Tickets and VIP passes on sale NOW for the 2025 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival in Chicago from July 17 - 21!
Read our most recent issue with stories that validate, inspire, and change the way we see— and make — film.
About a year ago, I sat down for what was probably my sixth movie of the day at the 2025...
As I spent twelve hours in the hospital last week, waiting for my dad to recover from his long-belated knee...
As someone who was born four decades ago, any fragments of home movie footage that exist from my childhood—most of...
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.
4 min read
by Rebecca Martin
December 10, 2025
Cinema Femme had the opportunity to speak with sound designer and composer Yuxin Lu. Based in Chicago, Yuxin is a dynamic and multidimensional audio artist whose journey spans continents and
17 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
December 5, 2025
A longtime holiday wish of mine will be granted this month when I finally get to see one of my favorite actors perform in person. As part of her “Spending
6 min read
by Rebecca Martin
December 1, 2025
Freya Adams is a first-generation Indian American actress best known for her lead role in Jennifer Phang’s “Advantageous” (now streaming on Netflix), where she starred opposite Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle,
9 min read
by Davide Abbatescianni
November 26, 2025
“Mariposa Traicionera” (“Treacherous Butterfly”) marks one of the most arresting and mysterious short films currently seeking a world premiere on the 2026 festival circuit. Shot in Spain and distributed worldwide
8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
November 21, 2025
When cult filmmaker Kira Muratova told a young Isa Willinger, “The truth is, women make the harsher films,” the statement lodged itself in Willinger’s mind like a riddle. Could this
10 min read
by Rebecca Martin
November 18, 2025
In the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (June 2022) decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, Lauren Melinda’s “Before You” emerges as an intimate, unflinching, and profoundly
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
7 min read
by Rebecca Martin
November 12, 2025
Sophia Dunn-Walker’s creative world hums with contrast — elegance laced with rebellion, discipline infused with punk energy. A director, producer, and actor, Dunn-Walker’s work traverses film, music, and visual art
2 min read
by cinemafemme
November 12, 2025
F*CK THAT GUY stars Carys Douglas in her breakout role, alongside Victoria Pedretti (YOU, Origin, Ponyboi) and Micheál Neeson (Somewhere Quiet, On Our Way), and Dagmara Dominczyk (Priscilla, Bottoms, Succession)
7 min read
by Rebecca Martin
February 5, 2026
Gara, the guiding force at the center of “To Hold a Mountain,” is living proof that not all heroes wear capes. Her days begin before sunrise — herding sheep across
8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
February 4, 2026
At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, Stephanie Ahn’s “Bedford Park” arrived with quiet force — and left with one of the festival’s top honors, the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award
9 min read
by Rebecca Martin
February 2, 2026
When “Take Me Home” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, it arrived not only as an intimate debut feature but as the expansion of a story Liz Sargent has been
16 min read
by Elisa Shoenberger
January 20, 2026
The short film “4th Dementia” manages to do something incredible: make a film about Alzheimer’s Disease that is funny. It may seem like an unlikely premise, but this 16-minute short
7 min read
by Anna Pattison
January 6, 2026
The Chair Company follows Ron, who investigates a conspiracy after an embarrassing incident at work. How did you get started in cinematography? I grew up a big film lover. I
5 min read
by Rebecca Martin
December 19, 2025
Kaouther Ben Hania is a two-time Academy Award–nominated filmmaker whose fearless, formally inventive work has positioned her as one of the most vital voices in contemporary international cinema. Moving fluidly
5 min read
by Rebecca Martin
December 13, 2025
Annette Elliot is a Chicago-based writer and director whose work sits at the intersection of cinema, art history, and architecture. Drawing consciously from painting, sculpture, and the built environment, her
17 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
December 5, 2025
A longtime holiday wish of mine will be granted this month when I finally get to see one of my favorite actors perform in person. As part of her “Spending
6 min read
by Rebecca Martin
December 1, 2025
Freya Adams is a first-generation Indian American actress best known for her lead role in Jennifer Phang’s “Advantageous” (now streaming on Netflix), where she starred opposite Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle,
22 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
March 13, 2026
As I spent twelve hours in the hospital last week, waiting for my dad to recover from his long-belated knee replacement surgery, I found a liberating mode of escapism in
17 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
March 8, 2026
If she could, Amber would be a wall painted nondescript grey. Paint isn’t like wallpaper. It can’t be removed completely. No matter how much sanding down, they would still be
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
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
21 min read
by Anna Pattison
April 18, 2025
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
10 min read
by Peyton Robinson
April 15, 2025
Cheryl Dunye is best known for her iconic film “The Watermelon Woman” — a tale of an aspiring Black lesbian filmmaker (played by Dunye herself) who seeks to learn more
8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
November 4, 2024
“This movie that saved my life also holds a complicated and controversial history in the queer film canon. I’m not seeking to change anyone’s mind with this film, but to
4 min read
by Rebecca Martin
July 3, 2024
I had the opportunity to speak with Jac Cron about her feature debut “Chestnut.” We talked about how she came to this project, and how her time after college was
7 min read
by Rebecca Martin
June 8, 2023
Filmmaker Celine Song had a unique moment when her childhood sweetheart and her husband met. This moment was very significant to her, and it became the seed of her film,
3 min read
by Peyton Robinson
May 9, 2023
Juli Del Prete and her short film “Caroline” was awarded the Critics’ Choice award for the 2023 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival. With their award recognition a review was written
10 min read
by Elena Rubashevskaja
February 14, 2023
The festival year started for me in a most unexpected way, on January 14, 2023, I landed in Bangladesh, a place I’d never been before and would not have normally
13 min read
by cinemafemme
February 1, 2023
Words from Managing Editor Rebecca Martin Fagerholm: When we watch films, we desire a connection that enlightens and represents who we really are as people. This year at Sundance, I
4 min read
by Peyton Robinson
January 29, 2023
A.V. Rockwell’s debut feature “A Thousand and One” is an earth-shattering revelation. Taking place in Harlem from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, the film is not only a document of a
4 min read
by Peyton Robinson
January 28, 2023
One day every mother must come to terms with the fact that their little girls will grow into women. As those changes begin to take place, so does the realization
4 min read
by Peyton Robinson
January 27, 2023
An inherent part of female existence is the eventual realization that in most social contexts, you and your body are viewed as a resource and commodity. The consequential aspect of
5 min read
by Peyton Robinson
January 25, 2023
Alice Englert’s directorial debut, “Bad Behaviour,” walks a tightrope, for its almost two hour long runtime. Lucy (Jennifer Connelly) is pursuing enlightenment while her daughter, Dylan (director Alice Englert), is
4 min read
by Peyton Robinson
January 22, 2023
What is a woman? There are countless amounts of social qualifications ranging from personality to action to life trajectory that shift and alter with both time and culture. Does the
Join us in fostering a vibrant film culture through strategic partnerships. Together, we can create opportunities that benefit both your organization and our community.
By clicking Join Us, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
About a year ago, I sat down for what was probably my sixth movie of the day at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. My eyes
As I spent twelve hours in the hospital last week, waiting for my dad to recover from his long-belated knee replacement surgery, I found a
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
For me, movies and meaning are inseparable; I process my daily life through this art form. The cinema is not just entertainment—it’s a vital lens
If she could, Amber would be a wall painted nondescript grey. Paint isn’t like wallpaper. It can’t be removed completely. No matter how much sanding
In conversation with Elizabeth Stam, Wendy Robie, Brookelyn Hebert, Mary Tilden, and Heather Kuhlmann. Some films move like a straight line. “Hekla doesn’t. It rushes,
About a year ago, I sat down for what was probably my sixth movie of the day at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. My eyes
As I spent twelve hours in the hospital last week, waiting for my dad to recover from his long-belated knee replacement surgery, I found a
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
For me, movies and meaning are inseparable; I process my daily life through this art form. The cinema is not just entertainment—it’s a vital lens
If she could, Amber would be a wall painted nondescript grey. Paint isn’t like wallpaper. It can’t be removed completely. No matter how much sanding
In conversation with Elizabeth Stam, Wendy Robie, Brookelyn Hebert, Mary Tilden, and Heather Kuhlmann. Some films move like a straight line. “Hekla doesn’t. It rushes,
About a year ago, I sat down for what was probably my sixth movie of the day at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. My eyes
As I spent twelve hours in the hospital last week, waiting for my dad to recover from his long-belated knee replacement surgery, I found a
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
For me, movies and meaning are inseparable; I process my daily life through this art form. The cinema is not just entertainment—it’s a vital lens
If she could, Amber would be a wall painted nondescript grey. Paint isn’t like wallpaper. It can’t be removed completely. No matter how much sanding
In conversation with Elizabeth Stam, Wendy Robie, Brookelyn Hebert, Mary Tilden, and Heather Kuhlmann. Some films move like a straight line. “Hekla doesn’t. It rushes,
