Interviews
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sadaf Foroughi — “AVA”
Sadaf Foroughi is an Iranian-born, Montreal-based filmmaker. In 2005 she was selected to participate in the Berlinale Talent Campus as a writer-director. She created a short documentary,...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Priscilla Cameron — “The Butterfly Tree”
Priscilla Cameron is a writer and director whose short films have won awards, screened in national and international festivals, and have been sold nationally and internationally. “The Butterfly...
“Year by the Sea” Star Karen Allen on Joan Anderson’s Book, Directing, and Roles for Women Over 60
Probably best-known for her turns in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and the “Christmas Carol” retelling “Scrooged,” Karen Allen has been working regularly since her 1978 debut in “Animal...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Kathleen Hepburn — “Never Steady, Never Still”
Kathleen Hepburn is a Vancouver born writer and director. “Never Steady, Never Still” is an expansion on a short with the same name, which was selected as one of TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten. She...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Iram Haq — “What Will People Say”
Iram Haq is a Norwegian actress, writer, and director. Her directorial debut short, “Little Miss Eyeflap,” screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. Her feature film debut, “I Am...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Tracy Heather Strain — “Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart”
Tracy Heather Strain is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer, and producer. Her previous directing credits include episodes of miniseries “Unnatural Causes” and “I’ll Make Me a...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Molly McGlynn — “Mary Goes Round”
Molly McGlynn is a Canadian writer and director. Her previous short films include “I Am Not a Weird Person,” “Shoes,” and “3-Way (Not Calling).” “Mary Goes Round” is her first...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Haifaa Al-Mansour — “Mary Shelley”
Haifaa Al-Mansour is the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia, where her 2005 documentary “Women Without Shadows” has influenced a new wave of filmmakers. Her work is both praised and vilified...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Kate Novack — “The Gospel According to André”
Kate Novack is a producer and director. Her credits include “Page One: Inside the New York Times,” “A Table in Heaven,” and “Eat This New York.” Novack’s first feature screenplay,...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Greta Gerwig — “Lady Bird”
Greta Gerwig’s acting credits include “Maggie’s Plan,” “Frances Ha,” and “Mistress America.” She co-wrote the latter two features, and alongside Joe Swanberg she co-directed the...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Barbara Albert — “Mademoiselle Paradis”
Barbara Albert is a director and writer whose short films have been introduced at festivals around the world. Her first feature film “Nordrand,” or “Northern Skirts,” premiered at Venice...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sophie Fiennes — “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami”
Sophie Fiennes is a film director whose feature documentaries include her collaborations with the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, “The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema” and “The Pervert’s...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Aoife McArdle — “Kissing Candice”
Aoife McArdle was born in Northern Ireland. Her work as a music video director has earned her a nomination for Best Director at the 2014 UK Music Video Awards. “Kissing Candice” is her feature...
TIFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Jenna Bass — “High Fantasy”
Jenna Bass is a director and writer whose work has premiered around the world, including Sundance, Berlinale, Göteborg, Busan, and Durban International Film Festivals, where she has been heralded...
Venice Film Fest 2017 Women Directors: Meet Annika Berg — “Team Hurricane”
Since she was a teenager Danish filmmaker Annika Berg has been making movies. She graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2015 and received critical acclaim for her graduation film,...
Venice Film Fest 2017 Women Directors: Meet Katharina Wyss — “Sarah Plays A Werewolf”
Katharina Wyss is a Swiss filmmaker based in Berlin. She has previously written, directed, edited, and produced commercials and short films “Es war einmal ein König,” “1000 Meilen von...
Venice Film Fest 2017 Women Directors: Meet Natalia Garagiola — “Hunting Season”
Natalia Garagiola is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is the writer-director of shorts “Rincón de López,” which screened at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, and...
Gurinder Chadha on “Viceroy’s House,” the Partiality of Historical Films, and “Bend It Like…
Gurinder Chadha on “Viceroy’s House,” the Partiality of Historical Films, and “Bend It Like Beckham” Gurinder Chadha is a writer, director, and producer known for films like “Bend It...
Venice Film Fest 2017 Women Directors: Meet Alena Lodkina — “Strange Colours”
Alena Lodkina is a Russian-born filmmaker based in Melbourne, Australia. She has made fiction and documentary short films that have played at festivals around the world, including Melbourne...
The “Fun Mom Dinner” Team on Depicting Friendship Between Mothers Onscreen
After the success of last year’s “Bad Moms,” there has been a slew of raunchy, female-driven comedies like “Rough Night,” “Little Hours,” and “Girls Trip.” The most recent addition...
Amanda Lipitz on the Inspiring Girls of “Step”
Do yourself a favor and go see “Step” this weekend. It’s impossible to watch without wanting to dance in your seat. Directed by Amanda Lipitz, the inspiring doc follows three senior...
Bonni Cohen on Why “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power” Gives Viewers A Bucket of Hope
Bonni Cohen is an award-winning producer and director. She co-directed “Audrie & Daisy,” which premiered in competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up as a Netflix...
Katherine Dieckmann on Crafting an Unconventional Female Protagonist in “Strange Weather”
Katherine Dieckmann’s films include “Motherhood,” “Diggers,” and “A Good Baby.” She began her career as a journalist, writing for such publications as Rolling Stone, The Village Voice,...
Ingrid Jungermann on How “Serial” Influenced “Women Who Kill”
Ingrid Jungermann created the WGA-nominated web series “F To 7th,” featuring Amy Sedaris, Michael Showalter, and Gaby Hoffmann, and co-created “The Slope.” She received her MFA at NYU...
“Landline’s” Gillian Robespierre and Elisabeth Holm on Jenny Slate, the ’90s, and Sisterhood
Gillian Robespierre and Elisabeth Holm are a filmmaking team best known for their 2014 abortion comedy “Obvious Child.” Their newest film, “Landline,” which the duo co-wrote and Robespierre...
“Desert Hearts” Director Donna Deitch Talks Love Scenes, Gloria Steinem, and the Sequel
The groundbreaking lesbian film “Desert Hearts” has been digitally remastered and is being released on the big screen and on Blu-ray. Originally released in 1986, the Natalie Cooper-written film...
Interview: Costume Designer Stacey Battat Talks Creating the Fashions of “The Beguiled”
“The Beguiled”: Ben Rothstein/Focus Features Costume designer Stacey Battat’s latest film is “The Beguiled,” which happens to be her fourth collaboration with filmmaker Sofia Coppola....
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Arnold — “Fat Camp”
Jennifer Arnold is an Emmy-nominated director whose credits include documentaries “A Small Act,” “The Diplomat,” and “Tig.” She’s been an advisor at Outfest, Film Independent, Women in...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Amanda Kopp — “Liyana”
Amanda Kopp is an award-winning photographer and artist. She was producer and cinematographer for “Likhaya.” She also filmed for the “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about the prevalence...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Leena Pendharkar — “20 Weeks”
Leena Pendharkar is an award-winning writer and director working in film, television, and new media. Her first feature film, “Raspberry Magic,” about a young girl’s connection to nature,...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Leyla Nedorosleva — “Two Four Six”
Leyla Nedorosleva is an independent filmmaker based in Moscow, Russia. Her short film “1919” screened in competition at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. In 2009 Nedorosleva founded Concordius, a...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Valerie Red-Horse Mohl — “Mankiller”
Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, a filmmaker of Cherokee ancestry, is the owner/founder of Red-Horse Native Productions, Inc., which has become a preeminent collaborator with American Indian tribal nations...
“Maudie” Director Aisling Walsh on Relationships, Perseverance, and Bringing Maud Lewis to Life
“Maudie” was such an unexpected delight. With terrific performances from Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, “Maudie” brings us into the lives of Maud and Everett Lewis, two people who come...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sara Lamm — “Thank You For Coming”
Sara Lamm is a writer, performer, and documentary filmmaker. Her most recent film, “Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives,” co-directed with Mary Wigmore, won the Audience Award at...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Morrison — “Sun Dogs”
Jennifer Morrison is an actress, producer, and director. Her acting credits include “Once Upon a Time,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “House.” She’s the founder of Apartment 3C...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ciara Lacy — “Out of State”
Ciara Lacy is a Native Hawaiian filmmaker whose interest lies in using strong characters and investigative journalism to challenge the creative and political status quo. Her work has shown in...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Whitney Cummings — “The Female Brain”
Whitney Cummings is a Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. Best known for creating and starring in the NBC series “Whitney,” she also co-created and co-wrote the...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Julia Meltzer — “Dalya’s Other Country”
Julia Meltzer is an award-winning filmmaker and the founder and director of Clockshop, an arts organization. She previously directed the feature film, “The Light in Her Eyes,” which broadcast on...
LAFF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Elizabeth Rohrbaugh— “Becks”
Elizabeth Rohrbaugh is writer and director based in NYC. Her documentary, “The Perfect Victim,” was on the PBS series “America Reframed” after premiering at the Hot Springs International...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Sophia Scott and Georgia Scott — “Lost in Lebanon”
Sophia Scott is a producer, director, and cinematographer. She has worked extensively as a self-shooting camerawoman across Africa and Asia for various organizations including the UN, PBS, CBC, The...
“Megan Leavey” Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite Talks Dogs, War, and Feminism
“Megan Leavey” is both a story of war and a story of love. Based on a true story, the movie centers on Megan (Kate Mara), a woman at the end of her rope. She joins the Marines and winds up in a...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Heather White — “Complicit”
Heather White is a first-time documentary director. She is the founder and former Executive Director of Verité, an award-winning non-profit organization recognized for its groundbreaking leadership...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Cristina Herrera Borquez— “No Dress Code Required”
Cristina Herrera Borquez is a Mexican film director whose first documentary short film “The Minutemen Project” (2006) received recognition for Outstanding Artistic Endeavo” at the 6th...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Katia Maguire and April Hayes — “Home Truth”
Katia Maguire is a director and producer of documentary films. She recently produced two projects for PBS, a film about the lives of three witnesses to the US-Mexico “war on drugs,” and a series...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Pamela Yates — “The Resistance Saga”
Pamela Yates is a co-founder and current creative director of Skylight, a media company dedicated to creating feature length documentary films and digital media tools that advance awareness of human...
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Rina Castelnuovo-Hollander — “Muhi – Generally…
Human Rights Watch FF 2017 Women Directors: Meet Rina Castelnuovo-Hollander — “Muhi – Generally Temporary” “Muhi – Generally Temporary” is Rina Castelnuovo-Hollander’s...
Zoe Lister-Jones on Hiring an All-Female Crew for Her Directorial Debut “Band Aid”
Zoe Lister-Jones is an actress, writer, and producer. And now she’s a director. “Band Aid,” her directorial debut, is a terrific story about a couple who decide to turn their epic fights into...
“Letters from Baghdad” Directors on Spy, Explorer, and Political Powerhouse Gertrude Bell
Interview by Kate Gardner Sabine Krayenbühl is an award-winning editor with over 20 theatrical documentaries and narrative features to her credit. Her work includes Oscar and Independent Spirit...
Interview: Theater Director Rebecca Taichman on Her First Broadway Show “Indecent”
Rebecca Taichman: rebeccataichman.com A fixture of Off-Broadway and regional theater spaces, Rebecca Taichman has been at the helm of many productions including “Familiar,” “Stage Kiss,”...
Interview: Paula Vogel Talks About Being a Woman in Theater and Making Her Broadway Debut with…
Interview: Paula Vogel Talks About Being a Woman in Theater and Making Her Broadway Debut with “Indecent” Paula Vogel: paulavogelplaywright.com Paula Vogel is making her Broadway debut this...
Cannes Interview: “I Am Not a Witch” Writer-Director Rungano Nyoni Talks Misogyny, Witches, and…
Cannes Interview: “I Am Not a Witch” Writer-Director Rungano Nyoni Talks Misogyny, Witches, and Shooting in Zambia “I Am Not a Witch” is one of the most original films about feminism I have...