Read our most recent issue with stories that validate, inspire, and change the way we see— and make — film.
Dear Readers, Chicago’s film community is full of people who are not only making movies, but actively reshaping the culture,...
Indie distributor Persimmon has acquired North American rights to “Bird in Hand,” the latest release from The Future of Film...
After a drunk-driving accident, a young woman with her jaw wired shut sets out for a fun night with her...
This is a living record of underrepresented brilliance in film. Dive into our archive of stories and hear from bold voices that paving the industry forward.
14 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
November 4, 2025
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
2 min read
by Anna Pattison
November 1, 2025
Dear Cinema Femme Readers, Let’s celebrate: our talents, passions, our goals, and dreams. Let’s support: to ensure these dreams are made a reality. Let’s thrive: in spaces where we
14 min read
by Anna Pattison
November 1, 2025
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,
14 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
October 25, 2025
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
7 min read
by Rebecca Martin
October 24, 2025
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
3 min read
by cinemafemme
October 21, 2025
Rental Family, directed by Hikari Set in modern-day Tokyo, “Rental Family” follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for
7 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
October 21, 2025
The Girl in the Snow One of the great discoveries I made at CIFF ten years ago was the talent of young Galatéa Bellugi. As a pregnant teen in the
10 min read
by Rebecca Martin
October 20, 2025
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
10 min read
by Rebecca Martin
October 18, 2025
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,
20 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
July 31, 2026
For our fourth wedding anniversary, Cinema Femme founder Rebecca Martin Fagerholm and I spent a week driving to see friends and family all around California. One of our essential stops
10 min read
by Rebecca Martin
July 24, 2026
In an age where our online and offline identities increasingly blur together, writer-director Noam Argov explores what happens when the emotional realities of virtual spaces become impossible to separate from
8 min read
by Megan Henderson
July 23, 2026
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” is an electric, neon-soaked story that follows young Margo (Elle Fanning), whose life gets turned upside down once she gets pregnant and decides to keep the
8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
July 21, 2026
I’ve been a fan of Abby Pierce’s work for years. I’ve had the chance to interview her about several of her short films, and each project is completely unique while
23 min read
by Peyton Robinson
July 16, 2026
The intersection of absurdity and anxiety in the everyday is propulsively becoming more intertwined with American culture. But still, there must be room to laugh. Allison Torem’s “Don’t Come Home
7 min read
by Megan Henderson
July 14, 2026
The first time I went to summer camp was when I was 15 years old. My parents sent me to a theatre arts camp, and at that point in my
7 min read
by Rebecca Martin
July 10, 2026
Revisiting our interview with Carolina Cavalli ahead of the film’s Chicago release. The film opens at the Siskel Film Center on July 30, buy tickets here. It also landed a
8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
June 26, 2026
Joelle Velez is an award-winning actress, writer, and filmmaker based in Chicago whose work blends comedy, suspense, and emotional honesty. A graduate of The Second City Film School, her first
16 min read
by Rebecca Martin
June 16, 2026
Years ago, while working at Chicago Filmmakers, I came across a large pile of magazines from the organization’s archive that were destined for the trash. To some, they may have
17 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
February 19, 2026
The sun is just beginning to set as the twenty-something characters in Jessica’s Barr’s mesmerizing new film, “The Plan,” start to congregate in an East LA apartment. The calmness of
4 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
February 13, 2026
There is no filmmaking duo whose work I await with greater anticipation than Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson. In 2019, Thompson made his debut feature, “Saint Frances,” written by and
21 min read
by Veronica Miles
February 12, 2026
Yes, you can just go to Sundance. Yes, you will definitely have fun. Yes, you will see celebrities. Yes, you will see movies that may win Oscars or launch the
16 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
January 28, 2026
Sundance has always been a festival I had admired at a distance. How Robert Redford had gone about using his platform to launch the careers of countless filmmakers for over
13 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
November 17, 2025
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
14 min read
by Anna Pattison
November 1, 2025
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,
14 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
October 25, 2025
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
20 min read
by Veronica Miles
October 10, 2025
In 2019, I crashed the Cannes Film Festival. Well — not really. I went legitimately with a pass I applied for (if you work in the film industry, you usually
11 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
September 30, 2025
“If you can’t play with the language, you are not reinventing the language.” This is what Argentine director Gaspar Noé told me when I interviewed him fifteen years ago about
14 min read
by Rebecca Martin
June 5, 2026
Some films seem to find you when you’re finally ready for them. In 2023, I spoke with filmmaker and writer Guinevere Turner about her memoir, When the World Didn’t End,
8 min read
by Emily Jacobson
May 21, 2026
When I first watched “Go Fish,” Rose Troche’s 1994 film, it was in the middle of lockdown during 2020. I was watching at least three movies a day, using my
9 min read
by Rebecca Martin
May 19, 2026
We are living in a culture right now where we are constantly feeding ourselves, and not only with food. The content constantly competing for our attention on all sizes of
25 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
April 13, 2026
After seeing Chicago’s BDSM community turn out in huge numbers for a euphoric preview screening of Harry Lighton’s acclaimed movie “Pillion” earlier this year, it’s clear that Madison Young’s equally
14 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
March 9, 2026
As someone who was born four decades ago, any fragments of home movie footage that exist from my childhood—most of which was recorded on a cumbersome camcorder borrowed from my
4 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
February 13, 2026
There is no filmmaking duo whose work I await with greater anticipation than Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson. In 2019, Thompson made his debut feature, “Saint Frances,” written by and
16 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
January 28, 2026
Sundance has always been a festival I had admired at a distance. How Robert Redford had gone about using his platform to launch the careers of countless filmmakers for over
14 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
November 4, 2025
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
15 min read
by Emily Jacobson
May 20, 2025
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
8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
October 27, 2024
Sexual assault is sadly the most inclusive crime there is. I don’t know a single person, man or woman, who has not been somehow, whether they know it or not,
3 min read
by Peyton Robinson
October 16, 2024
You can see “Desert Angel” at the Austin Film Festival on Saturday October 26, 2024 6:45pm – 8:32pm CDT at the Galaxy 9 theater. Learn more here: https://2024austinfilmfestival.sched.com/event/1mKcL/desert-angel,
5 min read
by cinemafemme
September 27, 2024
APARTMENT 7A – directed by Natalie Erika James With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, it makes complete sense that 2024 has been loaded with not only horror prequels, but
4 min read
by Peyton Robinson
September 13, 2024
Seattle’s Aurora Avenue is infamous for being an epicenter of prostitution. However, this generalized reputation fails to recognize the individuality and humanity of the sex workers who inhabit the area.
6 min read
by cinemafemme
June 14, 2024
Cora Bora – Hannah Utt (script written by Rhianon Jones) Catch the NYC and LA premieres this weekend! Megan Stalter reminds me of Catherine O’Hara when she was getting started
6 min read
by cinemafemme
May 24, 2024
Babes – Pamela Adlon (screens in theaters nationwide starting today) At the beginning of the film “Babes,” directed by Pamela Adlon, we start with two childhood best friends, Eden (Ilana
3 min read
by Peyton Robinson
May 8, 2024
“[subtext]” is the recipient of the Critic’s Choice Award for the 2024 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival. This award is given by a film critic, and this year, the film
4 min read
by Rebecca Martin
April 12, 2024
“The Tuba Thieves” premieres tonight at the Siskel Film Center. Get your tickets here. “The Tuba Thieves,” directed by Alison O’Daniel, is a cinematic vision for the senses. I love
6 min read
by cinemafemme
February 2, 2024
Here are our capsule reviews of four new releases we recommend you seek out! How to Have Sex – directed by Molly Manning Walker (Feb. 9) | review by Rebecca
2 min read
by cinemafemme
September 10, 2026
Dear Readers, Chicago’s film community is full of people who are not only making movies, but actively reshaping the culture, infrastructure, and possibilities of how those movies get made, seen,
2 min read
by Anna Pattison
November 1, 2025
Dear Cinema Femme Readers, Let’s celebrate: our talents, passions, our goals, and dreams. Let’s support: to ensure these dreams are made a reality. Let’s thrive: in spaces where we
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Dear Readers, Chicago’s film community is full of people who are not only making movies, but actively reshaping the culture, infrastructure, and possibilities of how
Indie distributor Persimmon has acquired North American rights to “Bird in Hand,” the latest release from The Future of Film Is Female, written and directed
After a drunk-driving accident, a young woman with her jaw wired shut sets out for a fun night with her friends—but what begins as a
Festival runs October 11–13, 2026, featuring 20 short films, special guests, filmmaker panels, Breaking Down Walls mentorship program, and the Chicago premiere of Emily Robinson’s
As an alternative to Femme Filmmaker Friday, this article spotlights the remarkable work of three women, beginning with a tribute to a true legend. REMEMBERING
Teresa Moore is a Chicago-based filmmaker, entrepreneur, and actor and co-founder and executive producer of Film in a Bag Productions, a video production company founded
Dear Readers, Chicago’s film community is full of people who are not only making movies, but actively reshaping the culture, infrastructure, and possibilities of how
Indie distributor Persimmon has acquired North American rights to “Bird in Hand,” the latest release from The Future of Film Is Female, written and directed
After a drunk-driving accident, a young woman with her jaw wired shut sets out for a fun night with her friends—but what begins as a
Festival runs October 11–13, 2026, featuring 20 short films, special guests, filmmaker panels, Breaking Down Walls mentorship program, and the Chicago premiere of Emily Robinson’s
As an alternative to Femme Filmmaker Friday, this article spotlights the remarkable work of three women, beginning with a tribute to a true legend. REMEMBERING
Teresa Moore is a Chicago-based filmmaker, entrepreneur, and actor and co-founder and executive producer of Film in a Bag Productions, a video production company founded
Dear Readers, Chicago’s film community is full of people who are not only making movies, but actively reshaping the culture, infrastructure, and possibilities of how
Indie distributor Persimmon has acquired North American rights to “Bird in Hand,” the latest release from The Future of Film Is Female, written and directed
After a drunk-driving accident, a young woman with her jaw wired shut sets out for a fun night with her friends—but what begins as a
Festival runs October 11–13, 2026, featuring 20 short films, special guests, filmmaker panels, Breaking Down Walls mentorship program, and the Chicago premiere of Emily Robinson’s
As an alternative to Femme Filmmaker Friday, this article spotlights the remarkable work of three women, beginning with a tribute to a true legend. REMEMBERING
Teresa Moore is a Chicago-based filmmaker, entrepreneur, and actor and co-founder and executive producer of Film in a Bag Productions, a video production company founded
