Rebecca Martin

Awards, Cinema Femme Short Film Festival, Interviews, Oscars, Short Films

10 min read

“Holding Two Truths at Once”: A Conversation with Lauren Melinda on “Before You” and the Mission of Simbelle Productions

by Rebecca Martin

November 18, 2025

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

Interviews

7 min read

Sophia Dunn-Walker: Fearless Vision and the Art of Defiance

by Rebecca Martin

November 12, 2025

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

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

7 min read

Reclaiming the Self: Carolina Cavalli on the Strange Beauty of “The Kidnapping of Arabella”

by Rebecca Martin

October 31, 2025

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

Black History, Chicago International Film Festival, International Films, Interviews

7 min read

Oscar winning filmmaker Euzhan Palcy on her film “Sugar Cane Alley”

by Rebecca Martin

October 24, 2025

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

2025 Films, Chicago International Film Festival, Film Festivals, Indie Films, Interviews

10 min read

“It’s Not Autobiographical—But It’s All Emotionally True”: Mary Bronstein on “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”

by Rebecca Martin

October 20, 2025

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

2025 Films, Documentaries, International Films, Interviews, Uncategorized

10 min read

“To Witness Is to Remember”: An Interview with Emily Mkrtichian

by Rebecca Martin

October 18, 2025

In 2018, filmmaker Emily Mkrtichian began work on what she envisioned as a quiet, contemplative documentary—a portrait of women in Artsakh, the ethnically Armenian region nestled in the South Caucasus,

Chicago, Documentaries, Interviews

11 min read

Honoring a Trailblazer: Dr. Christine Houston and the Origins of 227

by Rebecca Martin

September 26, 2025

When 227 premiered on NBC in 1985, it was more than just a new sitcom—it was a cultural moment. Centered on the lives of a middle-class African American family, the

Film Festivals, Interviews, Short Films

6 min read

Interview with John J. Budion and Elizabeth K. Budion on their animated short film “you.matter”

by Rebecca Martin

September 23, 2025

“you.matter” is an animated sci-fi drama about an astronaut dislodged from her mothership, left with only her final thoughts as she grapples with why this has happened to her. The

Chicago, Interviews

9 min read

Behind the Chair: Kala Bradford on Barbershop Culture, Community, and Creativity

by Rebecca Martin

September 18, 2025

Cinema Femme sat down with Kala Bradford—filmmaker, creative strategist, and founder of Media Maven Studio—to talk about her upcoming event, Behind the Chair: Cross-Industry Event will take place on Saturday,

Chicago, Interviews

9 min read

Sound, Vision, and Community: Chicago’s Women Leading Post-Production

by Rebecca Martin

September 17, 2025

Meet the women shaping Chicago’s post-production scene. Victoria Salazar is a sound designer and mixer at Noisefloor LTD, working across films, commercials, and video games. Anna Christian, editor and post-producer,

Interviews

7 min read

Inside the Wardrobe of “The Roses”: A Conversation with Costume Designer PC Williams

by Rebecca Martin

September 12, 2025

When you walk into a screening of “The Roses,” you can’t help but notice how much the clothes tell the story. Written by Tony McNamara and directed by Jay Roach,

2025 Films, Interviews, Sundance

9 min read

Rachael Abigail Holder Invites Audiences to Find Solace in “Love, Brooklyn”

by Rebecca Martin

September 4, 2025

A modern romance set against the rapidly changing landscape of Brooklyn, “Love, Brooklyn” follows a writer (André Holland, “Moonlight”) as he navigates complicated relationships with his ex, an art gallery