Nobody talk to us yet about how we’re halfway through the year. June has zipped by – but not without plenty of content to keep us warm during those long winter nights.
Whether devouring films at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, finishing off an extra long romantasy series, picking up a Booker Prize winner or delving into the back catalogue of some of our musical icons – the RUSSH team did plenty of watching, listening and reading in the month of June.
Magdalene Shapter
Designer & Producer
Watch … My cinematic intake this month is tracking at an all time high following Sydney Film Festival. I saw Jane B. par Agnès V. (a highlight); Notebook on Cities and Clothes (immediately set up eBay alerts for vintage Yohji); Árru (inspired a trip to the sauna); and French Girls (a local triumph, complete with a RUSSH shoot cameo). I also watched Disclosure Day… If Josh O’Connor can do low-brow every now and then, so can I.
Listen … I’ve been listening to Slayyyter’s new album like everyone else. It’s the perfect antidote to the winter listlessness that hits around this time of year. My annual return to Crystal Castles is also underway, especially as I pound the pavement in the cold, drizzly winter weather.
Read … I have too many books in rotation, I’m not reading any of them enough, and I’m saving new books to read while I’m doing it. Currently in the pile is Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black by Cookie Mueller; I Only Believe in Myself by Catherine Breillat; London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City, and a Family’s Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe; and Anna Goldsworthy’s Quarterly Essay The God We Made. Wish me luck.
Sophia Serafin
Implementation Manger
Watch … Charli XCX’s new music video Wink Wink – and anything else she, Aidan Zamiri, and Saint Laurent touch. I’m so excited for the new era.
Listen … Old Lily Allen – LDN, Not Fair and The Fear are on repeat.
Read … The Nocturnals by Frances Whiting. It’s the exact novel I was craving to get me out of a reading slump.
Emily Algar
Beauty Editor
Watch … I just started Mad Men, which I know is embarrassingly late but I love it so far.
Listen … I’m really enjoying the new music from Matt Corby. Lots of Joy Division and The Cure (always). Also kind of excited for the new Charli XCX album… Wink Wink is growing on me.
Read … I’m in a weird nostalgic place with my reading. I just finished Hating Alison Ashley by Robin Klein (a classic) and am almost through my other teenage favourite, Dizzy by Cathy Cassidy. I also downloaded Are You There God It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. I’m basically re-reading books from my formative years (prompted by a recent interview I did that asked me to list pieces of writing that changed me). Highly recommend.
Samantha Corry
Social Media Coordinator & Writer
Watch … Let me quickly open my Letterboxd account. I watched Leviticus which was incredible, a must watch truly. Hokum with my favourite actor, Adam Scott from Severance. It was creepy but it wasn’t my favourite – I think it would have hit harder in the cinema. Disclosure Day, which I loved actually, and I think you need to go in understanding it is a film about humanity rather than aliens. I also binged Widows Bay which is amazing, I highly recommend. And, finally – House of The Dragon! So glad it’s back on TV.
Listen … A little bit of Radiohead, Sombr and of course, Phoebe Bridgers’ new song.
Read … It’s been a slow month of reading for me, I have to admit. I’m still reading The Director.
Cassandra Dimitroff
Features and Production Editor
Watch … Late Fame, which I caught as an advance screening at the Sydney Opera House as part of this year’s SFF programming. Willem Dafoe plays this former amateur poet whose work is rediscovered and hailed as genius decades later by THE MOST entertaining group of NY writing poseurs. Greta Lee’s aspiring actress Gloria Gardner is magnetic. Maybe her best role ever?
Listen … I went to see Southern Gothic, shoegaze-y North Carolina band Wednesday at their sold-out show at the Metro. An incredible band to see live. Karly Hartzman is the coolest. You can read my full review of their show for more in-depth thoughts from me.
Read … While writing up our coverage of the 2026 International Booker winner, I couldn’t help but snag a copy of it on a whim from Scribe. Taiwan Travelogue is part food diary and part exploration of colonialism and love, which follows a famed young Japanese author travelling the country with her interpreter in the late 1930s.
Jaime Carmody
Digital Marketing Specialist
Watch … Fashion and film are two of my favourite things, so I was thrilled when the Sydney Film Festival introduced a new program dedicated entirely to the intersection of style and cinema. I was lucky enough to attend the world premiere of French Girls, directed by Hyun Lee, and adored every second of it. Lee turns her lens on the Sydney modelling industry with an honesty that feels both intimate and incredibly relevant. Funnily enough, Hyun actually met Mia Kidis (who plays Mia) and Daia (Anya) through RUSSH while filming content on set. Overall, it’s a charming, visually beautiful film. I also caught a screening of Marc by Sofia, the first documentary from Sofia Coppola. I’d read a few reviews beforehand and went to see it at The Ritz with my friend Chri. To be honest, I really loved the delicate rhythm between Marc’s personal and professional life. The film portrays his vulnerability with such tenderness it never felt anecdotal or forced which I loved.
Listen … I’ve gone deep into the Kylie eras after starting her documentary. Spinning Around, I Believe in You, Can’t Get You Out of My Head – all the icons. I’m also loving Julia Jacklin’s new single, I Think I’ll Love You Soon. It has me incredibly excited for her upcoming album, The Gem, which is set for release in late September. Eep!
Read … Slouching Towards Bethlehem is a fascinating glimpse into early Joan Didion. She’s already brilliant, but there are some pretty incredible moments here. Aside from that, I’ve been doing a deep dive into Après Studio’s Substack. It’s one of my favourite brands, and the posts are genuinely thoughtful, opinionated and endlessly inspiring.
Alys Hale
Music Editor and Creative Producer
Watch … Oh how I love the early winter darkness for firing up the projector and hibernating under some blankets. I recently watched Reversal of Fortune, a 1990s legal drama based on Alan Dershowitz’a book about the true story. It explores the case surrounding the unexplained and deeply suspicious coma of socialite Sunny von Bülow, and the subsequent attempted murder trial of her husband Claus von Bülow. The art department and locations team must have had an absolute ball on this production, it’s very compelling.
I also watched and loved Adaptation with Meryl Streep and two (yes two!) Nicholas Cages, the most meta movie surrounding twin screen writers, journalists from The New Yorker, rare orchids and obsessions. With cameos from Tilda Swinton and some serious self-loathing from our protagonist, it walks the line between smart and silly with some blunt but enjoyable commentary on form. Perhaps I’m missing Roman Roy, or just Kieran Culkin being a bastard, but I really enjoyed how awful a character he played in Infinity Baby. A relatively short and surreal film circling around Culkin’s horrific attitude towards women and his colleagues trying to take care of an infinity baby, (a baby that always stays a baby), it is pretty amusing. I also love the audacity of shooting it entirely in black and white when it was released in 2017.
Listen … There is new PJ Harvey so obviously her, repeatedly. The Voyager is beautiful and she can do no wrong, the rest of the month can be found in my monthly music wrap. I also have a few regular podcasts in my headphones, such as Pod Save the UK as I love listening to the UK news through the mind of Nish Kumar and Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley, for a feminist take on historical true crime.
Read … Purity by Jonathon Franzen, I absolutely devoured this book and miss the twists and turns now it is over. A young woman escapes her mentally questionable hippy mother to attempt to find her father and lands up in a cult of ‘leakers’ lead by a competitor of Julian Assange. I apologise to all of my friends for talking about how good it is and how they should read it. There are some funny meta literary jokes and nods to Great Expectations, alongside some complicated and compelling characters and a plot that keeps you on your toes as you desperately seek the links between the worlds.
Stacey Gaskin
Consumer Revenue Manager
Watch … I really enjoyed I Will Find You on Netflix. I watched it in one sitting. I also watched S3 of America’s Sweethearts and didn’t mind it. A show I can’t get enough of late is the current season of Masterchef Australia.
Listen … Gracie Abrams’ Hit The Wall; a lot of The Beaches, and a bit of Ella Langley.
Read … I’ve just purchased The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, and also want to pick up Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden
Mia Steiber
Digital Strategy Director & Associate Publisher
Watch… My watch achievement this month was a cosy rewatch of Bend It Like Beckham, it helped me get into the spirit of the Men’s FIFA World Cup. I’ve started watching Last Week Tonight again after taking a bit of a break. I find it’s the most fun way to stay informed.
Listen… I’ve been listening to Charli xcx’s previews for her new album. There’s three songs so far, and I have to say I’m not sure how I feel so far. I think I need to spend more time with them. Other than that, I’ve been pumping the old-school Silverchair.
Read… I am very nearly finished the Throne of Glass series. I’m at the tail-end of book eight, and truly the books just kept getting better. I was definitely not sold at the beginning. Afterwards, I will need a palate cleanser. People keep recommending Lena Dunham’s Famesick to me, so perhaps that will be next.
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