Chicago is buzzing with energy this month as we celebrate the incredible impact of women-led and women-owned businesses in the film community. The Independent Film Exhibition Conference (IND/EX), running June 22 – 25, will be hosted by the Film Festival Alliance and supported by Art House Convergence. It brings together industry leaders under the guidance of women like Mallory Martin, Lela Meadow-Conner, and Kate Markham. This spirit of innovation extends to the iconic Music Box Theatre, where Co-owner and CEO Brody Sheldon and the venue’s team is unveiling a stunning new third theater space designed by Heather Morrison’s woman-owned MAPS Architecture. Adding to the excitement, Cinema Femme is preparing to host its fourth consecutive in-person edition of the Cinema Femme Short Film Festival in the new theater of this historic venue on October 11 – 13, 2026. It is a truly remarkable time to honor the women and LGBTQ+ voices shaping the future of cinema in our city.
For our June Femme Film Series, we are highlighting films where women and gender-expansive people were integral to their success. This includes two projects Cinema Femme is co-hosting with The Future of Film is Female, founded by Executive Director Caryn Coleman: “Spanked by a Ghost,” directed by Katelyn Douglass—a 2025 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival award-winner—and the distributed film “Puddysticks,” directed by Megan Seely. We also want to highlight Emily Blunt’s performance in Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” and the essential programming of Marya E. Gates at Facets, specifically its latest selection, “Yes,” which premieres tomorrow. Reviews are below.
“Spanked by a Ghost” by Katelyn Douglass
The title is intriguing from the start—it definitely has a kinky vibe, so anyone curious about that, or who enjoys it, will certainly be intrigued to watch. But what unfolds in this film is so much more than just titillating enjoyment. I also love how Chicago is highlighted in this short, particularly the graveyard that I always pass on my bike via Clark on the North Side. Katelyn Douglass has an original voice, which led to her winning our audience award for this film. Also, Lindsey Li as the lead—whose “special” relationship with a ghost was so believable and heartfelt—was fantastic. I can’t wait to see what Katelyn does next!
Experience the short film “Spanked by a Ghost” before the feature presentation of “Puddysticks” during the special Cinema Femme and the Future of Film is Female screening event at the Siskel Film Center on July 8th.
“Puddysticks” by Megan Seely
Anyone who has felt stuck in a job rut and is holding onto hope for that next opportunity will find this film refreshing. It’s a bit of a weird one, out of the box, but it’s an adventurous, playful journey that will make you want to follow the main character until the very end. “Puddysticks” follows anxious video-game designer Liz (Megan Seely) and her therapeutic odyssey into a secret society of adults who play like they are little kids. Led by the alluring Sylvester Cromwell, the society compels each member to reveal their most shameful memory, with the promise of psychological healing through childlike play. But when Liz finally gains the courage to share her own darkest trauma, her world turns upside down and she must find her own way to free herself of her past. Megan Seely’s debut feature is a joyously twisted dark comedy.
Go on the “Puddysticks” journey, for the special Cinema Femme and the Future of Film is Female screening event at the Siskel Film Center on July 8th. Megan Seely will be in attendance for a Q&A following the film, moderated by filmmaker Joe Swanberg.
Emily Blunt in “Disclosure Day”
Steven Spielberg’s 38th directorial feature effort is, in some ways, a “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” for our time. The central pair of protagonists are endowed with abilities they can’t explain, the government is desperate to conceal a profound truth from mankind, and the very survival of our species is threatened by a widespread breakdown in communication. With a new score composed by his greatest collaborator, 94-year-old John Williams, Spielberg captivates us with his Hitchcockian set pieces—with one bringing us full circle back to his first masterwork, 1971’s “Duel”—while leaving us with plenty of provocative ideas to chew on. The heart of the picture, however, is embodied by Emily Blunt in her best performance to date. As a meteorologist who suddenly finds herself able to understand the entirety of a person simply by peering into their eyes, Blunt’s transformative work here calls to mind Samantha Morton’s Pre-cog in Spielberg’s last great sci-fi film, “Minority Report.” It’s one of the most beautiful expressions of empathy in modern movies. (Review by Matt Fagerholm)
“Disclosure Day” opens today, June 12th, in theaters everywhere.
“Yes” at Facets, programmed by Marya E. Gates
Cinema Her Way author Marya E. Gates should be commended for bringing such essential and under-seen releases to Chicago’s historic and refreshingly cozy Facets Cinematheque. The latest essential title she’ll be screening is explosive, to say the least: Israeli director Nadav Lapid’s courageous, scalding satire, “Yes,” in which the target of his fury is his own country and those who submit to its abhorrent government. Of course, such themes could easily apply to our own nation, which makes this wildly audacious, impassioned, 150-minute spectacle mightily uncomfortable to watch at times. It is as repellent as it is transfixing, though there are enough moments of brilliance to keep you pinned to your seat, such as when a character turns to the camera and directly reprimands the audience, or when Tammy Wynette’s classic track of “Stand By Your Man” is used so subversively, you’ll never be able to hear it in the same way again. As rightfully horrific as the film is, the very fact of its existence is a cause for hope. (Review by Matt Fagerholm)
“Yes” opens Saturday, June 13th, at Facets Cinematheque and runs through Sunday, June 21st.
