The 2019 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will take place September 5-15, presenting more than 330 films: 36 percent are directed, co-directed, and/or created by women; a slight increase from last year’s representation of 35 percent. TIFF will showcase world premieres and festival favorites alike at this year’s event comprising 84 feature films directed by…
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 :-)
51fest helps women tell 'remarkable and often untold' stories
51fest’s first-ever run took place July 18-21 at the IFC Center. The festival aligned with a heatwave, but nonetheless people lined up enthusiastically in anticipation. Partnering with Women in the World and IFC Center, 51fest is a festival centered on women filmmakers. According to their mission statement, “Women make up more than half of [the]…
NYFF to feature only six films by women
The 57th Annual New York Film Festival will feature 29 films on their main slate - six from female directors, making up 20 percent of the lineup. Running from September 27 through October 13 at Film at Lincoln Center, the festival’s lineup includes films from directors Kelly Reichardt, Agnes Varda, Celine Sciamma, Mati Diop, Justine…
'For Sama' director gives call to action at 51Fest
Last weekend, For Sama screened at the IFC Center in 51/Fest, a new film festival by and about women, celebrating the female majority in front of and behind the camera. The riveting documentary is about director Waad Al-Khateab’s journey through motherhood while living through the siege of Aleppo. The screening included a Q&A with Al-Khateab,…
'Otherhood' filmmakers discuss difficulties of Hollywood at 51Fest
On a hot afternoon during a heat wave, the theater for Otherhood in the IFC Center was entirely full. Screening at 51/Fest, a new festival by and about women, Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette, and Felicity Huffman star as the three mothers who drive to New York City to move in with their sons after they…
51fest at IFC Center screens 'A Girl from Mogadishu', a film of female resilience
On Sunday, July 21, IFC Center screened A Girl from Mogadishu as a part of 51fest's inaugural run. It is a narrative feature based on the life of Ifrah Omar, directed by Mary McGuckian. Born into a refugee-camp in Somalia, Ifrah (portrayed by Aja Naomi King) treks a tumultuous journey to seek asylum in Ireland…
Black Harvest Film Festival raises number of female directors
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…
Venice Film Festival doubles female directors - to two
The 76th Venice Film Festival, which runs from August 28 through September 7, has doubled the amount of women directors from last year’s slate - with a total of two out of 21 films directed by women. Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al-Mansour’s The Perfect Candidate and Australian director Shannon Murphy’s Babyteeth are the only two…
42nd Asian American International Film Festival celebrates women filmmakers
Human rights, poverty, gangs, political revolution and LGBT issues are just some of the topics that will be covered at the Asian American International Film Festival (July 25-August 3) this year. The festival (also known as AAIFF) will screen 27 films and documentaries, along with workshops, shorts by local college students, Q&As, and panels discussing…
World Malala Day—remembering the fight for equality in education
In celebration of World Malala Day, China Women’s Film Festival organizes a screening of “Gul Makai”, a film based on Malala Yousafzai’s life.
Women direct intensely personal autobiographies, portraits at HRWF
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,…
Daisy Ridley talks 'Ophelia' and upcoming Virginia Hall biopic
Members of the FF2 Media team were able to attend a screening of Ophelia at the IFC Center on June 26, along with a Q&A with star, Daisy Ridley. Based on Lisa Klein’s novel of the same name, the film is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet from Ophelia’s point of view. Claire McCarthy directs the…
Free films, few female filmmakers at Lincoln Center this summer
In honor of their 50th anniversary, Film at Lincoln Center has programmed a whole summer of free and discounted films. Their 50th Mixtape series, full of free double features, started on June 27 with showings of Agnes Varda’s Cleo from 5 to 7 and Jane Campion’s The Portrait of a Lady. The series runs every…
Rom Com Festival unravels perception of the ‘Chick Flick’
The only thing that might have made Los Angeles’ Inaugural Rom Com Festival more entertaining is if guests would have arrived to each screening dressed in a terry cloth robes, UGG fur-lined slippers, and sporting cucumber face masks. The fun of the pajama party was reserved only for the late-night screening of How Stella Got…
Inaugural Rom Com Fest begins in LA
Celebrate all your favorite romantic comedies this weekend (tickets and badges are still available) 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 &…
Big crowd at Washington Square Park screening of 'Where Do We Go Now?'
This summer, Films on the Green 2019 has put together a lineup of films all focused on female directors in French & Francophone film in honor of acclaimed Agnes Varda (who died at age 90 on 3/29/19). On Friday June 6th, FF2 Media® LLC partnered with Films on the Green to co-sponsor the screening of…
FF2 Media Co-Sponsors Nadine Labaki Film in NYC on 6/7/19
NYC Shout-Out: In 2019, Nadine Labaki's film “Capernaum” was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, thrilling those of us have cherished her work for years now. Labaki's breakout film “Caramel” was firmly set in contemporary Beirut. Her second film “Where Do We Go Now?” is Magical Realism. A mythical Lebanese village, surrounded by…
WIF gala honors female directors; Poehler named 'Entrepreneur in Entertainment'
The power of an organization like Women in Film cannot be overlooked in today’s world. As women finally find themselves in a world where they can begin to be recognized, the significance of this union of female artists is just beginning to take shape. The Los Angeles chapter of WIF is gearing up to host…
Female filmmaker wins top honor at CCFF for 'Saint Frances'
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…
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…
'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…