I'm a university lecturer in the UK with over a decade's experience researching histories of film and media - particularly Star Wars - which I share with audiences via print, the web, broadcast, and
social media. I'm also a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, and a member of the Critics' Circle Film Section, with most of my criticism appearing in Sight & Sound. This site collates my work exploring cinema from its beginnings to the present day. I focus on: film and media technologies; media, the environment, and climate change; gender, race, and class; identity and ethics; women in the creative industries; history and archives; and Star Wars. My most recent book, BFI Film Classics: The Empire Strikes Back (2020), is available from Bloomsbury. You can find links to my print, online, video, radio and other work on Star Wars - including a project to determine women's screen time in the films - on the Media: Star Wars page. |
From October 2022, I have an AHRC Research, Development and Engagement fellowship for a project called 'The Environmental Impact of Filmmaking: Using Star Wars to Improve Sector Sustainability Practices.' The project explores the lifecycles of props and costumes made for the Star Wars franchise, from the extraction of raw materials through to waste disposal. We'll be identifying good practice - and areas for improvement - which we'll use to create online resources and workshops to support the screen sector in its ongoing quest to find greener ways to work.
In the past, I have worked as a film programmer and events organiser. I founded and directed the 2018 Glasgow Feminist Arts Festival, which took place at the Centre for Contemporary Art and showcased both local and international filmmakers, creative writers, spoken word artists, performers and musicians marginalised by gender.
In the past, I have worked as a film programmer and events organiser. I founded and directed the 2018 Glasgow Feminist Arts Festival, which took place at the Centre for Contemporary Art and showcased both local and international filmmakers, creative writers, spoken word artists, performers and musicians marginalised by gender.