Matt Fagerholm

2025 Films, Chicago International Film Festival, Directing, Drama, International Films, Interviews

14 min read

Kick Out the Conventions: Agnieszka Holland on “Franz,” “The Secret Garden” and More

by Matt Fagerholm

October 25, 2025

With the 61st Chicago International Film Festival nearly in the rearview mirror, there are so many memories from the past several days that I know I will be cherishing for

Chicago International Film Festival, Film Festivals, reviews

7 min read

CIFF 2025: “The Girl in the Snow,” “The Testament of Ann Lee,” “It was Just an Accident,” “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” “The Plague,” and “Sound of Falling”

by Matt Fagerholm

October 21, 2025

The Girl in the Snow One of the great discoveries I made at CIFF ten years ago was the talent of young Galatéa Bellugi. As a pregnant teen in the

2025 Films, Chicago, Comedy, Documentaries

6 min read

On Borrowed Time: The Beauty of “John Candy: I Like Me”

by Matt Fagerholm

October 8, 2025

“I remember John Candy’s presence much more clearly than that of John Hughes,” Gaby Hoffmann told me during our interview in 2012, after I asked her about her memories of

2025 Films, Awards, Coming of Age, Cult Classic, Directing, Drama, Horror, Indie Films, International Films, Interviews, Now Playing

11 min read

Attracted to Abstraction: Lucile Hadžihalilović on “The Ice Tower”

by Matt Fagerholm

September 30, 2025

“If you can’t play with the language, you are not reinventing the language.” This is what Argentine director Gaspar Noé told me when I interviewed him fifteen years ago about

2025 Films, Cinematographer, Coming of Age, Directing, Drama, Film Editing, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing, Screenwriting

12 min read

It Was All a Miracle: Embeth Davidtz on “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight”

by Matt Fagerholm

July 8, 2025

I was ten years old when Danny DeVito’s euphoric screen adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel Matilda arrived in theaters. I had read the book so many times that the

2025 Films, Awards, Comedy, composer, Directing, Drama, Film Editing, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing, producer, Queer Stories, Screenwriting, Sexual Assault Awareness, Sundance

14 min read

A Profound Experience of Rewriting: Eva Victor on “Sorry, Baby”

by Matt Fagerholm

June 24, 2025

As annoyed as I was about Barry Jenkins, one of the greatest filmmakers working today, recently helming a prequel to the worst Disney remake in history, the Oscar-winning director of

2025 Films, Chicago, Cult Classic, Documentaries, Indie Films, Interviews, TV

22 min read

Beauty in Vulnerability: Richard Green and Claire Coulson-Ollivier on “I Know Catherine, the Log Lady”

by Matt Fagerholm

April 12, 2025

This was one of two Log Lady quotes I incorporated into my speech while officiating my brother-in-law and fellow “Twin Peaks” fan Joe’s wedding last year in Washington state. It

Chicago International Film Festival, Directing, Film Festivals, International Films, Interviews, Television, TV

8 min read

CIFF 2024: Screen Legend Valeria Golino on Her Exhilarating Miniseries, “The Art of Joy”

by Matt Fagerholm

October 18, 2024

Valeria Golino was 18 years old when she filmed Italian director Francesco Maselli’s “Storia d’amore,” the movie that would make her an international star. She earned the Best Actress prize

2024 Films, Chicago, Film Festivals, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing

18 min read

This is Our Family: Tara Mallen, Keith Kupferer and Katherine Mallen Kupferer on “Ghostlight”

by Matt Fagerholm

June 10, 2024

When it comes to monumentally euphoric moviegoing experiences in 2024, Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson have set a mightily high bar with their latest crowd-pleaser, “Ghostlight.” Five years after helming

Cinema Femme Short Film Festival, Interviews, LGBTQ+, Queer Stories, Short Films

33 min read

Uniquely Euphoric: Bridget Frances Harris and Virginia Alonso-Luis on “Places of Worship”

by Matt Fagerholm

June 3, 2024

Every once in a while, I come across a film that feels as if it has been made especially for me. That happened most recently at this year’s joyous in-person

Interviews

26 min read

Shelter from the World: Iliana Zabeth on “House of Pleasures,” #MeToo in France and More

by Matt Fagerholm

April 9, 2024

One of the finest female ensembles in recent years can be found in Bertrand Bonello’s 2011 masterwork, “House of Pleasures,” originally titled “L’Apollonide” in France, the name of the Parisian

Interviews, Television

23 min read

Attracted to the Darkness: Sophia Adler on Her Pivotal Role in “Harlan Coben’s Shelter”

by Matt Fagerholm

November 22, 2023

If there were any justice in the realm of film distribution, every member of the #MeToo movement would currently be the proud owner of a boxed set featuring four movies

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