Blog

Among the repressive actions that occurred between May and July 2025 were familiar patterns such as internet shutdowns, control over press freedom, and arrests for online expression. Surveillance and arrests were increasingly conducted through the use of the Person Scrutinization and Monitoring System

'Mapping the Currents: A Manual for Community-Centered Cinema' is a practical, community-rooted resource developed from the experiences of Cinemata Currents 2025. It brings together curatorial reflections, case studies, and tools to support organizers, film collectives, and civil society groups in harnessing the power of film to foster civic dialogue, regional solidarity, and grassroots storytelling.

After four years of pioneering privacy-respecting video advocacy in the Asia-Pacific, Cinemata is launching its biggest leap yet: the full open-source release of CinemataCMS 2.0. Join us on July 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM Manila time for the official online launch featuring live demos, partner stories, and a walkthrough of new features.

Carrying the personal and collective experience of the internet shutdown in Bangladesh, Taosin Md. Bahadurshah Zafar went on to create The Black Kite, a film produced under EngageMedia’s Tech Tales Youth film collection and mentorship program.

Hai Anis, by Azura Nasron, is not just a film. It is a warning. A refusal to look away. A confrontation with a truth too many refuse to acknowledge: that grooming does not begin with violence—it begins with kindness.

Cinemata Currents 2025 gathered filmmakers, activists, and communities across Southeast Asia in a week-long hybrid film festival exploring how minor cinema can defend and reimagine civic spaces. This post-festival reflection captures key insights, highlights from curators and organizers, and what lies ahead as Cinemata continues to grow as a platform for regional connection and narrative resistance.

Between 2022 and 2024, a total of 29 incidents linked to the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) were documented. This data was collected through media monitoring, one of EngageMedia's initiatives aimed at gathering public reports on AI-related incidents. As the development of the 2025 AI Roadmap continues, this initiative can serve as a useful reference for government authorities to monitor and assess the progress and application of AI technologies within Indonesia.

Pemantauan media merupakan salah satu inisiatif EngageMedia dalam menghimpun laporan publik mengenai insiden Akal Imitasi (AI) untuk memahami bagaimana AI berdampak pada masyarakat. Inisiatif ini menghimpun dan menganalisis insiden AI yang berhubungan dengan kepentingan publik serta berdampak pada individu/grup kecil/usaha kecil dan menengah (UMKM). Secara umum, terdapat sebanyak 29 insiden yang diduga diakibatkan karena penerapan AI terjadi sepanjang 2022-2024.

For filmmaker Intan Sakinah, stories hold the power to unravel prejudice. Her film A Jar of Light (Balang Terang), part of Tech Tales Youth 2, takes a critical look at how racial bias spreads in digital spaces and its tangible consequences in the real world.