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Reality bites in gritty dramas from the US to Kurdistan
Girls of the Sun

THE STORMY weather in Cannes matched the mood of a number of entries, with Iranian director Jarar Panahi again banned from attending the festival by the Tehran government.

Despite living under house arrest and being forbidden from making films for 20 years following accusations of producing “propaganda,” he has continued to do so and his latest, Three Faces, is a fictional commentary on life in Iran and the country’s cinema legacy, infused with sly humour.

A more forthright political statement came from veteran director Spike Lee. BlacKKKlansman is inspired by the true story of Ron Stallworth, an African-American police officer who managed to successfully infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan and become the head of a local chapter.

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