BY Beandrea July
Subject, Not Object: The Revelatory Sex Scenes in “If Beale Street Could Talk”
In November 2016 in Washington, D.C., I caught a preview of Barry Jenkins’ soon-to-be Oscar-winning film “Moonlight.” This was way before White audiences had caught on to the movie, and those...
Coming Out, Dialing In: June’s VOD and Web Series Picks
Each of our three web series and VOD picks this month includes a scene with two women walking in nature: friends Isobel and Cam hiking and letting out primal screams in the comedic web series...
Women Coming Together: Crowdfunding Picks
Women in charge. Women leading their communities. Women joining together to share power and resources with other women. Whether in real life or fiction, our current political and cultural moment has...
June 2018 Film Preview
By Beandrea July and Sophie Willard As highlighted in our Summer 2018 Film Preview, this summer is set to impress with its varied range of female-led and woman-helmed films, and that all kicks off...
Under the Radar: Memory Meets Brooklyn for AOBFF Women Filmmakers
Under the Radar is Women and Hollywood’s newest feature. Published monthly, the post offers a chance for us to highlight works by and/or about women that haven’t received big releases or...
Cannes 2018 Women Directors: Meet Rohena Gera — “Sir”
Rohena Gera is a director and screenwriter. Her micro-budget documentary “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” screened at the Mumbai Film Festival. “Sir” is her narrative...
Cannes 2018 Women Directors: Meet Debra Granik — “Leave No Trace”
Debra Granik directed and co-wrote the Academy Award-nominated feature film “Winter’s Bone.” The drama was named Best Feature at the Gotham Independent Film Awards, won the Grand Jury...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Biljana Tutorov — “When Pigs Come”
Biljana Tutorov is a director, producer, film curator, and VJ. In 2010 she founded Wake Up Films, an independent film production company dedicated to young European talent. She is now in...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Margarita Cadenas — “Women of the Venezuelan Chaos”
Margarita Cadenas served as a co-writer and producer for French Television, and has produced numerous commercials around the world. Her filmmaking credits include “Cenizas Eternas,”(“Eternal...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Hind Bensari— “We Could Be Heroes”
Hind Bensari’s first documentary short, “475: Break the Silence,” contributed to a movement in Morocco that succeeded in repealing a law that allowed men accused of rape to marry their...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Cynthia Wade and Sasha Friedlander — “Grit”
Cynthia Wade’s 2008 documentary “Freeheld” won an Academy Award, Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and 13 other awards. Her other credits include “Grist for the Mill,”...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown— “United Skates”
Dyana Winkler is a director, producer, and film festival programmer whose narrative screenplay “Bell” was a participant in the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab and awarded a Sundance Sloan...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Sarah Menzies — “Afghan Cycles”
Sarah Menzies’ documentary films have screened at Telluride Mountainfilm, Banff Mountain Film Festival, Port Townsend Film Festival, and many other festivals. She directed the documentary shorts...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Irene Lusztig— “Yours in Sisterhood”
Irene Lusztig is a filmmaker whose work has been screened around the world, including at the Berlinale and MoMA, and on television in Europe, Taiwan, and the U.S. Her credits include her...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Yasemin Samdereli— “Night of All Nights”
While at the University of Television of Film in Munich, Yasemin Samdereli worked as Assistant Director on two of Jackie Chan’s features. She has also directed “Kismet” and “Almanya: Welcome...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Joannie Lafrenière — “Snowbirds”
Joannie Lafrenière is a photographer and director based in Montreal, Canada. Her credits include “The Woman Who Saw the Bear,” which has been shown in major festivals across Canada and...
Hot Docs 2018 Women Directors: Meet Beatrice Behn— “The Artist & the Pervert”
Beatrice Behn is Senior Film Critic and Editor-in-Chief of Kino-Zeit, the largest German language film magazine for arthouse and independent film. “The Artist & The Pervert” is her first...
Women Supporting Women: Crowdfunding Picks
“F1”: Instagram The Sisters are doing it for themselves. A successful crowdfunding campaign often means assembling a team of badass women creatives, communicating a clear vision, and engaging...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Liz Garbus — “The Fourth Estate”
Liz Garbus is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning filmmaker whose film “What Happened, Miss Simone?” opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, received a Peabody Award, and was nominated for an...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Madeleine Sackler— “It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It”
Madeleine Sackler is an Emmy-winning director and producer whose credits include “The Lottery,” “Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus,” and a second upcoming Tribeca...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Kate Davis — “Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland”
Kate Davis is an Emmy and Peabody-award winning filmmaker whose film “Southern Comfort” won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and First Prize at Hot Docs. Her other credits include “The...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Melissa Miller Costanzo — “All These Small Moments”
Filmmaker Melissa Miller Costanzo’s films have been featured in IFP Film Week and the American Black Film Festival. She previously directed the short film “The Busker,” produced projects such...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Melissa Haizlip— “Mr. SOUL!”
Melissa Haizlip is an award-winning filmmaker whose credits include the short film “You’re Dead to Me,” which she produced, and her directorial feature-length debut, “Mr. SOUL!” The latter...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Mitzi Peirone — “Braid”
A model, actress, and director, Mitzi Peirone’s directorial debut premiered at Art Basel in 2015. Her directing credits include the short films “Chaosmos” and “Vesperlings.” “Braid” is...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jill Magid— “The Proposal”
Jill Magid is an artist, writer, and filmmaker whose work includes performance art and large and small-scale installations. She has been commissioned to make work for the Whitney Museum of American...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Marilyn Ness — “Charm City”
Marilyn Ness is a two-time Emmy, Peabody, and DuPont winning filmmaker who has produced and directed documentary film and television for over 15 years. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Marianna Palka — “Egg”
Marianna Palka is an actress and filmmaker from Glasgow, Scotland. Her film “Bitch” sold at Cannes after its 2017 Sundance premiere, and her film “Good Dick” was nominated for the Grand Jury...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Norah Shapiro — “Time For Ilhan”
Norah Shapiro is a Minneapolis-based filmmaker who left a decade-long career as a public defender to pursue documentary filmmaking. Her prior credits include “Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile” and...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Stephanie Wang-Breal— “Blowin’ Up”
Stephanie Wang-Breal is an award-winning filmmaker and commercial director. Her Emmy-nominated feature documentary “Wo Ai Ni Mommy (I Love You, Mommy)” was awarded Best US Feature at AFI...
Tribeca 2018 Women Directors: Meet Gabrielle Brady — “Island of the Hungry Ghosts”
Gabrielle Brady is an Australian filmmaker who focuses on documentary and hybrid films. Her short film “The Island” was commissioned as part of the Guardian documentary series and premiered at...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Anne de Mare — “Capturing the Flag”
Anne de Mare is a documentary filmmaker and playwright with work supported by MacArthur Foundation and Sundance Institute. Her prior film credits include “The Homestretch,” which won a 2015...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Laura Nix — “Inventing Tomorrow”
Laura Nix is an award-winning director, writer, and producer whose work has screened at Sundance, TIFF, Berlinale, and Outfest and has aired on HBO, PBS, CBC, and New York Times Op-Docs. Nix was...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Celia Peterson— “The Good Struggle”
Celia Peterson is a photographer and documentary filmmaker. Currently based in Dubai, she works predominantly in the Middle East shooting a range of documentary photographic and film...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Allison Bohl DeHart — “Bending Lines: The Sculpture of Robert…
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Allison Bohl DeHart — “Bending Lines: The Sculpture of Robert Wiggs” Allison Bohl DeHart is a filmmaker and cinematographer based in Louisiana. Her...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Laura Green & Anna Moot-Levin— “The Providers”
Laura Green’s shorts have played at numerous festivals, including Palm Springs Shortfest, Aspen Shortsfest, Sarasota Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, and Outfest. Anna Moot-Levin’s...
Full Frame 2018 Women Directors: Meet Chiara Campara— “Tempting Promises”
Chiara Campara’s documentary project “Photofinish” screened at Festival dei Popoli, Bergamo Film Meeting, Filmmaker Festival, and Milano Film Festival, and her doc “Sotterranea” screened...
April 2018 Film Preview
“Disobedience” There’s no shortage of heavy-hitters when it comes to women filmmakers premiering films this month. From veteran auteurs like Claire Denis, Lucretia Martel, and Lynne Ramsay, to...
Superheroines in the City: VOD and Web Series Picks
Our VOD and web series picks this month are city-set explorations of women fighting back. The VOD selections document the internal struggles of young women reconciling society’s expectations with...
Rude Awakenings: Crowdfunding Picks
“Sirens” When life hands you lemons, go find a life coach who moonlights as a mermaid. Well, at least that’s the conceit of one of our latest crowdfunding picks. Mermaids aside, all of our...
Under the Radar: “Shakedown” Celebrates Black Lesbian Labor and Desire in Los Angeles
Under the Radar is Women and Hollywood’s newest feature. Published monthly, the post offers a chance for us to highlight works by and/or about women that haven’t received big releases or...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Miranda Bailey— “You Can Choose Your Family”
An actor, director, distributor, and producer, Miranda Bailey makes independent films through her company Cold Iron Pictures. Her directing credits include “The Pathological Optimist” and...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nijla Baseema Mu’min — “Jinn”
Named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film by “Filmmaker Magazine” in 2017, Nijla Baseema Mu’min’s short films have screened at festivals and venues across the country, including Outfest,...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Nosipho Dumisa— “Number 37”
Nosipho Dumisa has directed and produced award-winning short films and commercials, and has extensive television credits. Dumisa is one of the first black female feature film directors from South...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Lola Arias — “Theater of War”
Lola Arias is a writer, director, visual artist, and performer. Arias’ theater works have been performed at numerous festivals and venues including Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, Parque de la...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Carol Brandt — “Pet Names”
Carol Brandt’s films have been shown at the New Orleans Film Festival, Milwaukee Short Film Festival, and the Beloit International Film Festival where her feature “Things Found on the Ground”...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alison Klayman — “Take Your Pills”
Alison Klayman’s debut documentary feature “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it was awarded a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Defiance....
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jackie Van Beek and Madeleine Sami — “The Breaker Upperers”
Jackie Van Beek is a writer-director and actor who has made seven award-winning short films that have played at international festivals including Berlin, London, Palm Springs, and Melbourne. Her...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Suzi Yoonessi — “Unlovable”
Suzi Yoonessi is an award-winning Iranian American filmmaker. Her feature credits include “Dear Lemon Lima,” which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and “Daphne and Velma,” based...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Kay Cannon— “Blockers”
Kay Cannon is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer, producer, and director. Her work has been awarded a Peabody and multiple Writers Guild Awards. Her first feature screenplay was the hit “Pitch...
SXSW 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jayne Loader — “The Atomic Cafe”
Jayne Loader is a film director and writer. Originally released in 1982, “Atomic Cafe” was nominated for a BAFTA Award and selected for preservation in the United States’ National Film...
Adventures in Authenticity: Crowdfunding Picks
“Lorene’s Gotta Boogie” Follow the beaten path or the one less traveled? Life presents us many opportunities to explore this question, but every person’s journey towards a more authentic...