A Look Back: Luchina Fisher’s “Mama Gloria” brings a hopeful outlook to the young trans community

For Women’s History Month and Trans Visibility Day approaching on March 31, we bring back our interview from the Chicago International Film Festival in October 2020. We are proud to support “Mama Gloria” – an intimate profile of Chicago’s trailblazing Black transgender icon and activist […]

Breaking through the cliché of Poly Styrene: An examination of Celeste Bell’s documentary on her mother

Punk, also called punk rock, is an aggressive form of rock music that coalesced into an international (though predominantly Anglo-American) movement in 1975–80. Often politicized and full of vital energy beneath a sarcastic, hostile facade, punk spread as an ideology and an aesthetic approach, becoming […]

Two sets of rules

When men participate, it’s an event. When women participate, it’s a show. In video games, male characters wear full suits of armor; female characters wear metal bikinis. In comic books and superhero movies, men wear tactical suits and are featured in fight scenes; women wear outfits designed to show off their breasts and are featured posing in impossible yoga positions. In sports, boys play the game; girls play the game too but they have to do it while wearing a skirt and looking pretty. It doesn’t seem to matter what the actual activity is—there seems to always be a double standard when it comes to men’s and women’s activities.

Pamela B. Green’s documentary honors filmmaking pioneer Alice Guy-Blaché

Meeting Pamela, I could feel the force of nature of Alice Guy-Blaché through her passionate words and her film. It’s like Alice called out to Pamela to introduce her to our modern-day world, and she answered the call. The film gave me and the rest of the viewers of the screening such a gift to meet Alice and fall in love with her during the process.

Sister-Sister

Siblings can be the most enduring relationships you have in your life. They know you before significant others come along. They know life with your parents and life after your parents die. They know you before major successes and failures. It is for these reasons that the relationship between siblings is emotional and complex. I grew up with an older brother, a younger sister, and a younger brother and know all too well that while siblings know how to raise each other up, we also know how to cut each other deeply where it hurts.