Attracted to Abstraction: Lucile Hadžihalilović on “The Ice Tower”
“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 his 2009 masterpiece, “Enter the Void.” There is perhaps no filmmaker who has crafted more visceral portrayals of primal human experiences, particularly sex, violence and […]
This Was the Fight: Emily Sheskin on “JessZilla”
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 the documentary nomination committee for Slamdance’s inaugural awards ceremony, The Indies. As a result, I screened numerous magnificent pictures, yet none delivered a knockout punch […]
Numa Perrier on making her rom-com “The Perfect Find”
“Numa was our choice and we went after her. She did this movie for Netflix called ‘Jezebel’ and I loved it. She was in it – she starred in it as well as directed it. And I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, she can multitask and she can create beautiful narratives. She knows how to shoot […]
Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre shows the power of sensual freedom in “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”
During a time when women’s bodies are being used as a political agenda, it is so refreshing to see a film that elevates female sensuality through the lens of consent. This film is “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” directed by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, and is based on the classic book by D.H. Lawrence. The ideas of this book are modern by showing that […]
‘Britt-Marie Was Here’ director Tuva Novotny shows us how a 63-year old woman can relate to everyone with or without a smile
It is a wonderful experience when you meet someone you connect with on a deep and creative level. I felt this connection with Swedish filmmaker and actor Tuva Novotny during our conversation about her film “Britt-Marie Was Here”, her second directorial effort following her debut feature “Blind Spot”. Before meeting Tuva, I was familiar with […]
Editor Erin Wolf on the artistic process of editing a TV show
Erin Wolf has worked on the TV shows “The Magicians,” “You,” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” and she also assistant edited Ethan Hawke’s feature film “Blaze” and Nick Cannon’s “King of the Dancehall.” Erin kindly walked me through the artistic process of editing a film and a TV show, and I was so inspired.
A Poem for the Mother
Illustration by Tavi Veraldi A Poem for the Mother Who lost her son… In a car crash In a dog fight Amid the dust mines of recessed memories A poem for the agony For the fear For the future Remembering to call her before you go to sleep When the gunshots start pouring When the enemies roll […]
I can’t understand
Both willingly and unwillingly, Yance and so many others have done so much emotional labor to tell us their stories and relive their trauma, all to reveal to us the racism, sexism, bigotry, homophobia, and overall hatred that still exists and causes unfathomable pain, and it’s our job and responsibility to pay attention.
The burden of heartbreak
When the lights in “Strong Island” (2017) begin to dim and the credits start to roll, the viewer is left with an echo of a scream ringing intensely in their ears. Director and filmmaker Yance Ford has just spoken with the District Attorney in charge of his brother’s case and learns a story left untold […]
‘Strong Island’: documentary filmmaking as a coming-of-age tale
It’s always the women, the queer, and the blacks. They are the ones who tell stories. They are the ones who dig deep into their families’ histories. They are the ones who try to uncover the truth and make amends with the past so they can live a different future. It’s always people like us—those […]
The contours of fear: a documentary elegy
It is a pessimistic view of life in America, and for Yance Ford and millions of people who look like him, it is a daily reality: living with the fear of being treated as a second-class citizen in school, housing, employment, and the law.