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Read our most recent issue with stories that validate, inspire, and change the way we see— and make — film.
After seeing Chicago’s BDSM community turn out in huge numbers for a euphoric preview screening of Harry Lighton’s acclaimed movie...
When John Alan Schwartz’s “Faces of Death” came out in 1978, it emerged at a time when the proliferation of...
Submissions Link: filmfreeway.com/CinemaFemme 🎬 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival Returns to the Music Box Theatre and New Festival Director Announced...
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.
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
18 min read
by Zachary Lee
April 11, 2026
When John Alan Schwartz’s “Faces of Death” came out in 1978, it emerged at a time when the proliferation of violent images wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today. The
4 min read
by cinemafemme
April 6, 2026
Submissions Link: filmfreeway.com/CinemaFemme 🎬 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival Returns to the Music Box Theatre and New Festival Director Announced Cinema Femme Short Film Festival Announces 2026 Dates, Opens Film
5 min read
by Rebecca Martin
April 1, 2026
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 of Physical. Now, with her
7 min read
by Emily Jacobson
March 20, 2026
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 were burning, my brain was
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
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
9 min read
by Rebecca Martin
March 8, 2026
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 through which I understand the
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 Rebecca Martin
May 22, 2024
My Great Grandmother was a maid at the Chicago Athletic Club in the early 1900s. She would collect the cigar wrappers that were left behind and make them into beautiful
13 min read
by Rebecca Martin
May 14, 2024
“As a filmmaker, my work has shed light on underrepresented people and stories. Films like ‘Enormous Changes,’ ‘Nobody’s Girls,’ ‘Last Dance,’ ‘The Only Real Game,’ and ‘No Fear No Favor,’ got
14 min read
by Rebecca Martin
April 19, 2024
I recently had the opportunity to speak with local film industry powerhouse Chris (Christine) Dudley, the Executive Director of the Illinois Production Alliance. Along with other leading Chicago-based women in
13 min read
by Ashley Shelton
April 11, 2024
When I think about the region where I am from, many words come to mind. Some positive, some negative. In geographical terms the south is beautiful. My home, Tennessee, captures
26 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
April 9, 2024
One of the finest female ensembles in recent years can be found in Bertrand Bonello’s 2011 masterwork, “House of Pleasures,” originally titled “L’Apollonide” in France, the name of the Parisian
15 min read
by Rebecca Martin
April 5, 2024
Our country is divided politically. This is no new news. I live in Chicago, which is predominately on the liberal side of politics, but when you drive into the farm
8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
March 29, 2024
I had the opportunity to speak with Zurich native Barbara Kulcsar about her uplifting film “Golden Years,” written by Swiss writer and filmmaker Petra Volpe. The film is about a
8 min read
by Rebecca Martin
March 27, 2024
To celebrate the release of the film, we bring back our 2023 New Orleans Film Festival interview (originally posted on 11/2/23) with filmmaker Nailah Jefferson about her feature documentary “Commuted,”
19 min read
by Rebecca Martin
March 18, 2024
Lizzie Borden’s films are coming to the Siskel Film Center this month! To celebrate her arrival in Chicago, and her upcoming program set to stream next month on the Criterion
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
12 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
July 8, 2025
I was ten years old when Danny DeVito’s euphoric screen adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel Matilda arrived in theaters. I had read the book so many times that the
14 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
June 24, 2025
As annoyed as I was about Barry Jenkins, one of the greatest filmmakers working today, recently helming a prequel to the worst Disney remake in history, the Oscar-winning director of
41 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
May 23, 2025
It’s difficult to put into words the gratitude I have for Sabrina S. Sutherland. The collaborations she forged with filmmaker David Lynch, particularly over the last decade, have transformed my
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
May 1, 2025
Samantha (Sam) Cole returns to her childhood home when her mother suddenly passes. In place of familiar spaces and memories, Sam finds only uneasiness and confusion. Things are missing, the
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
1 min read
by Rebecca Martin
December 14, 2021
Cinema Femme “The Novice” interview with star Isabelle Fuhrman and director Lauren Hadaway “The Novice” comes to digital and theaters Friday, December 17th! Moderated by Cinema Femme managing editor Rebecca
29 min read
by Matt Fagerholm
August 13, 2021
Emily Robinson is, without question, one of the most gifted and promising talents of her generation. She earned a Young Artist Award and Young Entertainer Award, as well as a Screen
4 min read
by cinemafemme
June 24, 2021
For Pride month Cinema Femme is excited to elevate Mary Tilden’s short film “Rough River Lake”. Read more about the film below, and please donate to support! Details below are
7 min read
by Dawn Borchardt
June 16, 2021
“The Novice” is the feature directorial debut from accomplished sound artist Lauren Hadaway. The film follows college student Alex (Isabelle Fuhrman), who finds herself obsessing over whatever she puts her
6 min read
by Marjorie H. Morgan
June 1, 2021
13 min read
by Rebecca Martin
May 19, 2021
Actor/writer Elliot Frances Flynn (“Shoplifters of the World”, “Mare of Easttown”), is an emerging talent who has been a strong supporter of Cinema Femme over the past year, and I’ve
3 min read
by cinemafemme
April 13, 2021
A CONVERSATION WITH ISABEL SANDOVAL, Wednesday, April 14th, at 4:00 PM EST, as part of our April Showcase. Join us as we pay tribute to filmmaker Isabel Sandoval (“Lingua Franca”) with a
15 min read
by Rebecca Martin
April 1, 2021
I was fortunate to see a rough cut of Jaclyn Bethany’s “Highway One” last year prior to my interview with the director. The film danced in my mind long after.
2 min read
by cinemafemme
March 23, 2021
“How Is This The World”: A mother befriends a burnt-out hacker to help search for her son in virtual reality. Credits: Written & Directed by Sadie Rogers Produced by Grace
9 min read
by Rebecca Martin
November 21, 2019
Last year I edited a video (video also featured at bottom of this piece) with scenes from some of my favorite films I’d seen over that year correlated with my
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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
When John Alan Schwartz’s “Faces of Death” came out in 1978, it emerged at a time when the proliferation of violent images wasn’t as ubiquitous
Submissions Link: filmfreeway.com/CinemaFemme 🎬 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival Returns to the Music Box Theatre and New Festival Director Announced Cinema Femme Short Film Festival
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
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
When John Alan Schwartz’s “Faces of Death” came out in 1978, it emerged at a time when the proliferation of violent images wasn’t as ubiquitous
Submissions Link: filmfreeway.com/CinemaFemme 🎬 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival Returns to the Music Box Theatre and New Festival Director Announced Cinema Femme Short Film Festival
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
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
When John Alan Schwartz’s “Faces of Death” came out in 1978, it emerged at a time when the proliferation of violent images wasn’t as ubiquitous
Submissions Link: filmfreeway.com/CinemaFemme 🎬 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival Returns to the Music Box Theatre and New Festival Director Announced Cinema Femme Short Film Festival
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
