In the fall of 2019, we interviewed Hannah Beachler, the Oscar-winning production designer of “Black Panther.” This interview would shape the trajectory of Cinema Femme’s evolution. Hannah said in our interview,
“We aren’t just taking down ceilings; we are busting down walls. Because you take out a ceiling, and the building will stand, but if you take out the wall, it will fall. My whole thing is to take out the wall and redesign the building. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
And that is the goal of Cinema Femme. Not only does our platform elevate underrepresented voices, but we also aim to redesign the institutions of the film industry by supporting up-and-coming filmmakers with our annual short film festival.
This program is where we award an emerging filmmaker with a three-month mentorship program and a retreat weekend. Twenty films are selected for the festival, and four filmmakers behind the selected films will be awarded the mentorship.
Below are our mentors from our 2024 festival. In prior years our esteemed mentors have been Isabel Sandoval, Melora Walters, Stephanie Filo, Julie Keck, Christine Swanson, Jennifer Reeder, Lisa Robinson, Annette Davey, Kate Hackett, Cecilia Albertini, Deborah Kampmeier, Haroula Rose, Patricia Vidal Delgado, and Laura Moss. Our mentees have gone on to successful projects at Disney, HBO, and more. We are so excited about how this program is blossoming.
Our 2024 Mentors
Ellie Foumbi (she/her)
Ellie Foumbi is an award-winning Cameroonian-American filmmaker whose debut film, “Our Father, the Devil,” screened at over 50 international film festivals and went on to win 36 prizes. It received universal critical acclaim, including an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best Feature and a Gotham Awards Nomination for Best Lead Performance. She’s a BAFTA Breakthrough USA Fellow and was named 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine. Ellie holds an MFA in Directing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts.
Emily Robinson (she/her)
Emily Robinson is a SAG Award-nominated, Special Drama Desk Award- winning actor known for her work in “Eighth Grade,” “The Year Between,” “Private Life,” and Transparent.
Her short films, “Virgin Territory” and “Hearsay,” have screened at numerous festivals, such as LA Film Festival, Outfest, and Frameline. Her writing has been celebrated at Raindance, and her debut novel was published in October 2023.
Robinson holds a degree in Creative Writing from Columbia University and is represented by Buchwald and Foundation Media Partners.
Glam (they/them)
Glam is a director, production designer, multimedia & performance artist making work in Chicago. Glam spends their time collaborating with their friends making films and music videos, fabricating objects in their studio and building sets. Glam is the founder of Glamhag Productions.
Glam makes work about desire, consumerism, gender, sex and food. Channeling their own feelings and desires into this work and examining our everyday performances.
Glamhag’s work and lifestyle align with the dismantling of white supremacy, the liberation of trans people, the decriminalization of sex work, abolition of police forces and prisons and the liberation of Palestine
“It Takes A Village” is a short film directed by Glamhag and written by Sarah Squirm and Glamhag. It is about two pregnant cult members rushing to make it in time for a big ceremony. It was finished in 2022 and has had a successful festival run including Final Girls Film Festival in Berlin and Wench Film Festival in Mumbai. It is now available to watch online via this website!
“Holy Trinity” is Glam’s feature debut about a Dominatrix who can speak to the dead after huffing the contents of an aerosol can; the film was produced in part by Full Spectrum Features and Forager Films. In 2018, they received an Illinois Arts Council grant, a Chicago individual artist grant and was listed in the Newcity’s Film 50 Screen Gems of 2018. The film premiered at Outfest Los Angeles July 2019 and had its East Coast Premiere at Newfest 2019.
Glam has adapted the film to be a scratch and sniff interactive film. Its debut sold out the Nitehawk theatre in Brooklyn June 2023.
In 2018 Glam played a friendly Dominatrix named Amelia on Joe Swanberg’s Netflix Original Easy.
Their short film “Maggie’s Problem” was an official selection of the Chicago Underground Film Festival and the Olympia Film Festival 2015. It won Best Art Direction at the North Portland Unknown Film Festival and is now distributed by Troma.
Glamhag played the role of Mary Woah in E. Esperanza’s short film “Make-out Party” (2018). They worked on production design along with Esperanza, the film received Best Production Design at the Las Vegas Queer Arts Film Festival 2018 and has had a successful festival run.
Emily Lape (she/her)
Emily Lape is an award winning filmmaker, artist and actress. Her feature film, Mercy’s Girl, won several festival awards and is available to stream on Apple Tv, Netflix and Amazon Prime. Before Emily moved to Chicago, she studied acting with the world renowned Ivana Chubbuck and held various positions in multiple studio and indie productions during her 8 years in Los Angeles. Emily continues to write and direct with several upcoming productions.