Q&A with Jenny Gage, Director of All This Panic Q: How did the film come about? [My husband and I] have always been in narrative film, at a time when narrative was implied when paired with still photography. We knew we didn’t want to plan the film. Ginger and Dusty were so full of chatter,…
Year: 2017
'Cézanne' director calls out ‘strong, new generation’ of female filmmakers
Hosted by the Gene Siskel Film Center, the month-long Chicago European Union Film Festival (CEUFF) featured 15 films directed by women (15 out of 62 = ~ 25% = a record high for this event). Danièle Thompson, French director of Cézanne and I (Cézanne et Moi), recently sat down with FF2 Media Senior Contributor Stephanie A. Taylor…
Showing our love for "Beauty and the Beast"
Women's History Month is packed with activities for members of the FF2 Media Team. But as we all ran from film to film at various festivals and special screenings (not to mention celebrating the 10th International SWAN Day on Saturday March 25th), most of us found time to sneak into a local multiplex for a…
In "Pendular," two artists share one space for both living and working
From the New Directors/New Films (2017) Website: A male sculptor and a female dancer live and work together in their big, barren loft, a mere strip of orange tape serving as the boundary between his atelier and her studio. Here, the stage is set for a low-key psychosexual drama centered around the couple’s erotic, artistic, and everyday…
Three Canadian Women struggle with multiple 'Boundaries' in mythical Besco
From the New Directors/New Films (2017) Website: Chloé Robichaud’s sophomore feature centers on three women trying to square their political careers with complicated personal lives. Besco, a fictitious island country off the eastern coast of Canada, possesses vast natural resources that foreign companies would love to tap into, which occasions negotiations between Besco’s president (Macha…
Niki Caro delves into the pain, beauty of ‘The Zookeeper’s Wife’
Unknown stories of war heroes, particularly WWII, seldom are unearthed, but the stories of heroines of that era seem to be even more rare. The name Antonina Zabinski will soon be a recognizable name thanks to the film “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” based on the book by Diane Ackerman of the same name. The film, starring…
Lone Scherfig reigns supreme at the Chicago European Union Film Festival
Hosted by the Gene Siskel Film Center, the month-long Chicago European Union Film Festival (CEUFF) featured 15 films directed by women (15 out of 62 = ~ 25% = a record high for this event). FF2 Media has compiled “Best of the Fest” lists from three Chicago team members, recommending films ranging from food documentaries…
'My Happy Family' takes us to Tbilisi (Georgia)
From the New Directors/New Films (2017) Website: The second feature by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross subtly and sensitively follows a middle-aged woman as she aims to leave her husband and escape from the multi-generational living situation she shares with her aging parents, the aforementioned husband, her son, her daughter, and her daughter’s cheating live-in…
Women filmmakers shine at Siskel Center's 2017 Chicago European Union Film Festival
Hosted by the Gene Siskel Film Center, the month-long Chicago European Union Film Festival (CEUFF) featured 15 films directed by women (15 out of 62 = ~ 25% = a record high for this event). FF2 Media has compiled “Best of the Fest” lists from three Chicago team members, recommending films ranging from food documentaries…
15 Years in the Pond: How we became a Bevy of Swans
Prepared by Jan Lisa Huttner for NYWIFT's 10th Anniversary Celebration 2002: Sparks ignited on the morning of June 2, 2002 when I read an article in the Sunday New York Times about the “Celluloid Ceiling.” The article, quoting statistics by Communications Professor Martha Lauzen of San Diego State University, compelled me to take action. I…
‘American Fable’ director talks Richard Schiff, politics and directing chickens
American Fable, the new thriller from Anne Hamilton, is one of the most visually spectacular indie in years. Made with a big sense of scope, and small budget, she’s turned what could be an intimate family drama into a spectacular fantasy thriller about the end of girl’s childhood. Starring newcomer Peyton Kennedy, and familiar faces…
Four takeaways from the 2017 Chicago European Union Film Festival
Hosted by the Gene Siskel Film Center, the month-long Chicago European Union Film Festival (CEUFF) featured 15 films directed by women (15 out of 62 = ~ 25% = a record high for this event). FF2 Media has compiled “Best of the Fest” lists from three Chicago team members, recommending films ranging from food documentaries…
Senior Contributor Stephanie A. Taylor wins first place IWPA awards
FF2 Media congratulates Senior Contributor Stephanie A. Taylor on her first place win in the 2017 Illinois Women's Press Association Mate E. Palmer Professional Communications Contest. Her interview with "Spirits of Rebellion" director Zeinabu Irene Davis won first place in the Personality Profile category, along with her profile for Streetwise with director Will Adams. 1st Place (Personality Profile): Excerpt from "Filmmaker Q&A:…
Editor-in-Chief Jan Lisa Huttner wins three IWPA awards
FF2 Media congratulates Editor-in-Chief Jan Lisa Huttner on her three wins in the 2017 Illinois Women's Press Association Mate E. Palmer Professional Communications Contest. 2nd place certificate win in the Photographer/Writer category for her January JUF News feature The Fiddler Returns. 2nd place certificate win in the Specialty Articles/Reviews category (2 samples required per submission) for…
I'm Not Here To Make You Comfortable... so stay or SPLit
Report from NYC's 2017 Socially Relevant Film Festival by Lindsy Bissonnette Mesmerizing and moving, SPLit -- the Closing Film in the 2017 SRFF -- is an experience unlike any other. And not for the reasons you would think. Writer/director Deborah Kampmeier completely changes the game with this film combining aspects of theatre and film, and creates an…
"The Future Perfect" brings a bit of Buenos Aires to NYC
From the New Directors/New Films (2017) Website: Winner of the Best First Feature prize at the 2016 Locarno Film Festival, Nele Wohlatz’s assured debut is a playful, exceptionally idea-rich work of fiction with documentary fragments. Seventeen-year-old Xiaobin arrives in Argentina from China unable to speak Spanish. Employed at a Chinese grocery store, she saves up…
Read, Watch, Listen: Celebrating SWAN Day
To celebrate the 10th Annual International SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day on Saturday, March 25, 2017, the FF2 Media team is highlighting their favorite female artists.The holiday, also observed throughout the months of March and April, highlights the creative feats of female artists and their audiences. Associate Lindsy M. Bissonnette I will be celebrating…
Oprah, Harry and Mariah Carey: Celebrating SWAN Day
To celebrate the 10th Annual International SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day on Saturday, March 25, 2017, the FF2 Media team is highlighting their favorite female artists.The holiday, also observed throughout the months of March and April, highlights the creative feats of female artists and their audiences. Intern Rachel Kastner: I will celebrate SWAN day…
Nora Ephron and a Baking Bible: Celebrating SWAN Day
To celebrate the 10th Annual International SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day on Saturday, March 25, 2017, the FF2 Media team is highlighting their favorite female artists.The holiday, also observed throughout the months of March and April, highlights the creative feats of female artists and their audiences. Senior Contributor Lesley Coffin: To celebrating SWAN Day,…
SXSW highlights outstanding female filmmakers
Female filmmakers have always been better represented at festivals than in mainstream Hollywood and SXSW this year is no exception. What is exceptional, however, are the three women who have given us outstanding films at the Austin, Texas film festival: Laura Terruso (“Fits & Starts”), Miao Wang (“Maineland”) and Jessica M. Thompson (“The Light of the…
Sandilands captures 'Uncertain,' small-town America
One of the most evocative documentaries looks at a slowly dying rural community on the boarder of Texas, a town appropriately named Uncertain. When and if they can, young people leave to find jobs in neighboring urban area (although three hours from Louisiana, nothing is too close) and due to an increasing ecological crisis, the…
The (Blog) is Mightier Than the Sword: Celebrating SWAN Day
"Feminism isn't about making women strong. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength." —G.D. Anderson Dear FF2 Media Readers, As the 10th Anniversary of International SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day approaches, I prepared to write a tribute to my favorite female artists, maybe a heartfelt thank you…
THE SALESMAN (2016): A Huttner/Miller Snippet
For the second time in just under a month, I have had the great -- and rare -- pleasure of being totally surprised in Act Three. Believe me, it doesn't happen often. Usually if I am not spellbound by the end of Act Two, my expectations take a dive, the film goes downhill, and I…
BEACH RATS is the "Centerpiece" Film in NYC's 2017 New Directors/New Films Series
Seen in New Directors/New Films (2017): Eliza Hittman follows up her acclaimed debut It Felt Like Love with this sensitive chronicle of sexual becoming. Frankie (a breakout Harris Dickinson), a bored teenager living in South Brooklyn, regularly haunts the Coney Island boardwalk with his boys—trying to score weed, flirting with girls, killing time. But he spends…
FF2 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
The 2017 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at the Film Society of Lincoln Center opened on March 1, and by March 12 -- the final day -- members of FF2 Media's NYC team had seen NINE of the TEN new women-directed films on the schedule. Speaking for myself (FF2 Editor-in-Chief Jan Lisa Huttner), the annual Rendez-Vous with French Cinema…
I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together: Celebrating SWAN Day
I do my best to celebrate International SWAN Day every day of the week, supporting the work of women artists who have made a difference in my life. Sunday nights are defined by Lena Dunham’s Girls, in which I sit patiently at the computer for the newest episode to hit HBO Now. Monday and Tuesday…
International SWAN Day celebrates 10th anniversary
International SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now Day) will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Saturday, March 25, 2017. The holiday, also observed throughout the months of March and April, highlights the creative feats of female artists and their audiences. The holiday encourages women to celebrate, appreciate and honor fellow women in their creative endeavors. It…
2016 memorable for animated storytelling
Reflections by Social Media Manager Georgiana E. Presecky Despite the variety of animated features released in 2016, Disney still reigns supreme with Oscar-nominated films Zootopia and Moana. What is it about that familiar “When You Wish Upon a Star” opening that has captivated the minds and hearts of children and adults for 80 years, since…
'The Last Laugh' director encourages humor, empathy in new documentary
Are there topics too horrible or controversial to make jokes about? Abortion, slavery, race, 9/11. Should the Holocaust be considered off limits to comedians? According to Director Ferne Pearlstein and the comedians and subjects interviewed for her new documentary The Last Laugh, that’s the wrong approach. Humor can be empowering for survivors, and have a…
Rachel's Rendez-vous with French Cinema
Every year, Film Linc -- the Film Society of Lincoln Center -- hosts a series called Rendez-Vous with French Cinema (programmed in collaboration with UniFrance). This was my first time attending the festival, and I am so glad that I went! After grabbing a bite to eat with Jan, we ran over to the Walter Reade Theater…