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Stories

Who Gets To Make What Films?

A white woman making a film about four men who were in Saudi Arabia, undergoing deradicalization? Sundance has dumped it, but one Muslim American film critic says, "It does a disservice to throw away a film that a lot of people should see." - The New York Times

At The Rijksmuseum, Insects Now Rule

"An Open Letter for Invertebrate Rights, penned by Saraceno and placed next to one of the webs that has appeared in the museum over recent weeks, makes a case for cohabiting with creepy-crawlies rather than viewing them as pests." - The Observer (UK)

Nancy Hiller, Who Broke The Glass Ceiling In Woodworking, Has Died At 63

Hiller opened her own studio in 1995, becoming as force as a woodworker - and as a writer of both popular and scholarly articles about the history of the art. - The New York Times

On The Set Of ‘The Bear,’ The Chefs Are Truly The Bosses

Two chefs supervise the food. "The culinary producers devised on-camera dishes for the FX on Hulu series and also served as inspiration and sounding boards." And of course, "the onscreen depiction of the Italian beef would need to be perfect." - Los Angeles Times

Streaming May Be Killing Bollywood

But not for the usual reasons. "As growing audiences began to avidly consume Tamil (Kollywood), Telugu (Tollywood), Malayalam, Kannad (Sandalwood) and Marathi-language cinema in their homes and post widely about it on social media," Bollywood conventions seemed stale. - The Guardian (UK)

The Metaverse Looks Cool, But It Puts Everyone’s Privacy At Risk

How? Big data. "Headset devices are able to record things like a person’s movements, facial attributes, blinking, surroundings, and their activities when they’re in the metaverse." - Fast Company

Trombones Take Over The Gaming World

Well, the game Trombone Champ, that is. Viral videos of players are driving "a lot of tooting, to songs like the national anthem and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, and subsequent laughs from people on the internet." - NBC News

Novelist Zadie Smith Talks About Discovering Black England

"By 1999 I’d gone through 15 years of formal education, including a three-year English degree, without ever being given a book to study that made any reference whatsoever to the presence of individuals like me in the country in which I was born." - The Guardian (UK)

So What If Stalin Hated This Opera?

Stalin called Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensh "muddle instead of music, an ugly flood of confusing sound, ... a pandemonium of creaking, shrieking and crashes.” Ouch. But it feels more urgent than ever with Putin at Russia's helm. - The New York Times

Marvel Is Never Going To Get The Fantastic Four Right On Screen

The proof is in Alex Ross, artist who paints for the comics. Disney "has not totally eaten Marvel Comics yet, probably because, even if you’re hiring the hottest comics artist alive and working ... it’s just cheaper to make a comic book" than a movie. - The Guardian (UK)

This Jazz Saxophonist Was Told Black People Like Him Shouldn’t Go To University

Courtney Pine became a success despite that music teacher. Even his dreams are in sync with his career: "I usually dream about music, about the missing chord or someone famous from jazz history, like Charlie Parker, giving me advice." - The Guardian (UK)

No Surprise To Harry Styles Fans, But Gen Z Drove The Box Office Last Weekend

Well yeah: "Women made up 66 percent of the audience, according to Warner Bros., the studio behind the $35 million film, with an unusually large 52 percent of ticket buyers under the age of 25." - The New York Times

The Runners And Cyclists Using GPS Mapping To Create Art On City Streets

Why not use the surveillance capabilities of satellites for good instead of evil, right? "Instead of biking on a straight path or in circles around a park, Ms. Strong plans her rides in the shapes of birthday cakes, stars, birds, lions — and the occasional Vermeer." - The New York Times

A Film From Colombia Wins The San Sebastian Film Fest

The film, Los Reyes del Mundo (The Kings of the World in English), "follows five young men from Medellín, Colombia’s second-largest city, trying to get ahead in life." - Bloomberg (AP)

Constance Wu Reveals Sexual Harassment From A Fresh Off The Boat Producer

The unnamed producer controlled what she wore and how she handled business matters. "One evening, she writes, after she and the man attended a sporting event, he placed his hand on her thigh, his hand ultimately grazing her crotch." - The New York Times

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