How ‘Tangerine’ challenged society’s sexualization of trans women, and why it can’t end here
When Sean Baker’s crime comedy “Tangerine” was released in 2015, it surprisingly garnered mainstream success, given its budget, production and…
Zine Article
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Beyond ‘Sex Sells’: The Power of Suspense in Erotic Sports Media
Increased sexualization in the media today may be best reflected in a growing trend that explores sexuality within a competitive…
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Stills, Speed and Silence: Movement, Mexican-ness and Nation-State Masculinity as told by Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Y Tu Mama También’
Roughly translating to “And your mother too,” Alfonso Cuarón’s fourth feature film and first independent film, “Y Tu Mama También”…
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Selling Sex? Go Fish: Guinevere Turner Talks Authentic Queer Intimacy in “Go Fish”
In the early 90s, queer cinema was experiencing a quiet revolution. Independent filmmakers were rejecting the censored or tragic depictions…
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‘What’s up with you?’ – Understanding intimacy in Harry Lighton’s ‘Pillion’
Peggy (Lesley Sharp) studies the face of her son’s partner, Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) closely. The two men have been seeing…
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Directing Under Dictators: Shin Sang-ok, the Prince of Korean Cinema
In 1978, the South Korean Park Chung-hee regime shut down a film studio that defined the country’s postwar film industry after the release of a forbidden kiss scene. Six months later, the studio’s head was abducted by the North Korean Kim Jong Il regime. The head was a South-Korean director and producer, Shin Sang-ok, who directed the film that caused the controversy: “Rose and Wild Dog.” Shin’s career survived two authoritarian governments, as well as an abduction and imprisonment. Through these constricting experiences, he continued to make films — whether under surveillance, direct orders or freely, proving that systems of censorship and political warfare will fail in their efforts to squash creativity and passion.
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A Call for Film Festivals to Choose Bravery: The Story of Jafar Panahi’s ‘It Was Just An Accident’
Currently, the United States faces its own wave of censorship catalyzed by book bans, the destruction of DEI programs and overwhelming budget cuts to universities, news organizations and national education/art programs like PBS. All the while, the implementation of artificial intelligence around the world brings a threat of unreliable media and the decentralization of individual thought. With all of these elements at play, the need to combat suppression in the creative world is more dire than ever. With the potential for films to champion a diverse array of voices and stories, one of the most powerful spaces to protect this freedom is in the film festival realm.
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Reclaiming the Male Gaze: Learning to See Through Film Photography
I’ve questioned my own gaze for years. As a small child, I observed my three sisters — triplets eight years older than me — become women, and marveled at the power, allure and dynamism in femininity. Simultaneously I saw men lie, cheat and be violent in their reach for women. And I’ve gazed at myself in the mirror, watching my perception of self shift from day to day. My own perception of myself is as capricious as the winds, rising and falling with my mood, my cycle, the day’s events.
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The United States, Its Secret Origins, and the Deflation of ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
At last year’s Academy Awards, Lily Gladstone was the first Indigenous American to be nominated for Best Actress. Her nomination was one of 10 Oscar nominations for Martin Scorsese’s film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which many celebrated as progress for Indigenous representation in Hollywood.
