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…
Category: Events/Festivals
This is the place where we cover “sneak peeks” of films seen at film festivals &/or special screening events. These are NOT intended to be full reviews (like the reviews on Penny & Tzivi). Sneak Peeks are “appetizers” to give readers enough of a taste to whet their appetites. Whenever possible, Sneak Peeks should include photos of the event — including photos of FF2 Team Members at the event — especially in the context of a film festival. Goal is to give readers a “we were there” feel :-)
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…
Chicago Critics Film Festival celebrates women directors
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
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…
Rom Com Fest to celebrate '10 Things' writers Karen McCullah and Kristen Smith
Get ready to celebrate all your favorite romantic comedies 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 & Marc Silverstein’s Never Been Kissed.…
'Andhadhun' an audience favorite at 2019 Indian Film Festival
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…
Tribeca Film Festival announces Nora Ephron Prize jury
The Tribeca Film Festival announced its 2019 jury members April 16. Jurors will select award-winners in 10 categories at the annual festival, which will be held April 25-May 5 in New York City. Among the 10 categories is the Nora Ephron Prize, an annual award given to “a woman who embodies the spirit and vision…
Female directors bring thought-provoking films to CEUFF
I am really excited to be seeing and reviewing films from this year’s Chicago European Union Film Festival at the Gene Siskel Film Center. I’ve been to the festival in the past; I usually catch one film or so each year. This year, I had the chance to see three films by women. It’s really…
'Float Like a Butterfly,' 'Emma Peeters' among films by women at CEUFF
The 22nd Annual Chicago European Union Film Festival will run through April 4 at the Gene Siskel Film Center (GSFC), screening 22 films from female directors. CEUFF screened 60 premieres from 28 European Union nations throughout the month of March, making it the largest showcase of EU cinema in North America. “As we all know,…
Female directors are best of the fest at CEUFF
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…
LA theater hosts female playwrights for 12th Annual Swan Day
There is nothing as magical as the creative energy that women in the arts possess. Put a few dozen of those women in a room, or perhaps, a theater together and the atmosphere is positively other-worldly. Such was the case on March 23rd, at the renowned A Noise Within Theater in Pasadena, Ca. In an…
CEUFF: ‘Little Harbor’ and ‘The Ex-Wife’ show inner worlds of broken women
There are many great films to see at Chicago’s European Union Film Festival (CEUFF), which takes place March 8 through April 4 at the Gene Siskel Film Center. This is the largest festival in North America that shows films from various parts of Europe. There are a total of 60 films this year. What amazes…
Anthology Film Archives hosts Feminist Film Week
On a rainy day in March, I decided to stop in at the Anthology Film Archives for a film about the environment. I had no idea what I was about to watch—Water Makes Us Wet, the film screening for that night of Anthology’s NYC Feminist Film Week, had no precedent in any other film I…
Giorgi's Athena 2019
It’s kind of ironic that the film I was most excited to see at the Athena Film Festival was about books! About a month before the festival, I read The Left Hand of Darkness for the first time and was struck by the worldbuilding Ursula K. Le Guin put into her planet of genderless people.…
Sophia's Athena '19
On February 28, 2019—a cold Thursday night—my sister and I waited amongst a crowd to enter Barnard College’s Miller Theatre to watch Fast Color. I was so excited to see the FF2 Media logo on the banner that was in the entrance! To open the Athena Film Festival, an quick introductory speech was given by…
Julia's Athena '19
I kicked off Athena with a ‘Panel on Filmmaking’ with Julia Hart, writer and director of Fast Color, which had aired at the festival the evening before. Not only was Hart effortlessly witty and intelligent, it felt like she spoke to my soul. She introduced the concept of “uncentering” yourself as the director—in other words,…
Anika's Athena '19
On the five-o’clock train to Barnard College I sat, ecstatically scrolling through the Athena Film Festival’s website to pick out which films screenings I wanted to see. This may make me look bad but despite being a junior film student I have admittedly never been to a film festival before. I had no idea walking…
Dayna's Athena ‘19
As a disclaimer, this was my first Athena Film Festival. I have worked at a local film festival in New Jersey for the past three years, so I thought I knew what I was signed up for. I had no idea that there would be such a powerful sense of community surrounding the wonderful program…
Katusha's Athena '19
Athena Film Festival 2019 began its run on Thursday, February 28th. On this chilly Thursday evening, my sister and I promptly headed to the Miller Theatre for the opening film of the festival—Fast Color. The auditorium was buzzing with excitement, waiting for the first film to begin. I hadn’t looked at the program prior to…
Chicago European Union Film Festival to screen 22 films by women directors
The Gene Siskel Film Center will present the 22nd Annual Chicago European Union Film Festival from March 8 through April 4, with 22 films directed by women (more than one-third of the films screened). The festival will present 60 premieres from 28 European Union nations, making it the largest EU cinema showcase in North America.…
My Dream Comes True: An Oscars “Cinderella” story
My dream has always been to go to the Oscars and walk the red carpet. This February, my dream came true - I was accepted to attend and cover the Oscars for the first time in FF2 Media’s history. When I arrived in Hollywood, the streets were packed with gift shops, small restaurants, tourists and…
Asian Pop-up Cinema founder talks male-dominated cultural norms
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…
New romantic comedy festival to debut in LA
Nothing says romance more than Valentine’s Day...except for maybe a good romantic comedy! Thanks to the efforts of Miraya Berke, the first ever Rom Com Fest will be taking place on June 20-23 in Los Angeles at the Downtown Independent (251 S. Main St.) to not only celebrate rom-coms, but to shed a new light…
Sundance shines on women
The Sundance Film Festival continues to be a frontrunner in paving a path for new voices and the 2019 festival is no exception to this observation. With nearly half of the director seats occupied by women (45 percent) and more than 70 percent of the awards presented to women, it’s obvious that women are finally…
Roberta Grossman debuts 'Who Will Write Our History' at Lincoln Center
When director and filmmaker Roberta Grossman read Professor Samuel Kassow’s book Who Will Write Our History, she was fascinated, horrified and outraged that such a powerful and poignant story had received less media attention than other prominent histories of the Holocaust. She was inspired to turn Kassow's book into a blended documentary that captures the…
Sundance ‘Breaking Barriers’ panel highlights women filmmakers
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) hosted a much-needed panel at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in front of an eager and excited crowd. Women Breaking Barriers: Where Are We Now? took place on Jan 26 at the Packed Sundance TV Lounge, moderated by HFPA members Elisabeth Sereda and Silvia Bizio, including award-winning producer Cassian…
Films by women top 'Best of the Fest' at Sundance
This year’s Sundance Film Festival is a breakthrough for women in film. More and more female directors, writers and producers are accepted into the festival and audiences are able to see and experience a great collection of female-made films. In addition to exceptional films, the opening days of the festival included many panels focused on…
Chicago film critics talk Oscar snubs, surprises
Four Chicago film critics provided their thoughts about the 91st Academy Award nominations January 22. FF2 Media Contributor Pamela Powell joined WGN’s Dean Richards, WCIU’s Brandon Pope and Hollywood and Chicago’s Patrick McDonald at the CMX Cinemas in Skokie to discuss their favorite films, along with snubs and surprises. The critics unanimously agreed that Roma…
Sundance increases number of women directors
This year’s Sundance Film Festival (Park City/Salt Lake City, Utah) will be different. What makes it different is the presence of female-directed movies - close to 42 percent, according to Women and Hollywood report. With a four percent overall increase from last year, female-directed films will be featured in various categories, including large percentages in…
#MakeOscarGold campaign breaks down male bias
Although the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has faced backlash of their mostly-male, mostly-white nominees, generating hashtag campaigns like #OscarsSoWhite and #OscarsSoBlue, FF2 Media continues championing #MakeOscarGold: merit-based award nominations.