Almudena Escobar López, Film Curator – Toronto
Almudena Escobar López is a film curator, archivist, and researcher whose work centres around documentary and artists’ moving image practices concerned with decoloniality, visual historiography, and alternative information ecologies. She is Assistant Professor on Film History, Film Preservation and Collection Management at the School of Image Arts of the Toronto Metropolitan University. She has presented curatorial projects at Batalha Centro de Cinema, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Arsenal, Museum of Modern Art, Anthology Film Archives, Cineteca Nacional de México, among others. On November 8, she will host a screening of work by the Mexican film collective Colectivo los Ingrávidos (Mixtec) at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.
- Oriana
Oriana is a 2022 film by Beatriz Santiago Muñoz that takes inspiration from Monique Wittig’s novel Les Guérillères (1969) to talk about collectivism and feminism. A film made in Puerto Rico without characters, where words and gestures become forms of resistance. An invitation to think with the body and feel with the mind.
- “Learning from Palestine”
What does the watermelon symbolize to Palestinians? What do Palestinian kids do when they turn thirteen? These are some of the questions discussed within “Learning from Palestine,” a chapter from Questions to Ask Before Your Bat Mitzvah (edited by Morgan Bassichis, Jay Saper, and Rachel Valinsky) that Wendy’s Subway just made available for free download. Nine essays by different writers that are both urgent and insightful.
- Entertainment!
I listen to this 1979 record by Gang of Four at least once a week. It is a perfect dance-punk record full of political lyrics and powerful jagged guitar chords. I saw them live when I was four months pregnant on the first show of their reunion tour in Buffalo, and my son kicked for the first time during Damaged Goods. David Pajo was incredible.
- My son
It is hard to be a parent and find the time to keep your creative motor going. There are parts of yourself that you lose. But since he arrived, I am better equipped to see through bullshit and value more what I have in front of my eyes. I am so grateful for being able to have him in my life.
- Parkettes in Toronto
I recently learned “parkette” is a Canadian word for the small-size parks that are very prolific in the Toronto area. I am new to the city and I am surprised by the amount of green space. I love randomly finding these parkettes and putting them to good use alone or with my son.