What Counts as a Genre?: Cinema, Critique, and Communication with Kathryn Burrell

Is a rom-com just a rom-com? In this episode, PhD candidate Kate Burrell reflects on her journey from theater and film studies to a deeply interdisciplinary project on cinematic genre. Drawing from documentary studies, critical media theory, and cultural studies, Kate shares how streaming platforms like Disney+ and Netflix are reshaping narrative conventions - and why genre is never as stable as it seems. From the French New Wave to Marvel’s media empire, we explore the messiness of genre, the politics of storytelling, and the labor behind the spectacle.