Rebecca Martin

International Films, Interviews

5 min read

When Cinema Becomes a Witness: Kaouther Ben Hania on “The Voice of Hind Rajab”

by Rebecca Martin

December 19, 2025

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

Chicago International Film Festival, Interviews

5 min read

Inside “The Museum”: Annette Elliot on Art History, Erasure, and Representation

by Rebecca Martin

December 13, 2025

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

Chicago, Profile

4 min read

Crafting Real Stories in Sound — The Artistic Journey of Yuxin Lu

by Rebecca Martin

December 10, 2025

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

Interviews

6 min read

Freya Adams on Craft, Identity, and Building the Stories She Wants to See

by Rebecca Martin

December 1, 2025

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,

Documentaries, Film Festivals, International Films, Interviews

8 min read

“Women Make the Harsher Films”: Isa Willinger Revisits a Provocation in “No Mercy”

by Rebecca Martin

November 21, 2025

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

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

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