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 […]
Being Fully Present: Alicia Witt on David Lynch, “Longlegs,” Her New Concert Tour and More
A longtime holiday wish of mine will be granted this month when I finally get to see one of my favorite actors perform in person. As part of her “Spending Christmas” tour, Alicia Witt will be putting on a holiday concert at Evanston SPACE, featuring tunes from her wonderful album, “I Think I’m Spending Christmas […]
On Borrowed Time: The Beauty of “John Candy: I Like Me”
“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 filming 1989’s “Uncle Buck” at the mere age of 7. “That movie was playing video games with Mac[auley Culkin] and rejoicing in the extraordinary loveliness […]
Honoring a Trailblazer: Dr. Christine Houston and the Origins of 227
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 series offered warmth, humor, and authenticity at a time when such portrayals were scarce on primetime television. With over 18 million weekly viewers and a […]
Behind the Chair: Kala Bradford on Barbershop Culture, Community, and Creativity
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, September 27, at Kinowerks in Chicago. Rooted in her documentary series The Executive Barber, the project celebrates the cultural power of barbershops and expands into […]
Sound, Vision, and Community: Chicago’s Women Leading Post-Production
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, co-founded Journeywork Entertainment and Anacrony Post at Quicksilver Color, bringing her expertise to indie films, commercials, and corporate content. Ashton Johnson (Noisefloor LTD) blends marketing […]
“Year One” Brings a Spotlight on Mental Health on College Campuses: A Conversation with Filmmaker Lauren Loesberg and Producer Imani Davis
I had the opportunity to speak with filmmaker Lauren Loesberg and producer Imani Davis about their film “Year One,” which explores mental health challenges that college students face in their freshman year of college. This theme resonated with another film where I interviewed, director Alex Heller, about her film “The Year Between.” I could relate […]
Beauty in Vulnerability: Richard Green and Claire Coulson-Ollivier on “I Know Catherine, the Log Lady”
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 was “Twin Peaks” that brought my wife—Cinema Femme founder Rebecca Martin Fagerholm—and I together, and has helped preserve our sanity whenever the news cycle is […]
In the Direction of Healing: Kat Blade, Danyelle Monson, Jordan Rivers and Cara Winter on “Cottage Grove”
Sometimes the most meaningful interactions can take place in the unlikeliest of locations. Consider the central relationship in George Ellzey Jr.’s riveting short film, “Cottage Grove,” between a young man, Emmanuel (Patrick Agata), and his father, Senior (Sean Blake), who has suffered a stroke. The film’s action takes place primarily in the parking lot of a […]
Sundance 2025: Alex Heller on her Short Film “Debaters”
One of my favorite things to do at Sundance is hop around to different restaurants and coffee shops, and just chat with people. When I went to a pizza place in the downtown area of Park City, I saw the young cast of the short film, “Debaters,” directed by Alex Heller (“The Year Between”). They were […]
Nora Fiffer on bringing postpartum to the screen in “Another Happy Day”
What if we had a world that catered to families rather than individuals? What if, in our artistic pursuits, we left room for care? There is so much regarding women’s health and motherhood that is not shared. We just assume it’s a part of life, and we should just be grateful. Yet a lot of […]
Haroula Rose on her wonderfully cast family dramedy “All Happy Families”
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Leo Tolstoy Today we bring back our CIFF 2023 interview from October 2023 to help promote the upcoming screening of “All Happy Families” at the Music Box Theatre. The screening will take place on October 7, 2024. Haroula Rose will be […]