
When I first watched the trailer for Challengers, I only got about 5 minutes of happiness and glee in before I had two thoughts. 1. A film with a black girl being desired by two hot white guys? This kissing scene is probably the only scene where that happens. This
by Umnia El-Neil
To commemorate ‘Strange Way of Life’ now being available on Netflix, I’m bringing back my review from my old Substack, for your reading pleasure. Though this review will contain spoilers, it will not include a synopsis, so it will make the most sense only after you have seen the
by Umnia El-Neil
I have had an intense time trying to wrestle with my gender. Not to be all “Black, bigger girl who talks too much”, but my experience in the world has been that I’m not lady enough to be liked, and certainly not Ladylike. I will sometimes be awarded the
by Umnia El-Neil
There’s something really powerful and a little emotional about sitting in a cinema screening room surrounded by Old Lesbians, in their two’s. At BFI Flare, I found myself in such a situation, watching two stellar Documentaries, back to back. I will give each of them a moment, and
by Umnia El-Neil
I’m usually thrown off at the IMAX. Too Loud, too big. Some people need that, but with me, it’s like sending an unnecessarily large voltage through very sensitive equipment. Ex Machina in IMAX is elite. What I’ve always enjoyed about the film is that a) I agree
by Umnia El-Neil
If I admit I was delirious, walking into that Picturehouse that day, then I must concede also that it was a very, very weird day for me - the first of a week of them, all of my own doing. That morning, I had read something that I knew was
by Umnia El-Neil
‘Slow’ has made it from last year’s Sundance, by way of Lithuania’s Academy Award International Feature Film entry, all the way to me at this year’s BFI Flare. It is the first film I’ve ever encountered to discuss, depict, and fully paint out the very bare-bones
by Umnia El-Neil
Sent directly from the West Hollywood Gays that called the disco home, Studio One Forever is an incredibly detailed account of the glittering and star-studded history of the iconic venue, and the efforts to prevent its teardown. Before Studio 54, there was Studio One — a place that brought a New
by Umnia El-Neil
When I first watched the trailer for Challengers, I only got about 5 minutes of happiness and glee in before I had two thoughts. 1. A film with a black girl being desired by two hot white guys? This kissing scene is probably the only scene where that happens. This
by Umnia El-Neil
An immediate cult hit that's about to take over and revive local storytelling as global conversation -- gorey, funky and satisfying from start to finish.

Watch the Paid Aficionados Extended Version Here Written and Recorded by Umnia El-Neil, Edited by Valeria Schumann.

In a tenuous era of cultural history, some divas just can't be silenced.

You're always a little bit scared, but you're never deterred.

One of my most anticipated of the festival did not disappoint - a thoroughly satisfying, moving exploration of how hidden joy can be as corrosive as hidden pain.

Perhaps my biggest concern with sci-fi as a genre is the accidental tendency to focus so much on a concept that the characters’ personality gets lost in the process... However, the entire cast – including major and minor characters – shine brightly.

A lot of people are citing the return to recession pop as the scary factor, but I say, dear reader, that the return to slightly off-key synths and cassette sounds should be far scarier.

Come get your bets in early for bragging rights in December!

When I first watched the trailer for Challengers, I only got about 5 minutes of happiness and glee in before I had two thoughts. 1. A film with a black girl being desired by two hot white guys? This kissing scene is probably the only scene where that happens. This
by Umnia El-Neil
To commemorate ‘Strange Way of Life’ now being available on Netflix, I’m bringing back my review from my old Substack, for your reading pleasure. Though this review will contain spoilers, it will not include a synopsis, so it will make the most sense only after you have seen the
by Umnia El-Neil
I have had an intense time trying to wrestle with my gender. Not to be all “Black, bigger girl who talks too much”, but my experience in the world has been that I’m not lady enough to be liked, and certainly not Ladylike. I will sometimes be awarded the
by Umnia El-Neil
There’s something really powerful and a little emotional about sitting in a cinema screening room surrounded by Old Lesbians, in their two’s. At BFI Flare, I found myself in such a situation, watching two stellar Documentaries, back to back. I will give each of them a moment, and
by Umnia El-Neil
I’m usually thrown off at the IMAX. Too Loud, too big. Some people need that, but with me, it’s like sending an unnecessarily large voltage through very sensitive equipment. Ex Machina in IMAX is elite. What I’ve always enjoyed about the film is that a) I agree
by Umnia El-Neil
If I admit I was delirious, walking into that Picturehouse that day, then I must concede also that it was a very, very weird day for me - the first of a week of them, all of my own doing. That morning, I had read something that I knew was
by Umnia El-Neil
‘Slow’ has made it from last year’s Sundance, by way of Lithuania’s Academy Award International Feature Film entry, all the way to me at this year’s BFI Flare. It is the first film I’ve ever encountered to discuss, depict, and fully paint out the very bare-bones
by Umnia El-Neil
Sent directly from the West Hollywood Gays that called the disco home, Studio One Forever is an incredibly detailed account of the glittering and star-studded history of the iconic venue, and the efforts to prevent its teardown. Before Studio 54, there was Studio One — a place that brought a New
by Umnia El-Neil



