Sundance 2023 review: “A Thousand and One,” directed by A.V. Rockwell
A.V. Rockwell’s debut feature “A Thousand and One” is an earth-shattering revelation. Taking place in Harlem from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, the film is not only a document of a changing city, but a portrait of love and family persevering against the odds. When Inez (Teyana Taylor) is released from Rikers Island at the beginning […]
Emmy-winning editor Stephanie Filo on making history with “A Black Lady Sketch Show”
I’ll admit that when I checked out Stephanie Filo’s IMDB page and her website, I was a little intimidated. I am always in awe of the women and non-binary people in film whom I interview. One reason is because they are so great at what they do and they are a part of a medium […]
Adamma Ebo and Adanne Ebo on their feature film debut “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.”
We are bringing our Sundance interview back because of the upcoming release of the film on 9/2/22 Cinema Femme had the pleasure to speak with sisters Adamma Ebo (writer and director) and Adanne Ebo (producer) about their film “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul” that premiered at Sundance 2022. The film stars Regina Hall and […]
Celebrating Juneteenth, a look back: A conversation with documentarian Dawn Porter
February 2021 Cinema Femme had the honor of speaking with documentarian Dawn Porter about her impactful films. We bring back our interview with her to celebrate Juneteenth weekend. *Not an updated biography, biography from February 2021. Learn more about Dawn Porter’s latest work here. DAWN PORTER Biography Award-winning filmmaker, producer, and mental health/social justice advocate […]
“We are part of anything that is possible and imaginable”: Directors Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams on “Neptune Frost” 
Africa’s cinematic history is as diverse as its people. There’s our Senegalese cinematic “father” Ousmane Sembène, the post-colonial emergence of Nigeria’s Nollywood (the largest film industry on the continent, and second largest in the world in terms of volume), the indigenous cinema from Egypt or Tunisia dating back to the late 1800s…you get the picture. Granted, […]
A mental breakdown breaks through stigmas in Maria Judice’s feature debut, “Elephant”
We had the opportunity to speak with activist and filmmaker Maria Judice about her directorial feature debut “Elephant,” which will have its in-person premiere at the Ann Arbor Film Festival on Sunday, 3/27 at 3:15 PM ET. You can watch it at the fest virtually now. Buy tickets here. It all started four years ago, around the […]
A Look Back: Luchina Fisher’s “Mama Gloria” brings a hopeful outlook to the young trans community
For Women’s History Month and Trans Visibility Day approaching on March 31, we bring back our interview from the Chicago International Film Festival in October 2020. We are proud to support “Mama Gloria” – an intimate profile of Chicago’s trailblazing Black transgender icon and activist Gloria Allen. Now streaming on PBS. Visit mamagloriafilm.com for more […]
Producer Oluwaseun Babalola on her powerful HBO doc “Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches”
I met Oluwaseun, also known as ‘Seun, a couple years ago when I interviewed her about her series “SOJU”. Each episode zeroes in on a different niche of the African community around the world. What ‘Seun is doing for African culture is so important, and equally important and exciting is what she is doing for […]
Behind the Camera with Charlotte Hornsby, cinematographer of Mariama Diallo’s Sundance 2022 feature debut, “Master”
The surprising horror film “Master” directed by Mariama Diallo debuted at Sundance 2022. I’ve never seen the Black female experience so intimately told in this setting. We are brought into the world of a mostly white elite east coast private college that has been around since practically the beginning of our US history. As the […]
Breaking through the cliché of Poly Styrene: An examination of Celeste Bell’s documentary on her mother
Punk, also called punk rock, is an aggressive form of rock music that coalesced into an international (though predominantly Anglo-American) movement in 1975–80. Often politicized and full of vital energy beneath a sarcastic, hostile facade, punk spread as an ideology and an aesthetic approach, becoming an archetype of teen rebellion and alienation. -Britannica The documentary […]
For Juneteenth, we celebrate and elevate “As Of Yet,” directed by Chanel James and Taylor Garron
For Juneteenth today, we will be celebrating the Tribeca film “As Of Yet” directed by Chanel James and Taylor Garron. Juneteenth has now become a national federal holiday, which would not have happened if it wasn’t for the #BlackLivesMatter movement that rose to prominence last year in response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna […]
CANDYMAN | Juneteenth Message from Nia DaCosta
Juneteenth is a day that has historically recognized the perseverance and power of the Black community. Over the last two years, taking time to recognize and reflect on this holiday has only gained added significance. Black art, and Black storytelling in particular, provides audiences the opportunity to see both the reality and the possibility of […]