At this year’s Berlinale Film Festival, Wim Wenders declared that cinema is not political — so hosts Elliot Bloom and Kiriko Mechanicus, both speaking from their own diasporic experiences, decided to put that to the test. Moving through Persepolis, Incendies, Bend It Like Beckham, Girlhood, and Chantal Akerman’s News from Home, they explore how diaspora cinema transforms the politics of borders and belonging into something deeply, unavoidably human. Because for anyone who has ever lived between cultures, cinema isn’t just art — it’s a second home.
This episode is part of Diaspora Diaries, LAB111’s curated season running January through March exploring stories of movement, identity, and belonging on the big screen.
Get tickets to Diaspora Diaries @ LAB111
Listen back to Why Wim Wenders?
Listen back to Can We Still Watch Films By Bad People?
Our hosts
(entertainment journalist)
(film critic)
(film maker)
(film programmer)