Essays on cinema.

Cinemas reopened. After months of closed doors, four committed cinephiles gather to celebrate — and discover that one of them has already been caught by the summer blockbuster heatwave. A short, celebratory episode about what we missed, what we came back for, and what it means to be in a room full of strangers watching something together. Capturing a specific moment: the relief and slightly giddy pleasure of the first film back on the big screen after the longest gap most cinemagoers had ever experienced.

Eroticism should be found in balance! Now isn’t it about time that women in cinema got to look back, shifting the gaze back on to the male, or at least express what it is like to be looked at through the male gaze that has dominated cinema. Basje Boer, film critic and author, joins us in celebrating female desire in cinema and exploring the complex gender dynamics within cinema and the effect it has on us as an audience. Our film club choice The Beguiled (Sofia Coppola, 2017) kickstarts our discussion, a hot take on what happens when you equalise desire. As always, if you have any questions you would like us to discuss or stories about cinema you would like to share then please email us at celebratingcinema@lab111.nl

Western cinema has mostly defined our movie crushes to be predominantly white, often leaving non-white characters to be reduced to caricatures, particularly East-Asian characters. To celebrate the 4K restoration release of some Wong Kar-Wai classics, we are joined by author, filmmaker and activist Pete Wu to dissect the representation of East-Asian characters in Western cinema and how WKW directly opposes such limited portrayals. We even have an exclusive from Wong Kar-Wai himself who adds his own voice to this insightful discussion. As always, if you have any questions you would like us to discuss or stories about cinema you would like to share then please email us at celebratingcinema@lab111.nl

The month of May is always a period of remembrance, commemorating all those who lost their lives during the Second World War both as victims of genocide and those fighting for their freedom. With screenwriter, director, and fellow list-lover Kim Kokosky Deforchaux, we take a look at how different countries through cinema and film deal with trauma and this particular period of history.

What should be a light-hearted reflection on the films of nightmares & nostalgia, which helped form our presenters and their viewing habits, quickly reveals itself to be a psychoanalysis of the 3 different approaches to parenting and movie-watching. If that is not enough drama for you, Tom returns with even more lists, reflecting on the best and worse rehashing in cinema as well as considering what the future may entail. If you have more questions you’d like us to discuss, or stories worth sharing then send us an email.

That’s right people, it’s Oscars time! We’ve certainly got that Oscar fever, but more a fever of chaotic distress. Instead of the usual baseless predictions, we try to make sense of the Academy Awards and this American institution that seems to dominate the industry.

We are delighted to welcome Miriam Guttmann, director of the recent VPRO documentary Seeds of Deceit (Het Zaat Van Karbaat), who joins us for a discussion on the ethics of documentary-making. Miriam provides a very candid insight into the large web of complexities she found herself navigating through, during the filming of her Sundance selected film. In this episode we explore the purpose of a documentary maker, a director’s relationship to the characters of the story they’re directing and where their duty lies.

After celebrating our love for cinema, we turn to the question of whether cinema is actually all a lie. Do the fictions we consume shape our own realities? Can our lived experiences ever be wholly original and unique? In this episode our three hosts unpack these big questions and discuss why Britney Spears is the modern day Truman, if we are happy living in our own matrix, as well as our most lived cinematic moments.

To kick off this new podcast series we thought it would only be right to reflect upon the very thing that has brought us together – our love for cinema! Join us and hear from three very different perspectives as they pull back the curtain from the screen and even themselves. We also get to hear from some of you who have shared your own love for the big screen.

We are here to do as we say and celebrate the wonders of the big screen and all that lies behind these infamous flickering images. Everyone’s knowledge of film is unique and individual so join us on our journey to hear from a collection of diverse voices, both in the film industry and those who watch it.