Women directed/co-directed more than half the films (seven of 13) in the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, at New York City’s Lincoln Center and IFC Center, June 14–20. They were intensely personal autobiographies and portraits. In 30th Anniversary trailer, past participating director Pamela Yates admires that the Fest “is not just about denunciation and exposure,…
Author: Nora Lee Mandel
Ephron Award winner sets notable firsts for female director
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…
Films by women directors are few, but memorable at NYFF
The New York Film Festival of the Film Society of Lincoln Center (FSLC) sets the standard for the best arthouse films in the U.S. The 56th annual festival opened September 28, 2018, and ran through October 14. This year’s included a modest number of women directors, but, as Ruth Gordon wrote in the classic Pat…
Womens’ empathy wins majority vote at Human Rights Watch Fest
In this 29th year, an impressive 12 of the 15 features were the moving and illuminating work of female filmmakers; 11 documentaries and one autobiographical fiction. Each film screened twice between June 14-21, 2018, at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC Center.
Nora Ephron Award Shines a Spotlight on Women Filmmakers at 2018 Tribeca Film Festival
Manhattan’s 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival (April 18 – April 29) touted that 46 percent of the feature films in 2018 were directed by women (including special one-time screenings), the highest percentage in the festival’s history. The anticipated centerpiece for us at FF2 Media each year is the Nora Ephron Award which “recognizes a woman…
Women directors present charming, informative docs at NYFF
The 55th New York Film Festival of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, September – October 2017, featured some of the best documentaries by women directors this year. Using a wide variety of expressive, entertaining, poignant and educational styles, the films reveal both the neglected past and the troubled present. Top selections include: Faces Places…
Women directors present diverse, challenging films at NYFF
Given the prestigious imprimatur of the 55th New York Film Festival of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the features by the women directors were a diverse and challenging slate.
Women document impact of war, labor and injustice at Human Rights Watch Film Fest
Ten out of the 21 documentaries at the 28th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival New York City were directed by women, including a rare retrospective. Co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and IFC Center, most screenings were followed by Q&As with filmmakers, film subjects, Human Rights Watch researchers and other experts in…
Senior Contributor Nora Lee Mandel
Contributor Nora Lee Mandel is a member of New York Film Critics Online and Alliance of Women Film Journalists; her reviews are counted in Rotten Tomatoes’ TomatoMeter. She reviews films and television in Film Festival Traveler, Film-Forward, Lilith. Her ongoing Critical Guide to Jewish Women in Movies and TV has been the basis for talks to audiences…
Does the future of films by women lie in shorts?
This year’s Tribeca Film Festival marvelously demonstrated new platforms for women filmmakers outside of conventional feature films, particularly those eligible for the Nora Ephron Prize. The continuously blurring the lines of shorts, web series, apps, sponsors and “television” could mean more opportunities for women directors. Since the inaugural collection in 2014, the women-directed N.O.W. (New…
Swiss filmmaker Petra Volpe wins prestigious Nora Ephron Prize at 2017 Tribeca Film Festival
Petra Biondina Volpe from Switzerland is the winner of the 5th annual Nora Ephron Prize at this year's Tribeca Film Festival! Volpe is the writer/director of The Divine Order (Die Göttliche Ordnung), which also received the Audience Award in the “Narrative” category, as well as a nomination for the Jury Award for Best International Narrative Feature. In addition, Marie Leuenberger…
TFF's Nora Ephron Prize Winners: Where are they now?
The Tribeca Film Festival just gave its 5th annual Nora Ephron Prize to Petra Biondina Volpe from Switzerland. Volpe is the writer/director of The Divine Order (Die Göttliche Ordnung), which also received two additional awards at TFF: Audience Award--Narrative and Best Actress (Marie Leuenberger) in an International Narrative Feature. The Divine Order was also nominated for…