Opinion
UMNIA's Ins and Outs for 2026, culturally speaking.
It's shaping up to be a very cool, and very offline, year for a lot of people. My two cents, should you be interested, are enclosed.
Umnia El-Neil
Umnia El-Neil is a British-Sudanese culture opinion writer and Shonda Rhimes TGIT Graduate.
Opinion
Elon Musk froze culture and we must unfreeze it.
The reason for forever sequels, Billboard Chart freeze, nostalgia pop, COVID Denial and the rising price of RAM is all the same -- and we cannot let it continue if we want to survive.
Deep Dive
we actually can retire Euphoria.
Gen-Z, Purity Politics, Sydney Sweeney, Creepy Old Men™, Embarrassing Boyfriends, The Epstein Files, Olivia Nuzzi, Generational Infighting, Eddington, abuse, and Sex on Screen. Also Nick Fuentes.
Film
Move over Eddington, "Wake Up Dead Man" is the defining political satire of 2025
Analysing faith as it manifests within America, Johnson once again used the masterful and time-tested device of the whodunnit to try and comment on why "we're all so divided".
Film
🔒The Case for Depression as a Villain (Full Video)
The extended version of our new Video Essay for Paid Aficionados!
Film
Stranger Things, Thunderbolts, and The Case for Depression as a Villain (Video Essay)
In this Video Essay filmed earlier this year, Nor García Grau explores how Depression has become a brilliant, and relatable, foil in popular media in 2025.
Film
Man Strives For Greatness, but there are Consequences™: How to break the Toxic Ambition loop on Film
Can anyone imagine greatness without the same old consequences?
Film
And now, a mini LFF Roundup
Some rapid fire reviews for films I was less enthused by...
Film
The best films of the year were all made by women.
Incredible coincidence – will hollywood heed the message?
Film
🇬🇧🇸🇩When home can only be in the mind, it's time for Green Screen: Khartoum (Documentary Review) | BFI LFF 2025 (English with Arabic Translation)
With humour, unpretentiousness and deep care, five brave Sudanese icons recount their brave escape from the Civil War, and green screen helps visualise the Khartoum they were forced to leave behind.
Film
I have an axe wound: Queens of the Dead (Review)
A campy, tender romp through Zombie conventions, this collection of colourful characters remind us that Horror has always been for the Gworls.
Film
Lush Hyperrealism: 100 Nights of Hero | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Adapted from a queer feminist graphic novel that borrowed from Scheherazade, this luscious experiment in fantasy-as-realism is a true treat for the Ren Faire Romance Set (my friends and collaborators all), and is bound to be a cult favourite.