Jessica Liu’s film “Prom Time!” brings a Chinese immigrant mother to the forefront of a raunchy comedy

“I had that idea through the mechanism of one of the themes of cross generational desire and trauma, and questioning what gets passed down, even beyond what we can see, on a metaphysical level. I had read an article during that time that basically showed how, especially for females, the eggs of your grandmother would be passed down through your mother. And the mother’s eggs passed down through her daughters. It made me think of what my mother went through. You can kind of feel that in your heart, even if you can’t explain it. It was cool to put that in a dreamlike state, a slightly perverse parent trap situation.”

-Jessica Liu

Showcase

Week 2

FEBRUARY SHOWCASE WEEK 2 – A Mother’s Love

This week, we’ll be highlighting two of our short films that bring full dimension to being a mother. In “Prom Time!” (directed by Jessica Liu), we watch a mother’s experience as her two daughters get ready for their prom. And in “A Morning, A Mother & A Boy” (directed by and starring Katrine Weber) we watch a mother get her four-year old son ready for kindergarten.

Our featured interview with “Prom Time!” director Jessica Liu will be coming out this week, and stay tuned for our interview with “A Morning, A Mother & A Boy” director Katrine Weber early next week.

“Prom time!”

Upon overhearing her teen daughters recount their dating experiences while getting ready on prom night, Judy accidentally drugs herself with Chinese herbal medicine spiraling her into a gaudy sexual fantasy with the class hunk. Official Trailer

A Morning, a mother & A Boy

An everyday drama portraying one morning in the life of a mother and her 4 year old son who does not want to go to kindergarten. A story about motherhood and its dilemmas.

April Showcase

“MÉBÉT” is breaking the trend of child marriages in Gambia and inspiring world-wide with its message

“If you’re making a difference, even in the life of one girl, that’s the difference that counts. That’s the difference that can make a difference, which goes beyond generations, because then that girl could represent a breaking of a cycle in one family or in one community. With “MÉBÉT”, that’s what we want to do.” – Jama Jack

Jacqueline Xerri on her coming-of-age short “Monkey Bars”

“When I was young, I really got ahead of myself a lot of the time. There’s a certain naivety that you have, at an age when everything is so exciting and new, and you want to be older and you want to see what you see in the movies, or in shows like “Degrassi” or even “Jersey Shore.” These are shows that we were watching when we were super-young. They portrayed the ideal world you want to be in, where boys love you, and you’re pretty, and you’re desired. And I think what happens is that Maggie takes all of these influences she’s had and morphs them into this boy that’s not giving her what she thinks she’s getting. Life isn’t like the romantic movies that are being sold to us every day, and it’s dangerous sometimes to take that idea of romance into your own personal life where the circumstances might be a lot different. It can be dangerous. And it can happen right before your eyes.” – Jacqueline Xerri

Showcase

Week 1

FEBRUARY SHOWCASE WEEK 1 – COMING OF AGE

Highlighting unconventional “Coming of Age” films with our selected “Monkey Bars” and “MÉBÉT.” Features with “Monkey Bars” filmmaker Jacqueline Xerri and “MÉBÉT” creator Jama Jack coming out this week! Watch these two shorts, with four other amazing shorts by womxn from all over the world. Learn more about all films below!

“Monkey Bars”

When fourteen-year-old Maggie and her two best friends hang out with older guys they meet on Facebook, a crush on a complicated boy unravels into a twisted trance fueled by Four Lokos and naive infatuation.

MÉBÉT.

Aged 14, Njillan is pulled out of school and forced into marriage by her father, despite her mother’s protests. She loses a scholarship opportunity and settles into marriage with Sengan, becomes pregnant and succumbs to complications at delivery. From her grave, she narrates her story to her son, Modi. Official Trailer

A Film by Dianne Diep

cloud gazing

After her umpteenth move in NYC, a woman and her best friend embark
on a journey through imagination to a place of child-like wonder.

Learn More

A Film by Katrine Weber

A Morning, A Mother & A Boy

An everyday drama portraying one morning in the life of a mother and her 4 year old son who does not want to go to kindergarten. A story about motherhood and its dilemmas.

A Film by Jacqueline Xerri

monkey bars

When fourteen-year-old Maggie and her two best friends hang out with older guys they meet on Facebook, a crush on a complicated boy unravels into a twisted trance fueled by Four Lokos and naive infatuation.

A Film by Jessica Liu

prom time!

Upon overhearing her teen daughters recount their dating experiences while getting ready on prom night, Judy accidentally drugs herself with Chinese herbal medicine spiraling her into a gaudy sexual fantasy with the class hunk.

A Film by Amin Maher

letter to my mother

“A heartfelt letter to tell the mother the most painful of secrets. Amina, who in 2002 was the small protagonist of Ten by Kiarostami is now a transgender director who tries to make her voice heard, understood, and be understood.” Written by 35th Lovers Film Festival

Story by Jama Jack

Spotlight short: MÉBÉT

Aged 14, Njillan is pulled out of school and forced into marriage by her father, despite her mother’s protests. She loses a scholarship opportunity and settles into marriage with Sengan, becomes pregnant and succumbs to complications at delivery. From her grave, she narrates her story to her son, Modi.

live events

Dawn Porter Tribute Event

(February 19, 6 PM PST/9 PM EST) Join us as we talk to award-winning documentarian Dawn Porter. Her work has appeared on HBO, PBS, Discovery, and Netflix among others. She is currently directing and executive producing an Apple TV multi-part documentary series with Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, which focuses on both mental illness and mental well-being. Other current projects include the documentary “Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain” which explores Vernon Jordan’s rise from the segregated South to become one of the most influential African American thought leaders in America; “John Lewis: Good Trouble” for CNN Films, which explores late Congressman John Lewis’ pivotal role in the Civil Rights movement and decades of political and social activism on important issues including voting rights, immigration laws, and much more; and “The Way I See It”, about photojournalist Pete Souza, who served as Chief Official White House photographer for President Barack Obama and previously as an Official White House photographer for President Ronald Reagan. LIVE on our YouTube channel.

Showcase Film Q&A

(Feb. 20, 11 AM PST/2 PM EST) Patricia Vidal Delgado (“La Leyenda Negra”) will moderate a discussion with the the filmmakers behind “Cloud Gazing”, “A Morning, A Mother & a Boy”, “Monkey Bars”, “Prom Time!”, and “Letter to My Mother”. LIVE on our YouTube Channel

Spotlight Film Q&A

(February 21, 11 AM PST/2 PM EST) Oluwaseun Babalola (“SòOJU”) will moderate a discussion with the team behind MÉBÉT. LIVE on our YouTube Channel.

Awards

(February 28, 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST) Emmy-winning editor and filmmaker Kate Hackett announces the recipient of Womxn to Womxn in Film mentorship award, along with other award announcement. LIVE on our YouTube channel.

ABOUT

As 2020 brought us many challenges in how we share stories, digital platforms and online discussions brought us all closer. Cinema Femme is the voice of the female film experience, a mission that is exemplified by our February 2021 showcase. Womxn all over the world want to tell their stories, and female filmmakers who bring these stories to the screen should be shared!

For our February showcase, we have selected five films for our main competition. A six-month mentorship will be awarded to the winning film’s filmmaker with Emmy-winning editor and filmmaker Kate Hackett (“Cheer”, “Half the Picture”, “Oleander”)

Our five selected films are directed by womxn that tell their stories in a cinematic way. “Cloud Gazing” has us look at the ordinary and see if transform into the extraordinary. In a similar beat, “A Morning, A Mother & A Boy” follows the routine morning of a mother and her four-year-old son. “Monkey Bars” is a raw coming of age story that features “Hereditary” star, Milly Shapiro. “Prom Time!” is a fun film about a mother who finds herself transported to her youth in a trippy way on the day of her daughters’ prom night. And we end our short-block showcase with “Letter to My Mother,” which tells an essential story of a trans woman dealing with their childhood trauma.

And finally, our selected spotlight film from Gambia “MÉBÉT”, is a shattering film that shines a light on girls being forced into marriage at a young age. The film is based on a story written by Jama Jack and based on the experiences of a real woman who was forced to marry as a young girl. A panel will pair with the film moderated by director Oluwaseun Babalola (SOJU).

Testimonials

2020 Mentorship recipients

“Being selected for Cinema Femme Festival 2020 was a real privilege. The festival was run by the most passionate group of film lovers and offered an unbelievable selection of Q&A’s. Getting to be part of Q&A lead by Karen Kusama was a dream come true. And winning the prize of a mentorship with Haroula Rose has been the most incredible and priceless experience. I would recommend this festival to everyone!!

Claudia Lee (UK), Mentorship Recipient of 2020 Womxn to Womxn in Film Mentorship Program

Cinema Femme is such an amazing festival! I met so many talented female filmmakers! I am so grateful that my short film “Don’t Burst My Bubble” won a 6 months mentorship with Deborah Kampmeier. This is such an exciting opportunity and I can’t recommend this festival enough. Thanks again for everything! 🙂

Victoria Malinjod (France), Mentorship Recipient of 202 Womxn to Womxn in Film Mentorship Program

Features

Sparking joy during a pandemic: filmmakers Kaitlyn Schwalje and Alex Wolf Lewis speak about their Sundance short “Snowy”

“And the responses we’ve been getting from people have been overwhelming to us. Kind of in the same way that you’re saying, that this film is something we need, or something that the world needs. We are very grateful. I do think that we did try to do that with a thought provoking, unpretentious and intimate story, everything from start to finish. We wanted the film to feel like a cookie that your Grandma baked for you.” – Alex Wolf Lewis 

Indigenous Filmmaker Erica Tremblay charts her road to making “Little Chief” and future projects

“If there’s anything that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately, it’s the sovereignty of joy. And how for so long our stories have been relegated to a time period and to a certain traumatic response baseline. I think it’s just time for us to realize that we can live in trailer parks and be happy. We can have successful jobs and still be indigenous. Joy is just so important. I’m so excited to see so many indigenous artists out there starting to explore what it means to be a modern happy indigenous person.” -Erica Tremblay

“I’m Thinking Of Ending Things”and the complexities of onscreen female characters written by men

Join us Wednesday, January 13th at 7:30 PM CST as we talk about Charlie Kaufman’s “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” and the complexities of onscreen female characters written by men.

Synopsis: Full of misgivings, a young woman travels with her new boyfriend to his parents’ secluded farm. “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” is now streaming on Netflix. Starring Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette, and David Thewlis.

The 50 best films of 2020: Part 1

Because of the pandemic, and the closing of theaters, this was a year for great cinema, especially for those underrepresented onscreen. Blockbuster films took a backseat to indie gems. My kind of movie year. Of course, nothing beats the theatrical communal experience. I loved my experience at Sundance this year, which was such a special gift since we probably won’t have that kind of festival experience for awhile. But virtual festival runs gave the opportunity for independent films to reach a wider audience, which means I was able to see more this year then I have ever before.

“Stand and Deliver”, “Thirteen”, “Down in the Delta” editor Nancy Richardson shares her stories from the cutting room

Feature film editor Nancy Richardson has been a professor and head of post-production at UCLA TFT [Theater, Film, and Television] for 19 years. She began her career with the 1988 film “Stand and Deliver”, which won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Picture and received a Best Actor nomination for Edward James Olmos. Her credits include “Thirteen”,”’Lords of Dogtown” and “Twilight”, directed by Catherine Hardwicke; “To Sleep With Anger”, “Selma, Lord, Selma” and “Annihilation of Fish”, directed by Charles Burnett; and “Mi Familia”, “Selena” and “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”, directed by Gregory Nava. She also edited Maya Angelou’s directorial debut, “Down in the Delta”.

About Us

Our interviews

We feel it’s important to highlight womxn in film to elevate their stories, their work, and what advice they have for emerging female-identifying and non-binary filmmakers. Since we began in 2018, we’ve interviewed over 100 womxn in film from all over the world, thanks to film festivals and international film media partnerships.

Some of our past interview subjects have included Lauren GreenfieldHannah BeachlerMary HarronAnna SernerAmy HobbyDeborah KampmeierMegan GriffithsDawn PorterJosephine DeckerJennifer Reeder, and Penny Lane.

Support Cinema Femme

Donate Online

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Be a Mentor

If you are a seasoned womxn filmmaker, and would like to give back and mentor an emerging female identifying filmmaker for six months, please contact us at cinemafemme@cinemafemme.com

Be a Sponsor for our film festival

With your organization’s sponsorship you will be supporting the platform that is showcasing the films, supporting the Womxn to Womxn in Film Mentorship Program. Learn more about the festival and contact us at cinemafemme@cinemafemme.com to learn more about the packages. Our 2020 sponsor was RogerEbert.com.