Political Pandora

Art is a way we can realise our imagination, feel its potential and piece it into a form of hope. Upon entering the Edinburgh Palestine Museum, one is not first encountered by images of ruin, but by Anani’s grand canvas of rolling hills, lush green trees, and floral meadows. Where one enters expecting violence, Anani’s painting embraces us in its haven and pokes at our presumptions: Why is it that people expect only darkness when they hear of Palestine? 

The ambience of Spain’s bustling streets, usually filled with vibrant music, laughter and warmth, now echoes the discordant sounds of protesters and perplexing scenes of water pistols being aimed at tourists as their idyllic vacations to the country turn into waking nightmares for both them and the Spanish locals protesting their influx.

The function of spoken language extends far beyond mere communication—it is an indicator of one’s identity, an instrument of access, and, mostly, a mechanism of establishing authority in a social setting. Our language, accent, dialect, and even grammar influences favourably, and adversely the type of opportunities made available to us, society’s perception of us and our sense of belonging. 

In the shadow of the Bodhi tree, where Buddha attained enlightenment, a profound struggle continues to unfold. The Mahabodhi Temple, Buddhism’s holiest shrine, remains at the heart of a protracted and deeply symbolic conflict between Brahmanical control versus Buddhist reclamation of sacred heritage.

In the 1920s, New Orleans saw the emergence of a new genre within its African-American communities. It was an expression of their musical culture and a form of resistance against classical styles. Since jazz in the U.S. was formed as a resistance against the oppression faced by the African-Americans, were these values retained in the Indian Jazz scene? Did it stay closely linked to the elite audiences who consumed it, or did it also culturally emancipate certain populations?

What does it mean to move on from violence when memory itself is a site of conflict? In Gujarat, the legacy of the 2002 pogrom has been carefully, even violently, curated into the official memory of the state, one that erases as much as it remembers. What remains is not reconciliation, but a selective memorisation that excludes the lived trauma of the Muslim community.

Long-running horror franchises are either defined by their reinvention or lack thereof. To watch the series in order is to witness a distinct evolution. From Bride of Chucky onwards, the series moves away from the familiar trappings of 80s slasher cinema into a much more distinctly queer text.

One needs to explore how the discourse around “saving” Muslim women, in particular, often comes from a colonial, culturally superior gaze that strips them of their agency. Instead, by using the distinct lens of radical films like Joyland and Seed of the Sacred Fig, we see how gender, sexuality, artistic expression and resistance take shape in very specific cultural and political realities.

Third spaces can very organically turn into civic spaces, as civic spaces are the environments that “enable civil society to play a role in the political, economic, and social well-being of our societies, particularly by contributing to policy-making that affects their lives”, according to the OHCHR. The nature of third spaces encourages free-flowing discussion, including that of politics, making them de facto civic spaces. 

With standardisation comes homogeneity, and homogeneity creates anomalies who do not fit into the mould and therefore need to be discarded on the margins. These beings on the margins, who do not fit sanitised and legally-enforced definitions created by states and adopted by nations, are at the centre of the discussion. Dalit-Queer folx (people who are both Dalit and Queer) inhabit the "death worlds" that Achille Mbembe discusses in his theorisation of Necropolitics.

While Viviani is often forgotten by many, his work serves as a lens into an Italy of the time. An Italy that was built on a violent mythologized past, one that led the way to fascism.

In contemporary film discourse, few films have stirred as much controversy and debate as Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez.

In the neon-steeped underbelly of New York City, Sean Baker's Anora erupts onto the screen like a fever dream. (An Anora Review)

To understand the depth of SOPHIE's loss, one must look back at her extraordinary life and career as a groundbreaking pop innovator.

The Substance, a stark and chilling exploration of popular culture’s obsession with youth, beauty, and innocence.

Intermezzo is a thoughtful and emotionally rich work that demonstrates Rooney’s continued mastery of character-driven narratives.

The telephone rings obnoxiously through the hallways, the shrill sound piercing through the screen, demanding attention. Govind Nihalani’s

At the end of a long auto ride through Delhi, I was asked a rather unexpected and intrusive question. “What do you identify as?” I didn’t kn