Sundance 2026: Holding the Line — Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić on “To Hold a Mountain”
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 vast alpine pastures, making cheese by hand, and protecting the land she calls home. Alongside this relentless labor, she is raising young Nada to be […]
Sundance 2026: “Birds of War” — Love, Journalism, and Bearing Witness Across Revolution and Exile
“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 love story shaped by revolution, war, and exile. Told through thirteen years of personal archives, it traces the intertwined lives of London-based Lebanese journalist Janay […]
Sundance 2026: Rachael Morrison chronicles a radical life in her documentary “Joybubbles”
“Joybubbles” is filmmaker Rachael J. Morrison’s debut feature documentary, which just premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition. Built almost entirely from archival film footage and audio recordings, the film resurrects the singular life and voice of Joe Engressia—later known as Joybubbles—a blind phone phreak who, as a child, discovered […]
Crafting Real Stories in Sound — The Artistic Journey of Yuxin Lu
Cinema Femme had the opportunity to speak with sound designer and composer Yuxin Lu. Based in Chicago, Yuxin is a dynamic and multidimensional audio artist whose journey spans continents and disciplines. Before they ever opened a DAW or built a soundscape, they trained as a classical pianist performing across Europe and the U.S. That musical […]
CIFF 2024: “Mistress Dispeller,” “Hard Truths,” “Rita,” and “My Stolen Planet”
I have always found that the Chicago International Film Festival is a formidable venue for riveting, empathetic tales about women and girls. Last year, “Paradise is Burning” was my favorite film of the fest, and one of my top five for the year. This year, I was glad to view more incredible narrative features that […]
Sierra Urich explores the spaces that children of immigrants occupy in her documentary feature debut “Joonam”
We bring back our Sundance 2023 interview with Sierra Urich in anticipation of the 12/1 theatrical release, kicking off in NYC. “Joonam” is a beautiful debut documentary from Iranian-American filmmaker Sierra Urich. In the film, Urich connects with her Persian mother and grandmother while learning Farsi and trying to build her own foundation with her […]
Anna Hints on the power of Southern Estonia women in their feature debut, “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”
This interview was originally posted on January 20th, 2023 for our 2023 Sundance coverage. We feature it again with the anticipated November 24 US theatrical release. See link to find showtimes in your area. The film comes to digital on 01/23/2024. This film is quoted by us in the trailer as a “masterpiece.” We are […]
“It’s Our Time Now”: Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir on her feature debut “Band” at ChiFilmFest2022
I’m going to be 40 next month. For a while I couldn’t think or say that without flinching a bit. I have had it instilled in me there are certain markers you hit at certain ages of certain life experiences. Once you pass that age, those experiences expire or there is nothing new beyond that. […]
Look back: Rita Baghdadi’s Sundance premiere “Sirens” celebrates women who dare to revolt against their family and country’s expectations of them
We take a look back at our Sundance coverage of the documentary “Sirens” directed by Rita Baghdadi (@ritaamal). The film will be kicking off their theatrical release this Friday (9/30/22) in NYC . “There needs to be more nuanced portrayals of women in general. And not just nuanced, but raw, authentic women that may not be […]
Tribeca 2022: “Battleground” Director-Producer Cynthia Lowen discusses her approach to documentary filmmaking
Driven by curiosity and a passion for social justice, Emmy-nominated filmmaker Cynthia Lowen uses the power of story to investigate difficult issues that often go overlooked; her debut documentary feature, 2011’s “Bully”, investigated a crisis of suicide motivated by bullying in American schools. It was nominated for two Emmys, shortlisted for the Oscars, screened at The White House and […]
Celebrating Juneteenth, a look back: A conversation with documentarian Dawn Porter
February 2021 Cinema Femme had the honor of speaking with documentarian Dawn Porter about her impactful films. We bring back our interview with her to celebrate Juneteenth weekend. *Not an updated biography, biography from February 2021. Learn more about Dawn Porter’s latest work here. DAWN PORTER Biography Award-winning filmmaker, producer, and mental health/social justice advocate […]
Cinema Femme Interview with Ukrainian filmmaker and journalist Elena Rubashevskaja
For International Women’s Day, we elevate Ukrainian filmmaker and journalist Elena Rubashevska (Ukrainian/Russian/international translation issues) by sharing our interview. Elena opens up about her journey that began on February 24th, with her escape from Ukraine to Poland. We talked about what she left behind and how her family remains in war-torn Ukraine. She also chats […]