Sundance 2026: Unapologetically Imperfect: Siri Hjorton Wagner on Female Desire and Motherhood in “Without Kelly”
“Without Kelly” screened at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival as part of the Shorts Program, following its Orizzonti International Short Film Award win at the Venice Film Festival. Made by Swedish filmmaking duo Lovisa Sirén (director) and Siri Hjorton Wagner (producer), the short offers a raw, intimate portrait of young single motherhood and the layered […]
When Cinema Becomes a Witness: Kaouther Ben Hania on “The Voice of Hind Rajab”
Kaouther Ben Hania is a two-time Academy Award–nominated filmmaker whose fearless, formally inventive work has positioned her as one of the most vital voices in contemporary international cinema. Moving fluidly between documentary and narrative, her films consistently challenge conventional storytelling while remaining deeply grounded in human experience. Her latest film, “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” […]
“Women Make the Harsher Films”: Isa Willinger Revisits a Provocation in “No Mercy”
When cult filmmaker Kira Muratova told a young Isa Willinger, “The truth is, women make the harsher films,” the statement lodged itself in Willinger’s mind like a riddle. Could this really be true? So often, women and non-binary filmmakers are framed through the language of empathy, intuition, or sensitivity — rarely through force, severity, or […]
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. […]
Cinema Femme’s Most Anticipated Films at the 2025 New Orleans Film Festival
Rental Family, directed by Hikari Set in modern-day Tokyo, “Rental Family” follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese ‘rental family’ agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that […]
“To Witness Is to Remember”: An Interview with Emily Mkrtichian
In 2018, filmmaker Emily Mkrtichian began work on what she envisioned as a quiet, contemplative documentary—a portrait of women in Artsakh, the ethnically Armenian region nestled in the South Caucasus, long disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Her camera followed four extraordinary women: a minesweeper clearing remnants of past wars, a young judo champion pushing past […]
Spritz & Sofia: My First Venice Film Festival
In 2019, I crashed the Cannes Film Festival. Well — not really. I went legitimately with a pass I applied for (if you work in the film industry, you usually qualify). But I had no purpose being there for work or business. I’m just working on my own film directing path and wanted to see […]
Attracted to Abstraction: Lucile Hadžihalilović on “The Ice Tower”
“If you can’t play with the language, you are not reinventing the language.” This is what Argentine director Gaspar Noé told me when I interviewed him fifteen years ago about his 2009 masterpiece, “Enter the Void.” There is perhaps no filmmaker who has crafted more visceral portrayals of primal human experiences, particularly sex, violence and […]
“Don’t Call Me Mama”: Nina Knag on Power, Vulnerability, and Pushing Boundaries
Norwegian helmer Nina Knag makes her feature debut with “Don’t Call Me Mama,” which world-premiered in the Crystal Globe Competition of this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 4-12). Anchored by a brave central performance from Pia Tjelta, this provocative drama explores the complex, often uncomfortable terrain of power, control, and emotional need through […]
An Aliveness Behind the Eyes: Shuchi Talati and Preeti Panigrahi on “Girls Will Be Girls”
I have always had a fondness for coming of age films that vividly recall how intense our emotions are during pivotal moments of growth and transition. In many ways, we as humans are coming of age throughout our entire lives. It is an experience not merely confined to our adolescence, and that is a truth […]