Friend of besea.n and avid reader Alice joined Christina Matula to talk about the fantastic book series about Holly-Mei, a young girl whose adventures in Hong Kong, where she has just moved with her family, is so relatable for anyone growing up cross-culturally. Friends, school, family and food collide in this story about growing up and discovering who we are.

One of our co-founders (also secondary school teacher by day), Isabelle, interviewed Marie Lu - 14-time New York Times bestselling writer, author of the YA novel ‘Stars and Smoke’ out since March this year.

This took place at Waterstones x Penguin House of YA Litfest earlier this month.

Ahead of the BAFTA awards ceremony on Feb 19, we spoke with actor, writer and director Jessica Yu-Li Henwick, of Bus Girl which has been nominated for Best British Short Film.

Bus Girl tells the story of an aspiring young female chef as she navigates the cutthroat world of high end cooking. Marking Jessica’s directorial debut, Bus Girl has moved fans and critics alike for the kernel of hope it represents to those pursuing a dream, and for its rich Wong Kar-Wai inspired aesthetics achieved by filming entirely on a Xiaomi Mi11 phone.

We spoke with Pixar director Domee Shi on the movie ‘Turning Red’ ahead of the Academy Awards 2023 ceremony next month - watch our video interview or read the transcript below!

Since its release in March 2022, Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Oscars and BAFTAs. As a coming-of-age story, it has warmed the hearts of fans and critics for its honest and heartwarming depiction of relationships between female family members, female friendships, teenage sexuality and crushes.

Sarah Cheung Johnson, Liberal Democrat District Councillor, South Cambs shares her story in besea.n’s monthly series: ‘Racism ended it’. Where we share stories about times that racism ended or impacted a relationship; whether that’s friendships, work, romantic relationships, or family dynamics.

KV Duong was born in Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam in 1980 and migrated to London in 2010. He grew up in Canada to Chinese Vietnamese parents displaced by the Vietnam War. In his work he explore themes of migration and cultural assimilation, through a re-examination of his parents’ and his own experiences. He is a self-taught artist with a background in structural engineering.

Viv Yau shares her story to kick off besea.n’s new monthly series: ‘Racism ended it’. Where we share stories about times that racism ended or impacted a relationship; whether that’s friendships, work, romantic relationships, or family dynamics.

We get to speak with Sandra Oh, Rosalie Chiang and Director Domee Shi & Lindsey Collins on the new Disney Pixar release ‘Turning Red’ - watch our video interviews or read the transcript below!

Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” introduces Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda! Directed by Academy Award® winner Domee Shi (Pixar short “Bao”) and produced by Lindsey Collins “Turning Red” launched on Disney+ March 11, 2022.

Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring tells a powerfully moving and beautifully nuanced tale of loss, hope and belonging that opens a window into the history of modern China through one family’s story.