Now that the 2019 Sundance Film Festival has ended, I've had some time to sit down and reflect on the many films that this year's festival had to offer. In terms of women-directed or women-written films, the festival had so much to offer. Even taking the indie episodics into account, there are some very talented…
Category: Features
Academy maintains 'disturbing lack of recognition' for female talent
In the 89-year-history of the Oscars, only five women have ever been nominated for Best Director, and. . . only one woman has ever won. While recent high-profile nominees like Sofia Coppola—or the one winner in the case of Kathryn Bigelow—have gained attention, not enough films by women have been elevated to smash that celluloid ceiling.…
Columbia College Chicago showcases 'Where the Future Came From'
Columbia College Chicago Glass Curtain Gallery showcased the Where the Future Came From exhibit on February 12, featuring the president of the Chicago Women's History Center, Mary Ann Johnson, as guest speaker. Johnson shared excerpts of interviews from female artists who were members of the Artemisia Gallery (now closed), a feminist collective founded in 1973.…
New romantic comedy festival to debut in LA
Nothing says romance more than Valentine’s Day...except for maybe a good romantic comedy! Thanks to the efforts of Miraya Berke, the first ever Rom Com Fest will be taking place on June 20-23 in Los Angeles at the Downtown Independent (251 S. Main St.) to not only celebrate rom-coms, but to shed a new light…
Watch at Home: ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ & more from female filmmakers
FF2 Media’s new “Watch at Home” columns list the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers that are newly available each week on DVD, Video On Demand &/or streaming services. Here are the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers now available at home as of 1/25/2019 (with links to FF2 Media reviews…
Watch at Home: ‘The Wife’ & more from female filmmakers
FF2 Media’s new “Watch at Home” columns list the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers that are newly available each week on DVD, Video On Demand &/or streaming services. Here are the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers now available at home as of 2/1/2019 (with links to FF2 Media reviews…
Miranda Tapsell gets the rom-com right with ‘Top End Wedding’
The Rom-Com genre is certainly an entity unto itself, but to do it right is no easy task. Top End Wedding, co-written by Miranda Tapsell and Joshua Tyler, is a prime example of how to do it right. This exceptionally well-balanced, funny, dramatic and heartfelt film takes place in the Tiwi Islands in the Northern…
Penny Lane pushes boundaries, finds humor in 'Hail Satan?'
Boldly daring filmmaker Penny Lane returns to Sundance with her third feature-length documentary Hail Satan? The title itself is certainly eye-catching. And quite surprisingly, after seeing this film, I was shocked by my changed perspective about the topic. In fact, I dare you not to have a different outlook, too. Lane, a self-proclaimed rebel herself, delves…
Sundance shines on women
The Sundance Film Festival continues to be a frontrunner in paving a path for new voices and the 2019 festival is no exception to this observation. With nearly half of the director seats occupied by women (45 percent) and more than 70 percent of the awards presented to women, it’s obvious that women are finally…
Watch at Home: ‘Widows’ & more from female filmmakers
FF2 Media’s new “Watch at Home” columns list the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers that are newly available each week on DVD, Video On Demand &/or streaming services. Here are the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers now available at home as of 2/4/2019 (with links to FF2 Media reviews…
Roberta Grossman debuts 'Who Will Write Our History' at Lincoln Center
When director and filmmaker Roberta Grossman read Professor Samuel Kassow’s book Who Will Write Our History, she was fascinated, horrified and outraged that such a powerful and poignant story had received less media attention than other prominent histories of the Holocaust. She was inspired to turn Kassow's book into a blended documentary that captures the…
Sundance ‘Breaking Barriers’ panel highlights women filmmakers
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) hosted a much-needed panel at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in front of an eager and excited crowd. Women Breaking Barriers: Where Are We Now? took place on Jan 26 at the Packed Sundance TV Lounge, moderated by HFPA members Elisabeth Sereda and Silvia Bizio, including award-winning producer Cassian…
Films by women top 'Best of the Fest' at Sundance
This year’s Sundance Film Festival is a breakthrough for women in film. More and more female directors, writers and producers are accepted into the festival and audiences are able to see and experience a great collection of female-made films. In addition to exceptional films, the opening days of the festival included many panels focused on…
Time’s Up issues 4 Percent Challenge to support female directors
Time’s Up and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative announced the #4PercentChallenge at Sundance Film Festival this weekend to increase the number of women directors making top-grossing films. According to research from the Inclusionists, only four percent of the 1,200 highest-grossing films from 2007 to 2018 were directed by women. “It’s time for a change -…
Rachel Tunnard talks release of award-winning 'Adult Life Skills'
Three years later, with Tunnard already in post-production on her next film, international audiences have embraced Adult Life Skills, and it’s no wonder considering despite the sad plot of a woman on the edge of 30 dealing with life after the death of her twin brother, Tunnard create a warm, funny coming-of-age film.
'All These Small Moments' tells modern coming-of-age story
Winter in New York is a classic image, especially in cinema, as everything seems to slow down just for a little while. That idea’s been embraced in the storytelling of Melissa B. Miller Costanza’s low key coming-of-age dramedy All These Small Moments, the story of a teenager taking notice of the world around him, including…
Chicago film critics talk Oscar snubs, surprises
Four Chicago film critics provided their thoughts about the 91st Academy Award nominations January 22. FF2 Media Contributor Pamela Powell joined WGN’s Dean Richards, WCIU’s Brandon Pope and Hollywood and Chicago’s Patrick McDonald at the CMX Cinemas in Skokie to discuss their favorite films, along with snubs and surprises. The critics unanimously agreed that Roma…
Oscar nominees remain predominantly male
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards were announced early January 22. For the 87th time in Oscar history, no women are nominated for Best Director; only five women have ever been nominated in this category and Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, 2010) is the only winner. No Best Picture nominees are directed by women this…
Sundance increases number of women directors
This year’s Sundance Film Festival (Park City/Salt Lake City, Utah) will be different. What makes it different is the presence of female-directed movies - close to 42 percent, according to Women and Hollywood report. With a four percent overall increase from last year, female-directed films will be featured in various categories, including large percentages in…
Roberta Grossman talks 'Who Will Write Our History'
Who has the freedom, resources and opportunities to tell the stories of history? The stories of the Oyneg Shabes are some of the courageous individuals who wrote, documented and saved the written histories of the victims of the Warsaw Ghetto as “reporters from hell.” Based on the book by Samuel Kassow, Roberta Grossman’s captured the…
Watch at Home: ‘Adult Life Skills’ & more from female filmmakers
FF2 Media’s new “Watch at Home” columns list the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers that are newly available each week on DVD, Video On Demand &/or streaming services.
Oscar shortlist features female documentarians
Eight of the 15 films advancing in the Documentary Feature category for the 91st Academy Awards are directed by women. Oscar voting ended January 14 and official nominees are announced January 22.
The Wife expands to 150 theaters
The Wife expanded to 150 theaters the weekend of January 11, following Glenn Close’s win for Best Actress at the Golden Globes. Sony Pictures Classics re-released the film after its initial August run the same weekend Close tied Lady Gaga for Best Actress at the 24th Annual Critics Choice Awards January 13. At both ceremonies,…
‘On the Basis of Sex’ another biopic forcing a likable female icon
One of the first women in government to be idolized, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, had two films made about her this year: RBG, a documentary with unprecedented access, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, and On the Basis of Sex, a biopic written by Daniel Stiepleman and directed by Mimi Leder.
Sally Rubin's doc 'Hillbilly' urges different view of Appalachia
In their new film Hillbilly, Sally Rubin and Ashley York look at the people, region and stereotypes that created our image of the people of Appalachia.
#MakeOscarGold campaign breaks down male bias
Although the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has faced backlash of their mostly-male, mostly-white nominees, generating hashtag campaigns like #OscarsSoWhite and #OscarsSoBlue, FF2 Media continues championing #MakeOscarGold: merit-based award nominations.
New York Jewish Film Festival program to highlight films by women
Have a case of the winter blues? Get out and see a film festival! The New York Jewish Film Festival runs from January 9-22 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Out of the 22 feature films playing at the festival, eight are by women directors.
DGA nominates zero women for feature film directing
The Directors Guild of America announced nominees for its annual awards, to be held February 2. Five directors (five men and zero women) are nominated.
Golden Globes acceptance speeches laud female creators
There were many triumphant moments for women at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, despite very few female writers and directors being represented in film categories. Many winning actresses used their acceptance speeches as an opportunity to champion female creators. On the television side, Best Actress Rachel Brosnahan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel thanked many women…
WGA nominates one woman and 20 men for feature film writing
The Writer’s Guild of America announced nominees for its annual awards January 7. Writers of 10 feature films are nominated for best screenplay, but Can You Ever Forgive Me? co-writer Nicole Holofcener is the only woman of 21 writers. The documentary screenplay category is a slight improvement, with Lauren Greenfield (Generation Wealth) and Dava Whisenant…