Lisa Portolan Slow Love Podcast Co-host Film Event [top] -
“We’ve forgotten how to be in a room with strangers and talk about something as universal as love,” Portolan notes. “A film acts as a third thing—it’s not about you or me; it’s about what we just saw. That makes it easier to be honest.”
“At a typical film event, the credits roll and everyone rushes out, often without processing what they just felt,” she says. “We want to hold that space. We ask questions like: What did that character’s hesitation tell us about trust? How did the pacing of the relationship on screen make you feel in your body? ” lisa portolan slow love podcast co-host film event
“We’re not promising you’ll find your soulmate in the audience,” she says with a smile. “But we are promising you’ll leave feeling a little less alone in how you love.” As dating culture becomes increasingly gamified, events like Portolan’s film night serve as a quiet resistance. They remind us that love stories—both on screen and off—are not products to be optimised but narratives to be lived. “We’ve forgotten how to be in a room
The “slow” in Slow Love is not about the speed of a relationship, but its quality. Similarly, the film event format is a rebellion against the binge-watch culture. It asks an audience to sit with a single story, to discuss it face-to-face, and to recognise that intimacy—whether on screen or in real life—requires presence. The audience for these events is a specific cross-section of Portolan’s followers: predominantly millennials and Gen Z, tired of performative dating but still deeply hopeful about partnership. They come as much for the communal experience as for the film. “We want to hold that space
In an era of algorithm-driven dating and three-second swipe decisions, Dr. Lisa Portolan has built a devoted following by advocating for the opposite: patience, intentionality, and deep connection. As the host of the acclaimed Slow Love podcast, Portolan has dissected modern intimacy with academic rigor and heartfelt vulnerability. Now, she is taking the conversation off-air and into the cinema.
Attendees at her previous live events have described the atmosphere as “a book club for the heart,” with some forming lasting friendships (and, on occasion, romances) in the post-screening discussions. The upcoming [Insert Date] event at [Insert Venue] promises to be the most ambitious yet. Portolan and her co-host have selected a film that challenges the typical “happily ever after” narrative, opting instead for a story about long-term commitment, forgiveness, or the quiet moments that define a partnership.
“Cinema has always been our collective dreamscape for romance,” Portolan explains. “From the grand gestures of classic Hollywood to the messy realism of indie dramas, films shape our expectations of love. But we often consume them passively. This event is about watching actively .”
