"What Happened" TODAY! I started the morning ~ 6 AM at the Hyatt on Union Square I left my room ~ 6:15 & then I dashed 2 blocks to the Barnes & Noble on 17th Street. It is now 5:25 & I am finally I am home again. It took ~ 8 hours to get thru…
Year: 2017
‘Trophy’ documentary examines all aspects of hunting industry
One of the most talked about documentaries to premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival was Christina Clusiau and Shaul Schwarz’s Trophy. From hunters to conservationist, Trophy looks at all angles and captures some remarkable, albeit disturbing, images of nature.
Michal Aviad’s documentary shows spirit of Dimona settlers
Dimona Twist is partly about that cultural issue, but mostly, it's about women. Strong, wise, heartwarming women. Winner of the Van Leer award for Best Israeli Documentary Film - Jerusalem Interantional Film Festival, Israel, Director Michal Aviad dares to take "the cultural genie" out of the bottle.
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala story Heat & Dust newly re-released in 4G
In 1983, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Booker-prize winning novel Heat and Dust was released in theatres for its first run, and in 1984, BAFTA rewarded her with a Best Adapted Screenplay award. But even many film buffs will not recognize her name. Ruth Prawer Who??? Although she was the genius who wrote most of screenplays for their their…
Female directors, protagonists redefining genre expectations
The 70th Locarno Film Festival (held in Locarno, Switzerland) excluded all films solely directed by women in its main competition. Other categories, however, included a handful of female directors and a couple “assertive” female leads, according to critic Jaime Grijalba in his essay “French Women Take a Stand: How Two New French Films Address Issues…
NYC's Film Society of Lincoln Center presents “Jane Campion’s Own Stories” Retrospective
Jane Campion, the pioneering New Zealand-born filmmaker known for her Oscar-winning film The Piano (1993) and now Sundance TV’s “Top of the Lake” series, is being honored with a retrospective look at her innovative film career. “Jane Campion’s Own Stories,” will run from September 8th through September 17th at the Film Society of Lincoln Center…
Julia Solomonoft's ‘Nobody’s Watching’ presents the immigrant experience
As our culture continues the debate surrounding cultural identity, immigration and diversity, Julia Solomonoft's new film Nobody's Watching (aka Nadie nos mira) comes at a perfect time. The film tells the story of Nico (Guillermo Pfening, best actor at this year's Tribeca Film Festival), a famous actor who's just moved to New York City and…
‘Viceroy’s House’ views Indian Partition through British lens
Gurinder Chadha, director of What's Cooking, Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, defines herself as a female British-Indian filmmaker - that part of her identity impacting the films she chooses to make. A majority of her films, which she writes and directs, focus on the struggle Indian women finding their place in English…
'Wonder Woman' crosses $800M mark
Wonder Woman has passed the $800 million mark. As the summer blockbuster continues to dominate the worldwide box office, director Patty Jenkins has formally signed a contract with Warner Bros. to return for the sequel, making her the highest-paid female director in Hollywood. Grossing $404 million domestically and receiving unanimous praise from members of the…
Angelina Jolie’s ‘First They Killed My Father’ gets Netflix premiere date
Release Date: September 15th, 2017 Angelina Jolie directs this Cambodia-set feature film based on Loung Ung’s memoir, “First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers.” Seen through the eyes of a five-year-old cut off from her family during the Khmer Rouge years (commonly known as the Cambodian Holocaust), script co-writer Ung details her…
American Theatre Critics Association reacts to racism backlash
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. ― S.G. Tallentyre, The Friends of Voltaire The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) continues to address the issues surrounding Chicago Sun-Times critic Hedy Weiss and her controversial review of Steppenwolf Theatre’s production of “Pass Over” from Antoinette…
‘Logan Lucky’ sparks pseudonym speculation
Director Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky is slated for release Friday, August 18, and it’s already receiving rave reviews with a 92 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of Monday afternoon. Starring Channing Tatum and Adam Driver as brothers ripping off NASCAR, the feature boasts a star-studded cast and will undoubtedly draw fans of Soderbergh’s…
‘Whose Streets?’ documents aftermath of Ferguson riots, media coverage
Whose Streets? opens in theaters August 11, perfectly timed with Kathryn Bigelow’s film Detroit as the two films address racial violence and police brutality. While Bigelow’s film depicts a conflict from 50 years ago, Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis’ film, Whose Streets? is a documentary, delving into the riots in Ferguson, MO following the murder…
12 films by women you can stream on Netflix right now
Netflix adds to its wide selection of content each month, and its summer releases boast a significant number of films written or directed by women. From those who are unable to attend screenings of independent films in their cities due to distribution limitations to others who simply prefer streaming to the theater-going experience, exposure to…
AFI honors the incomparable Diane Keaton
Jan Here. Honestly, I turned on AFI's tribute to the incomparable Diane Keaton last night as "filler" between the end of the PBS News Hour & the beginning of The Rachel Maddow Show, but I ended up watching the entire tribute. I have always loved Diane Keaton in her dramatic roles as well as her…
Director Amanda Lipitz finds her ‘Step’ in new documentary
Broadway producer and first-time documentary feature filmmaker, director, and producer Amanda Lipitz has made her way from the Sundance Film Festival to a 200 theater opening of her passion project, Step. The Baltimore native captured an inspirational story about three young women from the inner-city of Baltimore, all with various backgrounds, who attend the Baltimore…
Writer/director Katherine Dieckmann on ‘Strange Weather,’ surviving grief
Strange Weather feels like a perfect title to be both evocative and descriptive of Katherine Dieckmann’s new feature. Focusing on parents of suicide victims and the suffering they experience in the aftermath, Dieckmann has also made a frequently funny and warm film about surviving grief. In the role of grieving mother Darcy, Dieckmann has written…
Girls Night Out: B*%ches Keepin' Us in Stitches
Summer is here and so are the much-anticipated summer films! And, so far, they have not disappointed. What’s even better? This summer has been filled with fierce female writers and directors working on films that are also about women. From comedies, to action packed films, foreign features, and divine dramas, this year is proving to…
Murder, metaphors, and modernity in Ingrid Jungermann’s ‘Women Who Kill’
Ingrid Jungermann is taking on the definition of “triple threat” with her debut feature Women Who Kill, as writer, director, and star of the wildly inventive dark comedy. After making a big impression with webseries The Slope (co-created with Desiree Akhavan), F to 7th and Drama, Jungermann made the leap to feature films with a satirical…
Princes look back in HBO documentary 'Diana, Our Mother'
From director Ashley Gething, the HBO Documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy remembers the Princess of Wales in a different way - from the perspective of her two sons, Princes William and Harry. The well-known figures speak openly about their mother throughout the 65 minutes, which first aired July 24 on HBO. Most viewers…
Women Make Movies nominated for News Documentary Emmy Awards
Congratulations to Women Make Movies’ Distribution and Production Assistance Program films nominated for the 38th Annual News Documentary Emmy Awards! Director Beth Murphy’s What Tomorrow Brings, a story about the first girls’ school in a small Afghan village, is nominated for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary. Directors Hemal Trivedi and Mohammed Naqvi’s Among the Believers is…
Throwback to when Gwyneth Paltrow was Sylvia Plath
It has been a while since this film came out in 2003, but it still remains a powerful piece of acting from Gwyneth Paltrow. The dark biopic, Sylvia, is directed by Christine Jeffs, and stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig. The two leads are husband and wife in this movie about a wandering journey through a lost…
‘Landline’ creators talk family dynamics, fidelity and all things '90s
Landline, the sophomore feature from filmmakers Gillian Robespierre and Elisabeth Holm, created buzz at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and continues to make quite a stir in theatrical release. Starring Jenny Slate, Abby Quinn, John Turturro, and Edie Falco, Robespierre also directed the film, set in New York City in the 1990s. The film looks…
Summer Kids Matinees to screen films with female protagonists
If parents in the New York City area are still looking for something to do with your children this summer, look no further than the Museum of the Moving Image’s Summer Kids Matinees. Located in Astoria, Queens, the Museum of the Moving Image has to be on every film buff’s list of sights to see.…
A behind-the-scenes look at 'Broken Record' with director Katusha Jin
Sometimes when I listen to a song or read a script, I have an instant impulse to create something for it. Broken Record by Sophi Alvarez, whose stage name is Saint Victoria, is a perfect example of this; I wanted to bring to life the visuals to accompany her powerful song. When I approached Sophi…
Jane Austen's 200th Yahrzeit
Honoring Jane Austen's 200th Yahrzeit By FF2 Media Editor-in-Chief Jan Lisa Huttner Jane Austen died exactly 200 years ago today. Really! So I can't keep from kvelling while remarking on how "bashert" this is ("meant to be") given that today, July 18, 2017, falls midway between this year's readings of Parsha Pinchas and Parsha Mattot/Mas’ei (the…
Civia Tamarkin’s ‘Birthright’ documentary fights for women’s rights
The reaction from a title like Birthright: A War Story is undeniably intentional in Civia Tamarkin’s new documentary. The war against women’s rights because of reproductive laws passed in recent years are having a horrific and alarming impact on the rights of women; both infringing on what was outlined when Roe v. Wade was passed…
Siskel Center presents sixth annual Best of Black Harvest
Gene Siskel Film Center continues to partner with the Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Tribune Foundation to present the sixth annual Best of Black Harvest. Executive Director Jean de St Aubin says, “I don't think we’ve even considered not doing the Best of Black Harvest and being out in the community. I think it's…
Television Academy increases Emmy noms for women writers, directors
The Television Academy announced its 2017 Emmy award nominees July 13, with a substantial number of female nominees in its writing and directing categories. Director Jamie Babbitt is nominated for the HBO comedy Silicon Valley, while Kate Dennis and Reed Morano are recognized for respective episodes of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Lesli Linka Glatter is…
White, male critics dominate field, face backlash from diverse community
“Becoming a White Man in the Theatre,” published by HowlRound’s director and co-founder P. Carl, describes a community that many of us don’t ever experience. A transgender theater critic, Carl shares his realizations and experiences of what it was like to gain the majority privilege. As a man, Carl found that being “one of the guys”…