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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa

@benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social
11K followers 6.9K following 15K posts

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: www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520342347/…

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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 1h
Striking how often pro-AI arguments always require like 10 different caveats. "What if AI was well regulated, trained on non-stolen data, not made by companies run by sociopaths, was didn't harm the environment, made discoveries that were verified beyond the statements of PR reps? What then?"
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 35m
This article lists the specific American AI companies: apnews.com/article/isra...
apnews.com
How US tech giants supplied Israel with AI models, raising questions about tech's role in warfare
U.S. tech giants have quietly empowered Israel to track and kill many more alleged militants more quickly in Gaza and Lebanon through a sharp spike in artificial intelligence and computing services.
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Jacob Oller @jacoboller.bsky.social · 52m
just makes me sick, blood is on so many companies' hands
As the audience hears from the confessors’ subdued voices, it becomes clear that any number of naza were acceptable if it meant killing someone deemed a threat to the state of Israel. The military would wait for nightfall when people would come home to their families, eavesdrop to find out when children would say “daddy’s home,” and use AI-derived information to obliterate whole blocks. Entire families could be wiped out at the suggestion of bunk AI data, and multistory buildings, like the ones hosting these conversations in Tel Aviv, could be sent down to earth, killing everyone inside. Although we’ve read the news that Israeli forces are using American technology, including generative AI, to murder Palestinians, hearing about how it’s put into practice makes it undeniable—not to mention undeniably terrifying to contemplate that a new future of tech-driven war against dissidents and designated “others” is already underway.
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 2h
Days before Brazil's election, Meta briefly blocked President Lula's campaign page from running political ads and removed an Instagram profile behind a viral video on Flávio Bolsonaro. Both decisions were reversed, but raised public concerns. Brazilian investigative journalist Laís Martins reports.
techpolicy.press
On Eve of Brazil Elections, Meta Content Moderation Decisions Raise Questions
Two recent moderation decisions—while later reversed—have raised concerns about the company's policies and practices, writes Laís Martins.
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 2h
I wonder if my university would allow me to teach a class simply titled "Shitty Movies"
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 1h
Striking how often pro-AI arguments always require like 10 different caveats. "What if AI was well regulated, trained on non-stolen data, not made by companies run by sociopaths, was didn't harm the environment, made discoveries that were verified beyond the statements of PR reps? What then?"
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 3h
After listening to an episode of @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on it, I finished The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson last night. It crystallized for me how much folk horror is concerned primarily with the question on impermanence, both on a cultural and individual scale. Highly recommend it!
Cover for The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Alisha Grauso (She/Her) @alishagrauso.bsky.social · 1h
Imagine the hell of going on a date with this guy.
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 2h
I wonder if my university would allow me to teach a class simply titled "Shitty Movies"
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 3h
It just drives me crazy that Uncommitted did basically everything the way Democrats say is "the right way to do things" but then were ruthlessly attacked by them for doing so.
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 3h
After listening to an episode of @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on it, I finished The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson last night. It crystallized for me how much folk horror is concerned primarily with the question on impermanence, both on a cultural and individual scale. Highly recommend it!
Cover for The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 3h
Worth noting too that Uncommitted was a movement that mostly took place during a primary, not the general.
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 3h
I guess it would be nice if people acknowledged what actually existing pro Israel liberalism in the US is today? It doesn't seem very compatible with wanting Democrats to win. Weird.
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 3h
Worth noting too that Uncommitted was a movement that mostly took place during a primary, not the general.
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#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 4h
I unfortunately can not help but recall how much vitriol and bile Uncommitted received and note how little of the same is being dished out for those who clearly want Abdul El Sayed to lose— including this Democratic state representative
jewishinsider.com
Rising Jewish Democrat in Michigan won’t endorse El-Sayed
Noah Arbit, a rising Jewish Democrat in Michigan’s state Legislature, has been a vocal critic of Abdul El-Sayed, a fellow Democrat whose Senate campaign in the key battleground state has exposed deep ...
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Tanya Goldman @tanyagoldman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Op-ed author: "It will take courage to demand that students demonstrate active, participatory mastery of ideas." Revision: "It will take MORE INVESTMENT IN HUMAN LABOR (i.e., MORE INSTRUCTORS WITH PERMANENT POSITIONS) to demand that students demonstrate active, participatory master of idea."
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I hear it's Silent Film Day, so here's a thread of my silent film posts and threads if you're looking for inspiration:
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 13h
I am so excited to show my film history students A Page of Madness with the Benshi audio from this set. youtu.be/e2Mye_6nKYg?...
youtu.be
A Page of Madness (1926) | The Art of the Benshi - Clip [4K]
YouTube video by Flicker Alley Clips
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 13h
I am so excited to show my film history students A Page of Madness with the Benshi audio from this set. youtu.be/e2Mye_6nKYg?...
youtu.be
A Page of Madness (1926) | The Art of the Benshi - Clip [4K]
YouTube video by Flicker Alley Clips
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#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 14h
IMEU
POLICY PROJECT
The following Senators voted YES on a resolution that would require the State Department to investigate and report on Israel's rampant human rights abuses against Palestinians in the illegally-occupied West Bank, as well as Israel's killing of 9 US citizens since 2022:
• Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD)
• Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

• Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
• Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)

• Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)
• Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)

• Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
• Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA)

• Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)
• Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA)

• Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)
• Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)

• Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
• Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI)

• Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE)
• Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)

• Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) • Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV)


• Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

• Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)
• Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI)

• Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
• Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA)

• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
• Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

• Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

• Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
• Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)

• Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
• Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN)

• Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
• Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

• Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
• Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA)

• Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
• Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA)

• Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ)
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

• Sen. Angus King (I-ME)
• Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT)

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

• Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
• Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)
• Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)




• Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA)
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Flicker Alley @flicker-alley.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Coming 11/24, we are thrilled to reveal our first 4K UHD title with THE ART OF THE BENSHI, a box set celebrating Japan’s venerable history of silent film narration with 23 audio presentations across nine different titles! flickeralley.com/products/the...
THE ART OF THE BENSHI is the new 4K UHD and Blu-ray set now available for a limited time from Flicker Alley!
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Makia Matsumura @unpianistique.bsky.social · 14h
On this #SilentMovieDay, I’m delighted to share that I made a musical contribution to this landmark release, The Art of the Benshi. It all started when I subbed as a pianist in NY and DC during The Art of the Benshi US tour in 2024; it kept growing and has now flourished into this beautiful box set.
flickeralley.com
The Art of the Benshi (Limited Edition)
Flicker Alley and the Yanai Initiative proudly present The Art of the Benshi, a limited edition 4K UHD box set that celebrates Japan’s remarkable “film orators”
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#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 15h
Only 11 Democrats voted for it in 2024.
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 21h
About to screen this cinematic masterpiece for my students.
Free Willy
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 21h
I'd love to do a screening sometime of media made to be watched in narrative films. Like, the activist film "How long will it be until humanity understands that everything is interrelated?" in Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt, 2013) or the TV segment on Wrenwood in Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995). What else?
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 19h
Whi are the really great character actors working today? I'm having a hard time thinking of any new ones that have emerged in the last 10-15 years. (Probably just because I'm out of touch.)
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 19h
Whi are the really great character actors working today? I'm having a hard time thinking of any new ones that have emerged in the last 10-15 years. (Probably just because I'm out of touch.)
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Nazg🍉lista @nazgulhead.bsky.social · 21h
I apologize for the unsolicited commentary, but in Chile, one of the names for taking a dump is "to free Willy". Popular culture as its best/worse
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 21h
About to screen this cinematic masterpiece for my students.
Free Willy
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 21h
I'd love to do a screening sometime of media made to be watched in narrative films. Like, the activist film "How long will it be until humanity understands that everything is interrelated?" in Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt, 2013) or the TV segment on Wrenwood in Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995). What else?
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Tanya Goldman @tanyagoldman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Happy Silent Movie Day! Need recs? Look no further than @ettletodd.bsky.social's "The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever" podcast. He's compiled a list (currently through 1914) based on guests and listeners' picks. ⬇️ www.the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list
the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com
The List — The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever
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Shelley Stamp @shelleystamp.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The tell? At the end of the class each student had a 45-minute individual oral exam. Um, dude……
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Gerry Canavan @gerrycanavan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I've been in touch with the director of the press, who says this was not intentional and a data entry error that is being corrected. Thanks Suzanna!
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Tanya Goldman @tanyagoldman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
If you haven't seen MILLIONS OF US (1935), here is it! Slavko Vorkapić (IYKYK) worked on it under pseudonym. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfAA...
youtube.com
MILLIONS OF US (American Labor Films, 1935)
YouTube video by Tanya Goldman
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Brian Schmid @schmanthonyp.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
It makes it feel ever more miraculous that we still get to have WITHIN OUR GATES
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I hear it's Silent Film Day, so here's a thread of my silent film posts and threads if you're looking for inspiration:
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Reposted by Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa
Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Another point about this: The trafficking of ideas, concepts, and frameworks for understanding the world into political and popular settings is one of the most important ways that scientific fields exert influence. This is reliant on social and political infrastructure, which allows or stops the...
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Alhelí @casadefauxdobe.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
I made this for my intro to latinx studies class in 2022 and I have gotten to use it at least once a year since then.
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Maureen Ogle @maureenogle.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Harper Collins tried to claim both my stolen books. Harper Collins published neither.
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Ian Alan Paul @elbienmaspreciado.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
​As an eviction is blocked in Madrid: “To destitute power is to take away its legitimacy, compel it to recognize its arbitrariness ... to turn it into a temporary configuration of things which, like so many others, have to fight and scheme in order to survive.” IC, To Our Friends
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Gerry Canavan @gerrycanavan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
If you worked with Wesleyan University Press on a book, check your Anthropic allocation. In the last few days they went through and assigned themselves 100% of the allocation.
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seeing this at age 6 or 7 (after having snuck downstairs to watch TV at 3am at my grandparents' house) may have been the thing that unlocked my inner horror fan. youtu.be/nXo1AwbPj5Q?...
youtu.be
A Nightmare On Elm Street Stairs Scene
YouTube video by MindNumbingInc.
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
After reading countless articles, watching interviews, rewatching the film several times, and reading the script, I feel that I can definitively say that Coogler did not intend the vampires in Sinners to be metaphors for cultural appropriation or assimilation.
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Watched Burnett's wonderful To Sleep with Anger (1990) last night. The whole movie is amazing, but the scene where Sheryl Lee Ralph cries while serving dinner is especially brutal and heartrending. I went to look at the script and found this interesting description.
Image of Sheryl Lee Ralph crying while serving dinner"INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
Linda is busy serving everyone, running in and out of the
kitchen bringing more things, and removing used plates, etc.
Linda's eye is swollen and discolored. The guests look at
Linda's eye and then cast a naughty-boy glance at Babe
Brother.
Linda stops serving to pay attention to an elderly man, who
deliberately bends one of her spoons. She catches another man
putting a fork in his pocket and an elderly lady putting a
cigarette out in one of her plates.
As she is about to confront the man about pocketing her
spoon, a peal of LAUGHTER forces her to turn around only to
witness a lady knocking over a glass filled with a green
drink with her elbow. The stain spreads across the table
cloth in an even manner like a single wave. She watches it
move from one end of the table to the other.
Harry is seated in the middle. The composition hints at The
Last Supper."
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Dan Streible 💃🏻🌲🔔 @orphanfilm.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Look what's in the Hearst newsreel vault. "Shoob!" 1967 Soviet footage on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Revolution and the 40th anniversary of her landmark compilation documentary THE FALL OF THE ROMANOV DYNASTY (1927). newsreels.net/v/2r7hrcm
newsreels.net
REVIVAL OF AN ESTHER SHOOB DOCUMENTARY
VS-Headlines (in Russian papers) relating to fall of Romanov Dynasty...VS-The Romanov Aristocrats moving about in the Imperial Palace like a grand marches...VS-Peasants working in wheat field threshin...
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René Walter @rawx.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seeing this at age 6 or 7 (lone in a camper at night while parents went out in a mountain village) may have been the thing that unlocked my inner horror fan. youtu.be/v5FtI472Q6I?...
youtu.be
Frankenstein (6/8) Movie CLIP - The Monster Befriends Maria (1931) HD
YouTube video by Movieclips
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Ian Carrillo @iansociologo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
my best friend and I grabbed this off the shelf at the video store without having any idea what it was. ended up changing our young lives and getting me obsessed with horror for many years. youtu.be/rC6WAAlNHt4?...
youtu.be
I Kick Ass for the Lord - Dead Alive (5/9) Movie CLIP (1992) HD
YouTube video by Movieclips
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Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa @benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seeing this at age 6 or 7 (after having snuck downstairs to watch TV at 3am at my grandparents' house) may have been the thing that unlocked my inner horror fan. youtu.be/nXo1AwbPj5Q?...
youtu.be
A Nightmare On Elm Street Stairs Scene
YouTube video by MindNumbingInc.
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#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 29/09/2026
Once you learn that not a single major US news outlet used the phrase "Hamas-ran health ministry" until after 10.17.23 you really start to see how pernicious this stuff is. Nobody really disputed that the GHM was accurate, even Israel admitted so, but that didn't matter. Anyway now it is spreading
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Dig Out Your Soul @mystoragebench.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
All of these sound really interesting. Not your basic choices...
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