Hi everyone! I am also applying to cinema and media studies phd programs this year, so I am happy to connect with other folks. I mostly work on media theory, urban space, and STS in the East Asian context (mostly China). My work is also quite interdisciplinary, and I have applied to a mix of film and media, and interdisciplinary phd programs such as USC, Brown, Berkeley, UCSB, NYU (MCC), Stanford (MTL), and Harvard (East Asian).
To ShirinZZZ above, I am actually a graduate of one of the programs you listed, and I am fairly familiar with all of them. Let me know if you have any questions!