I’ll never forget the first time I joined a climate change protest in my local neighbourhood. A wave of urgency swept through me as I held up a sign that read, “Protect Our Home—It’s the Only One We’ve Got!” What struck me most wasn’t just the collective anger over corporate pollution or melting ice caps. Still, the sheer diversity of the crowd standing alongside me—families, retired teachers, drag artists in full regalia, students, and grandparents. As someone who identifies as ...

In a world where content is created, consumed, and forgotten at record speed, a genre has quietly emerged that demands we slow down, lean in, and embrace the passage of time. This genre is slow cinema, a unique approach to filmmaking that prioritises long takes, sparse dialogue, and deliberate pacing over rapid action and plot twists. Rooted in contemplative storytelling, slow cinema presents an opportunity for audiences to experience a film in a way that resists instant gratification, encouraging mindfulness ...

As streaming platforms like Netflix become dominant forces in global media, their role in shaping public perception and cultural narratives cannot be understated. Netflix, in particular, has long been praised for providing a platform for diverse voices and underrepresented perspectives. However, recent allegations suggest that Netflix may be engaging in censorship by quietly removing Palestinian films from its library—a move some claim is an attempt to align with Israeli political interests.

In the rapidly evolving television landscape, contemporary TV shows are redefining storytelling in innovative and captivating ways. These groundbreaking series employ new storytelling techniques that challenge traditional narrative structures, develop complex and nuanced characters, and explore thematic depths previously unseen in the medium. This essay delves into the innovative narrative structures, character development, thematic depth, and technical innovations of some of the most influential TV series, analysing their impact on the television landscape and contemplating the future of TV storytelling.

Nostalgia is a powerful and complex emotion, one that can transport us back to simpler times and evoke a myriad of feelings. This sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past often centres around cherished memories from our childhood. Among these, childhood movies hold a particularly special place. They are more than just entertainment; they are time capsules of our youth, shaping our memories, identity, and emotional landscape. Today we explore the theme of nostalgia focusing on the emotional impact ...

Is cinema dying? For film fanatics, this question serves as a constant undercurrent through every new screening, box office data release, and movie review. Lately, with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic followed by the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023, global cinema appeared to be cast somewhat into disarray. As large cinema chains declare losses and straight-to-streaming releases become increasingly popular, the future of filmmaking appears more abstract by the day. However, emerging directors continue to bring fresh ...

Recently, a provoking list of movies circulated under the heading “Shoegaze Cinema”. Letterboxd user Drew Edelstein created said list, arguing that “From the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, there was a batch of films (generally focused in Asian cinema) that shared key characteristics of a new kind of genre.”

Farha (dir Darin J Sallam) 2021. This film shows the 1948 Nakba, a forced displacement, an exodus forced onto the lives of Palestinians by the Zionist state of Israel. They sanctioned military invasion of the civilians with the funding of imperial powers. This further caused the murder of several people including newborn babies, children, women, and men. The illegal settler colonies encroached into the Palestinian land robbed them and built massive walls of separation to create an open-air jail.

To quote Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, comparisons are offensive, but the UK series Top Boy has often been compared to shows such as Snowfall, The Wire, Blue Story, Adulthood and many more that immerse themselves into the world of drugs, poverty and inequality which seems to be a common thread in producing shows.

In the world of cinema, certain films have a remarkable ability to transcend their narratives and become iconic cultural touchstones. Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film “Marie Antoinette” is one such cinematic masterpiece that tells the story of the infamous French queen and weaves together a visual tapestry that resonates deeply with contemporary pop culture. At the heart of this visually sumptuous film lies a confectionery connection that is as sweet as it is captivating – Ladurée macarons.