Hannah Welever on shaking things up with her sex positive short “Soirée”
Hannah Welever is a queer filmmaker based in New York, but her roots are Midwestern. In her newest short, “Soirée,” Welever creatively holds space for women’s bodies, and how often they are misunderstood. After an unfortunately awkward hookup gone awry, Reed (Naomi Walley) takes a literal trip inside her body, and meets the personification of […]
Florence Bouvy on examining themes of human connection, pain, loss, and love, in “Where We Stay”
From writer and director Florence Bouvy, “Where We Stay” is a beautiful and touching examination of human connection and unspoken truths. The film was partially inspired by Florence’s own story of loss, when her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer and the period of pain, grief, and love that followed. She noticed how in those […]
This Was the Fight: Emily Sheskin on “JessZilla”
One of my favorite films I saw in 2024 is finally kicking off its limited theatrical run before arriving on VOD. Last year, I had the privilege of serving on the documentary nomination committee for Slamdance’s inaugural awards ceremony, The Indies. As a result, I screened numerous magnificent pictures, yet none delivered a knockout punch […]
Producer Tara Sheffer on her timely Academy Award nominated short film “A Lien”
I had the great pleasure of speaking with producer Tara Sheffer on her timely Academy Award nominated short film “A Lien.” The film is directed by Sam and David Cutler-Kreutz, and is nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Live Action category. WILLA is leading the impact campaign and creative distribution. Tara is an […]
Sundance 2025: Alex Heller on her Short Film “Debaters”
One of my favorite things to do at Sundance is hop around to different restaurants and coffee shops, and just chat with people. When I went to a pizza place in the downtown area of Park City, I saw the young cast of the short film, “Debaters,” directed by Alex Heller (“The Year Between”). They were […]
FYC: Cinema Femme speaks with filmmaker Mateusz Balcerek and producer Pinar Binay about their short film “Sunflower”
I got the opportunity to speak with the director Mateusz Balcerek and producer Pinar Binay about their live action short film “Sunflower,” which is now in the competition for an Oscar nomination. Learn more about the film by visiting https://soundsbetter.co/sunflower-short, and follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunflower_themovie/. The film is a personal one, as it is based on the […]
Support Samiksha Thakur’s film “Clouds in My Coffee”
Learn more about Samiksha’s project and support here: https://seedandspark.com/fund/clouds-in-my-coffee#story Samiksha Thakur is an award-winning Indian-American filmmaker whose shorts have screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals like Seattle International Film Festival and Indy Shorts (by Heartland Film). As a writer and director, she avoids the wax poetic, underlining authentic character-driven narratives through her work, instead. She is a […]
Lydia Ellis Curry and Alyssa Thordarson on endometriosis, women’s health, and their short film, “Chronic”
I had the opportunity to talk to actor/writer/producer Lydia Ellis Curry and director Alyssa Thordarson about their short film, “Chronic,” which will premiere at the 11th Annual NOHO Cinefest 2024 on Sunday, September 15th at 1 PM. Learn more and get tickets here: https://cinefest.ticketbud.com/shorts-11. “Chronic”: When Emma, Ruth’s sister and best friend, comes to help […]
Salute Your Shorts 2024: Conversation with directors Renée Felice Smith and Chris Gabriel about their short film “Hoodie”
Mental health and how it is reflected onscreen has always been something I’ve been passionate about elevating. I wrote about my own personal journey with mental health in 2019 with Not just Gilda, but Rita too and covered films that have portrayed women onscreen with mental illness in a real way as in “Pink Skies […]
HollyShorts 2024: Pinar Binay, K.D. Chalk, Kim Cohen, and Nicole Crespo on the power of collaboration
A happy place for me is talking to filmmakers. I love the way their faces light up with passion about the work they are doing. In most of my conversations with people in film I talk to them about their team, and their collaborators. I had the opportunity to speak to a powerhouse team of […]
A Different Conversation: Maia Scalia on Her Stunning Directorial Debut, “His Mother”
If only people had listened to her. She saw the warning signs while others kept repeatedly turning a blind eye, and now her only child is on the brink of committing an unspeakable act. For thirteen agonizing minutes, Julie (played by a shattering Bethany Anne Lind), races through traffic, frantically making calls that she hopes […]
HollyShorts 2024: Interviews with Jessica Barr on “Tight,” Louisa Connolly-Burnham on “Sister Wives,” Hanna Gray Organschi on “Merci, Poppy,” and Andrew Nadkarni and Nalini Nadkarni on “Between Earth & Sky”
The 20th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival starts next week on August 8th and runs until August 18th. The festival is Oscar-qualifying, and I will be cheering on our previously featured and festival-selected filmmakers from the sidelines! Below are three video interviews with Jessica Barr (“Tight”), Louisa Connolly-Burnham (“Sister Wives”), and Hanna Gray Organschi (“Merci, Poppy”). […]