cinema femme

2025 Films, Chicago International Film Festival, Comedy, Directing, Film Festivals, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing

13 min read

A Call for Peace and Human Connection: Hikari on “Rental Family”

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

2025 Films, Drama, Interviews, LGBTQ+, Queer Stories

14 min read

Look for the Signs: Christy Salters Martin and Lisa Holewyne on “Christy”

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

2025 Films, Chicago International Film Festival, Directing, Drama, International Films, Interviews

14 min read

Kick Out the Conventions: Agnieszka Holland on “Franz,” “The Secret Garden” and More

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

2025 Films, Cinematographer, Coming of Age, Directing, Drama, Film Editing, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing, Screenwriting

12 min read

It Was All a Miracle: Embeth Davidtz on “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight”

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

2025 Films, Awards, Comedy, composer, Directing, Drama, Film Editing, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing, producer, Queer Stories, Screenwriting, Sexual Assault Awareness, Sundance

14 min read

A Profound Experience of Rewriting: Eva Victor on “Sorry, Baby”

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

Cult Classic, Directing, Film Editing, Indie Films, Interviews, producer, Television, TV

41 min read

He Believed in Me: Sabrina S. Sutherland on Her Favorite Person, David Lynch

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

composer, Film Editing, Interviews, Television

40 min read

An Editor’s Dream: Lori Eschler and Scott Ryan on “Always Music in the Air: The Sounds of Twin Peaks”

by Matt Fagerholm

May 19, 2025

In April of 2022, I attended the most euphoric moviegoing marathon of my life when curator Daniel Knox hosted “David Lynch: A Complete Retrospective—The Return” at Chicago’s own Club Silencio,

2025 Films, Coming of Age, Drama, Indie Films, Interviews, Sundance

13 min read

Disrupt the Dopamine: Lily McInerny on “Bonjour Tristesse”

by Matt Fagerholm

May 1, 2025

Throughout human history, few things have discomforted patriarchal societies quite like the candid thoughts of women. French author Françoise Sagan was only 18 when she published her wildly popular 1954

2024 Films, 2025 Films, Awards, Coming of Age, Directing, Documentaries, Film Editing, Film Festivals, Indie Films, Interviews, Now Playing, producer, Short Films

29 min read

This Was the Fight: Emily Sheskin on “JessZilla”

by Matt Fagerholm

February 24, 2025

One of my favorite films I saw in 2024 is finally kicking off its limited theatrical run before arriving on VOD. Last year, I had the privilege of serving on

Comedy, Coming of Age, Interviews, Television, TV

19 min read

A Sense of Authenticity: Olivia Edward on “Better Things”

by Rebecca Martin Fagerholm and Matt Fagerholm

October 21, 2024

When Pamela Adlon released her marvelous directorial feature debut, “Babes,” earlier this year, my husband Matt and I had not yet been acquainted with the filmmaker’s Peabody Award-winning FX series,

Chicago International Film Festival, Directing, Film Festivals, International Films, Interviews, Television, TV

8 min read

CIFF 2024: Screen Legend Valeria Golino on Her Exhilarating Miniseries, “The Art of Joy”

by Matt Fagerholm

October 18, 2024

Valeria Golino was 18 years old when she filmed Italian director Francesco Maselli’s “Storia d’amore,” the movie that would make her an international star. She earned the Best Actress prize

Indie Films, Interviews, Mental Health Awareness, Short Films

21 min read

A Different Conversation: Maia Scalia on Her Stunning Directorial Debut, “His Mother”

by Matt Fagerholm

August 9, 2024

If only people had listened to her. She saw the warning signs while others kept repeatedly turning a blind eye, and now her only child is on the brink of