Avneet Sharma
Avneet Sharma is a PhD student at the Cinema Studies Institute and a collaborative specialist at the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies. His research interests include film philosophy, queer theory, television studies, and European cinemas. He also co-runs a working group on queer and trans negativity at the Jackman Humanities Institute. Avneet holds an MA in English Literature from McGill University, where he wrote a thesis on Alan Hollinghurst’s sexual politics, and a BA in Cinema Studies and English from the University of Toronto. For ASAP Review, he edited an essay collection on social media’s role in the transformation of reality television. In addition to his scholarly work, he is a pre-screener for the Planet in Focus environmental film festival.
Selected Work
- Guest Editor. Reality TV in the Social Media Economy. ASAP Review, 2024.
- “Justin Trudeau Goes to Canada’s Drag Race: Notes on Canadian Homonationalism.” ASAP Review, 2024.
- “A Conversation About Reality TV in the Social Media Economy.” With Cassandra Luca. ASAP Review, 2024.
- “Sex and politics in three novels by Alan Hollinghurst: The Swimming-Pool Library, The Folding Star, and The Line of Beauty.” MA thesis. McGill University, 2023.
- “Clap for the Bing Bang Bong: Surface Reading the United Kingdolls’ ‘UK HUN?’” Caméra Stylo 22 (2022): 21-28
- “Desire (for Zephyr’s Nipple, for Belmondo’s Ass) in The Birth of Venus and Breathless.” Hardwire 4 (2021): 8-14.
- “Laura Dern and Gay Men: Performing Gay Cinephilia at the Independent Spirit Awards.” Caméra Stylo 21 (2021): 13-20.
Awards
- David Rayside Graduate Students Award, Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies (2025)
- Hugh MacLennan Fellowship in English, McGill University (2022)
- SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s (2021)
- Provost Delworth Graduation Scholarship, Trinity College, University of Toronto (2021)
- Edward Franklin Borbridge Award, Trinity College, University of Toronto (2020)
- Marian A. Robertson Scholarship, Trinity College, University of Toronto (2019)