Breaking Through the Lens at Sundance: Filmmakers on Resilience, Risk, and Not Selling Out
There’s a particular kind of honesty that surfaces at Sundance—usually not on the red carpet, but in the quiet spaces where filmmakers gather to tell the truth about how hard this all really is. At the Canon Creative Studio Space in Park City, Breaking Through the Lens created one of those moments. The room was […]
Cinema Femme’s Top 10 Films of 2025
I often think about a particular scene from the second series of “Fleabag” as the year draws to a close. Kristin Scott Thomas’s character, Belinda, is at a bar with the show’s titular heroine (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) after winning an award. Their discussion, however, steers away from her esteemed accomplishment and instead focuses on menopause, celebrating […]
When Cinema Becomes a Witness: Kaouther Ben Hania on “The Voice of Hind Rajab”
Kaouther Ben Hania is a two-time Academy Award–nominated filmmaker whose fearless, formally inventive work has positioned her as one of the most vital voices in contemporary international cinema. Moving fluidly between documentary and narrative, her films consistently challenge conventional storytelling while remaining deeply grounded in human experience. Her latest film, “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” […]
Inside “The Museum”: Annette Elliot on Art History, Erasure, and Representation
Annette Elliot is a Chicago-based writer and director whose work sits at the intersection of cinema, art history, and architecture. Drawing consciously from painting, sculpture, and the built environment, her films explore how aesthetic traditions shape—and obscure—cultural meaning. Her latest short film, “The Museum” (2024), which premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Atlanta Film Festival, turns its […]
Crafting Real Stories in Sound — The Artistic Journey of Yuxin Lu
Cinema Femme had the opportunity to speak with sound designer and composer Yuxin Lu. Based in Chicago, Yuxin is a dynamic and multidimensional audio artist whose journey spans continents and disciplines. Before they ever opened a DAW or built a soundscape, they trained as a classical pianist performing across Europe and the U.S. That musical […]
Freya Adams on Craft, Identity, and Building the Stories She Wants to See
Freya Adams is a first-generation Indian American actress best known for her lead role in Jennifer Phang’s “Advantageous” (now streaming on Netflix), where she starred opposite Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, and James Urbaniak. Her television credits include appearances on New Amsterdam, The Blacklist, and a wide range of commercial work. A true multi-hyphenate, Freya is […]
“Women Make the Harsher Films”: Isa Willinger Revisits a Provocation in “No Mercy”
When cult filmmaker Kira Muratova told a young Isa Willinger, “The truth is, women make the harsher films,” the statement lodged itself in Willinger’s mind like a riddle. Could this really be true? So often, women and non-binary filmmakers are framed through the language of empathy, intuition, or sensitivity — rarely through force, severity, or […]
“Holding Two Truths at Once”: A Conversation with Lauren Melinda on “Before You” and the Mission of Simbelle Productions
In the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (June 2022) decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, Lauren Melinda’s “Before You” emerges as an intimate, unflinching, and profoundly human film. Drawing from her own experience, Melinda tells a story of love, loss, and the complexities of women’s health with both cinematic elegance and […]
Sophia Dunn-Walker: Fearless Vision and the Art of Defiance
Sophia Dunn-Walker’s creative world hums with contrast — elegance laced with rebellion, discipline infused with punk energy. A director, producer, and actor, Dunn-Walker’s work traverses film, music, and visual art with a boldness that feels both intellectual and deeply instinctive. Behind the camera, she directed “Philomele” (2019) and is currently developing a sci-fi opera among […]
Reclaiming the Self: Carolina Cavalli on the Strange Beauty of “The Kidnapping of Arabella”
Italian filmmaker Carolina Cavalli has quickly emerged as one of the most original voices in contemporary cinema. Born in Milan, Cavalli made her feature debut with “Amanda” (2022), which premiered at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals and introduced her signature blend of melancholy, absurdity, and quiet tenderness. She later co-wrote “Fremont” (2023) with […]
Oscar winning filmmaker Euzhan Palcy on her film “Sugar Cane Alley”
Set against the vivid backdrop of 1931 French-colonized Martinique, “Sugar Cane Alley” (“Rue Cases-Nègres”) stands as one of cinema’s most tender and politically charged coming-of-age stories. The film follows eleven-year-old José, a bright and curious boy raised by his devoted grandmother, M’man Tine, who dreams of a life for him beyond the sugar cane fields. […]
“It’s Not Autobiographical—But It’s All Emotionally True”: Mary Bronstein on “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Mary Bronstein is a writer/director based in New York City, known for her raw style, auteurist approach, and unflinching focus on stories about complicated women. Her best-known work, the cult-classic “Yeast,” earned her a dedicated following in the independent film world. Now, she returns with her long-awaited second feature, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick […]