Representation in Cinema

Hey pod and Happy Thursday! This is the 5th and final spoiler special in the ¡Presente! Latin Film Series discussing the film, La Strada (1954) . Directed by Federico Fellini, La Strada follows Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina), a naïve young woman, who is purchased from her impoverished mother by brutish circus strongman Zampanò (Anthony Quinn) to be his wife and partner. Throughout the film, she loya...

Hey pod and Happy Thursday! This is the 4th spoiler special in the ¡Presente! Latin Film Series discussing the film, Addams Family Values (1993) . Legendary Puerto Rican actor Raul Julia returns as Gomez, the patriarch of the Addams family. After being reunited with his brother Fester (Christopher Lloyd), Gomez and Morticia (Anjelica Huston) have a third child. They hire a nanny, Debbie (Joan Cusa...

Hey pod! Welcome to the third spoiler special in the ¡Presente! Latin Cinematic Heritage Series discussing the film, Zoot Suit (1981). Luis Valdez adapts his own stage production (the first Latin-American play on Broadway) into this striking film version. Edward James Olmos reprises his role from the stage as “El Pachuco,” the narrator of the film and the conscience of Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez,...

Hey pod and welcome back! Welcome to the second spoiler special in the ¡Presente! Latin Cinematic Heritage Series discussing the film, Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ (1925) . The most expensive spectacle of its time, this film tells the familiar story of Judah Ben-Hur (played by Ramon Novarro) in the early days of Christianity. His wealthy family is persecuted for their faith by the Romans, includi...

Hey pod and welcome back! Welcome to the first spoiler special in the ¡Presente! Latin Cinematic Heritage Series discussing the film, The Long, Long Trailer . Directed by Vincente Minnelli, newlyweds Daisy and Nicky decide to travel along with their new home: a long, long trailer that makes living extremely difficult and puts them on the verge of divorce. Part National Lampoon’s Vacation and part...

Tonight we’re happy to have Jason Barber back to talk about the upcoming ¡Presente! Latin Cinematic Heritage Series starting Wednesday, September 16 at the George Eastman Museum. For the second year in a row, the Dryden Theatre is partnering with the ¡Presente! Film Series to highlight the often-overlooked contributions Latin Americans have made to cinema worldwide. Both in front of and behind the...

Hey pod and Happy Thursday! This episode is the 5th part of our Black August series, where we talk about the films that highlight Black resistance, freedom fighters, and political prisoners. Tonight, we turn to horror, which is a genre that often lends itself to the brutality that is our history as well as current events. Candyman is a horror film written and directed by Bernard Rose released in 1...

Hey pod and Happy Thursday! Tonight is the 4th part of our Black August series, where we talk about the films that highlight Black resistance, freedom fighters, and political prisoners. Sometimes Black resistance comes not only with physically fighting back, but with speaking against injustice putting pen to paper. Tonight, we’re diving into Ida B Wells: A Chicago Stories Special , produced and wr...

Hey pod and welcome back! This is the third segment of our Black August series, where we talk about the films that highlight Black resistance, freedom fighters, and political prisoners. Tonight, we are discussing the film, The Stroll directed by Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker released in 2023. Co-Director, trans activist, and former sex worker, Kristen Lovell tells the history of New York City...

Hey pod and welcome back! This is the second segment of our Black August series, where we talk about the films that highlight Black resistance, freedom fighters, and political prisoners. Black resistance comes in many forms and tonight we are diving into Paris Is Burning , directed by Jennie Livingston and released in 1990. It’s a documentary that provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through t...

Hey pod and Happy Thursday! If this is your first time listening or watching, welcome to Representation in Cinema – we talk about the films that center Black, Brown, and Indigenous voices as well as on the film industry itself. Tonight marks the beginning of our Black August series , where we talk about the films that highlight Black resistance, freedom fighters, and political prisoners. Black Aug...

Hello pod – it’s been a MINUTE. In fact, we’ve been off and on for a couple of months. We wanted to update you on what’s been going on with me and with Our Voices Project PLUS talk a LITTLE BIT about Black representation in fantasy. But before I get to that if this is your first time listening and/or watching, welcome to the pod! I’m Jackie McGriff, your host of Representation in Cinema! We talk a...

Hey pod! We are back from taking a much-needed break! Tonight, we’re talking about Is God Is , which is a must-see from us. We HIGHLY recommend watching it in theaters before it leaves. Otherwise, it is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime. Is God Is is a southern gothic revenge thriller that follows twin sisters, Racine and Anaia, who set out on a cross-country mission to murder their abusive...

Hello pod! In tonight’s episode, we’re discussing the kind of representation we want to see and talking about the films, filmmakers, and production companies that are changing the way that we see Arabs portrayed on the big screen. If you haven’t already tuned into our previous episodes where we break down the film Reel Bad Arabs and the destructive stereotypes we’ve seen throughout Hollywood’s his...

Welcome to the third week of Arab American Heritage Month! I’m your host, Amira Ferjani taking over for Jackie McGriff. We’re continuing our conversation about Arab representation using the framework of the late Dr. Jack Shaheen’s, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People. If you missed the first 2 parts of our series talking about Orientalism and covering the first half of Reel Bad Arabs ,...

Tonight we’re breaking down the film Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People , a feature documentary where acclaimed author, the late Dr. Jack Shaheen, analyzes the ways in which Hollywood has depicted Arabs from the earliest days of silent film to the early 2000s looking at Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. If you haven’t already seen Reel Bad Arabs, we HIGHLY recommend that you watch. It...

Tonight starts a new series highlighting the representation and (mis)representation of Arabs in Western cinema, specifically in the US. We’re going to be breaking down the film Reel Bad Arabs , talking about the destructive stereotypes that writer and lecturer, the late Jack Shaheen, talks about both in the film and in the book of the same title, and about what authentic representation looks like....

Starting this Thursday, April 9, we’re going to be breaking down the film Reel Bad Arabs, talking about the destructive stereotypes that writer and lecturer, the late Jack Shaheen, talks about both in the film and in the book of the same title, and about what authentic representation looks like throughout Arab American Heritage Month. For so long our government has fed us these stereotypes repeate...

Tonight’s episode is about QUEEN Ava Duvernay, the director behind 13th , Selma , A Wrinkle in Time , and Origin as well as the founder of ARRAY, “a multi-platform arts and social impact collective dedicated to narrative change,” which is what we’re all about here on Our Voices Project. Joining us on the podcast is Dr. Katrina Overby aka DJ Spin Dr. KO, Dominique Alexandria Simmonds, and Kamesha B...

Borrowing the title of the satirical classic by LEGENDARY filmmaker, Robert Townsend, to break down how we watch more original films and support independent filmmakers! Now this episode is going to look a little different. We’re taking a short break between honoring Black directors for a second to talk about something that’s been on my mind for quite some time. Hollywood continues to play in our f...

Hello pod! We are midway into Women’s History Month or as I’m calling it, BLACK Women’s History Month! We’re continuing our series giving our flowers to Black Directors! Tonight’s episode is about Nia DaCosta, the director behind The Marvels , Hedda, the 2021 remake of the horror classic , Candyman, Little Woods , and a recent release, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple . Our guest tonight, from our...

The Oscars were last night and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT! Some of the wins, the performances, and all of the moments in between! Our guests tonight are Cocoa Rae David, Brianna Milon, and Sandra and Ike Ntube of Two Beers Cinema Club. Cocoa Rae David, a New York-based visual artist, curator, photographer, filmmaker, and business owner of By Cocoa Rae LLC. You can visit her website here and follow h...

Tonight’s episode is about the legendary, movie pioneer, Robert Townsend, the actor, comedian, writer, and director behind Meteor Man, The Five Heartbeats, Hollywood Shuffle, Up Up and Away, B.A.P.S., The Mighty Quinn, and Little Richard (2000). Our guest is Aishat Oduola-Owoo, a Nigerian immigrant and lifelong lover of Black film and television. Growing up in a semi-strict household, family-frien...

Hello pod! It is Day 19 of Black History Month and we’re continuing our series giving our flowers to Black Directors! Tonight’s episode is about the documentary filmmaker, Sam Pollard, the director behind MLK/FBI , The League , Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power , Black Art: In the Absence of Light and the docuseries Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children . Our guest is Christop...

Hello pod! Today is Day 10 of Black History Month and we’re continuing our series giving our flowers to Black Directors. Tonight’s episode is about Peter Ramsey, the director behind Rise of the Guardians and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse . While awards and accolades are nice, we don’t center them as a reference to validate and instead look to filmmakers as the artists that they are, the deeper...