ABOUT
KINOCULTURE is a film-anchored publication that intersects narrative nonfiction, journalism, and scholarly analysis, focusing on cultural criticism with a personal voice and prioritizing the writer. The publication was born from the meetings of Cinema Circle, a Columbia-adjacent film collective formed in 2021 that met on the Columbia University campus. Evolving from those gatherings, the editors envisioned an outlet where writers have increased agency to explore topics and experiences related to film in any form that inspires them. Kinoculture strives to cultivate intellectual questioning and cultural and artistic explorations through an umbrella of voices, exchanging ideas and opinions, and blurring conceptual lines—embracing ambiguity but not lacking clarity.
THE EDITORS
VALERIE PIRES is a New Yorker whose work resides in spaces of fiction and nonfiction. An investigative journalist, documentary photographer, and filmmaker, she primarily works in social documentary. After years in broadcast journalism and documentary filmmaking in the U.S. and abroad, she earned a B.A. in Film and Media Studies from Columbia University and, in 2024, will pursue an M.A. in Journalism, Arts & Culture at the Columbia School of Journalism.
KAVEH JALINOUS is a filmmaker, screenwriter, musician, and freelance journalist specializing in film and television based in NYC. He is currently finishing a B.A. in Film & Media Studies and French & Francophone Studies at Columbia University and is working on three television series, a short film, and his band’s debut album. He enjoys taking long walks with no destination and learning languages in his free time.