Happy award season to all my cinephiles! Although I must admit, with pandemic apathy at a new peak, I have barely kept up with the nominations let alone watch any award shows. Growing up, I loved watching the Oscars. I would print out the nominations and predict the winners. I would try my high school hardest to watch all the nominated films before the Oscars, but inevitably catch some after the curtain call.
In recent years, my love for award season has waxed and waned. I think I’ve slowly become disillusioned by the Academy’s unwillingness to effectively respond to just criticism from BIPOC individuals and other marginalized communities. For me, there hasn’t seemed to be much change since the controversy that sparked #Oscarssowhite back in 2016. But I do hope the future of award shows evolves so I can once again be excited about the award season.
What are your thoughts on the award season? Are you a Golden Globes fanatic or do you think award shoes are overrated?
Our publication’s goal remains a place for writers to have nuanced, interesting, and fun dialogues about all things Cinema. But I also urge readers and writers to challenge cinema…to seek out film that progresses our society towards justice and explores what makes us human.
But without further ado, here is March’s wrap-up and things to look forward to!
March Writing Contest Winners!
Thank you to everyone who participated in Cinemania’s March writing contest, I loved reading all of your wonderful work:) Here are the winners:
- In first place is Simon Dillon’s wonderful exploration of Alien’s worst nightmare: Ripley: Best “Final Girl” Ever
- In second place is Tom Brogan’s thrilling biographical look at a legend: Mary Ure: An Outstanding Actress Whose Legacy Is Sadly Connected To The Men She Loved
- In third place is Renata Pavrey’s examination of Ripley and the map Sigourney Weaver laid out for women in Hollywood: A Round of Applause for Ripley
April Writing Contest
Recently I’ve been spending my random free time reading various fanfics and oh my, has it been a joy. I love the alternate universe and expansions of existing storylines. I extend a round of applause to all fanfic writers who provide their beautiful stories to the world.
But all this reading has gotten me thinking about the intersection of film and movies!
As always the contest will run until the last day of the month: April 30th, 2021. Winners are announced about 4–5 days into May to give late admissions a fair chance.
This month’s writing contest prompt:
Write an article about book-to-movie/TV adaptations. This prompt is very loosely defined, so be creative with it! The author with the most views and highest interaction will win a $20 gift of their choice. The top three submissions will be featured in the next newsletter.
Some prompts to get you thinking:
- The best book-to-movie adaptation
- The worst book-to-movie adaptation
- A book/comic/Webtoon you wish would be turned into a film or TV show
- Take inspiration from Mr. Silver’s article Casting the MCU’s Xmen and cast (or recast) your favorite book or comic
- Your personal thoughts or experiences with a book-to-movie adaptation
The only requirement for submissions is you Tag “April Contest” before submitting your article to the publication. This way, all of our April Contest articles can show up on the homepage in one place! If you’re unsure how to do so, just leave a comment on your article indicating the article is part of the monthly contest.
You can tag up to three articles for the contest! Good luck everyone, I look forward to reading all your wonderful submissions.
Interested in becoming a writer for our publication?
We are currently accepting applications for new writers. If you’re interested in joining the Cinemania writer’s community, check out our submission guidelines.
That’s all from us! Have a wonderful rest of your week:)
-Faith Ann
