04 Dec Introducing cinéSPEAK: Meet the Team Behind Our New Publication

BY SARAH MUELLER

On behalf of Team cinéSPEAK, we hope that you and yours are wholly well and finding space to rest as the flaming dumpster fire that is 2020 comes to wrap. (Seriously though, do take care of yourselves—mental health preservation is vital.)

Given all that we’ve individually and collectively been through, it is my immense pleasure to be sharing some good news—in the form of exciting updates—regarding our journal, currently an online-only publication sharing our name, that we softly launched in July thanks to the generous support of the Independence Public Media Foundation. 

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

This year, amidst global health crisis, grave economic disruption and necessary reckonings for racial and economic justice, we saw an opportunity. As a cinema organization dedicated to using film as a tool to encourage audiences to demand social justice both on-screen and throughout society, we were inspired to create a platform for critical discourse of the moving image to connect individuals to historic and contemporary movements for social change. 

Our journal was born. 

Our journal’s founding mission and vision statements are in progress and will be discerned collectively. However, we did not want to miss an opportunity to name some of the commitments we are making to ourselves and to you. 

We’re just getting started.

OUR COMMITMENTS 

WE COMMIT TO BUILDING A LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY OF CONTRIBUTORS THAT IS EQUITABLY REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR LOCAL AND GLOBAL FAMILY.

Recognizing that both the moving image and journalism industries have grossly failed communities of color, our journal will be primarily focused on centering the voices of Black, Brown and Indigenous Peoples of color—especially those who identify as women, Two-Spirit, genderqueer, those whose gender identity or gender expression is nonconforming and/or different from their gender assigned at birth, and those who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

This is both in regard to our leadership and our contributor community. 

We have made the commitment to hire an Editor-in-Chief who is a Black and/or Indigenous person of color and from the gender identifying and gender expression communities we are centering. We commit to justly honoring their labor, entrusting their vision and getting out of their way, as much as possible. 

Currently, this position and all journal-related staffers will be hired in a part-time capacity. We are looking to hire for this position by the end of January. Be on the lookout for the job post on our website.

WE COMMIT TO A CULTURE OF RADICAL TRANSPARENCY IN OUR COLLECTIVE PROCESS—especially as it relates to:

• our core values (that center and guide the heart of our work)
• our leadership (how power is shared and who has a seat at the table)
• our community of contributors (whose voices we center and how one can get involved)
• honoring labor (how we pay)

We’ve got a solid footing but we don’t know what we don’t know. We will f*ck up, and we commit to creating space for critical feedback. We want to hear from you and will be offering regular opportunities—in the form of virtual and in-person gatherings and surveys—to listen and learn.

WE COMMIT TO A POROUS FUTURE—where we are defined by the wants, needs and desires of the community we serve. We will prune, flex and shape-shift as called upon. We have tons of ideas on deck and are here for listening and dialogue. We’re here for you—so, let’s talk! If you are interested in learning more, connecting with us or funding our work, please hit me up: sarah@cineSPEAK.org. 

ABOUT THE EDITORIAL COLLECTIVE 

Our Editorial Collective is composed of passionate filmmakers, journalists and community organizers. This group will be fluid, with members cycling in and out (in staggered fashion) to ensure we remain steadfast in our commitment to remain permeable and ever-evolving.

To say that we are wildly excited to begin building with these five highly brilliant and talented individuals is a gross understatement. We are deeply humbled and honored by their enthusiasm and generosity in lending their expertise and vision to our organization and our collective visioning process.

Editorial Members have committed to: 

• Serving a 1 year term (Dec 1, 2020-Nov 30, 2021; renewable by mutual agreement)
• Advising, directing and overseeing the annual goals of the journal
• Contributing to written editorials on special issues or features
• Building out the journal’s Core Values and Best Practices —centered on equity and justice
• Critiquing the journal and review process
• Promoting and encouraging the submission of high impact work to the journal, as well as connecting us to fruitful collaborations and partnerships with artists, organizations, colleagues and conspirators in the field
• Participating in Quarterly and Responsive Editorial Meetings 

WHAT’S NEXT

Throughout December, in our journal, we are embarking on ‘A Year in Review.’ We will feature thoughtful explorations looking back on the definitive media, moments and movements of 2020 that impacted moving image makers, critics, art house cinemas, film festival leaders, and our industry both locally and at large. It’s gonna be good.

In January, our Editorial Collective will announce ‘A Vision for 2021’ that will highlight the themes, causes and movements that our journal will be primarily centering throughout the year.

Stay tuned!

If you’re just joining us, we’re glad you’re here! Check out what we have published thus far. 

Don’t miss a beat! Stay in the loop with all things cinéSPEAK: 

Join our mailing list (we send one email or fewer per week) 

Follow our journey + join the conversation: Facebook , Instagram and Twitter.

Without further ado…

MEET OUR INAUGURAL EDITORIAL BOARD: 

BEDATRI CHOUDHURY

(she, her)

Bedatri studied literature and cinema in New Delhi and attended graduate school in Cinema Studies at Tisch School of the Arts. She has worked extensively with documentary films, particularly in the areas of production, commissioning, and outreach. She is an editor and film critic, and loves to write on film and culture from a prism of feminism and post-colonialism. Her writings have been published in Huffington Post, Hyperallergic, Buzzfeed, Mubi Notebook and Bitch Magazine, among others. She has worked with publishing houses, an advertising agency, a newspaper, documentary film outfits and a theater company, thereby developing a passion for intersectionality of all cultural products. An alumna of the NYFF Critics Academy, Sundance and SXSW Press Inclusion Initiatives, and National Critics’ Institute, she lives in New York City. 

Check out Bedatri’s work for cinéSPEAK: 

A Very Well-Behaved Teenager: The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival 2020  (Published November 2, 2020)

Connect + Follow:  www.bedatri.com; @Bedatri (Twitter) and @bedatridc (Instagram) 

HANSEN BURSIC 

(he, him)

Hansen Bursic (he/him) is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and LGBTQ+ rights activist. Building on the legacy of queer and trans creators before him, he has dedicated his work to not only elevating LGBTQ+ narratives but bringing radical equity to the filmmaking process. Bursic has had his films screened across the globe and was named Best Writer/Director by the Derek Freese Film Foundation in 2020.

A queer, Appalachian-born, Philly-transplant, Bursic has been working as an independent filmmaker and media consultant for the past several years. His work, both fiction and nonfiction, has explored trans excellence, rural representation, and LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination all through personal, character-focused films. Bursic’s short documentary on a trans girl and her family living in rural Pennsylvania, The Toothmans, screened internationally, including a screening at Frameline, the world’s oldest and most prestigious LGBTQ+ film festival, and winning an award from The Foundation for The Contemporary Family.

Recently, Bursic was tapped to lead the media campaign for Pennsylvania Values, a campaign advocating for sexuality, gender identity, and expression to be added to Pennsylvania’s state nondiscrimination protections. He is also finishing his latest film set to come out in 2021, Halloween 1987, a fiction film about a gender questioning teen in the 1980s who struggles with their identity following a gender-bending Halloween costume. The film is based on a memoir by Jenny Jae Cory, a transwoman living in rural Appalachia who Bursic has been doing a documentary on for the past three years. When not creating, Bursic enjoys spending too much money on coffee, hanging out with friends and screaming into the void about the state of American politics.

Check out Hansen’s work for cinéSPEAK: 

The Future of Horror is Queer (Published October 31, 2020) 

‘We Need To Talk About ‘Coming Out’ Headlines For Classic Characters (Published August 20, 2020)

Connect + Follow: hansen.bursic.com; Facebook; @HansenBursic (Instagram); @HansenBursic (Twitter)

JOHN MORRISON

(he, him)

John Morrison is a writer, DJ and sample-flipper from Philadelphia. A regular contributor to The Wire and NPR’s All Songs Considered, his latest deep-dive essay on The Roots’ Do You Want More?!!!??! is out now on Halfway Books.

Check out John’s work for cinéSPEAK: ‘

Black Joy + Rebellion: A Watch List for This Moment (Published June 12, 2020)

Connect + Follow: @John_Liberator (Twitter) @John_Liberator (Instagram)

KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR

(she, they, ellx)

Kristal Sotomayor is a bilingual Latinx documentary filmmaker, festival programmer, and freelance journalist based in Philadelphia. Currently, they are in post-production on Expanding Sanctuary, an independent short documentary about the historic end to police surveillance organized by nonprofit Juntos and the Latinx immigrant community in South Philadelphia. 

Kristal is a 2020 DCTV Docu Work-In-Progress Lab, 2020 IF/Then North Shorts Resident and Grantee, 2020 Justice For My Sister Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab Fellow, 2019 Good Pitch Local: Philadelphia grantee, 2018 Leeway Foundation Art & Change grantee, and 2017 NeXtDoc Fellow. They serve as the Programming Director of the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival and are a Co-Founder of ¡Presente! Media. Formerly, Kristal was the Communications and Outreach Coordinator at Scribe Video Center. Kristal’s journalistic background includes having written for ITVS, AL DÍA, WHYY, and Documentary Magazine. They are a recipient of the Sundance Institute Press Inclusion Initiative, TIFF Media Inclusion Initiative, the inaugural International Documentary Association (IDA) Magazine Editorial Fellowship, AARP Freelance Fellowship at NLGJA | The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, and the Lenfest Next Generation Fund.

Check out Kristal’s work for cinéSPEAK: 

Must Watch Films at DOC NYC 2020 (Published November 10, 2020) 

Top 6 at Toronto International Film Fest 2020 (Published September 24, 2020)  

The Empire of Images: How EPICENTRO Fails to View Cuba (Published: September 3, 2020)

Connect + Follow: kristalsotomayor.com; Facebook; @kristalsotomayor (Instagram); @kristalsotomayr (Twitter)

MARIAM DEMBELE

Mariam Dembele is an organizer and a multimedia journalist. She began writing in 2014, while she was a student at Temple University. Her reporting focused on student activism, community relations and changes to the surrounding area. Since then, she has continued to cover news, politics, culture and social justice issues throughout Philadelphia, with a focus on community-based solutions.

In 2017, Mariam started working at Movement Alliance Project as a production intern. It was here that she realized her passion for visual storytelling. With MAP, she has produced videos about the fight to end youth homelessness and the immigrant rights movement. She currently serves as the Communications Coordinator.

Through her work, Mariam aims to further engage people in Philadelphia in social justice issues, to center community voices in the narrative and to amplify the continuous work communities are doing to build a more just Philadelphia. Mariam holds a B.A. in Journalism from Temple University. She also freelance writes for African-American Culture Magazine FunTimes, along with other publications.

Connect + Follow: @MariamDembele (Twitter)

MEET OUR MANAGING EDITOR: 

In early September, Sophia Abraham-Raveson was brought on in a part-time capacity. In Sophia’s short tenure, they have helped establish a solid and thoughtfully constructed framework for receiving and managing submissions. Sophia is primed and ready to continue  rocking out and operating in service to and in conjunction with our soon-to-be-hired Editor-in-Chief. 

SOPHIA ABRAHAM-RAVESON

(she, they)

Sophia Abraham-Raveson graduated with a B.A. in English and Africana Studies from Haverford College in 2018. She is passionate about showcasing diverse narratives in both literature and film. Sophia has worked with BlackStar Film Festival and directed the Tri-Co Film Festival, and she is excited to be working on the cinéSPEAK journal. In addition to her film festival and editing work, Sophia is committed to learning about and practicing restorative and transformative justice. In her free time, she writes essays and stories, dances, and plays with her kitten (Babka).

Sarah Mueller is a passionate cinephile, life-long learner and (very proud) 18+ year community-rooted resident of Philadelphia. She is the Founder and Director of cinéSPEAK. She supports the abolition of police, prisons and ICE and believes that film is an effective instrument for the dismantling of white supremacy and creating a wholly-equitable society, where empathy and tolerance flourish.