Cannes 2023: Lillah Halla on her directorial debut “Levante (Power Alley)” and the beautiful team-process of filmmaking

I had the opportunity to speak with Lillah Halla (she/her/them) about her beautiful film “Levante,” which centers on a promising 17-year-old volleyball player named Sofia, who is faced with an unwanted pregnancy. The film takes place in Brazil where abortion is against the law. She […]

Rebecca Złotowski upends stereotypes of the onscreen stepmom in her film “Other People’s Children”

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rebecca Złotowski about her film, “Other People’s Children,“ during Sundance this year. The French film was part of the spotlight program and centers on a woman named Rachel who struggles to have her own children while developing a strong bond with her boyfriend Ali’s daughter, Leila. Virginie Efira plays […]

Zero Chou on Writing and Directing White Terror-set, Female-Led Drama “Untold Herstory”

Cinema Femme met up with Taiwan’s Zero Chou, helmer of “Untold Herstory.” The feature, world-premiered in the Harbour section of this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam (January 25-February 5), and is set in 1953, during Taiwan’s notorious White Terror. In particular, Chou’s drama zooms in […]

Sundance 2023: Anna Hints on the power of Southern Estonia women in their feature debut, “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”

Seasons come and go, and every season symbolizes life at different stages being encapsulated within the elements of those seasons. Winter can be harsh with the ice and the cold air, but it also can be comforting when you are around people in warm spaces. […]

Asian Pop-Up Cinema Film Fest Season 15: Hoi Yeung on Hong Kong’s “The First Girl I Loved,” co-directed with Candy Ng

Last week Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema Film Festival wrapped up its 15th season showing eight Hong Kong productions. I was fortunate to interview one of the filmmakers behind one of these movies, Hoi Yeung, about the coming-of-age gem “The First Girl I Loved”, which he […]

Dina Amer takes us on a transformative experience in “You Resemble Me,” now playing in select theaters

I was very fortunate to interview “recovering journalist” and producer (“The Square”) Dina Amer about her feature directorial debut “You Resemble Me,” inspired by a story she first got wrong. The story is about a Muslim woman in France named Hasna who got mixed up […]