BY Antora Majumdar
24 Most Anticipated Films By and About Women of 2019
By Keno Katsuda and Antora Majumdar As we close the book on 2018 and wonder what’s in store for the upcoming year, we do know we can at least look forward to some thrilling new women-centric and...
History as Herstory: Crowdfunding Picks
Many of us were told the story of the pilgrims and Native Americans and their shared cooperation, which ultimately led to the holiday tradition of Thanksgiving, only to grow up and find out that the...
Under the Radar: Aube Giroux’s “Modified” Is a Personal, Political Exploration of Food Policy
By Antora Majumdar and Keno Katsuda “If you add water to a food product, you must add ‘water’ to the food label. But if you add insecticide [to food] through genetic engineering, you...
Reclaiming Our Experiences, Telling Our Stories: Crowdfunding Picks
When you take in the news today, what do you notice? Stories about women experiencing sexual assault, online harassment, body shaming, criticism for being too loud or not enough. Our culture is...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Benedetta Argentieri – “I Am the Revolution”
Benedetta Argentieri is an independent journalist and director who has been covering the Iraqi and Syrian war since 2014. She produced “Capulcu-Voices from Gezi,” a documentary about the revolt...
The Outsiders: November’s VOD and Web Series Picks
“Just be yourself” is a line offered up as advice throughout all stages of a person’s life, especially when they’re growing up. The mantra is usually proposed when someone is nervous...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Bridgette Auger – “We Are Not Princesses”
Bridgette Auger has covered the Arab Spring in Egypt and Libya, as well as the refugee crisis as a result of the war in Syria, through photography and video. She was a 2016 National MediaMaker Fellow...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Tracy Droz Tragos – “The Smartest Kids in the World”
Tracy Droz Tragos is a documentary filmmaker whose credits include the HBO film “Abortion: Stories Women Tell,” about personal stories of unplanned pregnancies, which premiered at the 2016...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Ruth Leitman – “Lady Parts Justice in the New World Order”
Ruth Leitman has directed six feature length documentary films including “Alma,” which won the Documentary Feature Jury Prize at the Hamptons Film Festival. Her other credits include “Lipstick...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alexandra Stergiou and Lexi Henigman – “The Candidates”
Alexandra Stergiou’s work has been recognized by the Wasserman Awards, National Board of Review, and British Council. Her commercial credits as a director and cinematographer include John Frieda,...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Joy E. Reed – “Little Miss Westie”
Joy E. Reed brings over a decade of experience in documentary filmmaking as an associate editor and animator. She has been on the creative team of a number of films that have premiered at Sundance,...
Under the Radar: Rima Das’ “Bulbul Can Sing” Examines the Joy and Pain of Growing Up
Last year, director Rima Das premiered her film “Village Rockstars,” which went on to become India’s official submission to the 91st Academy Awards. In her latest feature, “Bulbul Can...
November 2018 Film Preview
As the weather gets cooler, it’s the perfect time to spend an evening indoors with a great flick. And November promises a wide selection of women-centric and women-made films for just that...
Neither Here Nor There: Crowdfunding Picks
“America is a melting pot” you often hear people say. Different cultures, religions, and ethnicities all living side by side to make up the diversity we see in our everyday lives. There...
Swipe Right: September’s VOD and Web Series Picks
This month’s VOD and web series picks offer a few different takes on dating in the modern age. With the adoption of social media, smart phones, and apps, navigating the dating world in a sea of...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Maryam Keshavarz – “Viper Club”
Maryam Keshavarz is an Iranian-American writer and director. While pursuing her MFA at NYU, Keshavarz’s short film “The Day I Died” won the Gold Teddy and Jury Special Mention Prize at the...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Veena Sud – “The Lie”
Veena Sud created “The Killing,” which was nominated for six Emmys. She also created “Seven Seconds,” an ensemble drama centered around the hit and run of a young black teenager by a...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Dominga Sotomayor – “Too Late to Die Young”
Dominga Sotomayor’s first feature, “Thursday Till Sunday,” was screened at over a hundred festivals, and won the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2012. In 2013 she...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Astra Taylor – “What Is Democracy?”
Astra Taylor is a filmmaker, writer, and political organizer. Her book “The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age” won the American Book Award in 2015. Taylor is a...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Tuva Novotny – “Blind Spot”
Tuva Novotny has an extensive acting background, and has appeared in films like “Eat Pray Love,” “A War,” “Borg vs McEnroe,” and “Annihilation.” “Blind Spot” is...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Karyn Kusama — “Destroyer”
Karyn Kusama broke out in 1999 with her written-and-directed debut feature film “Girlfight,” which won the Grand Jury Prize and Director’s Prize at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, as well as...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nino Zhvania – “Parade”
Nino Zhvania graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in 2011. Her previous work includes shorts “Excuse Me, My Friend” and “My Friend Iliko.” “Parade” is her first...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alejandra Márquez Abella – “The Good Girls”
Alejandra Márquez Abella’s made her feature debut with 2015’s “Semana Santa.” Her other credits include shorts “5 Memories” and “Perra,” as well as the documentary...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Genevieve Nnaji — “Lionheart”
Genevieve Nnaji has been a prominent fixture in the Nigerian film industry for over 20 years, primarily as an actor. Her contributions to filmmaking have received several awards and nominations over...
Fall 2018 Film Preview
By Keno Katsuda and Antora Majumdar Although 2018 is more than halfway over, there are still plenty of amazing women-centric and women-created films yet to be released. Emma Thompson leads one of the...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Ash Mayfair — “The Third Wife”
Ash Mayfair was born and raised in Vietnam, and received her MFA in filmmaking from NYU. Her short films — including “The Silver Man” and “No Exit” — have been screened at...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nandita Das — “Manto”
Nandita Das has acted in more than 40 feature films in 10 different languages. She made her directorial debut with 2008’s “Firaaq.” Das also acted, wrote, and directed the 2012 play...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Marielle Heller — “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Marielle Heller began her career in front of the camera, appearing in shows such as “Spin City” and “Single Dads,” as well as in movies like “MacGruber” and “A Walk Among the...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Marija Kavtaradzė — “Summer Survivors”
Marija Kavtaradzė’s short film “I’m Twenty Something” won best student film at the Lithuanian Film Academy Awards in 2015. Kavtaradzė also co-wrote the feature film “The Saint,”...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Natalia Meschaninova — “Core of the World”
Natalia Meschaninova made her feature debut with 2014’s “Hope Factory,” a coming-of-age drama set in Russia. “Core of the World” will begin screening at the 2018 Toronto...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Carol Morley — “Out of Blue”
Carol Morley’s credits include “The Alcohol Years,” a BAFTA-nominated film about her scurrilous teenage past, “Dreams of a Life,” which went behind the anonymous newspaper headline about...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Imogen Thomas — “Emu Runner”
Imogen Thomas’ short film “Mixed Bag” premiered at the Montreal Film Festival in 2008 and received the Gold Award at the Australian Cinematographers Society Awards . The film was also a...
September 2018 Film Preview
While the summer movie season is winding down, the release of films by and about women is not. September features a bevy of women-driven indies and star-studded studio releases. The month kicks off...
Growing Pains: Crowdfunding Picks
Flip through one of your old photo albums. How does it feel? Regardless of the time period you are looking back on, you’re probably experiencing a fairly strong emotional response. Maybe it’s...
The Bonds Between Us: Crowdfunding Picks
Our entire lives are defined by relationships. From a young age, we are taught to identify ourselves relative to someone else; daughter, sister, partner, friend. And whether these bonds are defined...
Under the Radar: “Are You Glad I’m Here” Expertly Portrays Friendship Across Cultures
Winner of the Brooklyn Film Festival’s Audience Award, “Are You Glad I’m Here” follows a young American woman as she moves to Beirut and befriends her neighbor, a Lebanese housewife. Directed...
Exploring the Psyche: July’s VOD and Web Series Picks
All three of the picks for this month’s VOD and web series round-up spotlight a loaded subject: mental health. Long considered taboo, mental health has finally started to be talked about more...