Interviews
Joan Allen on Her Personal Connection to “The Waverly Gallery” and Working with Elaine May
When Joan Allen received the script for Kenneth Lonergan’s “The Waverly Gallery,” she was eager to sign on to the project. It had been some time since her last appearance on Broadway in the...
“Downstairs” Director Adrienne Campbell-Holt on Why She Tends to Prefer Working with Women
Talking to theater director Adrienne Campbell-Holt is a breath of fresh air for any avid theater goer or film buff. She’s a big believer in not only working primarily with women on the projects she...
Christiani Pitts on Being the First WOC to Play Ann Darrow in Broadway’s “King Kong”
When Christiani Pitts was hired for “King Kong” on Broadway, she immediately felt the significance of the casting choice. Not only is she the first woman of color to ever take portray Ann Darrow,...
Tyne Daly Chats About Collaborating with Her Brother and Theresa Rebeck on “Downstairs”
Tyne Daly is certainly no stranger to the New York stage. She has appeared in a plethora of work both on and off Broadway and has collaborated with some of the most pivotal creators of our time,...
Costume Designer Alexandra Byrne Talks Creating the Looks of “Mary Queen of Scots”
For Alexandra Byrne, designing the clothes for “Mary Queen of Scots” came somewhat naturally. After all, she created the costumes for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and won an Oscar for her...
“Mary Queen of Scots” Director Josie Rourke on Transitioning from Stage to Screen
Josie Rourke might just be directing her first movie, but “Mary Queen of Scots” is the first of what will be many. It’s a little crazy to say that Mary is the perfect role for Saoirse...
“Dumplin'” Director Anne Fletcher on Why She Wants Audiences to Feel “Unique and Special”
Danielle Macdonald, who we were introduced to in “Patticake$,” takes on the lead in “Dumplin’,” a story about a teen girl who enters her mother’s (Jennifer...
“Capernaum” Director Nadine Labaki Discusses the Film’s Chaos and Empathy
Interview by Zoë Elton Lebanese filmmaker-actor Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” (“Chaos”) represents a bold departure from her earlier work, such as “Caramel,”...
Debra Granik on “Leave No Trace” and How “The Script Interrogates You”
Interview by Zoë Elton Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace” traverses the lives of a father and daughter who have been living off the grid for years in the woods outside Portland....
Marsha Mason on Being in the “Prime” of Her Career and Life as a Theater Director
Marsha Mason has had an extraordinary career in film, television, and theater over the past five decades — and she feels like she’s just getting started. She’s received four...
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...
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 Ofra Bloch – “Afterward”
Ofra Bloch is a filmmaker and psychoanalyst. She grew up in Israel, where her deep interest in the short and long-term effects of trauma originated. She has volunteered with Doctors of the World,...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Emily Harrold – “While I Breathe, I Hope”
Emily Harrold has directed documentaries including “Checkers in the Afternoon.” Her films have screened at Tribeca Film Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival, and the...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Karen Winther – “Exit: Leaving Extremism Behind”
Norwegian director Karen Winther made her feature directorial debut with “The Betrayal,” a personal documentary about her involvement in extremist groups as a teenager. The award-winning...
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 Melody Gilbert – “Silicone Soul”
Melody Gilbert has been making feature-length independent documentaries for 15 years. Her film topics range from children who can’t feel pain (“A Life Without Pain”) to people who want...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Maxine Trump – “To Kid Or Not To Kid”
Maxine Trump directed the 2012 feature “Musicwood,” which was a New York Times Critics’ Pick. She’s directed short documentaries for TNT, Sundance Channel, BBC, and TLC. Her...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Deschamps – “Inside Lehman Brothers”
In 2005, Jennifer Deschamps directed “Is God in Rwanda?,” which focused on people who lost their faith after the Rwandan Genocide. As an editor of documentaries since 2015, Deschamps is...
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,...
Jocelyn Bioh on “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” & Its Exploration of Colorism
If you haven’t heard of Off-Broadway’s “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play,” by Jocelyn Bioh, it is only a matter of time before you do. The play, directed by Tony...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Havana Marking – “The Kleptocrats”
Havana Marking is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker known for filming in dangerous locations and getting on the inside of criminal or subculture groups. She wrote and directed “Smash...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Laura Green and Anna Moot-Levin – “The Providers”
Interview by Beandrea July Laura Green’s shorts have played at numerous festivals, including Palm Springs Shortfest, Aspen Shortsfest, Sarasota Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival,...
DOC NYC 2018 Women Directors: Meet Alyssa Bolsey – “Beyond the Bolex”
Alyssa Bolsey began and writing short films as a kid. While still in high school, she directed a short documentary entitled “Wild Horses.” This work was screened at various art galleries...
Writer Ngozi Anyanwu and Director Awoye Timpo Talk Reuniting for “Good Grief”
Writer-actor Ngozi Anyanwu and director Awoye Timpo paired up for the current run of Anyanwu’s play “Good Grief” at the Vineyard Theatre. This isn’t the first time the pair has worked...
Playwright Jaclyn Backhaus Chats About Her New Show “India Pale Ale”
Jaclyn Backhaus, a playwright of Punjabi and German descent, is skilled at giving women a voice in her work. Her last play, “Men on Boats,” told the story of the 1869 Powell Expedition...
DeWanda Wise on Black Queer History and Playing a Feminist Force in “Fireflies”
DeWanda Wise, best known for her role as Nola Darling in the Netflix series “She’s Gotta Have It,” can currently be found Off-Broadway in “Fireflies” at the Atlantic Theater Company. Set...
The Women of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” Discuss Their Camaraderie and Female Empowerment
Every night at Stage 42 in New York City, four women are bringing the house down in the musical “Smokey Joe’s Cafe”: Emma Degerstedt, Dionne D. Figgins, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz, and Alysha...
Martha Plimpton on How Non-Profit A is For Goes to Bat for Reproductive Rights
Six years ago, Emmy-winning and Tony-nominated actress Martha Plimpton co-founded A is For, a non-profit dedicated to advancing women’s reproductive rights and ending the stigma against abortion...
Abby Mueller of Broadway’s “Beautiful” Talks Playing a Rock Star Who Lives on Her Own Terms
Abby Mueller is currently inhabiting the world of Carole King in the Broadway musical “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” The role is clearly a familiar one to the actress, who was the...
Bonnie Milligan Talks Representation & Female Empowerment in Broadway’s “Head Over Heels”
In “Head Over Heels,” a new musical featuring the songs of The Go-Go’s, Bonnie Milligan is making her Broadway debut, and her reviews have been nothing short of stellar. The Hollywood Reporter...
Nicolette Robinson on Being the First WOC to Lead Broadway’s “Waitress”
Nicolette Robinson is no stranger to the New York City stage or the screen, but it’s only recently that she’s seen her face on a billboard in Times Square. The reason? “Waitress,”...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Paprika Steen – “That Time of Year”
Paprika Steen is an award-winning Scandinavian actress and director. She made her directorial debut in 2004 with the tragedy-drama “Aftermath” and followed it up with 2007’s...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Pella Kågerman – “Aniara”
Pella Kågerman was educated at the Royal Institute of Art. She co-wrote Hugo Lilja’s film “The Unliving,” which won prizes at Berlinale, Stockholm Festival, and Clermont-Ferrand....
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Eva Husson — “Girls of the Sun”
Eva Husson is a writer and a director. Her short “Hope to Die” gained international recognition, including nominations at the Student Academy Awards, the American Society 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 Caroline Poggi – “Jessica Forever”
Caroline Poggi’s credits include “Toys on Fire” and “Chiens.” With Jonathan Vinel, her credits include “After School Knife Fight” and “As Long As...
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 Nicole Holofcener – “The Land of Steady Habits”
Nicole Holofcener has written and directed six feature films including “Enough Said”and “Friends with Money.” She also co-wrote Marielle Heller’s “Can You Ever Forgive...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Chanya Button – “Vita & Virginia”
Chanya Button is a director, writer, and producer whose diverse work spans film and theater. Her debut feature, “Burn Burn Burn,” was nominated for the BIFA Discovery award. Her shorts...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Amma Asante — “Where Hands Touch”
Amma Asante made her feature debut with 2004’s “A Way of Life.” The film earned her the Most Promising Newcomer prize at the 2005 BAFTA Awards. She was also honored with the BFI London Film...
TIFF 2018 Women Directors: Meet Michal Aviad – “Working Woman”
Born in Jerusalem, Michal Aviad is an award-winning feminist filmmaker. Her films include “Acting Our Age,” “Jenny and Jenny,” “Invisible,” and “Dimona...
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 Soudade Kaadan – “The Day I Lost My Shadow”
Soudade Kaadan is a Syrian director who was born in France. Her films have screened at several venues nationally and internationally and have received international awards. Her latest documentary,...
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 Ritu Sarin – “The Sweet Requiem”
Ritu Sarin was born in New Delhi, and completed her MFA in Film and Video at California College of the Arts. She has directed several films with Tenzing Sonam, including “Dreaming Lhasa,”...