panels
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“Is it Spicy?”: The Legacy of Romance Adaptations and BookTok
15:05–15:50, NFT3
Romance books are going through a renaissance. With growing influence from BookTok, Hollywood has shifted its focus back to romance, with fans’ opinions now taking precedence over industry interests. While many are excited about seeing their favourite love stories come to life, this raises questions. Why are studios relying on BookTok trends over scripts from emerging screenwriters? Is this boom sustainable or will it go the way of the 2010s YA? And how does this influence the mainstreaming of smut?
Hosts: Marina González Vásquez, Haaniyah Awale Angus
Speakers: Amy Baxter, Teni Ayo
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This is Going to Ruin the (Press) Tour
13:45–14:30, Blue Room
From red carpet method dressing to chicken-based YouTube interviews, the contemporary promotional tour has evolved rapidly in recent years, and we have also seen several tours take a turn; the drama-filled Don’t Worry Darling, the mis-judging tone of It Ends With Us, and most recently, the surreal emotional heights of Wicked.
In this panel discussion, we will hold space and dissect the modern press tour, the online rumour mills they fuel, and what happens to the women who get caught up in it all.
Host: Kimberley Sheehan
Speakers: Haaniyah Angus, Lucy Ford
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2024 going on 2004: the rom-com renaissance and its evolution
16:20 - 17:10, NFT2
The noughties saw many romantic comedies hitting the screens, but 2004 is historic in the gems that it produced. Taking the defining factors of the year that birthed a thousand ‘chick flicks’ and comparing them to the romcom offerings of the 2020s, this panel explores the ways in which the much-loved film genre has evolved since 2004, especially with many favourites such as Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen all reaching their 20th anniversaries this year.
Host: Lilia Pavin-Franks
Panelists: Haaniyah Angus, Jess Bacon
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Originating in K-pop fandoms ‘fan cams’ or ‘fan edits’ have exploded on social media in recent years. Being used to celebrate everyone and anyone from Timothée Chalamet to Parasite director Bong Joon Ho’s interpreter, Sharon Choi. They’ve also become an unlikely tool in online activism. But are they more than just memes and tokens of adoration? We bring together a mixture of culture critics/experts and fan cam filmmakers to discuss the practice, its origins, its relationship to other forms of fan worship and whether they should be considered an art in their own right.
Host: Lucy Ford
Panellists: Haaniyah Angus, Palmer Haasch and Iana Murray
This Q&A originally screened as part of the virtual Woman With a Movie Camera Summit in 2021.
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An Exploration of Black Fictional Realities for Cambridge SU BME
As part of Black History Month, join us as we explore the reproduction of the Black experience in fiction, literature, film, and TV, and reflect on the widening definition of Blackness within the creative industries.
Aside from the panels, I have also delivered workshops on body image, social media, and Black British History for Alec Reed Academy, Brentside High School, and Acton Youth Association.