Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · 20d

Regarding “After the Hunt,” I’m glad Arto Lindsay got paid.

Reposted by Scott Macaulay

Talib Kweli @talibkweli.bsky.social · 28d

We just lost an icon in the world of music videos. Diane Martel was a trailblazer, her eye defined an era. Her credits include Dance With My Father (Luther), Dreamlover (Mariah), Throw Ya Gunz (Onyx) and more. She created space for the dancers and opened doors for women directors. Rest in power sis.

1 5 49

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Sep 17

For my penultimate issue of Filmmaker, one of my favorite original cover shots yet. Thanks to photographer @isseygoold.bsky.social and filmmaker Mary Bronstein (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”

2 9

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Sep 1

I spoke to Charlie Kaufman and Eva HD about their hauntingly beautiful ode to memory, seeing and Athens, "How to Shoot a Ghost," which premiered today in Venice. filmmakermagazine.com/131654-i-wen...

“I Went Outside with the Idea that, ‘This is My Last Day’”: Charlie Kaufman and Eva HD on Their Venice-Premiering How to Shoot a Ghost

Her face obscured in shadow, a woman, the poet, Eva HD, takes a photograph. Cut to words on the screen, a quote from another poet, Toni Morrison: “At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes…

filmmakermagazine.com

3

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Aug 22

The Nova Convention was one of those legendary events. I regret not being in New York and able to see. So I appreciated Lauren Wissot’s interview with the directors of the Locarno premiering new doc “Nova ‘78,” w/ newly discovered archival footage of the event. filmmakermagazine.com/131602-the-n...

“The Nova Convention… a Free Artistic Experiment”: Aaron Brookner and Rodrigo Areias on Nova ‘78

Aaron Brookner and Rodrigo Areias’s Nova ’78 centers around the Nova Convention, a late ’70s avant-garde extravaganza that took place at NYC’s now defunct Entermedia Theater (Second Avenue and 12th…

filmmakermagazine.com

1 3

Reposted by Scott Macaulay

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · Aug 18

What the actual fucking fuck. www.theverge.com/news/760508/...

One of the most notable tools is the AI grader agent, which Grammarly says can provide feedback based on uploaded course details and “publicly available” information about the instructor. The bot can give tailored writing recommendations and estimate what grade the paper will receive in its current state, helping students make improvements prior to submission.

22 130 470

Reposted by Scott Macaulay

Hend Amry @libyaliberty.bsky.social · Aug 18

My dear childhood friend is raising funds for a 13 year old boy and his mother who have been staying with her during his treatment, and for his family still facing a genoc1de back in Ga7a. I can personally guarantee that every cent will support their needs. Thank you for sharing. gofund.me/4a1c529a

Donate to We’re raising funds for 13 yr old Mustafa Abutabaq, organized by Nasren Elharezi

Hi my name is Nasren. For the past 8 months Mustafa and his mother … Nasren Elharezi needs your support for We’re raising funds for 13 yr old Mustafa Abutabaq

gofund.me

6 100 130

Reposted by Scott Macaulay

James Hansen @jpjameshansen.bsky.social · Aug 7

In response to the NYT lists, I called for contributors to submit 15 titles for Best Experimental Cinema of the 21st Century.

109 ballots, 940 films, and 550 artists later, these are the results.

Huge thanks to @filmmakermagazine.com.web.brid.gy for stepping up to publish.

tinyurl.com/484u9f2z

The 63 Best Experimental Films of the 21st Century (So Far) - Filmmaker Magazine

Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources.

tinyurl.com

8 28 61

Reposted by Scott Macaulay

Julie Kirkwood @juliekirkwooddp.bsky.social · Aug 6

Bluesky needs some beauty today. Victor LaValle's incredible novels with stunning new covers designed by Yuko Shimizu. If I had to pick a favorite, I would say that I haven't stopped thinking about Lone Women since I read it months ago.
@victorlavalle.bsky.social
@yukoart.bsky.social

Victor LaValle @victorlavalle.bsky.social · Aug 6

My publisher released four of my novels with new gorgeous covers by the great Yuko Shimizu.

They’re calling it the LaValle Quartet though each book stands alone.

Just look at these things!

They’re in bookstores now.

www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/LVQ/t...

Three little goblins in green robes carry a baby basket that is filled with fire.

A woman, in silhouette, crosses the plains, fleeing from a small white spooky home. There are pink trees around the home.

A figure in a straight jacket sprouts sunflowers where their head should be.

Multiple pink cats heads float below a manhole cover from a sewer. The manhole cover is sprouting ostrich feathers. The feathers all have a flouting eye in them. This is my weirdest book and the image is a great illustration of that weirdness.

3 4 9

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Aug 1

(Cc: @columbiauniversity.bsky.social)

The Guardian @theguardian.com · Aug 1

I spent decades at Columbia. I’m withdrawing my fall course due to its deal with Trump | Rashid Khalidi

The university’s draconian policies and new definition of antisemitism make much teaching impossible

www.theguardian.com

3

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 31

In the last decade I saw him actually perform twice. The first was his very good, Kabuki-inflected adaptation of Beckett's "Krapp's Last Tape." And the second was him solo performing John Cage's "Lecture on Nothingness," at an Issue Project Room benefit. Also extraordinary. R.I.P. Robert Wilson!

1

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 31

One of my top films of all time is Charles Laughton's "Night of the Hunter," and I have always felt Wilson must have seen it, especially the split diopter shots of the frogs with the little boat traveling up the river in the background, spirituals sung on the soundtrack.

1 1

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 31

Robin and I liked the Howard Brookner documentary about him and this troubled production, "Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars." One utterance of Wilson's from that doc Robin and I would repeat whenever we were in a moment where we needed help of some kind: "Call Madame Pompidou!"

1 2

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 31

This was during the aftermath of his "CIVIL warS," which nearly bankrupt him. He had taken every commission he could to dig his way out. I couldn't imagine having my life planned out like that so many years ahead. He was often onto the next city before a work's premiere!

1 1

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 31

Years later I saw w/ Wilson at The Kitchen, when I was programming director. He wanted to bring a revival of "Hamletmachine" to us, and we tossed out possible dates. He had a paper calendar, and as he flipped through its pages, every week was booked w/ a new opera commission at some Euro city.

1 1 1

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 31

A sad one! R.I.P. Robert Wilson. "Einstein on the Beach" was a canonical work for me as a teenager, long before I saw the piece at its first BAM revival. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/t...

Robert Wilson, Provocative Playwright and Director, Is Dead at 83

www.nytimes.com

1 2 7

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 18

A smart and nuanced piece.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · Jul 18

“One of the real challenges here is the way that A.I. undermines the human value of attention, and the individuality that flows from that. What we stand to lose is not just a skill but a mode of being: the pleasure of invention, the felt life of the mind at work.“

Opinion | The Seductions of A.I. for the Writer’s Mind

www.nytimes.com

3

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 18

So sorry! I got it but will confess to not knowing the word.

1

Reposted by Scott Macaulay

Michael Stipe @michaelstipe.bsky.social · Jul 15

LITTLE, BIG, AND FAR—Jem Cohens most recent film is playing at the IFC in Manhattan all week. It is spectacular if you or anyone you know is in the city don’t miss this!

4 13 200

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 13

Great Q&A last night at @ifccenter.bsky.social with Jane Schoenbrun and Jen Cohen. Cohen’s “Little, Big and Far,” an @nytimes.com Critics Pick, runs all week.

2 5

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 11

Thank you, I’m glad you are digging it! All credit goes to Amalia, who also shoots the amazing photographs.

1

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 11

Over at Filmmaker we've been running a series by Amalia Ulman on directors and actors's relationship to the animal world. Here's the delightful latest, in which Amalia goes birding in Central Park with Lili Taylor. filmmakermagazine.com/130978-inter...

Moments of Flight: Lili Taylor and Amalia Ulman Go Birding - Filmmaker Magazine

Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources.

filmmakermagazine.com

2

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 10

“… feels spiritually nourishing in a way few films can manage.” Just a fantastic review by Alyssa Wilkinson for Jem Cohen‘s “Little, Big and Far,” which opens this Friday at the @ifccenter.bsky.social. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/m...

‘Little, Big, and Far’ Review: Dwelling in the Cosmos

www.nytimes.com

3 2

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 7

Really proud to be an executive producer of Jem Cohen's new "Little, Big and Far," which opens Friday at @ifccenter.bsky.social. Please come out and also check out the trailer below.

Little, Big, and Far | Official Trailer

YouTube video by Grasshopper Film

www.youtube.com

5 10

Scott Macaulay @scottmacaulay.bsky.social · Jul 7

"Mourning" is a strong word! But I very much appreciate it. And, it's funny, so many people are using some form of "public service" to describe what I've been doing, which is nice. Hope you and Lynne are well and to see you before too long.