“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 […]
“Holding Two Truths at Once”: A Conversation with Lauren Melinda on “Before You” and the Mission of Simbelle Productions
In the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (June 2022) decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, Lauren Melinda’s “Before You” emerges as an intimate, unflinching, and profoundly human film. Drawing from her own experience, Melinda tells a story of love, loss, and the complexities of women’s health with both cinematic elegance and […]
A Call for Peace and Human Connection: Hikari on “Rental Family”
As I sat in my favorite movie palace, the Music Box Theatre, waiting for my wife—Cinema Femme founder Rebecca Martin—to arrive for that evening’s eagerly awaited Chicago International Film Festival screening of Hikari’s “Rental Family,” I overheard the woman next to me mention her plans to see my all-time favorite film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” […]
Sophia Dunn-Walker: Fearless Vision and the Art of Defiance
Sophia Dunn-Walker’s creative world hums with contrast — elegance laced with rebellion, discipline infused with punk energy. A director, producer, and actor, Dunn-Walker’s work traverses film, music, and visual art with a boldness that feels both intellectual and deeply instinctive. Behind the camera, she directed “Philomele” (2019) and is currently developing a sci-fi opera among […]
Look for the Signs: Christy Salters Martin and Lisa Holewyne on “Christy”
I went into David Michôd’s biopic “Christy” knowing nothing about its titular boxer. I knew I would be interviewing the film’s real-life subject, Christy Salters Martin, the following morning, and was delighted to see her in attendance at the press screening. She was accompanied by her wife, Lisa Holewyne, who had formerly been her adversary […]
Daviel Shy on Creating and Starring in Series “The Lovers”
When a laid-off sex worker falls for a mail carrier in a world frozen by pandemic unknowns, it will take the help of an astrologer, cinema guru, cam model, retired dungeon owner, porn star, and an infected host of the supernatural, to discover a new way of loving. A dreamy soft sci-fi romance. Cinema Femme sat down with Daviel […]
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. […]
“It’s Not Autobiographical—But It’s All Emotionally True”: Mary Bronstein on “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Mary Bronstein is a writer/director based in New York City, known for her raw style, auteurist approach, and unflinching focus on stories about complicated women. Her best-known work, the cult-classic “Yeast,” earned her a dedicated following in the independent film world. Now, she returns with her long-awaited second feature, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick […]
“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 […]
“Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg?” Interview with Director and Showrunner Nancy Schwartzman
We sat down with award-winning filmmaker Nancy Schwartzman—best known for her powerful documentaries “Roll Red Roll,” “Victim/Suspect,” and “Sasha Reid” and the “Midnight Order”—to talk about her latest project, “Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg?” As the director and showrunner of this gripping three-part docuseries from ABC News Studios, Schwartzman brings her […]