CIFF 2023 Review: “Paradise is Burning,” (“Paradiset Brinner”) directed by Mika Gustafson

“Paradise is Burning” screened as part of The 59th Chicago International Film Festival on October 18, 2023, as part of the International Competition. Writer-director Mika Gustafson’s “Paradise is Burning” is a union of debuts. It’s her narrative feature film debut, and the three actresses at […]

CIFF 2023 Review: “Sisterhood,” (“HLM Pussy”) directed by Nora El Hourch

“Sisterhood” screened as part of The 59th Chicago International Film Festival, learn more about this film! Nora El Hourch’s feature debut “Sisterhood” (french title: “HLM Pussy”) is an emboldened dossier of how girlhood prematurely, and often violently, transitions into womanhood. Amina (Leah Aubet), Djeneba (Médina […]

You Can Never Tell What Private Tragedies People Have Had: Filmmaker Marian Mathias on her feature debut, “Runner”

“The world stands out on either sideNo wider than the heart is wide;Above the world is stretched the sky,—No higher than the soul is high.The heart can push the sea and landFarther away on either hand;The soul can split the sky in two,And let the […]

Our top 10 recommended films to see at The 58th Chicago International Film Festival! (10/12 – 10/23)

Cinema Femme is based out of Chicago, and every year we make sure to promote our top recommendations for The Chicago International Film Festival. We’ve featured interviews with female and non-binary filmmakers in past years of the festival. Our list below is based on our […]

A Look Back: Luchina Fisher’s “Mama Gloria” brings a hopeful outlook to the young trans community

For Women’s History Month and Trans Visibility Day approaching on March 31, we bring back our interview from the Chicago International Film Festival in October 2020. We are proud to support “Mama Gloria” – an intimate profile of Chicago’s trailblazing Black transgender icon and activist […]

Kyra Jones’ directorial debut sheds new light on sexual assault in “Go to the Body”

Kyra Jones is a force bubbling up in the industry. Her directorial debut “Go to the Body” (which is aiming for a 2023 release), has been winning pitch after pitch contest (Chicago International Film Festival, Screencraft), along with raising over $20K on its GoFundMe page. […]

Maya Zinshtein explores the complicated “love” between Evangelical Christians and Israelis in “‘Til Kingdom Come”

It is difficult for me to write an introduction for this piece, not because of the amazing interview I had with Maya Zinshtein about her documentary “‘Til Kingdom Come’, but how I’m having to grapple with some of the sad truths that my religious background […]