8 Lessons from EU Independent Filmmaking Beyond Celebrity Culture
At the 2026 edition of IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, one of the most striking discoveries was not simply films, but curatorial insights into independent filmmaking. As a press delegate attending on behalf of the Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies, I arrived expecting innovative independent cinema across geographies and genres. What I did not anticipate was how profoundly the festival’s curatorial lens of inquiry would invite audiences to re-think the foundations of spectatorship in their wider cultural practice of art. Co-funded by the Creative Europe MEDIA...
Read MorePerforming Patriarchy, Silencing Sisterhood: Internalized Sexism, Gaslighting, and the Rise of Counter-Narratives Through Autoethnographic Storytelling
Introduction Women’s voices are often suppressed not only by external patriarchal structures but also through internalized sexism within female social networks. Feminist discourse often foregrounds male-perpetrated violence and silencing, yet a subtler form of oppression persists within women’s interactions: internalized sexism that masquerades as solidarity. Situated within feminist contexts—including #MeToo’s uneven outreach and discursive exclusions—this personal narrative argues that feminist progress must include unmasking how women impede each other’s voices. It proposes...
Read More2025 CBC News + Film Honours
Cross-posted: Edition 97 CMCS Media & Festival – Aug 30 Hope August started well! I am pleased to update that views from the Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS) on former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry have been covered on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio. My guest, David Frasser, a privacy lawyer, and I were invited to contribute our ethical views about the public figures to the CBC live show Alberta at Noon on August 7: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-1-alberta-at-noon/clip/16162549-is-anything-private-public-figure...
Read MoreA Library of Rumba (2025) – Poem
A Library of Rumba She was there before And younger after Way after she stepped into a galaxy of heaven. But it wasn’t just an untouched sky It was the floor her toes brushed against And groomed into a moonlit carpet of stars that won’t ever bury. Never bury, she said. To unearth her forbidden love of dance, She entered a courtyard, leaving behind a dark, enchanted forest – A gathering of ancient trees that sparked a passage of rites To a secret soul A crossing path, it was. If he were a breathing book, I only see its spine on a wooden cot At the edge of a rustic bedroom Facing her...
Read MoreButterfly (2025) – Film
Butterfly (2025) Hope 2025 started well for all! My New Year started with a brand new short, Butterfly (2025), that blurs the boundaries between commercial art and education within and beyond the studies of film stardom, which is my PhD research area. I specifically start with a question to further cinematic practices: can theatrical and poetic spaces co-exist using a choreographic approach? Watch, share, and read about the Butterfly to find out more! ABOUT THE FILM Tagline: By day, she follows the rules. By night, she follows her rhythm. Logline: A disillusioned office worker in Portugal...
Read MoreWindows (2024) – Film
Windows (2024) A film by Krystof KeshavProduction House: Sene LisboaMedia and Public Relations: CMCS Media WINDOWS-Press-Kit Download ABOUT THE FILM Tagline: A Bengali short with a universal twist Logline: When a woman is stood up, she considers all the opportunities opening up to herself. Synopsis: In the independent short film, Windows, the protagonist Amrita is a single professional woman. She returns home after an ordinary day of work, but plans an extraordinary moment with a date that night. Her mundane tasks prepare for a special moment of romance until her hopes are shattered. When...
Read More
Recent Comments