Despite this cursed pandemic year, there was a lot of work out there that helped feed my mind and soul. Will share a separate list of favorite films, but here’s the rest of what kept me going.

Podcasts:

Let’s start with podcasts which I enjoy listening to whilst driving, and I did a lot of driving, especially during the first few months of the pandemic where most things were closed. It was great to be able to go for long drives and feel safe in the car without having to interact with anyone.

You Must Remember This - Polly Platt: The Invisible Woman, another exceptional season by Karina Longworth. Spanning over 10 episodes, it was so well researched, well paced and engaging. I love Karina’s voice. This one should help adjust film history books and is essential for anyone teaching, learning and even working in the film industry.

Twenty Twenty: A Pop Culture Podcast is a lot of fun, a new podcast presented by Simran Hans (one of my favorite film critics) and Tara Joshi. A deep dive into pop culture from 20 years ago, and also contextualised for current times. The first season included episodes about Destiny’s Child, High Fidelity, Reality TV, Gilmore Girls and more.

A Simple Podcast is a deep dive about Paul Feig’s film from 2018, A Simple Favor, starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick. Presented by Alanna Bennett, Christina Tucker, and Jordan Crucchiola, “in their pursuit to canonize” the film, which absolutely deserves to be canonised. Many people slept on this film when it was released, so hope this podcast will introduce it to more people. It’s such a fun and crazy film. Seek it out and then listen to the podcast. My favorite episodes are the ones with Paul Feig, Renée Ehrlich Kalfus (costume designer for the film) and Blake Lively. The three episodes with them provide great insights.

Hyperallergic’s podcast is my favorite about the arts. The discussions are sharp and meaningful, especially the ones during the first few months of the pandemic any how it’s impacting artists and institutions that are not part of the 1 percent. But the stand out episode for me this year is Art Critic John Yau Talks About Four Decades of Writing in New York. It’s a two hour interview that’s worth listening to and revisiting every once in a while. There’s lots to learn and aspire to from this conversation, and relevant to artists and writers everywhere, especially ones that struggle to find their voice and fighting against a power structure. Also don’t miss Artist Shahzia Sikander Is Ready for a New Post-Pandemic Reality and Amin Husain and Nitasha Dhillon on Working to Decolonize the Art World.

Books:

The Earth Dies Streaming by A.S. Hamrah
A S Hamrah is a writer I discovered this year and immediately became one of my favourite film critics. The book is a collection of his film writing from 2002-2018 and it’s a must read. Listen to my conversation with him about the book and about the state of cinema in general.

Showpiece City: How Architecture Made Dubai by Todd Reisz.
Not finished reading it yet, but this is a book by a friend and collaborator Todd Reisz. I’ve followed his journey writing the book over the past decade and I’m so happy it is finally out in the world. Will share more about the book in the near future.

Performances:

The Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet at the Dubai Opera in January

The Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet at the Dubai Opera.jpg

A-ha at the Dubai Opera in January
The only concert I attended this year. It was a walk down memory lane because they performed the 10 songs of their 1985 debut album Hunting High And Low in the running order of the original release. An album I listened to countless times that year.