FF2 Media - Supporting Women Artists Now!

Inaugural Rom Com Fest begins in LA

By Brigid K. Presecky

Celebrate all your favorite romantic comedies this weekend (tickets and badges are still available) at the inaugural Rom Com Fest, running from June 20-23 in Los Angeles. The lineup of films include anniversaries for beloved favorites from female filmmakers like Karen McCullah & Kirsten Smith’s 10 Things I Hate About You and Abby Kohn &…

Miranda Bailey explores fractured father-son relationship with 'Being Frank'

By Lesley Coffin

Miranda Bailey is all about looking at the inner lives of liars. Her first film as director, the documentary The Pathological Optimist, focused on the discredited doctor Andrew Wakefield (who authored the infamous study linking vaccines to autism). Bailey followed that up with the award-winning short Another Happy Anniversary, and now her feature debut, Being…

Pixar releases 21st male-directed feature film

By Georgiana E. Presecky

Out this Friday, Incredibles 2 is the 20th feature film released in the 23-year history of Pixar. The animation studio has made headlines in recent months with the exit of co-founder John Lasseter and the team behind Toy Story 4 stepping down due to perceived mistreatment of women and people of color.

Watch at Home: ‘The Mustang’ & more from female filmmakers

By Danielle Solzman

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 6/13/2019 (with links to FF2 Media reviews…

Spanning Generations: 20 summer films by women

By Brigid K. Presecky & Georgiana E. Presecky

Ducking into an air-conditioned movie theater for a few hours is weaved into the fabric of summer, and many of our favorite summertime flicks were written and directed by women. From stories of aliens to superheroes to small towns, from Oz in the 1930s to Themyscira of 2017, these 20 stories are perfect for summer-night…

Big crowd at Washington Square Park screening of 'Where Do We Go Now?'

By Maiya T. Pascouche

This summer, Films on the Green 2019 has put together a lineup of films all focused on female directors in French cinema and Francophone film. On Friday June 6th, FF2 Media® LLC partnered with Films on the Green to co-sponsor the showing of Nadine Labaki’s film Where Do We Go Now? in their “Women Behind…

ATX Festival celebrates the power of female partnerships

By Brigid K. Presecky & Georgiana E. Presecky

The eighth season of the ATX Television Festival was held June 6-9 in Austin, Texas, celebrating all aspects of the television medium. The Power of Female Partnerships was one of the first panels on the four-day schedule, presented by Vanity Fair. Panelists included Good Girls creator Jenna Bens and star Retta, along with TV agents…

Watch at Home: ‘The Brink’ & more from female filmmakers

By Danielle Solzman

FF2 Media Co-Sponsors Nadine Labaki Film in NYC on 6/7/19

By Jan Lisa Huttner

NYC Shout-Out: In 2019, Nadine Labaki's film “Capernaum” was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, thrilling those of us have cherished her work for years now. Labaki's breakout film “Caramel” was firmly set in contemporary Beirut. Her second film “Where Do We Go Now?” is Magical Realism. A mythical Lebanese village, surrounded by…

Watch at Home: ‘Captain Marvel’ & more from female filmmakers

By Danielle Solzman

10 New Must-See Films Directed by Women

By FF2 Media

Only three of the top 10 certified-fresh films of 2019 on Rotten Tomatoes are directed by women. Documentaries Hail Satan? and Knock Down the House are both 100 percent fresh, while Olivia Wilde’s buzzy comedy Booksmart sits at 97 percent. Members of FF2 Media’s all-female staff watch and review every film released theatrically in New…

Animator Nina Paley Confronts the Copyright Quandary

By Elisa Shoenberger

In addition to talking with animator Nina Paley about her newest film, Seder Masochism, FF2 talked with her about her views on copyright. Paley describes herself as a copyright abolitionist and has written for QuestionCopyright.org and did a series called Mimi & Eunice about copyright. Paley also did a great Ted Talk called “Copyright is…

WIF gala honors female directors; Poehler named 'Entrepreneur in Entertainment'

By Angela Stern

The power of an organization like Women in Film cannot be overlooked in today’s world. As women finally find themselves in a world where they can begin to be recognized, the significance of this union of female artists is just beginning to take shape. The Los Angeles chapter of WIF is gearing up to host…

Female filmmaker wins top honor at CCFF for 'Saint Frances'

By Brigid K. Presecky & Georgiana E. Presecky

The 2019 Chicago Critics Film Festival was held May 17-23 at the Music Box Theatre, featuring nine films written and/or directed by women. Of the 24 films in the festival lineup, these four stood out as especially memorable features from female directors. [Saint Frances wins Audience Award - Narrative Feature from Chicago native, writer and star…

Watch at Home: ‘Isn't It Romantic’ & more from female filmmakers

By Danielle Solzman

‘Booksmart’ is for a new kind of nerd

By Georgiana E. Presecky

You’ll read plenty of think pieces about Booksmart this week. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut about best friends who make one last attempt to have fun before high school graduation has garnered high praise since its SXSW premiere and currently sits at 100 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its May 24 release. On a…

Examining existence in the emptiness of space with philosophical sci-fi 'Aniara'

By Lesley Coffin

As we enter the summer months, it’s not unusual to find science-fiction films hitting theaters. From the light and fun to the more serious, they can often have the epic scope you expect to find in blockbusters. But it’s rare to find a science fiction film hit theaters as bleak and philosophically expansive as the…

Ephron Award winner sets notable firsts for female director

By Nora Lee Mandel

Rania Attieh won the 7th Annual Nora Ephron Award, with $25,000 prize, at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival for her World Premiere Initials S.G. Hers is the first win for: co-writer & director (her fourth feature film collaboration with Daniel Garcia); Lebanese-born; film shot in South America (Argentina); male lead; and exudes jazz. Sponsored by…

Watch at Home: ‘See You Yesterday’ & more from female filmmakers

By Danielle Solzman

Ash Mayfair's 'The Third Wife' a beautiful look at Vietnam's dark past

By Lesley Coffin

Ash Mayfair understands the world of her new film The Third Wife well. It isn’t simply a documentary of one of the darker parts of Vietnam's past with underage marriage and patriarchy, but the story of her own family. Despite controversy for casting 13-year-old actress Nguyen Phuong Tra My in the role of May (the…

Watch at Home: ‘Wine Country’ & more from female filmmakers

By Danielle Solzman

'Charlie Says' offers feminist light on notorious Manson murders

By Lesley Coffin

For more than 20 years, the team of Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner have been collaborating on some of the daring and original independent films of the past two decades; I Shot Andy Warhol, American Psycho, and The Notorious Bettie Page. Their feminist and explicate approach to material makes them a fearless team and part…

Chicago Critics Film Festival celebrates women directors

By Pamela Powell

The 2019 Chicago Critics Film Festival raises the curtain on 24 highly-anticipated new films running May 17-23 at the Music Box Theatre. Nine of these 24 feature films are written and/or directed by women, holding steady at 37.5 percent from last year’s representation of female filmmakers. It’s a strong group of films, many of…

Female filmmakers best of the fest at Tribeca

By Pamela Powell

It wasn’t difficult to find female-written and/or directed films this year at the Tribeca Film Festival. In fact, my time to attend the fest was limited to three days, so I just went to the films that fit my schedule and lo and behold, 45 percent of these films were either written and/or directed by…

Watch at Home: ‘At the Heart of Gold’ & more from female filmmakers

By Danielle Solzman

Watch at Home: ‘Destroyer’ & more from female filmmakers

By Danielle Solzman

Watch at Home: ‘Someone Great’ & more from female filmmakers

By Danielle Solzman

'Little Woods' and other films that get sisterhood right

By Brigid K. Presecky

While fiction has often portrayed sisterhood as a tumultuous relationship, Nia DaCosta’s new film Little Woods manages to portray the familial bond without stereotypical tropes of competition, resentment or envy. Tessa Thompson and Lily James star in the poignant story of two half-sisters, struggling together through life’s challenges of poverty, grief and single parenthood. Like…

'Andhadhun' an audience favorite at 2019 Indian Film Festival

By Angela Stern

The buzz on the Red Carpet for the 2019 Indian Film Festival on opening night was unfettered by the strong April gusts of wind that threatened to blow over the backdrops and tussle the carefully coiffed hair of the many names that came to celebrate. Perhaps the energy was due to the fact that roughly…

Seder Masochism: Nina Paley's irreverent take on Passover/Easter Rituals

By Elisa Shoenberger

Nina Paley released her new animated film Seder Masochism on the internet in January 2019, Like her stellar Sita Sings the Blues (released in 2008), Seder Masochism uses numerous animation styles including ancient Egyptian stylizations, and even embroidery. Seder Masochism is a satirical retelling of the Jewish Haggadah (traditionally recited every Passover at a meal…