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 […]
A Call for Peace and Human Connection: Hikari on “Rental Family”
As I sat in my favorite movie palace, the Music Box Theatre, waiting for my wife—Cinema Femme founder Rebecca Martin—to arrive for that evening’s eagerly awaited Chicago International Film Festival screening of Hikari’s “Rental Family,” I overheard the woman next to me mention her plans to see my all-time favorite film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” […]
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 […]
Kick Out the Conventions: Agnieszka Holland on “Franz,” “The Secret Garden” and More
With the 61st Chicago International Film Festival nearly in the rearview mirror, there are so many memories from the past several days that I know I will be cherishing for years to come. Yet the one that stands above them all is the half-hour I got to spend last weekend speaking with one of the […]
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. […]
CIFF 2025: “The Girl in the Snow,” “The Testament of Ann Lee,” “It was Just an Accident,” “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” “The Plague,” and “Sound of Falling”
The Girl in the Snow One of the great discoveries I made at CIFF ten years ago was the talent of young Galatéa Bellugi. As a pregnant teen in the coming of age gem “Keeper” (no relation to Osgood Perkins’ upcoming thriller of the same name), Bellugi’s astonishing performance was one of the key reasons […]
“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 […]
CIFF 2024: “Nightbitch,” “Grafted,” “We Were Dangerous,” “Toxic,” and “The Missile”
This past year has seen a wave of female directed movies – whether it be horror, drama, or comedy – fixed upon the female body. Unsurprisingly, with the political climate of the past few years surrounding women’s bodily autonomy, many of the films I saw at Chicago’s 60th International Film Festival carried these same interests. […]
CIFF 2024: “Mistress Dispeller,” “Hard Truths,” “Rita,” and “My Stolen Planet”
I have always found that the Chicago International Film Festival is a formidable venue for riveting, empathetic tales about women and girls. Last year, “Paradise is Burning” was my favorite film of the fest, and one of my top five for the year. This year, I was glad to view more incredible narrative features that […]
CIFF 2024: Screen Legend Valeria Golino on Her Exhilarating Miniseries, “The Art of Joy”
Valeria Golino was 18 years old when she filmed Italian director Francesco Maselli’s “Storia d’amore,” the movie that would make her an international star. She earned the Best Actress prize in Venice, and went on to be cast in such major Hollywood releases as “Rain Man,” “Big Top Pee-Wee,” “Hot Shots!”, “Leaving Las Vegas” and […]
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 […]
ChiFilmFest celebrates their 60th festival season with free summer screenings of films by female filmmakers
I had the opportunity to speak with Sam Flancher, programmer of the Chicago International Film Festival, about the free summer screenings they held for the first half of the summer at the Chicago History Museum, and will be continuing at the Chicago Cultural Center throughout the end of the summer season. All films that are […]