“We know that our rising tide lifts all boats. We are who we depend on, so we create spaces where we can uplift each other. This is not a place where you’re going to go to a party and everyone will be looking over their […]
This interview was originally posted on January 20th, 2023 for our 2023 Sundance coverage. We feature it again with the anticipated November 24 US theatrical release. See link to find showtimes in your area. The film comes to digital on 01/23/2024. This film is quoted […]
I’m going to keep my intro brief because I feel filmmaker Michéle Stephenson speaks to the truth of her film “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” which she co-directed with Joe Brewster, in more of an eloquent way than I could. So this interview […]
Sometimes you need a film that can wash over you and speak to the elements in your soul by reflecting the world around you. That is what “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt” did for me. It was a pleasure speaking with the director of […]
Everything that Jaclyn Bethany does has such a depth and poetry to it. I’ve interviewed her about several of her projects, and people whom she’s worked with. Jaclyn has an eye for working with emerging talent, and it has been so exciting to follow her […]
In 1993, Danielle Metz, a first-time nonviolent offender, was sentenced to triple-life plus twenty years. In 2016, she was granted clemency by the Obama Administration. Nailah Jefferson, a storyteller and documentarian, has now made the film “Commuted,” which chronicles Danielle’s life post-prison. I was fortunate […]
I’ve been fortunate to interview some of the up-and-coming female programmers who have come out of Chicago. Earlier this year, I spoke with Imani Davis, who now is a programmer at the American Cinemateque in Los Angeles. Last week, I talked to a poetic soul, […]
Cinema Femme is going to New Orleans for its 34th annual film festival! This will be the first year in which I will personally be covering the festival for Cinema Femme both in-person and virtually. I’ve pre-screened some of the films, and will be watching […]
“Paradise is Burning” screened as part of The 59th Chicago International Film Festival on October 18, 2023, as part of the International Competition. Writer-director Mika Gustafson’s “Paradise is Burning” is a union of debuts. It’s her narrative feature film debut, and the three actresses at […]
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Leo Tolstoy Haroula Rose’s sophomore feature “All Happy Families” starts with the above quote, which is resonant for most people. The family dramedy is her follow-up feature to the powerful “Once […]
“Sisterhood” screened as part of The 59th Chicago International Film Festival, learn more about this film! Nora El Hourch’s feature debut “Sisterhood” (french title: “HLM Pussy”) is an emboldened dossier of how girlhood prematurely, and often violently, transitions into womanhood. Amina (Leah Aubet), Djeneba (Médina […]
“The Beautiful Summer” is screening this afternoon at AMC NEWCITY at 2:30 PM as part of the Women in Cinema and Outlook program. Adolescence is universal. No matter the time period, gender, sexuality, or setting, coming of age is tangible to any audience member. It […]