The case for nixing the Oscars' best international feature category
In the extraordinary new age of subtitled streaming and globalized filmmaking, the Oscar category is becoming a caricature of itself as a relic of the past.
culture
Pink donut boxes are canvas for artist portraying kids of Cambodian-American refugees
Artist Phung Huynh incorporates pink donut boxes into her portraits of young Cambodian-Americans who grew up in their family donut stores in Southern California.
'Flee' creators on being a refugee: It's not an identity, it's a circumstance of life
The film Flee opens with a question: "What does the word 'home' mean to you?" For Amin Nawabi, the answer is complicated.
For classical pianist Jeremy Denk, life is like a series of music lessons
The MacArthur "genius" grant winner talks about what he learned from his piano teachers, and his failures, frustrations and pivotal moments as an artist. Denk's new memoir is Every Good Boy Does Fine.
Review: Heavy, buggy Steam Deck wins over a Nintendo Switch fan
PC gaming behemoth Valve has rolled out a portable console. While it's heavy and buggy, the Steam Deck has already become a hot item for ardent gamers.
A Russian court bans Facebook and Instagram as extremist
The ruling amounts to an immediate ban of Facebook and Instagram in Russia, where both platforms are already blocked. WhatsApp, which is owned by the same company, is still allowed.
In Hungary, the arts are being suppressed by the government, a new report says
The Artistic Freedom Initiative contends that consolidated state power under right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and artists' self-censorship has led to an "existential crisis."
Book bans and the threat of censorship rev up political activism in the suburbs
A conservative campaign to ban certain books from schools is prompting other parents to push back. The issue is often framed as the latest "culture war" battle, but some see democracy itself at stake.
Nowruz is banned in Afghanistan, but families continue to celebrate
One woman living in Kabul describes how, despite food shortages and repression, her family is celebrating the Persian new year with what they have.
5 books at the intersection of Black feminist thought, culture, and politics
Black feminists are some of the most astute observers and theorists of American mass culture today. Here are five books to read — not all isolated to the proverbial ivory tower.