Transcend the Trauma: Giovanna Molina on “Quaker,” “Hickey,” and Her Upcoming Film, “Kismet”
It’s a special kind of thrill when the greatness of an emerging filmmaker’s work hits you like a thunderbolt. That’s precisely what happened to me upon discovering the sublimely nuanced and quietly shattering artistry of writer/director Giovanna Molina, whose indelibly haunting shorts “Deer Girl” and “Hickey” screened as part of the Cinema Femme Short Film […]
Reclaiming Attention: Sara Robin on “Your Attention Please” and the Fight for Digital Autonomy
In “Your Attention Please,” director Sara Robin explores one of today’s most pressing yet hard-to-define crises: the decline of human attention in a digital world built to capture it. What began as a personal exploration of screen habits evolved into a sweeping, solutions-oriented documentary that examines not just individual behavior, but the systems shaping it. […]
Loosening the Knots: Madison Young on “By the Roots”
After seeing Chicago’s BDSM community turn out in huge numbers for a euphoric preview screening of Harry Lighton’s acclaimed movie “Pillion” earlier this year, it’s clear that Madison Young’s equally riveting film, “By the Roots,” is destined to be embraced by audiences in the Windy City. On the heels of her own brilliant debut feature, […]
Doomscrolling the Abyss: Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei on Reimagining Horror in “Faces of Death”
When John Alan Schwartz’s “Faces of Death” came out in 1978, it emerged at a time when the proliferation of violent images wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today. The mondo-horror film, which featured everything from animal cruelty, a firing squad execution, and death by electric chair (to name a few of its violent delights), […]
Cinema Femme Short Film Festival Announces 2026 Dates, Opens Film Submissions, and Welcomes New Festival Director
Submissions Link: filmfreeway.com/CinemaFemme 🎬 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival Returns to the Music Box Theatre and New Festival Director Announced Cinema Femme Short Film Festival Announces 2026 Dates, Opens Film Submissions, and Welcomes New Festival Director Chicago, IL — April 6, 2026 — The Cinema Femme Short Film Festival is thrilled to announce that film […]
Pushing the Boundaries: Emily Robinson on “Ugly Cry” and “Consumed”
If she could, Amber would be a wall painted nondescript grey. Paint isn’t like wallpaper. It can’t be removed completely. No matter how much sanding down, they would still be forced to cover her with white to clear the slate before the next shade splayed atop her. She would haunt the walls and infuse the […]
Rotterdam 2026: Sisters, Spirits and Invented Truths: Itonje Søimer Guttormsen on Her Sophomore Feature “Butterfly”
Premiering in the Big Screen Competition at IFFR (29 January–8 February), “Butterfly” marks Itonje Søimer Guttormsen’s return to feature filmmaking five years after “Gritt.” Set in Gran Canaria, the film follows estranged sisters Lily (Renate Reinsve) and Diana (Helene Bjørneby) as they reunite after their mother’s death and inherit an unfinished resort-cum-esoteric retreat connected to […]
Slamdance 2026: Jessica Barr and Ryan Simpkins on Their Stunning Single-Take Film, “The Plan”
The sun is just beginning to set as the twenty-something characters in Jessica’s Barr’s mesmerizing new film, “The Plan,” start to congregate in an East LA apartment. The calmness of the setting gradually proves to be deceptive, as the mounting tension within these friends—particularly Evan (Ryan Simpkins)—threatens to erupt. With the helicopter blades of an […]
The Magic of Sundance: Stories from my last dance in Park City
Yes, you can just go to Sundance. Yes, you will definitely have fun. Yes, you will see celebrities. Yes, you will see movies that may win Oscars or launch the career of your favorite new filmmaker. No, it’s not easy to get there or get around. No, you won’t feel your healthiest while you are […]
Sundance 2026: Walking Through the In-Between — Malin Barr on “Sauna Sickness” and the Quiet Violence of Emotional Manipulation
My discussion with Swedish-native Malin Barr at Sundance quickly evolved beyond a standard interview. By the time we secured coffee amidst the festival’s intensity, the conversation felt like a continuation of an already established, deeply considered thought. Rather than a conventional, seated Q&A, this piece is a dynamic, walking dialogue. We moved through Park City’s […]
Sundance 2026: “Take Me Home” — Liz Sargent on Caregiving, Disability, and Imagining a More Supportive World
When “Take Me Home” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, it arrived not only as an intimate debut feature but as the expansion of a story Liz Sargent has been living with — and refining — for years. Adapted from her acclaimed short film of the same name, which also screened at Sundance in 2023, […]
Breaking Through the Lens at Sundance: Filmmakers on Resilience, Risk, and Not Selling Out
There’s a particular kind of honesty that surfaces at Sundance—usually not on the red carpet, but in the quiet spaces where filmmakers gather to tell the truth about how hard this all really is. At the Canon Creative Studio Space in Park City, Breaking Through the Lens created one of those moments. The room was […]