Liberating Cinema

04/12/2025

New in the Creative Research Studio

Through Ash and Algorithm explores how Global South filmmakers turn cinema into a site of resistance, reverence, and radical ecology. From Palestine to Colombia, India to the Andes, these works move beyond spectacle to practice survival, through seeds, sounds, and stories that defy erasure.

These films don’t just document resistance. They embody it. They ask us not only to watch, but to listen and to be accountable.

Read the full piece at the link in bio.

28/11/2025

At our final Call Time gathering of the year, we’re bringing the spotlight home.

We’ll be doing a live table read and creative workshop of Cape Town’s Got Talent, a new comedy short written by our very own Collective member, Liam Mick.

The film follows a Cape Town–based Michael Jackson impersonator who refuses to let go of his dream of stardom long after the world thinks he should. It’s a funny, heartfelt look at ambition, delusion, and what it really takes to keep believing in your art.

Join us as we read, laugh, question, and help shape this project toward production.

27/11/2025

We’re thrilled to welcome award-winning Puerto Rican actress, comedian, writer, and educator Natalie Birriel to this month’s Call Time Creatives Collective.

We’ll be screening her comedy short film, Miami Magic, and diving into how she brought the film to life, from creative development and scrappy problem-solving to producing a micro budget project.

From Miami to Cape Town, this session is all about sharing real-world lessons in indie filmmaking and making good work with what you have!

🗓 Saturday, 29 November
🕐 1:00 PM
📍 Workshop17 at The Watershed, V&A Waterfront

Free and open to emerging creatives.
RSVP via the link in bio.

21/11/2025

Our team was thrilled to participate in a special evening with Professor Gayle Northrop and MBA students and alumni from the Anderson Center for Global Management at UCLA.

The gathering was an exploration of social entrepreneurship, and key takeaways included:

The power of mission, vision and intent in shaping creative enterprises beyond profit.

How scaling deep can be as vital as scaling wide when building impacts that lasts.

The need to balance radical imagination with grounded pragmatism.

The challenge of honouring community-led leadership while unlocking resources for market-ready social ventures.

We also shared insights with remarkable organisations like Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, Mothers2Mothers and the Ride 4 Hope Foundation (partnered with Velokhaya Academy), all driving change across youth employment, health and cycling innovation.

A huge thank you to Professor Northrop and the UCLA Anderson community for convening this conversation on how creativity and entrepreneurship can build inclusive futures

06/11/2025

At Liberating Cinema, we believe in the transformative power of storytelling.

Our mission is to unlock cinema as a tool for personal growth, collective empowerment, and social change.

We spotlight underrepresented storytellers.

Build creative communities of learning and exchange.

Bridge film, education, and research.

Imagine equitable, sustainable futures through cinema.

We don’t just watch films. We create spaces where stories reshape lives and communities.

22/10/2025

The next call time is this Saturday, October 25 at 1PM. Don’t miss out! Link in bio to RSVP.

17/10/2025

Every story told through Liberating Cinema creates ripples of change.

Your support helps us:

Train emerging filmmakers
Sustain our Creative Collectives
Expand the Creative Research Studio
Build equitable creative economies in the Global South

Donate today and become part of a movement that believes cinema can change lives.

Link in bio to give.

03/10/2025

to our very first Youth Filmmaking Workshop in Cape Town, where a group of high schoolers created The Unexpected, a bold, collaborative short film that captured some of the challenges and resilience of their lives.

For many, it was their first time behind a camera. For all, it was a chance to discover their voices, develop critical consciousness, and claim space in a world that rarely lets them be protagonists.

Their film marked the beginning of our journey and continues to inspire every project we take on. Check it out on our YouTube channel. Link in bio.

29/09/2025

We’re reflecting on the legacy of Robert Redford, a filmmaker, actor, and advocate whose work reminds us that stories are more than entertainment. They are the threads that tie past to present, give voice to the silenced, and build bridges across difference.

We believe in storytelling as a practice to uplift marginalized voices, nurture cultural memory, and imagine futures where everyone belongs.

🌿 In Redford’s spirit: keep telling. keep witnessing. keep creating.

28/08/2025

Support our Movement.

Liberating Cinema believes in the power of storytelling to spark change, amplify unheard voices, and imagine new futures. Through film, education, and creative research, we’re building spaces where critical thinking, community, and cultural liberation come alive.

Whether it’s nurturing young filmmakers, publishing accessible scholarship, or hosting events that center justice and joy, your support makes it possible.

If our work inspires you, consider making a donation today. Every contribution helps us keep this vision alive.

Link in bio to give.

29/07/2025

16/07/2025

Ready for blockbuster season? From epic sequels to indie gems, just dropped the 2025 Summer Movie Calendar, and it’s stacked. 🍿🔥

See what’s hitting screens at the link in bio and let us know what’s on your must-watch list below in the comments.