BAYCAT Recommends: Our Favorites from 2022!
As we wrap up 2022, we want to share our own gift for you! BAYCAT staff put together our top film and TV recommendations for the year, with an emphasis on media that is breaking new ground in its depictions of BIPOC, the queer community, and women.
FILM RECOMMENDATIONS
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Tenoch Huerta is a power house in Wakanda Forever and is just the kind of representation Mexican Hollywood needs. I love his fearless calling out of colorism and anti-Indgenious sentiments in Latinx media, and I can't wait to see what he does next. -Krystal Contreras (she/her), Senior Producer
The Woman King
Based on real historical events, The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the woman warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s. The film is a powerful and layered blockbuster with Oscar-worthy performances, direction, set design, and costumes. -Jarred Gregory-Grimes (he/him), Production Supervisor
Leonor Will Never Die (Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago)
Leonor Will Never Die takes us through the mind of a retired screenwriter who slips into a coma after being hit in the head by a TV that was accidentally thrown out the window. We watch Leonor as she fights to finish her action movie script while saving her family, blending reality and fiction. Bending genres with a nod to classic pulpy Filipino action movies and magical surrealism–with added commentary on the thin line between politics and entertainment in the islands–Martika Ramirez Escobar crafts a wonderfully zany and hilariously meta film about how we are all trying to write our own lives. -Reese Fernandez (they/she/he), Grants & Donor Communications Coordinator
Nope
I don't usually watch horror movies, but Nope is one of the most interesting horror films I've come across, and the storyline kept me on the edge of my seat. Written and directed by Oscar-winning Jordan Peele with a mostly BIPOC cast, this film offers a fresh take on the genre. -John-Paul Mackey (he/him), Academy Apprentice
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once is a wild ride and highlights the potential for new stories in cinema. Surrealism is an open door of creativity, and this film is an incredible depiction of that. The action sequences are top notch, the cinematography is enamoring, the onscreen talent is epic. All in all, just a great film. -Deidre Locklear (she/her), Creative Producer
There is truly everything, everywhere, all at once in this film! From the smallest details around the set design to the deeper dynamics of a mother and daughter relationship that resonated deeply with me that made me ugly cry and howl, this film is definitely a new classic cult film of another dimension! -Villy Wang (she/they), President, Founder, & CEO
TV RECOMMENDATIONS
Abbott Elementary
Created by Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary is a down-to-earth sitcom depicting the joys and struggles of being a new teacher in the public school system. The mockumentary interviews in the hallways are beautifully shot, and the performances by the Emmy-winning actors are refreshingly hilarious. -Naomi Garcia Pasmanick (she/her), Media Producer & Mentor
