Cinema Femme: Sundance and Slamdance 2023 wrap-up!

Ella Glendining in “Is There Anybody Out There?”, Layla Mohammadi in “The Persian Version”, Still from “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”, Teyana Taylor  in”A Thousand and One”, and Wendy McColm in “Fuzzy Head”

INTERVIEWS

Sundance 2023: Sierra Urich explores the spaces that immigrant children occupy in her documentary feature debut “Joonam”

Sierra Urich, director of Joonam, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute 

Sundance 2023: Erica Tremblay on her debut feature “Fancy Dance” 

Erica Tremblay, director of Fancy Dance, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by August Baumgartner.

Sundance 2023: Ella Glendining on her groundbreaking and brave documentary, “Is There Anybody Out There?”

Ella Glendining

Sundance 2023: Razelle Benally on representation behind the camera and her new docuseries “Murder in Big Horn”

Razelle Benally, co-director of “Murder in Big Horn”

Sundance 2023: Glorimar Marrero Sánchez talks about the symbolism of her feature debut “La Pecera” (“The Fishbowl”)

Glorimar Marrero Sanchez, director of La Pecera (The Fishbowl), an official selection of the World Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Sundance 2023: Filmmaker Laura Moss on Their Mary Shelley-Inspired Feature Debut,”birth/rebirth”

Laura Moss, director of “birth/rebirth”

Sundance 2023: Sofia Alaoui on her Supernatural Feature Debut, “Animalia”

Sundance 2023: Sofia Alaoui on her Supernatural Feature Debut, “Animalia”

Sundance 2023: Anna Hints on the power of Southern Estonia women in their feature debut, “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”

Sundance 2023: Anna Hints “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”

Slamdance 2023: Linh Tran Helms Her Feature Debut, “Waiting For The Light To Change”

Slamdance 2023: Linh Tran “Waiting for the Light to Change”

Slamdance 2023: Wendy McColm on Their Audacious Triumph, “Fuzzy Head”

Slamdance 2023: Wendy McColm on Their Audacious Triumph, “Fuzzy Head”

REVIEWS

Sundance 2023 review: “A Thousand and One,” directed by A.V. Rockwell

Sundance 2023 review: “MAMACRUZ,” directed by Patricia Ortega

Kiti Mánver appears in MAMACRUZ by Patricia Ortega, an official selection of the World Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Sundance 2023 review: “Bad Behaviour,” directed by Alice Englert

Jennifer Connelly appears in Bad Behaviour by Alice Englert, an official selection of the World Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Sundance 2023 review: “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” directed by Anna Hints

Sundance 2023 review: “Girl,” directed by Adura Onashile

Déborah Lukumuena and Le’Shantey Bonsu appear in Girl by Adura Onasile, an official selection of the World Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

OUR TEAM

Peyton Robinson – Contributing Writer

Sundance Coverage: Reviews

Peyton Robinson is a Chicago-based writer and critic. She has bylines with numerous online publications such as Film School Rejects, JumpcutOnline, on Rogerebert.com. Her long-held, formative passion for horror has been the kickstarter for her career in film journalism, but she also loves writing about cult movies and stories of the Black experience. Some of her favorite films include “Inherent Vice”, “The Double”, and “Psycho”.

Dawn Borchardt – Contributing Writer

Sundance coverage: Interviews

Dawn Borchardt is a Salt Lake City-based film festival producer, film podcaster and filmmaker. She has worked at many film festivals around the US including Sundance and the LA Film Fest, and currently produces the Freeland Film Fest which focuses on sharing stories that inspire. She hosts the podcast Faux Reel interviewing indie filmmakers about how their personal histories and beliefs interweave with the stories they share on screen. Dawn’s lifelong love of horror film is what got her immersed in the film world, ultimately landing her focus on experimental work, documentaries and stories that inspire change.

Rebecca Martin Fagerholm- Founder, Managing Editor, and Film Festival Director

Sundance Coverage: Interviews and Reviews

Rebecca Martin is the Managing Editor of Cinema Femme magazine and the Festival Director of Cinema Femme Short Film Fest. She founded her publication in 2018 because she wanted to create a platform for female and non-binary voices in the film community. She has hosted film screenings in Chicago, led virtual panel discussions, Q&As, and has covered festivals like the Chicago International Film Festival, Sundance, Tribeca, and the Bentonville Film Festival.

Matt Fagerholm – Contributing Writer

Sundance coverage: Interviews

Matt Fagerholm is an Assistant Editor at RogerEbert.com and is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He spent four years writing film reviews and interviews for HollywoodChicago.com and has contributed to a variety of publications including Time Out Chicago, The A.V. Club and Magill’s Cinema Annual. His writing/editing experience includes serving as Assistant A&E Editor at the Columbia Chronicle and a full-time writer at the Woodstock Independent. He is a monthly guest on Vocalo radio’s The Morning AMp program, and is also the founder of Indie Outlook, a blog and podcast featuring exclusive interviews with some of the most exciting voices in modern independent filmmaking.

SUNDANCE 2023 COVERAGE SPONSORS