Transitioning Together: Amy Jenkins and Adam Sieswerda on “Adam’s Apple”
As someone who was born four decades ago, any fragments of home movie footage that exist from my childhood—most of which was recorded on a cumbersome camcorder borrowed from my aunt—are priceless. Thanks to the new millennium’s technological advancements, people born within the past quarter century can have the entirety of their evolution from child […]
Sundance 2026: Finding Barbara Hammer—A Late Awakening to Queer Experimentation
Barbara Hammer once said, “If we’re experimenting with our lives and the way we’re going to live, our film and our art should also be experimental. It breaks tradition, and makes you think in a broader way. It’s the way I experience the world.” I’ve been carrying that quote with me lately, especially as I […]
CIFF 2024: Screen Legend Valeria Golino on Her Exhilarating Miniseries, “The Art of Joy”
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 in Venice, and went on to be cast in such major Hollywood releases as “Rain Man,” “Big Top Pee-Wee,” “Hot Shots!”, “Leaving Las Vegas” and […]
Look back: Elevating 25 films showing why we fight for gender equality
Labor Day for me has always symbolized the importance of elevating the fight for gender equality in the work place, and also behind the camera. Here is a list of our top 25 films that show that, and where to watch them. I’ve included some of Cinema Femme’s coverage of these films along with women […]
Shelter from the World: Iliana Zabeth on “House of Pleasures,” #MeToo in France and More
One of the finest female ensembles in recent years can be found in Bertrand Bonello’s 2011 masterwork, “House of Pleasures,” originally titled “L’Apollonide” in France, the name of the Parisian brothel where nearly every scene in the film takes place. “In a way, Bonello’s film is about the end of an era in turn-of-the-century France, […]
Cinema Femme at Sundance Day 4: Happening, Alice, Hatching and Nanny
Happening The two best films I’ve seen thus far in 2022 won acclaim on the festival circuit last year prior their premieres at Sundance, and both happen to be astonishingly vivid portraits of female identity: Joaquim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” and Audrey Diwan’s “Happening,” the latter of which won the top prize […]
Promising overlooked women: shining a light on female directors
Over a year ago, at Sundance 2020, pre-pandemic, Carey Mulligan spoke with Variety about how Oscar voters overlooked films with female filmmakers, meaning they did not watch these films before they cast their votes for the Best Director category. This discussion circled around her and Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” premiere. I can’t help thinking […]
Josephine Decker casts a witchy spell with her new film ‘Shirley’
As Sundance comes to a close, I’m pleased to share my first of many interviews conducted at the festival. On the heels of her acclaimed film, “Madeline’s Madeline,” director Josephine Decker spoke with me about the out-of-body experience I had while watching her film “Shirley.” It was like there was some kind of magic drawing […]
Watching films not for overindulgence, but to develop my taste buds: bite-sized reviews to whet your appetite, bon appétit
Last year I edited a video (video also featured at bottom of this piece) with scenes from some of my favorite films I’d seen over that year correlated with my reviews I’d written on letterboxd. I watch a lot of films and write a review for every film I see on that site. They are […]