A Re-Introduction.

We have been cursed to live in interesting times. And art, my friends, is always political.

When I began reviewing films properly, all the way back in 2019 (womp womp), I could never shake how my analysis of a film would veer into long, ardent, passionate spiels. One film could turn into an hour-long Nerd U podcast (if you know, you know!), and what others were exalting, I treated with cautious irreverence.

I’ve always found it incredibly important to be irreverent about stories. We must always analyse what a story is trying to tell us, what impact it is having, and how it is shaping our view of the world. In the same sense, I’ve always found it both FUN and IMPORTANT to analyse pop media in the same way.

Often, films that are dismissed as vapid, girly, or generally shallow hide more depth than they may seem. Curtains aren’t just blue – and more importantly – sometimes, a popular story is gleefully deconstructing, or haplessly reinforcing, the worldviews that lead us into… well… moments in history like the one we are living through.

There is no one story we can point to and say, “This is what caused the rise of fascism.” However, there are patterns and stories that historians will be able to trace as signals.

We don’t need to wait for the historians to give their account – we can know now.

I remember a very popular discourse in 2022 had to do with ‘Pretentious Letterboxd Top 4s’ – where people felt ashamed that indie filmmakers were naming their favourite films that people either didn’t understand or felt too afraid to watch.

I made two separate videos explaining how arthouse is for the people.

Indie filmmaking has the capacity to connect to you more than blockbusters do. You’re more likely to love an arthouse film, to die for one, than you are a major release. Trust me, I’ve lived it.

Why do I say all this?

OBSCURAE came to be official at BFI Flare this time last year, where one of the organisers mentioned that using my TikTok as evidence of my press credentials might not fly at LFF later in the year. I had deleted my Substack (they refused to deplatform Nazis), but the organiser encouraged me to create a dedicated website to increase my chances of accreditation.

In making the publication formal, I made the mission formal. Not only was I comfortable – nay, elated – to dissect stories and consider the context in which they were made, but it was actually important work. Now more than ever, as people turn away from media literacy and toward ‘vibes’, it’s become important to take a second to cut through the noise. To connect people to the stories they need. To unpack the stories that I felt were damaging people’s view of the world. To expand people’s horizons and give them new worlds to love and explore.

Welcome to your new and improved OBSCURAE – a platform for the love of art. I am your Editor-in-Chief, Umnia El-Neil.

Over the last year, I’ve gone from having a personal recommendations and essays blog on Substack and TikTok, to this – a fully fledged publication. As things became difficult to run on my own, I’ve been blessed with friends and collaborators who have often donated their time and talent for free or cheap.

I feel now that I’ve built a place on the internet that people can trust to bring them deeper conversations on the art of the moment and help them discover gems they wouldn’t have found otherwise.

Over the last year of our existence, we’ve been able to do incredible things – go to the most exciting festivals, interview the most fascinating artists, and bring you our thoughts on film in our typically candid and unselfconscious way.

Now, we’re relaunching with a fresh new website and some exciting updates – including free memberships, which give you access to comments on our articles, and our new-and-improved newsletter. The newsletter will be sent out every Thursday, bringing you a roundup of the week’s articles, updated lists of upcoming releases we think you should keep an eye on, a “Hidden Gem of the Week” to keep you satisfied if you’re staying in over the weekend, community polls, and much more. We’ll also be relaunching our YouTube channel with our first video essay.

Finally, we’ll be heading to BFI Flare with the ‘Dream Team’ - a collection of Queer Film Aficionados in London, ready to bring you their thoughts on the Cinematic offerings available.

There are so many more awesome things I want to do with OBSCURAE this year – all in service of bringing you art that makes you feel seen, that one article that helps you understand why you didn’t like that other film, and opening up the world of independent art so that you feel you truly belong, because you do.

Here’s to proudly being the wokest person in the room. As Jane Fonda quite brilliantly said, “Woke just means you give a damn about other people.”

All the very best,

UMNIA