Welcome to the brand spanking new Film & Documentary Newsletter! From now on, I’ll be sharing not just Hyperallergic’s latest articles on cinema, but also snapshots of new movies and shows, the latest social media videos we’ve been enjoying, and updates on what’s now available to stream.

This week, we have pieces on a handsome new Agnès Varda collection, Nikola Tesla, an all-teen government, the BlackStar Film Festival, and more!

Under quarantine, a lot of galleries have switched to doing all-online exhibitions. Check out this short film, which goes behind the scenes of the arts organization The 98 as a group of artists collaborate on an immersive virtual reality installation. Learn about the logistical nuts and bolts of VR and working in quarantine.

Here is your video essay pick of the week, in which TREY the Explainer talks about the first bathysphere expeditions. In 1930, naturalist William Beebe traveled further into the depths of the ocean than any human ever had before. He was thus the first to encounter the frankly weird and terrifying creatures of the deep – and some of the specimens he described still haven’t been positively identified.

Available via virtual cinemas.

For its 2020 edition, the Musicbed Challenge sought short film submissions from independent directors working under the constraints of quarantine. The grand prize winner was Black.Matters, a “virtual protest.” Watch it now:

You can see the rest of the competition’s winners here.

The Philadelphia-based BlackStar Film Festival is a consistent highlight for independent films by and about communities of color. Like every other film festival this year, it’s happening online thanks to the pandemic. Passes to view the selections are super cheap and the fest is available for anyone living in the US to stream, so I highly recommend checking out the program to see what you might like.

Bedatri Choudhury has a roundup of this year’s fest, and I’ve also collected our previous coverage of films in the program:

And finally, here is the best media criticism of the week:

Until we can see you in the theater again, stay safe!