When DIASPORA first launched, the DIASPORA BULLETIN was originally started as a virtual bulletin board for readers to put events, notices, project launches, and opportunities within film, TV and media. 

As DIASPORA maintains its foundation of amplifying voices and projects from intentionally exploited communities, the site is looking at the space from another angle (read our “ABOUT” section to see how). With that, DIASPORA BULLETIN is shifting as well. It will now just be a round up of news, current films and TV series and other media fare that aligns with our lens. 

---

#BAFTAsSoWhite

The British awards extravaganza the BAFTAs took place this past weekend as we try to drudge through awards season… and my oh my, it was a show.

The big winners of the night were All Quiet On The Western Front, The Banshees Of Inisherin, and Elvis — and guess what? They are all white-centric movies. But before we get into that, let’s talk about this.

Listen. I don’t mind this, because Ariana DeBose is a talented individual, but this just wasn’t a good idea for this audience or the event. Actually, it just wasn’t a good idea. It’s a little cringey to watch, but it’s no fault of DeBose. She was following orders. It’s just… oof… but it is not that serious. People were coming after her like she ruined Christmas. Also, it’s an awards show. They do shit like this all the time.

Also, let’s talk about how Getty photographers still can’t get their shit together when it comes to identifying people of color in photos.

Yeah, that’s not Everything Everywhere All At Once actress Stephanie Hsu in the middle of the films’ directors the Daniels at the DGA Awards. That’s director Chloe Zhao.

Quick story: I once wrote an article and mistook one old, white executive for his brother, who was also an old, white executive in the picture accompanying the article. When the article was posted, a publicist immediately called me and scolded me for using the wrong picture. I apologized and changed the caption. All the while, I couldn’t stop laughing.

Back at the BAFTAs, we are playing another game of “Guess that Asian”. DeBose mentions The Whale actress Hong Chau in her opening number. The camera cuts to her in the audience but the closed captioning names Chau as Squid Game actress “HoYeon Jung”.

And then there were the actual people of color who won at the BAFTAs — oh wait, were no BIPOC winners at the BAFTAS. Non-white actors made up almost 40% of nominees but all winners were white. As I said on Twitter:

---

 Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Everyone was talking about Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania this weekend, but I was talking about Disney+’s Moon Girl and Evil Dinosaur, another Marvel project that follows the gifted, talented and hella smart 13-year-old Lunella Lafayette (Diamond White) who becomes the titular Moon Girl when she opens a portal and accidentally brings Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York — the Lower East Side to be specfiic.

The show is a good-ass time and filled with cultural nuances and stories that speak to the now. In the first episode, a villain named Aftershock (voiced by Alison Brie) is stealing electrical power from Lunella’s neighborhood, which happens to include a lot of BIPOC people. If that’s not a metaphor for gentrification, I don’t know what is. I mean, this villain is literally taking power from this community and using it for her.

The MCU is great (sometimes), but it’s these kind of offshoots that make me smile and make me get excited. In addition, the voice cast is stacked: Alfre Woodard plays Lunella’s grandmother Mimi; Sasheer Zamata as Aria, Lunella’s mother; Jermaine Fowler as James Jr., Lunella’s father; while Gary Anthony Williams is Pops, Lunella’s grandfather. Lunella also has her bestie, Casey (Libe Barer), who is her social-media savvy manager and bestie of Puerto Rican and Jewish descent.

Also appearing throughout the season are Laurence Fishburne (who serves as EP), Omid Abtahi, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Michael Cimino, Indya Moore, and Craig Robinson.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur may fall into the category of Disney Channel children’s fare, but sometimes, the streamlined storytelling works better than what we have been seeing on the big screen.

… and you can watch the first full episode on YouTube now!

---

Can we just crown Sasha Colby already?

…or maybe Mistress Isabelle Brooks.

I am currently recapping season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race for GLAAD and this season feels like a reset as the show has moved from VH1 to its sister channel MTV. the move not only brings in a different audience, it brings in a wider audience with its platform. With many states in the U.S. trying to pass bills to ban drag shows (Tennessee being the epicenter of the conversation right now), more Drag Race is exactly what we need.

This week’s episode was a Lip Sync Lalaparuza and all of the queens had to go through rounds of LSFYL (“lip syncing for your life”, for those of you who are not familiar) and let me tell you — it was a show with this lip sync between Anetra and Sasha Colby being the top performance of the night.

Then there is this excited three-way lip sync to Vanessa Williams’ “The Right Stuff” with Luxx Noir London, Jax and Anetra (again).

Mistress Isabelle Brooks is the best queen of the season — mainly because she is so cunty and we are all living for. That said, I feel that she will be in the top. Also, Mistress’s social medias keep getting suspended, so she’s doing something right.