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22 October 2021 / John Cooper KC
Issue: 7953 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Screen matters

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61721
John Cooper QC casts a legal eye over this year’s BFI London Film Festival

The BFI London Film Festival returned this month in full throttle after last year’s COVID-19 affected event. Once again it will accurately predict the films which will make the headlines in the next 12 months and I was intrigued to be invited to reflect on the festival’s offerings this time around, with particular reference for NLJ to legal related subjects. Of course, the depiction of crime and how the criminal justice system works has always provided rich pickings for filmmakers and dishes out no end of opportunities for suspense and drama.

Hinterland

Hinterland left an indelible effect upon my senses. Not only was it a truly suspenseful story, it was filmed as if every frame was a sumptuously crafted portrait. Based around the serial killing of German soldiers returning from the First World War after two years in a Russian POW camp, two characters stand out who could probably demand a TV series of their own. Perg,

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NEWS
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NLJ this week: No such thing as a ‘Welsh seat’
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
NLJ this week: Jury reform risks justice for efficiency’s sake
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
NLJ this week: Crypto fightback offers ‘new frontier for law’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
NLJ this week: Time to revive the duty to report crime?
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
NLJ this week: When are experts truly ‘necessary’?
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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