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 […]

SXSW 2023: Putting a lens on digital image-based sexual abuse in directors Sophie Compton & Reuben Hamlyn and producer Elizabeth Woodward’s “Another Body”

I had the privilege of speaking with three artists and activists, directors Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn as well as producer Elizabeth Woodward, about their impactful documentary, “Another Body.” Just as deep fake technology conveyed the protagonist’s ever-morphing identity in Dina Amer’s “You Resemble Me”, […]

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: Sierra Urich explores the spaces that children of immigrants occupy in her documentary feature debut “Joonam”

“Joonam” is a beautiful debut documentary from Iranian-American filmmaker Sierra Urich. In the film, Urich connects with her Persian mother and grandmother while learning Farsi and trying to build her own foundation with her Iranian culture. The camera acts as an intermediary between the women […]