Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
@benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies at Seattle University. Author of The Celluloid Specimen: Moving Image Research into Animal Life available from UC Press here:
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520342347/the-celluloid-specimen
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520342347/the-celluloid-specimen
Pinned
The Celluloid Specimen
A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. In The Celluloid Specimen, ...
www.ucpress.edu
Obligatory book promotion post for the new platform. Check out my @ucpress.bsky.social book THE CELLULOID SPECIMEN: MOVING IMAGE RESEARCH INTO ANIMAL LIFE for free here:
www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520...
www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520...
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
The indictment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is a textbook example of how hybrid regimes operate: elections continue, but the field is tilted beyond recognition.
It’s a sobering signal for Turkey — and for other democracies, including the US - that is under threat.
apnews.com/article/turk...
It’s a sobering signal for Turkey — and for other democracies, including the US - that is under threat.
apnews.com/article/turk...
Istanbul's jailed mayor Imamoglu faces 142 criminal charges in corruption probe
Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor has filed an indictment against the city's jailed mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.
apnews.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:40 PM
The indictment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is a textbook example of how hybrid regimes operate: elections continue, but the field is tilted beyond recognition.
It’s a sobering signal for Turkey — and for other democracies, including the US - that is under threat.
apnews.com/article/turk...
It’s a sobering signal for Turkey — and for other democracies, including the US - that is under threat.
apnews.com/article/turk...
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
What the fuck do you mean they‘re already shoving this down our throats…
www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/univ...
www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/univ...
Universities risk irrelevance by failing to engage fully with AI
It is difficult to think of another sector that has so dismally failed to strategically engage with the transformative potential of IT, says Ian Richardson
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:48 AM
What the fuck do you mean they‘re already shoving this down our throats…
www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/univ...
www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/univ...
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
If Wilson wins, I feel like it could be even more indicative of a major shift than Mamdani. Harrell is just a plain old centrist without any of the extreme baggage of a Cuomo or an Adams. Having a leftist unseat him seems huge.
November 11, 2025 at 12:07 AM
If Wilson wins, I feel like it could be even more indicative of a major shift than Mamdani. Harrell is just a plain old centrist without any of the extreme baggage of a Cuomo or an Adams. Having a leftist unseat him seems huge.
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
"We’re not fighting 'each other,' we’re fighting you." is a great line and would be a good motto going forward.
It’s wild to suggest this is a circular firing squad or something when it’s millions of citizen Democrats who hate it versus 47 elected Democrats who conspired to surrender for nothing.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
But there are real dangers out there that must be fought; and energy spent fighting each other is energy lost to that bigger fight.
November 11, 2025 at 1:32 AM
"We’re not fighting 'each other,' we’re fighting you." is a great line and would be a good motto going forward.
"We’re not fighting 'each other,' we’re fighting you." is a great line and would be a good motto going forward.
It’s wild to suggest this is a circular firing squad or something when it’s millions of citizen Democrats who hate it versus 47 elected Democrats who conspired to surrender for nothing.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
But there are real dangers out there that must be fought; and energy spent fighting each other is energy lost to that bigger fight.
November 11, 2025 at 1:32 AM
"We’re not fighting 'each other,' we’re fighting you." is a great line and would be a good motto going forward.
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
It’s wild to suggest this is a circular firing squad or something when it’s millions of citizen Democrats who hate it versus 47 elected Democrats who conspired to surrender for nothing.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
But there are real dangers out there that must be fought; and energy spent fighting each other is energy lost to that bigger fight.
November 11, 2025 at 1:27 AM
It’s wild to suggest this is a circular firing squad or something when it’s millions of citizen Democrats who hate it versus 47 elected Democrats who conspired to surrender for nothing.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
We’re not fighting “each other,” we’re fighting you. There’s only a few dozen of you, but you hold all the power.
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
“If Schumer really wanted to use his considerable influence and leverage to stop this, he could have done that,” a senior Democratic Senate aide tells Zeteo. “He didn’t.”
Furious Liberals Call for Schumer to Step Aside, Senate Dems Mostly Quiet
After their shutdown surrender, liberal lawmakers are begging their base to unite behind them anyway – as Trumpland celebrates that their opposition is a bunch of 'p*ssies.'
zeteo.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:23 AM
“If Schumer really wanted to use his considerable influence and leverage to stop this, he could have done that,” a senior Democratic Senate aide tells Zeteo. “He didn’t.”
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
UCPD has charged four UC Berkeley undergrads with *felony vandalism* because they attempted to hang a cardboard bug on Sather Gate.
4 UC Berkeley students arrested on felony vandalism charges for anti-TPUSA art installation
UCPD arrested four students early Monday morning for felony vandalism, according to information from campus administrators.
www.dailycal.org
November 11, 2025 at 12:20 AM
UCPD has charged four UC Berkeley undergrads with *felony vandalism* because they attempted to hang a cardboard bug on Sather Gate.
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
SEATTLE!!!
We’ve now taken the lead by 91 votes! 🤯 This thing is certainly not over! Over 1,000 ballots have been challenged, so if you haven’t tracked your ballot yet get on it! Our trusty volunteers have been working hard to "cure" ballots so they count! We're so close!
We’ve now taken the lead by 91 votes! 🤯 This thing is certainly not over! Over 1,000 ballots have been challenged, so if you haven’t tracked your ballot yet get on it! Our trusty volunteers have been working hard to "cure" ballots so they count! We're so close!
November 11, 2025 at 12:16 AM
SEATTLE!!!
We’ve now taken the lead by 91 votes! 🤯 This thing is certainly not over! Over 1,000 ballots have been challenged, so if you haven’t tracked your ballot yet get on it! Our trusty volunteers have been working hard to "cure" ballots so they count! We're so close!
We’ve now taken the lead by 91 votes! 🤯 This thing is certainly not over! Over 1,000 ballots have been challenged, so if you haven’t tracked your ballot yet get on it! Our trusty volunteers have been working hard to "cure" ballots so they count! We're so close!
😲!!!
JUST IN: Katie Wilson is now ahead of Mayor Bruce Harrell in the Seattle mayoral race.
Stay tuned for details on today's count.
Stay tuned for details on today's count.
November 11, 2025 at 12:03 AM
😲!!!
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
JUST IN: Katie Wilson is now ahead of Mayor Bruce Harrell in the Seattle mayoral race.
Stay tuned for details on today's count.
Stay tuned for details on today's count.
November 10, 2025 at 11:54 PM
JUST IN: Katie Wilson is now ahead of Mayor Bruce Harrell in the Seattle mayoral race.
Stay tuned for details on today's count.
Stay tuned for details on today's count.
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
At some point in the last 20, 25 years people everyone on the left and center-left became too embarrassed to admit that they each have individual priorities and desires and that these should be sufficiently negotiated over.
Another meta-discursive tendency I dislike: there are many people on here, Twitter, elsewhere who claim to be against litmus testing in general when it comes to Democratic politicians but in reality just oppose a particular kind of litmus test (Palestine, LGBTQ, labor etc). Why the motte and bailey?
November 10, 2025 at 10:13 PM
At some point in the last 20, 25 years people everyone on the left and center-left became too embarrassed to admit that they each have individual priorities and desires and that these should be sufficiently negotiated over.
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
You know what early silent films definitely did better than anyone since? Guys in weird outfits hopping around. Can we bring that back? There's something sort of grotesque about it that is really interesting to watch.
November 10, 2025 at 4:30 AM
You know what early silent films definitely did better than anyone since? Guys in weird outfits hopping around. Can we bring that back? There's something sort of grotesque about it that is really interesting to watch.
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Dream triple feature of early-to-mid-twentieth century films about the afterlife:
-The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström, 1921)
-The Dybbuk (Michał Waszyński, 1937)
-The Blood of Jesus (Spencer Williams, 1941)
-The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström, 1921)
-The Dybbuk (Michał Waszyński, 1937)
-The Blood of Jesus (Spencer Williams, 1941)
November 9, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Dream triple feature of early-to-mid-twentieth century films about the afterlife:
-The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström, 1921)
-The Dybbuk (Michał Waszyński, 1937)
-The Blood of Jesus (Spencer Williams, 1941)
-The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström, 1921)
-The Dybbuk (Michał Waszyński, 1937)
-The Blood of Jesus (Spencer Williams, 1941)
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
CFP for upcoming special issue of @amianet.bsky.social's THE MOVING IMAGE journal! Topic: "Videotape in the Archive,” guest editors: @danerdman.bsky.social, Adam Charles Hart, Helena Shaskevich. Proposal deadline: March 31, 2026.
amianet.org/resources/mo...
amianet.org/resources/mo...
The Association of Moving Image Archivists - The Moving Image: Special IssueThe Moving Image: Special Issue – The Association of Moving Image Archivists
amianet.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:10 PM
CFP for upcoming special issue of @amianet.bsky.social's THE MOVING IMAGE journal! Topic: "Videotape in the Archive,” guest editors: @danerdman.bsky.social, Adam Charles Hart, Helena Shaskevich. Proposal deadline: March 31, 2026.
amianet.org/resources/mo...
amianet.org/resources/mo...
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
I have found it: the most ‘80s-Ass Book Cover of All Time
January 12, 2024 at 2:32 PM
I have found it: the most ‘80s-Ass Book Cover of All Time
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
We love a good #amateurcinema story!
"Could a box of 8mm amateur film reels change Irish film history?” via @irishfilminstitute.bsky.social
www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...
"Could a box of 8mm amateur film reels change Irish film history?” via @irishfilminstitute.bsky.social
www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...
Could a box of 8mm amateur film reels change Irish film history?
Despite Flora Kerrigan's youth at the time of her filmmaking, her work demonstrates someone ahead of her time and at the forefront of a transformative period in Irish society
www.rte.ie
November 10, 2025 at 8:14 PM
We love a good #amateurcinema story!
"Could a box of 8mm amateur film reels change Irish film history?” via @irishfilminstitute.bsky.social
www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...
"Could a box of 8mm amateur film reels change Irish film history?” via @irishfilminstitute.bsky.social
www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
New book from @dukepress.bsky.social:
Bêtes Noires: Sorcery as History in the Haitian-Dominican Borderlands by Lauren Derby
www.dukeupress.edu/betes-noires...
Bêtes Noires: Sorcery as History in the Haitian-Dominican Borderlands by Lauren Derby
www.dukeupress.edu/betes-noires...
November 10, 2025 at 8:15 PM
New book from @dukepress.bsky.social:
Bêtes Noires: Sorcery as History in the Haitian-Dominican Borderlands by Lauren Derby
www.dukeupress.edu/betes-noires...
Bêtes Noires: Sorcery as History in the Haitian-Dominican Borderlands by Lauren Derby
www.dukeupress.edu/betes-noires...
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
“The Scent of Green Papaya” (1993)—35mm!
Sat 11/15, 7:30 p.m.
Trần Anh Hùng’s film is a luminous portrait of the sensuous world as experienced by a servant girl in ’50s Saigon. Preparing and sharing meals becomes central to her attunement with the rhythms of nature and family life: ucla.in/3LCLYVn
Sat 11/15, 7:30 p.m.
Trần Anh Hùng’s film is a luminous portrait of the sensuous world as experienced by a servant girl in ’50s Saigon. Preparing and sharing meals becomes central to her attunement with the rhythms of nature and family life: ucla.in/3LCLYVn
November 10, 2025 at 7:40 PM
“The Scent of Green Papaya” (1993)—35mm!
Sat 11/15, 7:30 p.m.
Trần Anh Hùng’s film is a luminous portrait of the sensuous world as experienced by a servant girl in ’50s Saigon. Preparing and sharing meals becomes central to her attunement with the rhythms of nature and family life: ucla.in/3LCLYVn
Sat 11/15, 7:30 p.m.
Trần Anh Hùng’s film is a luminous portrait of the sensuous world as experienced by a servant girl in ’50s Saigon. Preparing and sharing meals becomes central to her attunement with the rhythms of nature and family life: ucla.in/3LCLYVn
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Bay Area friends — I’ll be introducing SAXOPHONE SUZY at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival on Saturday night. Live music by Guenter Buchwald, Frank Bockius & Mas Koga! Come join me at the Orinda Theatre. @sffilmpreserve.bsky.social
silentfilm.org/event/saxoph...
silentfilm.org/event/saxoph...
November 10, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Bay Area friends — I’ll be introducing SAXOPHONE SUZY at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival on Saturday night. Live music by Guenter Buchwald, Frank Bockius & Mas Koga! Come join me at the Orinda Theatre. @sffilmpreserve.bsky.social
silentfilm.org/event/saxoph...
silentfilm.org/event/saxoph...
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
One week later:
November 9, 2025 at 10:50 PM
One week later:
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Much like 2024, Democrats seem to think there’s a binary choice in the 2026 election between voting for Republicans (evil) and voting for Democrats (feckless).
They rarely acknowledge the third option which inevitably harms them the most: staying home.
They rarely acknowledge the third option which inevitably harms them the most: staying home.
November 10, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Much like 2024, Democrats seem to think there’s a binary choice in the 2026 election between voting for Republicans (evil) and voting for Democrats (feckless).
They rarely acknowledge the third option which inevitably harms them the most: staying home.
They rarely acknowledge the third option which inevitably harms them the most: staying home.
You know what early silent films definitely did better than anyone since? Guys in weird outfits hopping around. Can we bring that back? There's something sort of grotesque about it that is really interesting to watch.
November 10, 2025 at 4:30 AM
You know what early silent films definitely did better than anyone since? Guys in weird outfits hopping around. Can we bring that back? There's something sort of grotesque about it that is really interesting to watch.
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Under Schumer's leadership, eight Democrats (Cortez Masto, Durbin, Fetterman, Hassan, Kaine, King, Rosen, & Shaheen) joined the Republicans in moving forward a bill to reopen the government without ACA subsidies—Dems' stated key aim—or any other real concessions from the status before the shutdown.
November 10, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Under Schumer's leadership, eight Democrats (Cortez Masto, Durbin, Fetterman, Hassan, Kaine, King, Rosen, & Shaheen) joined the Republicans in moving forward a bill to reopen the government without ACA subsidies—Dems' stated key aim—or any other real concessions from the status before the shutdown.
Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Senate Democrats voting to dismantle the ACA to avoid any problems with their Thanksgiving travel is tragically on brand.
November 9, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Senate Democrats voting to dismantle the ACA to avoid any problems with their Thanksgiving travel is tragically on brand.