Currently Browsing: Stephanie A. Taylor
The Black Harvest Film Festival, hosted by the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, should be starting in August. But, due to COVID-19, the festival will be virtual from November 6 through November 30. The festival, annual since 1994, recognizes independent films of international Black cultures. Director of Programming and cofounder of BHFF Barbara Scharres believes the number of entries has been fewer than previous years, mainly due to COVID-19.… read more.
The 55th annual Chicago International Film Festival runs through October 27 at the AMC River East theater. Of the 132 features, 43 are directed by women. In an article I wrote on last year’s CIFF, there were 38 female directors. The previous article showed that there were 36 films directed by women. Out of 17 films submitted for nomination for the 92nd Oscars, three are directed by women: Maryam Touzani ‘s Adam (Morocco), Mati Diop’s Atlantics (Senegal), and Halina Reijn ‘s Instinct (The Netherlands).… read more.
Columbia College Chicago’s Film Row Cinema and the Chicago Women’s History Center showcased the premiere of Ask For Jane on Saturday, September 28, in honor of International Safe Abortion Day. Writer/director Rachel Carey’s 2018 film, based on a true story, takes place in Chicago in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s when abortion is illegal in most states.… read more.
The 25th annual Black Harvest Film Festival will run from August 3-29 with 60 films, including 27 directed by women (an increase from last year’s festival when there were only 17 female filmmakers).
Two years ago, I interviewed Nancy Buirski, director of The Rape of Recy Taylor. The documentary was about a Black woman who was gang-raped by six white men during the Jim Crow era in the South.… read more.
The Gene Siskel Film Center’s Chicago European Film Festival will run from March 8 to April 4. Of the 60 films featured, 22 were directed by women. A huge deal, considering last year there were only 10 films directed by female directors of 61 films. During the 2017 CEUFF, I saw Cézanne and I (Cézanne et Moi), a film that was so wonderfully emotional, deep and soulful that I had to reach out to the director, Danièle Thompson.… read more.
Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema Season 8 Program announced its 16 films for its festival, scheduled for March 12 to April 24. The semi-annual festival will showcase 23 filmmakers (four are women) and will run at the AMC River East in Chicago.
The four films directed by women include:
Ten Years (Akiyo Fujimura): Five directors share their vision of a nearly futuristic Japan.… read more.