#Films
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Karen Cinorre – “Mayday”
Karen Cinorre is a writer/director whose work has shown internationally at such venues as the New York Film Festival, Rotterdam Film Festival, and Opera Centrum Amsterdam. She’s currently...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Mariem Pérez Riera – “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It”
Mariem Pérez Riera’s first documentary, “Cuando lo pequeño se hace grande,” about the Puerto Ricans who fought against the U.S. Navy presence in the island of Vieques, was...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Sally Aitken – “Playing with Sharks”
Sally Aitken is an Emmy-nominated director and writer, and showrunner of multiple international series. Her award-winning work includes the Camera d’Or-nominated feature documentary “A...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Marion Hill – “Ma Belle, My Beauty”
Marion Hill (she/they) is a New Orleans-based director with roots in Vietnam, England, and France. Her direction of the camera is devoted to the nuances of femme power, queer sensibility, and radical...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Kate Tsang – “Marvelous and the Black Hole”
Kate Tsang is an artist, filmmaker, and Emmy-nominated writer. Tsang’s award-winning shorts have been watched by millions online and broadcast nationally on PBS. Her most notable works are...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Zoe Lister-Jones – “How It Ends”
Zoe Lister-Jones is an actor, writer, director and producer. She recently wrote, directed, and produced “The Craft: Legacy.” Lister-Jones made her directorial debut with “Band Aid,” which...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Frida Kempff – “Knocking”
Frida Kempff’s films have been screened and awarded at festivals including Cannes, Sundance, Telluride, IDFA, London Film Festival, and Gothenburg. In 2010 she won Cannes’ Jury Prize for...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Carlson Young – “The Blazing World”
Carlson Young’s first short film, “The Blazing World,” premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Also an actor, she has appeared in “Scream: The TV Series,” “Key...
Sundance 2021 Women Directors: Meet Prano Bailey-Bond – “Censor”
Prano Bailey-Bond is a Welsh director and screenwriter. Commissioned by Film4 to direct an episode of their Halloween focused “Fright Bites,” Bailey-Bond’s short...
Pick of the Day: “Identifying Features”
There is no shortage of disturbing images in “Identifying Features,” Fernanda Valadez’s poetic tale of family, violence, and migration. We see an eyeball being operated upon and the...
Eliza Schroeder Talks “Love Sarah,” an Uplifting Drama About “Giving Life Another Chance”
Eliza Schroeder incorporated her London-based production company, Rainstar Productions, in 2008. She’s directed and produced several short films including “Matilda,” “First, Love?,”...
Trailer Watch: Freida Lee Mock Revisits RBG’s Legacy in “Ruth: Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words”
“I did very well in law school. It was not possible to do much better,” Ruth Bader Ginsburg reveals via archival footage in “Ruth: Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words.”...
Pick of the Day: “Herself”
What makes a home? What makes a family, or community? Struggling single mother Sandra (co-screenwriter Clare Dunne) finds out in “Herself,” Phyllida Lloyd’s third feature film. Due to the...
January 2021 Film Preview
By Tatiana McInnis and Shayna Maci Warner 2020 has been an exercise of endurance, unspeakable loss, tragedy, anxiety, and rage, the scale of which cannot be addressed in any piece of writing. Many...
Pick of the Day: “Promising Young Woman”
“Promising Young Woman” is one helluva debut feature. The first film from actress and former “Killing Eve” showrunner Emerald Fennell is a sharp, stylish take on rape culture and is frankly...
Weekly Update for December 23: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD Wonder Woman 1984 – Directed by Patty Jenkins; Written by Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, and Dave Callaham At long last, we’re being...
2020’s Best Films By and About Women
Confined and isolated thanks to COVID-19, we relied on films and appreciated their ability to transport and distract more than ever this year. Our favorite pics of 2020 served as invaluable emotional...
Weekly Update for December 18: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Ma Rainey knows her worth. As played by Viola Davis in the screen adaptation of August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s...
Pick of the Day: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Ma Rainey knows her worth. As played by Viola Davis in the screen adaptation of August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Ma is a confident truth-teller who has experienced...
Women Directed 47 Percent of Sundance 2021’s Overall Feature Slate
Sundance has gifted us all with a holiday present. The film festival has unveiled its 2021 lineup and 47 percent of the overall feature slate is directed or co-directed by women. Even better, women...
Weekly Update for December 11: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD The Stand-In – Directed by Jamie Babbit “The Stand-In” A washed-up movie star, Candy (Drew Barrymore), busted for tax...
Patty Jenkins Will Be the First Woman to Direct a “Star Wars” Movie
From Themyscira to a galaxy Far, Far Away, Patty Jenkins continues to make history. The “Wonder Woman” filmmaker is set to become the first woman to helm a “Star Wars” film....
Pick of the Day: “Funny Boy”
“Why does everyone say I’m funny? What does that mean?” young Arjie (Arush Nand) asks in “Funny Boy.” His parents are trying to explain to him why he can’t dress up as the...
Rose Glass’ “Saint Maud” Sweeps BIFA Nominations with Record-Breaking 17 Nods
The titular character of “Saint Maud” can rest assured: there is some good in the world! Rose Glass’ psychological horror drama received 17 British Independent Film Awards nods this...
Trailer Watch: Clare Dunne Takes On the Housing Crisis and a Toxic Ex in Phyllida Lloyd’s “Herself”
“We can’t go on like this,” Sandra (Clare Dunne), a struggling single mother of two, says in the trailer for Phyllida Lloyd’s new film, “Herself.” In need of new...
Weekly Update for December 4: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD Nomadland – Written and Directed by Chloé Zhao “Nomadland” is a marvel. A master class by rapidly ascending writer-director...
Pick of the Day: “La Leyenda Negra”
“Respect my existence or expect resistance.” These are the words high school senior and immigration rights activist Aleteia (Monica Betancourt) reiterates throughout “La Leyenda...
Pick of the Day: “I’m Your Woman”
I have two theories about “I’m Your Woman,” Julia Hart’s latest feature and AFI Fest 2020’s opening film. The first: This movie is the photonegative of the classic...
Cynthia Erivo to Topline and Produce Biopic About African Princess Sarah Forbes Bonetta
Cynthia Erivo is set to portray yet another real-life trailblazer. The star of “Harriet” and the forthcoming “Genius: Aretha” has signed on to topline a biopic about Sarah...
“Happiest Season” Breaks Hulu Records, Writer-Director Clea DuVall Open to Making a Sequel
The pandemic may have thrown off “Happiest Season’s” original release plans, but it’s a major success story nonetheless. Clea DuVall’s LGBTQ+ holiday rom-com, from Sony’s...
April Mullen on Highlighting Targets and Victims of Governmental Subjugation in “Wander”
April Mullen is a mixed Anishinaabe Algonquin (Indigenous) director and producer. Her credits include “Below Her Mouth,” which made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film...
December 2020 Film Preview
By Tatiana McInnis and Shayna Maci Warner December brings together cinematic stories of every magnitude. From big-budget, long-delayed superhero sequels and explorations of iconic singers, artists,...
Weekly Update for November 25: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD Happiest Season – Directed by Clea DuVall; Written by Clea DuVall and Mary Holland Hark! The Herald Drag Queens Sing: Clea DuVall’s...
Weekly Update for November 20: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD Run Mommie Dearest does her best impression of Marmee in “Run.” Picture-perfect, warm, and loving on the surface, Diane (Sarah Paulson) is a...
Pick of the Day: “Born to Be”
Although it covers a very different topic, “Born to Be” reminds me of another doc that came out this year, “Aggie.” Like the latter’s protagonist, Agnes Gund,...
Trailer Watch: A Tragic Accident Leaves Sienna Miller Reconsidering Her Relationship in “Wander Darkly”
“What do you think happens when you die? What if it’s some extension or manifestation of your fears?” a woman asks her husband after her own death. The trailer for Tara...
Trailer Watch: A Woman Receives a Not-So Indecent Proposal in “Getting to Know You”
Abby (Natasha Little) gets the opportunity to have a little fun at the nondescript hotel she’s staying in for the night: a stranger requests she pose as his wife when he discovers the woman...
Weekly Update for November 13: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD Dirty God – Directed by Sacha Polak; Written by Sacha Polak and Susanne Farrell “Dirty God” takes on the nexus of gendered...
Pick of the Day: “Dirty God”
Sacha Polak’s BIFA-nominated drama “Dirty God” takes on the nexus of gendered violence and sexual objectification through the portrait of one young woman. Jade (newcomer Vicky...
Trailer Watch: Kate Winslet and Ashley Avis Bring “Black Beauty” to Life Once More
“They say horses pick you,” we learn in the trailer for the latest remake of “Black Beauty,” from writer-director Ashley Avis. That certainly is the case with the titular...
Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Fest’s Final Week to Showcase Works by Felicia Pride & More
This year’s edition of the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival has confirmed its final week’s titles and events. The fest, an annual affair founded by African Voices magazine and...
Weekly Update for November 6: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD Proxima – Directed by Alice Winocour; Written by Alice Winocour and Jean-Stéphane Bron “Proxima” charts a different kind of...
Diane Lane on Exploring Grief, Motherhood, and Marriage in Her New Film “Let Him Go”
Diane Lane has starred in dozens of memorable films, starting with her first first feature, 1979’s “A Little Romance.” She has portrayed a self-reliant teen in Francis Ford...
Trailer Watch: A Young Gay Man Comes of Age in ’70s Sri Lanka in Deepa Mehta’s “Funny Boy”
A boy is pulled in different directions as political tensions mount in 1970s Sri Lanka in Deepa Mehta’s latest, “Funny Boy.” A trailer has arrived for the ARRAY Releasing title,...
Weekly Update for October 30: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD Kaali Khuhi – Directed by Terrie Samundra; Written by Terrie Samundra and David Walter Lech “Kaali Khuhi” Shivangi (Riva...
Alice Gu Sees Her Doc “The Donut King” as the “Quintessential American Dream Story”
Alice Gu launched her career as a still photographer/cinematographer. Shooting docs has taken her from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, to touring with rock bands throughout Europe, to following the...
November 2020 Film Preview
By Shayna Maci Warner and Tatiana McInnis November is a varied, exciting month for women-forward filmmaking, sprinkled with dystopian thrillers, glimpses into grief and trauma-fueled paranoia, and...
Weekly Update for October 23: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD The Craft: Legacy – Written and Directed by Zoe Lister-Jones In Blumhouse’s continuation of the cult hit “The Craft,” an eclectic...
Pick of the Day: “Bad Hair”
If you’re already missing “Lovecraft Country” and wishing HBO would just go ahead and frickin’ renew it already, then “Bad Hair” is just what the doctor ordered....
Offering a “Brave Space to Create Unapologetically”: Crowdfunding Picks
This round of crowdfunding picks shares a focus on representing and tackling a range of intersecting social and cultural issues. They rely on humor, fantasy, and, of course, Zoom, to address the...
Weekly Update for October 16: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Opening
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD What the Constitution Means to Me (Filmed Stage Production) – Directed by Marielle Heller; Written by Heidi Schreck As Amy Coney...