What if your taste in movies is being dictated by powerful voices who don’t look like you, think like you, or care about the stories you want to see? Film critic Wendy Lloyd investigates who’s really shaping what you watch – and why it matters.
In the #MeToo, BLM, and Times Up era, are the gatekeepers of film criticism changing, or are the same old voices still pulling the strings? Wendy digs deep into who gets to shape the conversation, why it matters, and how the stories we value are impacted by race, gender, and privilege.
With sharp wit and a knack for getting to the heart of the issue, Wendy invites fellow critics and commentators into lively discussions about the inequalities still lurking behind the scenes of the industry's most powerful platforms. Who decides what films deserve top honours during Awards season? And why are so few diverse voices holding the reins?
Join Wendy for this show which was nominated four times by the Independent Podcast Awards, as she unpacks the mystery of who holds the real power in film. Blending humour with hard truths in a show that might just change the way you see the movies – and the critics who rate them.
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Dr Clive Nwonka: British Urban Film's Struggle for Critical Recognition
For the final episode in the current season I'm speaking to leading academic on Black British and African American film, Dr Clive Nwonka. Clive's latest book Black Boys: The Social Aesthetics of British Urban Film is the first to have been written on the subject. In it, Clive argues the need for this often overlooked and denigrated genre to be properly recognised in its own right - so that it might take its rightful place in arts and culture. Clive shares his insights on the social and political history from the 70s and 80s that fed into the emergence of British Urban projects in the 2000s; how Black representation has suffered a default construction around negative portrayals of Black culture and social crises; how the TV series Top Boy and the era of streaming heralded a new - and much needed - platform for British Urban storytelling; and much much more. We also discuss Clive's programme of films inspired by James Baldwin at London's Barbican in May 2024.
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3 May 2024
Corrina Antrobus: The Feminist Reframing of Rom-Coms
The much maligned Rom-Com is a perfect example of how a whole film genre can be dismissed by dint of who the stories are for, and who they are about. (Clue: it's not men!). After a classy start in Hollywood, Rom Coms - and their sister genre 'Chick Flicks" - have been used to dismiss a particular type of love story, and anyone who's dared to enjoy them. And so the Guilty Pleasure was born. Thankfully times are changing, and there's a realisation that many films that have been overlooked - at best! - might be worth revisiting in our more enlightened times. Step up this week's guest, critic Corrina Antrobus, who's new book, a 'manifesto in 100 films' entitled "I Love Rom-Coms and I am a Feminist", is released in August. We discuss how lighthearted love stories haven't been given their due over the years and how that's not unrelated to who makes and watches them. And how the genre has only recently begun to recognise love beyond the white heterosexual gaze. Corrina shares her insights from rewatching films spanning 100 years of cinema and together we celebrate a genre which - unlike all others - has a long and strong history of female filmmakers. To preorder Corrina's book, click here: https://geni.us/ILoveRomcoms (https://geni.us/ILoveRomcoms)
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26 Apr 2024
Anton Bitel: Critics vs Influencers? Round 2
I return to the subject of critics versus influences this week, following my enlightening chat with critic and industry influencer Ashanti Omkar back in Season 1. Influencers are increasingly being used by film publicists to provide exposure and hype ahead of film releases - especially Blockbusters. But has it gone too far? Some critics think so - and there was industry outrage last summer when many felt their freedom to express genuine reactions to the film Barbie was being curtailed by publicists. I wanted to have a reasoned debate about this from the perspective of a long-time critic, and Anton Bitel was the man for the job. With a balanced recognition about the reality of criticism as an ever-changing discipline, and the authority to call-out where he sees influencers and their role in marketing impinging on critics' editorial independence, Anton provides an important and interesting perspective on screening etiquette, the reality of modern film promotion, the scourge of 'star ratings', and why critics need to not assume spoilers are always a bad thing. #Barbie
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