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Umnia sits down with writer, programmer and Film East founder Shelby Cooke to discuss Art/Film, independent film culture, criticism, regional programming, and the work of building spaces for artists and audiences outside the usual industry centres.
Shelby and Umnia talk about what it means to build a film culture that can last: why slow criticism matters, why regional and independent film spaces need real infrastructure, and how audiences are finding new routes into cinema outside the usual industry centres.
They also get into YouTube as a creative pipeline, the pressure and possibility around indie film right now, and the kind of conversations Art/Film is trying to make room for.
Sophisticulture is a podcast for people who care a lot about stories and storytellers, and can be found on all major podcast platforms.
Watch the full episode above, listen via your podcast platform, and follow OBSCURAE on TikTok @obscurae.