As a continuation of Cinemata Currents 2025, we are proud to release Mapping the Currents: A Manual for Community-Centered Cinema, a practical guide for civil society organizations, independent film spaces, video collectives, educational institutions, and other changemakers interested in mounting film initiatives grounded in civic dialogue and community engagement.
Cinemata Currents 2025 brought together over 400 viewers and 10 communities and independent film spaces across Southeast Asia in a week-long, hybrid film festival exploring minor cinema and civic spaces. Following the event, we received enthusiastic responses from communities and partners eager to replicate or adapt the format in their own contexts. This manual was created in response to that momentum, to offer a framework that others can take, build upon, and make their own.
What’s Inside the Manual?
This manual is a practical, community-rooted resource to help CSOs, film spaces, collectives, and educators organize their own community-centered film initiatives. It includes:
- An overview of Cinemata Currents 2025, its guiding values, and full list of featured films
- Curatorial notes and insights on the curation process, including how the programs were shaped and the social issues explored
- Case studies from regional onsite watch parties and virtual workshops
- Sample templates, feedback forms, and recommendations from participants, partners, and the festival team
- A practical guide to mounting your own screening event, with recommended tools for engagement, facilitation, and evaluation
Whether you are planning a local screening, a regional online film program, or a hybrid film festival, this manual is designed to support initiatives that center care, collaboration, and social justice through cinema.
This manual is not meant to be prescriptive—it is meant to be shared, adapted, and expanded. Our hope is that Mapping the Currents: A Manual for Community-Centered Cinema becomes a living document that inspires more communities to harness the power of film as a space for listening, learning, and transformation.
With Gratitude
This project would not have been possible without the incredible support of our audiences, communities, and partners. Thank you to everyone who believed in the vision of Cinemata Currents 2025, co-created this journey with us, and carried it forward in ways beyond what we could have imagined.
Download the manual:
About the Contributors
Mapping the Currents was co-written by Jen Tarnate, Aghniadi, Patrick F. Campos, and Karmela Indoyon, with graphic illustrations by Amry Al Mursalaat.
For inquiries or collaborations: [email protected]