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CINEMA FEMME SHORT FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2026 DATES, SUBMISSION OPENING, AND NEW FESTIVAL DIRECTOR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rebecca Fagerholm...
Emmy-winning filmmaker Stephanie Laing has built a career on finding humanity in unlikely places—whether through the biting satire of Veep...
About a year ago, I sat down for what was probably my sixth movie of the day at the 2025...
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.
8 min read
by Peyton Robinson
February 9, 2026
Whether a creator or observer, one’s relationship with art dictates a host of qualities: values, ambitions, fantasies, etc. That umbrella term – art – can be composed of so many
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
6 min read
by Emily Jacobson
February 5, 2026
For my final dispatch of Sundance 2026, I talk about three films I screened virtually from home (though I originally saw “The Musical” in Park City, but I enjoyed it
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
8 min read
by Peyton Robinson
February 3, 2026
For many women, sexual discovery is a kind of reckoning. It comes in waves. Answering the question of “what was your first sexual experience?” can be immensely complex when bearing
8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
February 3, 2026
“Birds of War” premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact. At its core, the film is a
7 min read
by Emily Jacobson
February 3, 2026
As I got deeper into the festival and more sleep deprived, my second dispatch from Sundance saw some common themes begin to emerge in the films I was seeing. In
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
8 min read
by Dawn Borchardt
February 2, 2026
Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre is an Indigenous experimental filmmaker based in Canada with a filmography spanning over 40 short films almost exclusively shot on 16mm film. Her work is deeply personal,
17 min read
by Rebecca Martin
January 15, 2020
Featured back in April 2019 Cinema Femme is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn
14 min read
by Rebecca Martin
January 14, 2020
Today we’re bringing back Ashley Shelton’s feature from June 2019. You can see Ashley in “The Evening Hour” premiering at Sundance 2020. Stay tuned for her future directed projects. I
5 min read
by Pamela Powell
December 17, 2019
8 min read
by Pamela Powell
December 16, 2019
Repost of feature from August 23, 2019 in honor of Aisling Franciosi being awarded Most Promising Performer by the Chicago Film Critics Association’s! Watch “The Nightingale” on Hulu, Amazon Prime,
14 min read
by Rebecca Martin
December 6, 2019
Many people I know in Los Angeles believe that the Sixties ended abruptly on August 9, 1969. Joan Didion, THE WHITE ALBUM Another “pinch myself” moment for me this year
10 min read
by Rebecca Martin
December 5, 2019
6 min read
by Pamela Powell
December 3, 2019
9 min read
by Rebecca Martin
December 3, 2019
Greta Fernández delivers a powerhouse performance in Belén Funes’ “A Thief’s Daughter”. Her character Sara takes us through so many pieces of her life. While we follow her, we are
5 min read
by Pamela Powell
December 3, 2019
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
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
33 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
June 3, 2024
Every once in a while, I come across a film that feels as if it has been made especially for me. That happened most recently at this year’s joyous in-person
12 min read
by Rebecca Martin
May 29, 2024
“Tell That to the Winter Sea” is a masterfully crafted journey into womanhood, filled with captivating performances, stunning visuals and assured direction. The film brings me back to being a
5 min read
by Emily Jacobson
January 25, 2024
On Friday, January 19th, the Utah House of Representatives voted to advance a restrictive anti-trans bill outlawing trans people from using bathrooms aligning with their gender identity. It will now
16 min read
by Rebecca Martin
August 31, 2023
Speaking with “American Psycho” screenwriter Guinevere Turner about her book When the World Didn’t End: A Memoir and her films that have changed the face of independent cinema, like “Go
8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
August 26, 2023
“I feel like we’ve watched so many male anti-hero stories, whether they’re comedies or dramas or mysteries, and it’s crazy that in 2023, we’re still so hungry for shitty, flawed
9 min read
by Rebecca Martin
August 1, 2023
We need authentic stories, even in the rom-com genre. New Zealand filmmaker Anna Rose Duckworth agrees with this! She beautifully paints the line between romantic comedy and elevating humanity within
11 min read
by Rebecca Martin
June 23, 2023
Trauma and pleasure. Two things that are different, yet when it comes to sex, the one sometimes can bring shame to the other. One is not our fault, the trauma
6 min read
by Rebecca Martin
May 23, 2023
I had the opportunity to speak with Lillah Halla (she/her/them) about her beautiful film “Levante,” which centers on a promising 17-year-old volleyball player named Sofia, who is faced with an
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
5 min read
by Emily Jacobson
January 30, 2024
A teenage girl goes on a camping trip with her father and his oldest friend. Typically, this type of movie would be a coming of age film, focusing on the
4 min read
by Peyton Robinson
January 30, 2024
Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s feature debut, “Tendaberry,” is a narrative document on change. Dakota (Kota Johan) is a 23 year old New York City transplant, somewhat estranged from her family, but
5 min read
by Emily Jacobson
January 29, 2024
It is 2005 and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston have just split up. While the pop culture world cries out in despair, Doris (Nico Parker) recites the news to her
4 min read
by Peyton Robinson
January 29, 2024
“In the Summers” won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance 2024 film festival for Dramatic. Alessandra Lacorraza Samudio’s semi-autobiographical film, “In the Summers,” is a portrait of
5 min read
by Peyton Robinson
January 28, 2024
Theda Hammel’s directorial debut, “Stress Positions” is a head-spinning comedy that takes place in the throes of pandemic hell. Terry (John Early) is a recent divorceé holed up in his
5 min read
by Rebecca Martin
January 27, 2024
I’ve been embarking on a new frontier in my self-journey. I’ve started to go through fertility treatments because my husband Matt and I want to try to have a biological
4 min read
by Peyton Robinson
January 26, 2024
“Handling the Undead,” directed by Thea Hvistendahl, mainly follows a trio of isolated vignettes. Anna (Renate Reinsve) and her father, Mahler (Bjørn Sundquist), mourn the loss of her young son.
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CINEMA FEMME SHORT FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2026 DATES, SUBMISSION OPENING, AND NEW FESTIVAL DIRECTOR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rebecca Fagerholm & Festival Team Email: cinemafemme@cinemafemme.com
Emmy-winning filmmaker Stephanie Laing has built a career on finding humanity in unlikely places—whether through the biting satire of Veep or the emotionally layered storytelling
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
CINEMA FEMME SHORT FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2026 DATES, SUBMISSION OPENING, AND NEW FESTIVAL DIRECTOR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rebecca Fagerholm & Festival Team Email: cinemafemme@cinemafemme.com
Emmy-winning filmmaker Stephanie Laing has built a career on finding humanity in unlikely places—whether through the biting satire of Veep or the emotionally layered storytelling
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
CINEMA FEMME SHORT FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2026 DATES, SUBMISSION OPENING, AND NEW FESTIVAL DIRECTOR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rebecca Fagerholm & Festival Team Email: cinemafemme@cinemafemme.com
Emmy-winning filmmaker Stephanie Laing has built a career on finding humanity in unlikely places—whether through the biting satire of Veep or the emotionally layered storytelling
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
