Culture
Five film and TV shows to watch over Christmas
Screen Time: Christmas specials, blockbuster streams and juicy drama to ride out your festive food coma with.
The pride and pitfalls of being English in 2021
Artist Robin Maddock has photographed the people, protests, pubs and parties across the country for a photo book documenting a rollercoaster year.
How Ed Curtis designed London’s wildest Christmas tree
O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum, how lovely are thy spray paint…
How South Korean TV took over the world
2021 in review: from Squid Game to Hellbound via Dr. Brain, this year one country bossed it in the TV thriller stakes. Here’s how they did it, and also what’s coming next.
Having a laugh with Lolly Adefope
One of London’s funniest women has been nominated for a National Comedy Award, and to honour the occasion, we sat down with her to discuss all things comedy, star signs and what it takes to get into stand-up.
The Witcher’s Anya Chalotra on playing TV’s most sensational sorceress
The first season of Netflix’s hit series reached 76 million eyeballs. As the second instalment launches, the Wolverhampton-born actor gives us the lowdown on the emotional toll of playing Yennefer de Vengerberg and breaking fantasy stereotypes.
This film celebrates the adolescent magic of school proms
Over the past four years, London-born and based artist Lewis Khan has been documenting the city’s school leavers just before they step into the adult world in a deeply nostalgic, brilliantly exhilarating short film, Leavers.
Pass the Butterbeer: these people have never seen or read Harry Potter
As the film series celebrates its 20th anniversary, we check in on the literary outliers who don’t know their quidditch from their Quibbler. No judgement here, but Hagrid is on standby.
In photos: NTS & Squarespace’s Winter Function
Hosted by Telfar and PDA on the 10th floor of London’s The Standard, the party celebrated the UK’s subversive LGBTQIA+ brains shaping British culture right now.
Mean Girls is the greatest Christmas film of all time
Not convinced? Be grool. We’re about to change your mind.
Artistic Italian duo Luisa Me have each other’s back
These Milanese skaters captured a love letter to their city
In our latest print issue, skaters Simone Gozzetti and Beatrice Domond paired up for a photo story documenting their friends during the summer in Milan – young, wind-swept and freeee.
GutterRing is the club night for wide-eyed goths, queer punks and alt-kids
Somewhere on a dancefloor in East London, the multi-coloured, multi-pierced twentysomethings sweat out their troubles come Saturday night. Here, photographer Varvara Schvetsova captures a regular (but not so regular) night.
The literary magazine bringing a community of bookworms together
Worms is an antidote to the pretentiousness of academia that celebrates female and non-binary writers. Editor Clem MacLeod gives us the lowdown on the new issue, psychogeography and the simple joy of reading.
Encounter director Michael Pearce on working with “magnetic” Riz Ahmed
In his new film, Riz Ahmed is brilliant as an ex-Marine fighting aliens that only he can see. Encounter director Michael Pearce explains how his leading man led from the front.
How Hollywood is remedying the casualties of cancel culture
From Ansel Elgort to Armie Hammer, the advent of #MeToo and social media has seen a slew of actors be "cancelled". But with leading roles in blockbusters like West Side Story and Death On The Nile, studios are left to pick up the pieces. THE FACE speaks to industry insiders to find out how they're mediating the impact.
Capturing the youth and beauty of Glasgow
Photographer Rachel Lamb's new book showcases the industrial magic of Glasgow and its inhabitants. Move over, London, it’s Scotland’s turn in the spotlight.
BAFTA reveals its 2021 Breakthrough talent for film, games and TV
In collab with Netflix, this programme will ensure the likes of It’s a Sin’s Lydia West and Sex Education’s George Robinson get all the industry support they need to keep telling boundary-breaking stories.
Love letters to Britain through the eyes of its youth
The best Christmas films of all time, according to THE FACE editors
No, Die Hard doesn’t count.
Inside the technomadic vampire community
Photographer Bolade Banjo meets Rain: a self-styled “technomadic vampire” who eats raw steak and bone marrow, and drinks a glass of blood every morning. You can read more in the Winter issue of THE FACE, out now.
Nights of Violence: love and grief in the face of addiction
Artist Tan Gillies mixes moving image, painting, sculpture and photography in a soul-bearing new exhibition tackling mental health, domestic abuse and the hard road to getting clean.
The year we went back to the cinema
2021 in review: After a year of being stuck in our homes, cinema returned with a host of blockbusters that demanded our attention, from No Time To Die via Marvel to House of Gucci.