8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
June 26, 2026
Joelle Velez is an award-winning actress, writer, and filmmaker based in Chicago whose work blends comedy, suspense, and emotional honesty. A graduate of The Second City Film School, her first
16 min read
by Rebecca Martin
June 16, 2026
Years ago, while working at Chicago Filmmakers, I came across a large pile of magazines from the organization’s archive that were destined for the trash. To some, they may have
12 min read
by Rebecca Martin
June 10, 2026
I had the honor of speaking with Emmy-winning writer and executive producer Simran Baidwan, who has helped shape The Pitt into one of television’s most distinctive medical dramas. Much like
24 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
June 8, 2026
Upending an audience’s expectations has become one of the most joyous experiences to have in a movie theater, especially when so many releases from mainstream studios are content to remain
14 min read
by Rebecca Martin
June 5, 2026
Some films seem to find you when you’re finally ready for them. In 2023, I spoke with filmmaker and writer Guinevere Turner about her memoir, When the World Didn’t End,
8 min read
by Emily Jacobson
May 21, 2026
When I first watched “Go Fish,” Rose Troche’s 1994 film, it was in the middle of lockdown during 2020. I was watching at least three movies a day, using my
3 min read
by Rebecca Martin
May 20, 2026
When I sat down with director Nora Kirkpatrick, she described her latest feature, “Couples Weekend,” as “The Breakfast Club for adults.” It’s a comparison she credits to actor Josh Gad,
9 min read
by Rebecca Martin
May 19, 2026
We are living in a culture right now where we are constantly feeding ourselves, and not only with food. The content constantly competing for our attention on all sizes of
6 min read
by Davide Abbatescianni
May 16, 2026
Franco-Costa Rican filmmaker Valentina Maurel returns to Cannes with “Forever Your Maternal Animal,” premiering in Un Certain Regard four years after her Critics’ Week-bound debut “I Have Electric Dreams.” Set
12 min read
by Rebecca Martin
May 15, 2026
Kate Cragg’s filmmaking begins with a refusal: a rejection of the “proper way” of doing things. Where conventional cinema prizes structure, coverage, and clarity, Cragg has built a practice grounded
10 min read
by Rebecca Martin
May 8, 2026
In “Magic Hour,” filmmaker and actor Katie Aselton returns to the intimate, emotionally raw storytelling that first defined her career. Premiering last year at the South by Southwest film festival,
24 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
April 29, 2026
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
