The new episode of the podcast sees Alison Peirse, now <a href='https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/media/staff/398/professor-alison-peirse'>Professor of Film Studies</a> at University of Leeds, return to the show to update us on her work in videographic scholarship and Global Women's Horror Film studies. The episode follows the recent release of a stunning special issue of the vital <a href='https://maifeminism.com/issues/focus-issue-thirteen-doing-womens-global-horror-film-history/'>MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture</a> Journal, edited by Alison, featuring a trove of video essays looking at the role of women in Global Horror filmmaking, which serves as an output of a larger-funded project. 
The conversation covers some of the essays in detail, but more depth is paid to the process of making creative academic practice work that is inclusive, radical and disruptive, to feminist anti-patriarchal practices, the wonder of Sara Ahmed and the intricacies of being a newly minted Prof!
Talk also covers Alison's much-missed newsletter <a href='https://www.alisonpeirse.com/newsletter'>The Losers' Club</a> (which she promises will be back soon) and the feminist practice collective space <a href='https://waysofdoing.com/'>Ways of Doing</a>.
Thanks to Alison for coming back to the show and for such an engaging and enlightening conversation.
----
You can listen to The Cinematologists for free wherever you listen to podcasts: click <a href='https://www.cinematologists.com/'>here</a> to follow.
We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: <a href='https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists'>https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists</a>. You can become a member for only £2.
We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it), and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.
----
Music Credits:
‘Theme from The Cinematologists’
Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

<description>&lt;p&gt;The new episode of the podcast sees Alison Peirse, now &lt;a href='https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/media/staff/398/professor-alison-peirse'&gt;Professor of Film Studies&lt;/a&gt; at University of Leeds, return to the show to update us on her work in videographic scholarship and Global Women's Horror Film studies. The episode follows the recent release of a stunning special issue of the vital &lt;a href='https://maifeminism.com/issues/focus-issue-thirteen-doing-womens-global-horror-film-history/'&gt;MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture&lt;/a&gt; Journal, edited by Alison, featuring a trove of video essays looking at the role of women in Global Horror filmmaking, which serves as an output of a larger-funded project. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The conversation covers some of the essays in detail, but more depth is paid to the process of making creative academic practice work that is inclusive, radical and disruptive, to feminist anti-patriarchal practices, the wonder of Sara Ahmed and the intricacies of being a newly minted Prof!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Talk also covers Alison's much-missed newsletter &lt;a href='https://www.alisonpeirse.com/newsletter'&gt;The Losers' Club&lt;/a&gt; (which she promises will be back soon) and the feminist practice collective space &lt;a href='https://waysofdoing.com/'&gt;Ways of Doing&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Thanks to Alison for coming back to the show and for such an engaging and enlightening conversation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;----&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;You can listen to The Cinematologists for free wherever you listen to podcasts: click &lt;a href='https://www.cinematologists.com/'&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to follow.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: &lt;a href='https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists'&gt;https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists&lt;/a&gt;. You can become a member for only £2.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it), and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;----&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Music Credits:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;‘Theme from The Cinematologists’&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp;amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

The new episode of the podcast sees Alison Peirse, now Professor of Film Studies at University of Leeds, return to the show to update us on her work in videographic scholarship and Global Women's Horror Film studies. The episode follows the recent re...

The new episode of the podcast sees Alison Peirse, now Professor of Film Studies at University of Leeds, return to the show to update us on her work in videographic scholarship and Global Women's Horror Film studies. The episode follows the recent release of a stunning special issue of the vital MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture Journal, edited by Alison, featuring a trove of video essays looking at the role of women in Global Horror filmmaking, which serves as an output of a larger-funded project. 
The conversation covers some of the essays in detail, but more depth is paid to the process of making creative academic practice work that is inclusive, radical and disruptive, to feminist anti-patriarchal practices, the wonder of Sara Ahmed and the intricacies of being a newly minted Prof!
Talk also covers Alison's much-missed newsletter The Losers' Club (which she promises will be back soon) and the feminist practice collective space Ways of Doing.
Thanks to Alison for coming back to the show and for such an engaging and enlightening conversation.
----
You can listen to The Cinematologists for free wherever you listen to podcasts: click here to follow.
We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists. You can become a member for only £2.
We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it), and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.
----
Music Credits:
‘Theme from The Cinematologists’
Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

Professor Alison Peirse (Doing Women's Global Horror Film History)

For the latest episode of the podcast Neil talks to filmmaker and academic Dr Nariman Massoumi about his wonderful short documentary Pouring Water on Troubled Oil (2023). 
<a href='https://mubi.com/en/gb/films/pouring-water-on-troubled-oil'>MUBI:</a> In 1951, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company set out to produce a publicity film promoting its activities in Iran. They hired the poet Dylan Thomas. This poetic film follows Thomas’s journey capturing his encounter with the country and its people as a political upheaval for oil nationalization unfolds.
The film is not available to view yet, having been criminally overlooked by UK film festivals, but it will be at some point [and we will let you know when]. That didn't stop Neil talking to Naz about the film because in form, content and theme it has much to offer contemporary cinematic and cultural conversations. Their chat ranges across subjects and themes including documentary practice, archive work, sound design, proto-cinema and the poetic, colonialism and decolonisation and practice research in the academy.
You can hear the Cinema16 conversation between Dylan Thomas, Maya Deren and others, from 1953, that Naz mentions <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA-yzqykwcQ&amp;list=PLIjtGRr1UvIzhSLGZpt6bEKiKkUlrghlO&amp;index=11&amp;t=3s'>here.</a>
For more information on Naz, visit <a href='https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Nariman-Massoumi-4793cc76-0b95-4cd4-94ea-a8fc62b5b48b/'>here.</a>
Elsewhere in the episode, Neil recommends the music film Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande (Mackenzie-Smith, 2023), more information on that <a href='https://www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-film-releases/getting-it-back-story-cymande'>here</a>.
He also slyly mentions his forthcoming book, which you can pre-order <a href='https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/music-films-9781839023439/'>here</a>, or anywhere you get books.
----
You can listen to The Cinematologists for free wherever you listen to podcasts: click <a href='https://www.cinematologists.com/'>here</a> to follow.
We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: <a href='https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists'>https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists</a>. You can become a member for only £2.
We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it), and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.
----
Music Credits:
‘Theme from The Cinematologists’
Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

<description>&lt;p&gt;For the latest episode of the podcast Neil talks to filmmaker and academic Dr Nariman Massoumi about his wonderful short documentary Pouring Water on Troubled Oil (2023). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href='https://mubi.com/en/gb/films/pouring-water-on-troubled-oil'&gt;MUBI:&lt;/a&gt; In 1951, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company set out to produce a publicity film promoting its activities in Iran. They hired the poet Dylan Thomas. This poetic film follows Thomas’s journey capturing his encounter with the country and its people as a political upheaval for oil nationalization unfolds.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The film is not available to view yet, having been criminally overlooked by UK film festivals, but it will be at some point [and we will let you know when]. That didn't stop Neil talking to Naz about the film because in form, content and theme it has much to offer contemporary cinematic and cultural conversations. Their chat ranges across subjects and themes including documentary practice, archive work, sound design, proto-cinema and the poetic, colonialism and decolonisation and practice research in the academy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You can hear the Cinema16 conversation between Dylan Thomas, Maya Deren and others, from 1953, that Naz mentions &lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA-yzqykwcQ&amp;amp;list=PLIjtGRr1UvIzhSLGZpt6bEKiKkUlrghlO&amp;amp;index=11&amp;amp;t=3s'&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For more information on Naz, visit &lt;a href='https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Nariman-Massoumi-4793cc76-0b95-4cd4-94ea-a8fc62b5b48b/'&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Elsewhere in the episode, Neil recommends the music film Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande (Mackenzie-Smith, 2023), more information on that &lt;a href='https://www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-film-releases/getting-it-back-story-cymande'&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He also slyly mentions his forthcoming book, which you can pre-order &lt;a href='https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/music-films-9781839023439/'&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;, or anywhere you get books.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;----&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;You can listen to The Cinematologists for free wherever you listen to podcasts: click &lt;a href='https://www.cinematologists.com/'&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to follow.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: &lt;a href='https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists'&gt;https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists&lt;/a&gt;. You can become a member for only £2.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it), and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;----&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Music Credits:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;‘Theme from The Cinematologists’&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp;amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

For the latest episode of the podcast Neil talks to filmmaker and academic Dr Nariman Massoumi about his wonderful short documentary Pouring Water on Troubled Oil (2023). 
MUBI: In 1951, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company set out to produce a publicity fi...

For the latest episode of the podcast Neil talks to filmmaker and academic Dr Nariman Massoumi about his wonderful short documentary Pouring Water on Troubled Oil (2023). 
MUBI: In 1951, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company set out to produce a publicity film promoting its activities in Iran. They hired the poet Dylan Thomas. This poetic film follows Thomas’s journey capturing his encounter with the country and its people as a political upheaval for oil nationalization unfolds.
The film is not available to view yet, having been criminally overlooked by UK film festivals, but it will be at some point [and we will let you know when]. That didn't stop Neil talking to Naz about the film because in form, content and theme it has much to offer contemporary cinematic and cultural conversations. Their chat ranges across subjects and themes including documentary practice, archive work, sound design, proto-cinema and the poetic, colonialism and decolonisation and practice research in the academy.
You can hear the Cinema16 conversation between Dylan Thomas, Maya Deren and others, from 1953, that Naz mentions here.
For more information on Naz, visit here.
Elsewhere in the episode, Neil recommends the music film Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande (Mackenzie-Smith, 2023), more information on that here.
He also slyly mentions his forthcoming book, which you can pre-order here, or anywhere you get books.
----
You can listen to The Cinematologists for free wherever you listen to podcasts: click here to follow.
We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists. You can become a member for only £2.
We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it), and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.
----
Music Credits:
‘Theme from The Cinematologists’
Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

Pouring Water on Troubled Oil (w/director Nariman Massoumi)

In the first episode of season 19 Neil takes the reins solo, with Dario on sabbatical, for a conversation with one of the UK’s leading filmmakers Jeanie Finlay, ahead of her popular and powerful new documentary Your Fat Friend, released in UK cinemas on Feb 9, 2024.
Jeanie returns to the podcast having recorded a <a href='https://cinematologists.podbean.com/e/filmstock-extra-jeanie-finlay/'>live conversation</a> about her career to date and previous release, Seahorse (2019), at the film festival Neil co-directed in Luton, Filmstock. This conversation is wide-ranging. It covers her craft and cinematic process, her evolution and growth as a filmmaker, her commitment to creating more visibility for key emerging filmmaking roles around mental health and wellbeing, Fatness, the Internet, bias, being tender to yourself, embodiment and ethics. There is also moment where talk turns to her great friend Tom Butchart, the owner and star of Sound It Out [the shop and the film].
Your Fat Friend tells the story of Aubrey Gordon following her emergence as a writer on medium [here’s a link to <a href='https://medium.com/@thefatshadow/a-request-from-your-fat-friend-what-i-need-when-we-talk-about-bodies-2442b5a8b06d'>her first post as YrFatFriend</a>, which Jeanie mentions in the conversation), through publishing her first book and becoming a hugely successful podcaster. It provides a profound, moving and challenging insight into a life lived online in a body that society takes umbrage with, showcasing Aubrey’s courage to keep having a vital conversation about Fatness in the face of vitriolic hate and violence and the real cultural change she is at the vanguard of as a result. Like all of Jeanie’s films, this is a film about those who are looked at but not seen and, like Seahorse, is a film about coming into being in a fuller way than was previously imagined by an incredible human being.
For more information on the film and where to see it. Visit <a href='https://www.yrfatfriendfilm.com/'>https://www.yrfatfriendfilm.com/</a>
----
You can listen to The Cinematologists for free wherever you listen to podcasts: click <a href='https://www.cinematologists.com/'>here</a> to follow.
We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: <a href='https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists'>https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists</a>. You can become a member for only £2.
We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it), and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.
----
Music Credits:
‘Theme from The Cinematologists’
Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

<description>&lt;p class="p1"&gt;In the first episode of season 19 Neil takes the reins solo, with Dario on sabbatical, for a conversation with one of the UK’s leading filmmakers Jeanie Finlay, ahead of her popular and powerful new documentary Your Fat Friend, released in UK cinemas on Feb 9, 2024.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Jeanie returns to the podcast having recorded a &lt;a href='https://cinematologists.podbean.com/e/filmstock-extra-jeanie-finlay/'&gt;live conversation&lt;/a&gt; about her career to date and previous release, Seahorse (2019), at the film festival Neil co-directed in Luton, Filmstock. This conversation is wide-ranging. It covers her craft and cinematic process, her evolution and growth as a filmmaker, her commitment to creating more visibility for key emerging filmmaking roles around mental health and wellbeing, Fatness, the Internet, bias, being tender to yourself, embodiment and ethics. There is also moment where talk turns to her great friend Tom Butchart, the owner and star of Sound It Out [the shop and the film].&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Your Fat Friend tells the story of Aubrey Gordon following her emergence as a writer on medium [here’s a link to &lt;a href='https://medium.com/@thefatshadow/a-request-from-your-fat-friend-what-i-need-when-we-talk-about-bodies-2442b5a8b06d'&gt;her first post as YrFatFriend&lt;/a&gt;, which Jeanie mentions in the conversation), through publishing her first book and becoming a hugely successful podcaster. It provides a profound, moving and challenging insight into a life lived online in a body that society takes umbrage with, showcasing Aubrey’s courage to keep having a vital conversation about Fatness in the face of vitriolic hate and violence and the real cultural change she is at the vanguard of as a result. Like all of Jeanie’s films, this is a film about those who are looked at but not seen and, like Seahorse, is a film about coming into being in a fuller way than was previously imagined by an incredible human being.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;For more information on the film and where to see it. Visit &lt;a href='https://www.yrfatfriendfilm.com/'&gt;https://www.yrfatfriendfilm.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;----&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;You can listen to The Cinematologists for free wherever you listen to podcasts: click &lt;a href='https://www.cinematologists.com/'&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to follow.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: &lt;a href='https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists'&gt;https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists&lt;/a&gt;. You can become a member for only £2.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it), and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;----&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Music Credits:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;‘Theme from The Cinematologists’&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp;amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

In the first episode of season 19 Neil takes the reins solo, with Dario on sabbatical, for a conversation with one of the UK’s leading filmmakers Jeanie Finlay, ahead of her popular and powerful new documentary Your Fat Friend, released in UK cinemas...

In the first episode of season 19 Neil takes the reins solo, with Dario on sabbatical, for a conversation with one of the UK’s leading filmmakers Jeanie Finlay, ahead of her popular and powerful new documentary Your Fat Friend, released in UK cinemas on Feb 9, 2024.
Jeanie returns to the podcast having recorded a live conversation about her career to date and previous release, Seahorse (2019), at the film festival Neil co-directed in Luton, Filmstock. This conversation is wide-ranging. It covers her craft and cinematic process, her evolution and growth as a filmmaker, her commitment to creating more visibility for key emerging filmmaking roles around mental health and wellbeing, Fatness, the Internet, bias, being tender to yourself, embodiment and ethics. There is also moment where talk turns to her great friend Tom Butchart, the owner and star of Sound It Out [the shop and the film].
Your Fat Friend tells the story of Aubrey Gordon following her emergence as a writer on medium [here’s a link to her first post as YrFatFriend, which Jeanie mentions in the conversation), through publishing her first book and becoming a hugely successful podcaster. It provides a profound, moving and challenging insight into a life lived online in a body that society takes umbrage with, showcasing Aubrey’s courage to keep having a vital conversation about Fatness in the face of vitriolic hate and violence and the real cultural change she is at the vanguard of as a result. Like all of Jeanie’s films, this is a film about those who are looked at but not seen and, like Seahorse, is a film about coming into being in a fuller way than was previously imagined by an incredible human being.
For more information on the film and where to see it. Visit https://www.yrfatfriendfilm.com/
----
You can listen to The Cinematologists for free wherever you listen to podcasts: click here to follow.
We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists. You can become a member for only £2.
We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it), and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.
----
Music Credits:
‘Theme from The Cinematologists’
Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

Your Fat Friend (w/ director Jeanie Finlay)

In this final episode of 2023 (and season 18), we (Neil and Dario) ruminate on a year spent thinking cinematically and engaging with cinema in the unique way that has become the hallmark of The Cinematologists; thoughtful, personal, searching for meaning and meaningful experiences across the movie spectrum.
We both share brief discussions of two films that stuck with us from different points of the year, Neil talking about Mark Jenkin’s short A Dog Called Discord and Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor’s The Future Tense, while Dario ponders Patricio Guzman’s My Imaginary Country and Samsara, directed by Lois Patiño.
Then, we spend more time discussing three films each at greater length in what could be seen as their top 3 films of the year, if we were so inclined to frame them that way (and we go to great pains in the episode to make sure that they don’t come across as ‘ranked’). Dario shares his thoughts on and fondness for Laura Poitras’s All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, Celine Song’s Past Lives and Todd Haynes’s May December. While Neil decides to go deep on Cyril Schäublin’s Unrest (which he shamefully claims is set in the 1920s when it’s clearly late 19th Century!), Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s The Eight Mountains and Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves. 
———
Thank you to all our guests this season and to our listeners, we thank you for your continued support of The Cinematologists, and hope you join us for season 19, which commences in February 2024.
———
You can listen to The Cinematologists for free, wherever you listen to podcasts: click <a href='https://www.cinematologists.com/'>here</a> to follow.
We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: <a href='https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists'>https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists</a>. You can become a member for only £2.
We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it) and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.
_____
Music Credits:
‘Theme from The Cinematologists’
Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

<description>&lt;p class="p1"&gt;In this final episode of 2023 (and season 18), we (Neil and Dario) ruminate on a year spent thinking cinematically and engaging with cinema in the unique way that has become the hallmark of The Cinematologists; thoughtful, personal, searching for meaning and meaningful experiences across the movie spectrum.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;We both share brief discussions of two films that stuck with us from different points of the year, Neil talking about Mark Jenkin’s short A Dog Called Discord and Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor’s The Future Tense, while Dario ponders Patricio Guzman’s My Imaginary Country and Samsara, directed by Lois Patiño.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Then, we spend more time discussing three films each at greater length in what could be seen as their top 3 films of the year, if we were so inclined to frame them that way (and we go to great pains in the episode to make sure that they don’t come across as ‘ranked’). Dario shares his thoughts on and fondness for Laura Poitras’s All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, Celine Song’s Past Lives and Todd Haynes’s May December. While Neil decides to go deep on Cyril Schäublin’s Unrest (which he shamefully claims is set in the 1920s when it’s clearly late 19th Century!), Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s The Eight Mountains and Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;———&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Thank you to all our guests this season and to our listeners, we thank you for your continued support of The Cinematologists, and hope you join us for season 19, which commences in February 2024.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;———&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;You can listen to The Cinematologists for free, wherever you listen to podcasts: click &lt;a href='https://www.cinematologists.com/'&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to follow.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: &lt;a href='https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists'&gt;https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists&lt;/a&gt;. You can become a member for only £2.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it) and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;_____&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Music Credits:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;‘Theme from The Cinematologists’&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p1"&gt;Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp;amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="p2"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
</description>

In this final episode of 2023 (and season 18), we (Neil and Dario) ruminate on a year spent thinking cinematically and engaging with cinema in the unique way that has become the hallmark of The Cinematologists; thoughtful, personal, searching for mea...

In this final episode of 2023 (and season 18), we (Neil and Dario) ruminate on a year spent thinking cinematically and engaging with cinema in the unique way that has become the hallmark of The Cinematologists; thoughtful, personal, searching for meaning and meaningful experiences across the movie spectrum.
We both share brief discussions of two films that stuck with us from different points of the year, Neil talking about Mark Jenkin’s short A Dog Called Discord and Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor’s The Future Tense, while Dario ponders Patricio Guzman’s My Imaginary Country and Samsara, directed by Lois Patiño.
Then, we spend more time discussing three films each at greater length in what could be seen as their top 3 films of the year, if we were so inclined to frame them that way (and we go to great pains in the episode to make sure that they don’t come across as ‘ranked’). Dario shares his thoughts on and fondness for Laura Poitras’s All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, Celine Song’s Past Lives and Todd Haynes’s May December. While Neil decides to go deep on Cyril Schäublin’s Unrest (which he shamefully claims is set in the 1920s when it’s clearly late 19th Century!), Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s The Eight Mountains and Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves. 
———
Thank you to all our guests this season and to our listeners, we thank you for your continued support of The Cinematologists, and hope you join us for season 19, which commences in February 2024.
———
You can listen to The Cinematologists for free, wherever you listen to podcasts: click here to follow.
We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists. You can become a member for only £2.
We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it) and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.
_____
Music Credits:
‘Theme from The Cinematologists’
Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.
 

Our Cinematic 2023

In this episode of the Cinematologists podcast, we reflect on the pervasive apathy often accompanying the endless influx of new releases and how to combat nagging sense of FOMO which, at times, feels like it can never be satiated. When both of us saw Napoleon and agreed there wasn't much we wanted to talk about, and neither did a raft of art-house films on the various streaming platforms particularly get our juices flowing, we decided to unpack this troubling lassitude. Does the need to be "up with everything" rise and fall with the choppy waves of life? Or does our work as film lecturers naturally impact the pure desire just to watch films for their own sake? Perhaps it was something to do with that old chestnut: end of year "best of" lists. That collective social itch to define the year can seem so performative (having said that our 2023 round up will drop on the 23rd of December) . Never fear though, we work through the malaise; the value of celebrating the films that have demanded attention, spark conversations, and stayed with us, is more important to us that any arbitrary ranking.
We do get to some films in this episode. Starting with Christian Petzold's Afire, a situational character portrait from German director Christian Petzold. Two friends, Felix, an art Student and Thomas, a writer, arrive at Felix's holiday home on the Baltic Sea with the intention of working. They arrive to discover the house is occupied by Nadja , played by Petzold regular Paula Beer. Her presence is a triggering point of distraction for the insufferable Thomas, whose loathsome self-involvement is tolerated by Najda, and then gradually deconstructed.  
Iranian-British director Babak Jalali's  Fremont is a beautifully measured outsider tale that echoes the spirit of Jim Jarmusch. Anaita Wali Zada's compelling performance takes centre stage in a narrative that challenges Western expectations of immigrant tales. The film's philosophical undertones and political nuances offer something of a reversal of that well worn cliché that posits America as the promised land of freedom.
In Leave the World Behind (Sam Esmail) we witness a stellar cast, including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon, navigating a series unexplained events during a family retreat to Long Island. Familiar themes of racial, class and political tensions add edge to a dynamic, unpredictable narrative of social breakdown which is often uncanny and visual striking throughout.
This is our penultimate episode of the season. Just our end of year round up to come. As always we hope you enjoy the episode.
--
You can listen to The Cinematologists for free, wherever you listen to podcasts: <a href='https://podfollow.com/the-cinematologists-podcast'>click here to follow</a>.
We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: <a href='https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists'>https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists</a>. You can become a member for only £2.
We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it) and <a href='https://twitter.com/Cinematologists'>sharing on Social Media</a> is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.
_____
Music Credits:
‘Theme from The Cinematologists’
Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this episode of the Cinematologists podcast, we reflect on the pervasive apathy often accompanying the endless influx of new releases and how to combat nagging sense of FOMO which, at times, feels like it can never be satiated. When both of us saw Napoleon and agreed there wasn't much we wanted to talk about, and neither did a raft of art-house films on the various streaming platforms particularly get our juices flowing, we decided to unpack this troubling lassitude. Does the need to be "up with everything" rise and fall with the choppy waves of life? Or does our work as film lecturers naturally impact the pure desire just to watch films for their own sake? Perhaps it was something to do with that old chestnut: end of year "best of" lists. That collective social itch to define the year can seem so performative (having said that our 2023 round up will drop on the 23rd of December) . Never fear though, we work through the malaise; the value of celebrating the films that have demanded attention, spark conversations, and stayed with us, is more important to us that any arbitrary ranking.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We do get to some films in this episode. Starting with Christian Petzold's Afire, a situational character portrait from German director Christian Petzold. Two friends, Felix, an art Student and Thomas, a writer, arrive at Felix's holiday home on the Baltic Sea with the intention of working. They arrive to discover the house is occupied by Nadja , played by Petzold regular Paula Beer. Her presence is a triggering point of distraction for the insufferable Thomas, whose loathsome self-involvement is tolerated by Najda, and then gradually deconstructed.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Iranian-British director Babak Jalali's  Fremont is a beautifully measured outsider tale that echoes the spirit of Jim Jarmusch. Anaita Wali Zada's compelling performance takes centre stage in a narrative that challenges Western expectations of immigrant tales. The film's philosophical undertones and political nuances offer something of a reversal of that well worn cliché that posits America as the promised land of freedom.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In Leave the World Behind (Sam Esmail) we witness a stellar cast, including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon, navigating a series unexplained events during a family retreat to Long Island. Familiar themes of racial, class and political tensions add edge to a dynamic, unpredictable narrative of social breakdown which is often uncanny and visual striking throughout.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is our penultimate episode of the season. Just our end of year round up to come. As always we hope you enjoy the episode.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;--&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You can listen to The Cinematologists for free, wherever you listen to podcasts: &lt;a href='https://podfollow.com/the-cinematologists-podcast'&gt;click here to follow&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: &lt;a href='https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists'&gt;https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists&lt;/a&gt;. You can become a member for only £2.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it) and &lt;a href='https://twitter.com/Cinematologists'&gt;sharing on Social Media&lt;/a&gt; is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;_____&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Music Credits:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;‘Theme from The Cinematologists’&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp;amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

In this episode of the Cinematologists podcast, we reflect on the pervasive apathy often accompanying the endless influx of new releases and how to combat nagging sense of FOMO which, at times, feels like it can never be satiated. When both of us saw...

In this episode of the Cinematologists podcast, we reflect on the pervasive apathy often accompanying the endless influx of new releases and how to combat nagging sense of FOMO which, at times, feels like it can never be satiated. When both of us saw Napoleon and agreed there wasn't much we wanted to talk about, and neither did a raft of art-house films on the various streaming platforms particularly get our juices flowing, we decided to unpack this troubling lassitude. Does the need to be "up with everything" rise and fall with the choppy waves of life? Or does our work as film lecturers naturally impact the pure desire just to watch films for their own sake? Perhaps it was something to do with that old chestnut: end of year "best of" lists. That collective social itch to define the year can seem so performative (having said that our 2023 round up will drop on the 23rd of December) . Never fear though, we work through the malaise; the value of celebrating the films that have demanded attention, spark conversations, and stayed with us, is more important to us that any arbitrary ranking.
We do get to some films in this episode. Starting with Christian Petzold's Afire, a situational character portrait from German director Christian Petzold. Two friends, Felix, an art Student and Thomas, a writer, arrive at Felix's holiday home on the Baltic Sea with the intention of working. They arrive to discover the house is occupied by Nadja , played by Petzold regular Paula Beer. Her presence is a triggering point of distraction for the insufferable Thomas, whose loathsome self-involvement is tolerated by Najda, and then gradually deconstructed.  
Iranian-British director Babak Jalali's  Fremont is a beautifully measured outsider tale that echoes the spirit of Jim Jarmusch. Anaita Wali Zada's compelling performance takes centre stage in a narrative that challenges Western expectations of immigrant tales. The film's philosophical undertones and political nuances offer something of a reversal of that well worn cliché that posits America as the promised land of freedom.
In Leave the World Behind (Sam Esmail) we witness a stellar cast, including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon, navigating a series unexplained events during a family retreat to Long Island. Familiar themes of racial, class and political tensions add edge to a dynamic, unpredictable narrative of social breakdown which is often uncanny and visual striking throughout.
This is our penultimate episode of the season. Just our end of year round up to come. As always we hope you enjoy the episode.
--
You can listen to The Cinematologists for free, wherever you listen to podcasts: click here to follow.
We also produce an extensive monthly newsletter and bonus/extended content that is available on our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cinematologists. You can become a member for only £2.
We really appreciate any reviews you might write (please send us what you have written and we'll mention it) and sharing on Social Media is the lifeblood of the podcast so please do that if you enjoy the show.
_____
Music Credits:
‘Theme from The Cinematologists’
Written and produced by Gwenno Saunders. Mixed by Rhys Edwards. Drums, bass &amp; guitar by Rhys Edwards. All synths by Gwenno Saunders. Published by Downtown Music Publishing.

On New Release Apathy

Film academics Dr Dario Llinares and Dr Neil Fox introduce a live screening followed by an audience Q&A. The podcast also features interviews with filmmakers, scholars, writers and actors who debate all aspects of cinema and film culture.

”Consistently one of the finest cinema podcasts available” - Sight & Sound.

”For intelligent, informed cinema debate, The Cinematologists are hard to beat” - Mark Kermode

The Cinematologists Podcast

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