The UnderSCENE
We are The UnderSCENE. Primarily based out of Toronto, we are a collection of writers who want to be a step towards the change we need. But first and foremost, we’re a bunch of film geeks, and so we’re gonna frame these ideas for the big screen. And that means looking at the film industry and its mess. Before we get into all of that (trust me, we will.) we’re here to talk about being visible on screen. For those of us non-cis, non-white folk, we don’t often see ourselves in the movies or on T.V. Rarely in a positive way. We’re never the hero of the story, but the sidekick, the villain, or dead before the end. It’s exhausting and demoralizing. The corporate media chooses not to properly us, so we’ll do it instead.
We created The UnderSCENE to talk about queer cinema, films by and about people of colour, mental health issues, and more. We are the underdogs, starving for representation and craving to see ourselves out there. I’m sure that you, the reader who found this safe place, crave that as well. Our focus is simple, we want to tackle movies about the other people on this planet and not always follow the straight white man’s adventure. Ones where we take the lead and find happiness.
Arianne Binette
Co-Founder / Editor-In-Chief
She/They
Twitter: @binettea93
Favourite Film (of the moment): Portrait of A Lady on Fire.
Born and raised in Montreal, Arianne moved to Toronto in 2016. In 2018, with Andres, she co-founded The UnderSCENE after feeling like her voice was not heard and to give people a chance to get their voice heard in the world of criticism. Fan of comedy and queer cinema, Arianne likes to have a good laugh but also loves a good cry when she needs one. But her true love lies in television and binging television is something she does too well. Arianne has had the chance to cover multiple film Festivals since her beginning at The UnderSCENE including Inside Out Film Festival, Toronto After Dark and Toronto International Film Festival.
Andres Guzman
Managing Editor / Senior Film Critic
He/Him
Twitter: @pocketwriter
Favourite Film: Zodiac
Born and raised in Toronto, and movie theatres. He’s been fascinated with film for as long as he can remember. He believes one of the best activities known to people is the post-movie discussion, so he and his friend Jeffrey started a podcast to have those conversations, while also asking questions to one another, and the audience. This led him to film criticism, and led to a great viewing at TIFF for Brie Larson’s Unicorn Store. Which led to helping create and run The UnderSCENE.
Alex Pruski
Staff Writer
He/Him
Twitter: @pruskialex
Favourite Film: And Then We Danced
Born and raised on the East Coast, Alex picked up and moved to Toronto in 2017 to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker. Being a film buff and always having enough opinions to go around, he was thrilled to be recruited by Arianne and Andres. Horror and queer content are his go-to’s for a solid movie night which makes sense considering his dream to is to make an epic queer slasher.
Ryan Dilts
Staff Writer
He/Him
Favourite Film: Whiplash
Originally from Kitchener, Ontario, Ryan now calls Toronto his home after moving here to pursue screenwriting and filmmaking. He has a love for movies of all genres, from rom-com to horror, and hopes to one day produce his own Bojack Horseman-inspired animated series.
Robyn Matuto
Staff Writer
She/Her
Twitter: @robynranika
Favourite Film: After The Storm
Robyn Matuto is a Filipina culture critic, writer and actress living in Toronto, Canada. A film school graduate (or survivor), she hopes to use her multiple disciplines to continue to highlight underrepresented voices in film and television. She’s also written one too many essays about Clueless (1995) and she doesn’t regret it one bit.
Nuha Hassan
Contributing Writer
She/Her
Twitter: @auxiliarity
Favourite Movie: When Harry Met Sally…
Nuha Hassan is a writer, animator and photographer. She studied Master of Media at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.
The UnderSCENE 