely easy to make, and these recipes will give you a range of delicious, cheap, and quick ways of expanding your carb cooking. I know that supermarket stir fry kits can be very tempting, but I promise that these dishes will be much more satisfying. All recipes below are either vegetarian or vegan but can be adjusted easily.  

1. Simple Soy (serves 1) 

This dish requires the least amount of ingredients and effort. This is my go-to recipe for a quick meal.

Ingredients:

One packet of “Straight to wok” noodles (or dry noodles slightly softened in boiling water) 

Half a white onion

1 clove of garlic/ ½tsp ready chopped 

Half a bell pepper (cubed) 

Soy sauce (2tbsp/adjust to taste)

Olive oil (or any you have)

Black pepper

Optional:

5 florets of broccoli chopped into small pieces 

Sesame seeds 

Method: 

First, heat 1tbsp of oil in a frying pan at medium heat. Then, dice half of a white onion (place the other half in a sealed container for 7-10 days!) and add to the oil. Stir the onion to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Once the onion is translucent, add the garlic, peppers, and broccoli, and any veg you might want. Turn the heat up slightly and stir fry the veg until mostly softened, as you still want some crunch. 

Add the noodles and stir fry for a minute before adding about two tablespoons of soy sauce and stir fry for a further minute until dry. Transfer to a plate, top with a bit of black pepper, and enjoy!


2. Reliable Ramen (serves 1 very hungry student)

This is slightly more complicated than the first dish, but it’s worth it! This is the dish that’ll warm your cockles on a cold Yorkshire morning. 

Ingredients: 

1 half white onion (leftover from previous recipe)

2 cloves of garlic 

1 half a carrot (chop thin pieces for quick cooking) 

1 spring onion 

Handful of spinach/chopped cabbage/bok choy 

Red chilli flakes (to taste)

Vegetable oil 

One vegetable stock cube

Soy sauce (1tbsp)

1 nest of dry noodles 

Optional:

5 florets of broccoli chopped into small pieces 

Miso paste (2tbsp)

1 egg (optional)

Method:

Chop all the veg to make the assembly of the dish quick and easy. Next pour 500ml of boiling water into a jug and add the stock cube, soy sauce, and miso paste if using, stir until combined. 

Heat a small amount of oil in a saucepan (low heat). Add the onion, garlic, chilli flakes to the oil and fry until fragrant but not browned. Add the stock liquid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the hard veg you are using and reduce heat to medium and leave for 8 minutes (if you are using cabbage and/or egg, add these now).

After 7 minutes, remove the egg and place in a bowl of cold water (if using make sure to peel before serving). Now you’ll want to add your noodles and spring onions and simmer until noodles soften.

Before serving, add the spinach and stir until wilted (if using). Serve into a large bowl, use tongs for the noodles, and ladle in as much soup as desired. Top with chilli flakes, black pepper, and egg (halved).


3. Practical Pad Thai (serves 2)

Out of all the dishes this is my favourite. This one is a fairly simple Pad Thai, but is immensely flavoursome. This dish works best as vegetarian, but if vegan just don’t add the egg and use Udon noodles.

Ingredients: 

1 whole white onion (finely diced)

2 spring onions 

3 cloves of garlic 

1 carrot (julienned/thinly sliced) 

Cooking oil – Sesame wok oil (1tbsp)

Chilli flakes (to taste)

Sesame seeds 

Two handful of peanuts roughly chopped (unsalted)

2 nests of dry egg noodles 

Fresh beansprouts (canned if more convenient) 

1 large egg 

Sauce:

Juice ½ Lime (half for garnish)

Soy sauce (4tbsp)

Rice wine vinegar (2tbsp)

Brown sugar (2tsp)

Sriracha (1-1½ tbsp)

Tamarind sauce (1½ tbsp)

Method:

Place the noodles in a jug of boiling water to soften. In a large pan/wok heat the oil at medium heat. Then in a small bowl, add sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. 

Once the oil is hot, add the onion and carrot, frying for 1 minute. Add the garlic and continue to stir to avoid burning. After 6 minutes add noodles, sliced spring onion (leave some for garnish), and beansprouts. 

After 2 minutes, add the sauce and use tongs to toss the noodles. Move the noodles to the side of the pan add sesame seeds to lightly toast, then and add the eggs to the empty side of the pan. Stir the eggs for 1 minute, and just before they reach a soft scramble mix them into the noodles.

Plate noodles and garnish with spring onion, raw beansprouts (if desired), lime wedges, and chopped peanuts.

Bon Appetit! 

Header Image Credit: Tesco Real Food

Gendered Award Categories: Outdated or Unrepresentative?

Anushka Searle on 11 October 2019

Anushka Searle writes in response to the announcement that the “Brit Awards ‘will review’ male and female categories”

The Brit award categories ‘British female solo artist’ and ‘British male solo artist’ appear outdated, as they reference the sex of the individual consequently isolating protentional nominees of other gender identities. In the light of Sam Smith’s recent announcement, that they identify as non-binary, it seems that award categories will need to adjust accordingly. Though, an issue arises when we consider how this could affect another minority representation. If the categories (mentioned above) were combined to form the non-gendered category ‘British solo artist’, would this mean that fewer individuals are nominated, leading to many minority groups being underrepresented? One must consider that we don’t live in an ideal world and that the music industry, and the media in general, are polluted with racism, sexism, and homophobia. Therefore, the solution cannot be to decrease the representation of some to increase the representation of others. Award shows must adjust to modern identity, however, everyone must be equally represented and purely judged on their talent. Most artists, especially smaller artists, are overjoyed just to be nominated. Therefore, we can’t decrease the nominees of two categories into just one, as smaller, struggling artists will be overshadowed.

Even though eradicating gendered categories does seem to be the best solution to include those of every gender identity, as a woman I find all female categories empowering. It’s exciting to simply focus on female creatives, and to allow them the opportunity to not be overshadowed, and to win purely on talent. Though it was empowering to witness Emma Watson become the first recipient of the MTV Movie and Television Awards’ category ‘Best movie performance’-as it has recently become gender neutral- I can’t help but be sceptical. If they had given the award to a male actor after changing the category to be gender neutral then there would have been outrage in the media, however, because it was awarded to a woman the MTV Awards were applauded. This suggests in my view that award shows are tampered with in order to be politically correct, whether there is a “public” vote or not. Combined categories therefore seem more iniquitous than separate gendered categories.

In the past, gendered award categories have been targeted as being ‘archaic and unnecessary’. However, “non-binary” is new terminology that has just begun to enter vernacular and therefore, it is unfair to use the word ‘archaic’, as the world has only just begun to understand what non-binary entails. It is also unfair to suggest that gendered categories are ‘unnecessary’, when in fact they have been necessary in order to increase the representation and support of female creatives. In conclusion, award shows need to be more representative of everybody. However, one must make sure that equality is always considered, and that changes made to represent one social group don’t diminish another grouping in the process.

Header image credit: Pink News

Tackling University: How to Survive as a Vegetarian

Anushka Searle on 13 September 2019

Most students arrive at university with a lack of cooking skills, and a longing for “mum’s cooking.” Cooking for yourself can seem daunting, especially if you follow a stricter diet such as vegetarianism. I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t be at all worried.

Most of your concerns will probably be based on myths. The myths that vegetarian food is more expensive, more difficult to cook, and it’s more difficult to source protein and iron.

However, if you aren’t surviving just on pot noodles and can boil water you will be just fine. In fact, cooking as a veggie is much easier. You will never need to worry about defrosting meat, or if you’ve cooked your meat long enough to not give yourself food poisoning. 

I’ve been vegetarian for five years now, but during my first year of university I learnt a lot about my own diet, how to cook well, and how to cook flavoursome vegetarian food on a budget.

My first piece of advice for anyone tackling a vegetarian or vegan diet, is to choose 3-4 veggies that you love, and use them for every dish.

If you did this, you’ll cut down the amount you spend on food, and decrease your fresh food waste. There’s no point in having a whole head cauliflower in your fridge that you’re never going to use! Personally, I am always stocked up on red peppers, carrots, broccoli, and of course onions and garlic, as they add flavour and nutrients to any dish. I would also recommend having frozen veg in the freezer ready for those busy weeks, when you don’t have time to pop to Aldi. Additionally, if you aren’t too big on vegetables then buy a bag of spinach; spinach wilts into your food, so you’ll barely notice that you’re eating greens!

Of course, vegetarian and vegan diets aren’t always healthy. Probably one of the biggest challenges at university will be finding veggie drunk food and trust me you’re going to need it!

While your meat-eating friends are stuffing their faces with kebabs and burgers, you don’t want to be missing out when your only options are limp French fries. Luckily, Leeds has a breadth of veggie and vegan drunk food options. My go to drunk food stops includes: Crispys, Milanos, Chicko’s, and of course good ol’maccies. From a wide range of pizzas, to wraps, to burgers you won’t be subjected to limp French fries. Though, a few of my vegetarian friends have fallen victim to the temptation of a chicken burger! However, there’s no need to put lots of pressure on yourself to get it right all the time, we’re all trying our best.

My final advice is to try your hardest to not just live off Quorn and Linda McCartney sausages, because unfortunately you won’t be able to afford that in the long run. Learn how to make your favourite dishes, and to nail the perfect fluffy rice (a staple of my diet). Experiment with your food and try different spices and combinations.

Finally, just practice cooking, because in actuality it’s therapeutic, fun, and a lot more rewarding than sticking a frozen lasagne in the oven!

Header image credit: Healthline