Nina Paley released her new animated film Seder Masochism on the internet in January 2019, Like her stellar Sita Sings the Blues (released in 2008), Seder Masochism uses numerous animation styles including ancient Egyptian stylizations, and even embroidery. Seder Masochism is a satirical retelling of the Jewish Haggadah (traditionally recited every Passover at a meal…
Category: Features
Metz and Grace make 'Breakthrough' a universal uplift
Director Roxann Dawson’s Breakthrough recreates the miraculous true story of a Missouri boy’s traumatic accident and the unfailing faith of his devoted mother. With This Is Us star Chrissy Metz leading a strong cast, the film is a tactful reimagining of what could have easily been turned into Christian-skewed camp. (BKP: 4/5) Review by Vice…
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…
Alison Klayman documents disturbing world of Steve Bannon in ‘The Brink’
In our current political climate, Steve Bannon has become a symbol of the conservative party. Since become a major player in Donald Trump’s presidential win and political strategist in the White House (until his public leave), he’s become a spokesperson for an ideology he defines as populism … and taken the message to global stages.…
Michal Aviad exposes sexual harassment in 'Working Woman'
Michal Aviad has been focusing on spotlighting women’s issues in contemporary society since the beginning of her career in the 1980s. She graduated from Tel Aviv University and San Francisco State University and eventually returned to Israel to teach at Tel Aviv University. Since beginning her career as a writer and director, she has produced…
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…
Watch at Home: ‘Second Act’ & more from female filmmakers
FF2 Media’s new “Watch at Home” columns list the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers that are newly available each week on DVD, Video On Demand &/or streaming services. Here are the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers now available at home as of 3/29/2019 (with links to FF2 Media reviews…
Watch at Home: ‘Bumblebee’ & more from female filmmakers
FF2 Media’s new “Watch at Home” columns list the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers that are newly available each week on DVD, Video On Demand &/or streaming services. Here are the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers now available at home as of 3/22/2019 (with links to FF2 Media reviews…
Nancy Schwartzman exposes bubble of privilege in 'Roll Red Roll'
The rape and assault of a teenage girl by member of a Steubenville, Ohio football team made national headlines after the events were exposed via social media. While the public outcry led to a criminal trial and opened a conversation of teenage sexual assault, it also exposed the role privilege has when it comes to…
Director Clermont-Tonnerre makes room for second chances in ‘The Mustang’
Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre creates “The Mustang,” a revelatory film about a hopeless, isolated incarcerated man (Mattias Shoenaerts) who enters into a horse training rehabilitation program. Gorgeously shot, this evocative and soulful film delves into our penal system as it draws parallel lines between all creatures. Premiering at Sundance Film Festival, “The Mustang” is now playing…
Women filmmakers best of the fest at 2019 SXSW
The 2019 SXSW Film Festival has come and gone and there was a nice crop of films directed or written by women during this year's festival. As is the typical case, I could not see everything that I wanted to during this year's festival. This just speaks to how much of a monster that SXSW…
Watch at Home: ‘And Then There Was Eve’ & more from female filmmakers
FF2 Media’s new “Watch at Home” columns list the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers that are newly available each week on DVD, Video On Demand &/or streaming services. Here are the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers now available at home as of 1/25/2019 (with links to FF2 Media reviews…
'I'm Not Here' director Michelle Schumacher defines own success
Broadway actress Michelle Schumacher’s been busy building her multi-hyphenated resume. Starting her career on the stage as an actress-dancer-singer, she began perusing filmmaking after marrying and starting a family with fellow actor J.K. Simmons. She studied writing, editing, producing, and directing at UCLA, and now has a second feature film in release, I’m Not Here.…
SXSW Grand Jury winner ‘Alice’ questions concepts of marriage, motherhood
*Updated for March 12, 2019: "Alice" wins SXSW Narrative Feature Competition Award-winning writer and director Josephine Mackerras’ first feature film, “Alice,” premiered at the SXSW Film Festival recently. Living around the world, this NYU educated filmmaker delves deeply into how one woman, a wife and mother, reacts to her husband’s double life, leaving them in debt…
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.…
Judith Godrèche tackles stereotypes by re-writing the script
Judith Godrèche has appeared in more than 30 films since beginning her acting career at just 14 in France. Along with her many roles in French films, she became familiar to American audiences in the film The Man in the Iron Mask, Stoker and The Overnight. But since 2010, she’s started focusing on opportunities behind the…
Mandie Fletcher's 'Patrick' offers a classic story of a girl and her dog
Fans of British television comedy no doubt knows the name Mandie Fletcher, or at least a lot of her work. From directing episodes of Black-Adder, Desmond, and Hamish MacBeth, she’s been directing for television for over 25 years. However, it was her work on Absolutely Fabulous that led her first film, the follow up feature…
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…
Watch at Home: ‘Border’ & more from female filmmakers
FF2 Media’s new “Watch at Home” columns list the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers that are newly available each week on DVD, Video On Demand &/or streaming services. Here are the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers now available at home as of 1/25/2019 (with links to FF2 Media reviews…
Women Supporting Women: FF2 Media Backstage at Oscars
Women won a record of 15 Oscars this year at the 91st Academy Awards, which makes history for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. FF2 Media contributor Nikoleta Morales was backstage in the press room, hearing first-hand how the female winners continue to support other women and spoke about a much-needed change. Read…
Oscars ‘19: Omission of women still a glaring reality
Oh, Oscar. Women in film have all had a crush on that guy for a very long time. Did the 2019 Oscars mark a seismic shift in the entertainment world for women? I mean, after all, when a short film about menstruation, produced by two women, wins the coveted prize, have we finally made it?…
'To the Stars' among best of the fest from female filmmakers
Now that the 2019 Sundance Film Festival has ended, I've had some time to sit down and reflect on the many films that this year's festival had to offer. In terms of women-directed or women-written films, the festival had so much to offer. Even taking the indie episodics into account, there are some very talented…
Academy maintains 'disturbing lack of recognition' for female talent
In the 89-year-history of the Oscars, only five women have ever been nominated for Best Director, and. . . only one woman has ever won. While recent high-profile nominees like Sofia Coppola—or the one winner in the case of Kathryn Bigelow—have gained attention, not enough films by women have been elevated to smash that celluloid ceiling.…
Columbia College Chicago showcases 'Where the Future Came From'
Columbia College Chicago Glass Curtain Gallery showcased the Where the Future Came From exhibit on February 12, featuring the president of the Chicago Women's History Center, Mary Ann Johnson, as guest speaker. Johnson shared excerpts of interviews from female artists who were members of the Artemisia Gallery (now closed), a feminist collective founded in 1973.…
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…
Watch at Home: ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ & more from female filmmakers
FF2 Media’s new “Watch at Home” columns list the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers that are newly available each week on DVD, Video On Demand &/or streaming services. Here are the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers now available at home as of 1/25/2019 (with links to FF2 Media reviews…
Watch at Home: ‘The Wife’ & more from female filmmakers
FF2 Media’s new “Watch at Home” columns list the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers that are newly available each week on DVD, Video On Demand &/or streaming services. Here are the new films written and/or directed by women filmmakers now available at home as of 2/1/2019 (with links to FF2 Media reviews…
Miranda Tapsell gets the rom-com right with ‘Top End Wedding’
The Rom-Com genre is certainly an entity unto itself, but to do it right is no easy task. Top End Wedding, co-written by Miranda Tapsell and Joshua Tyler, is a prime example of how to do it right. This exceptionally well-balanced, funny, dramatic and heartfelt film takes place in the Tiwi Islands in the Northern…
Penny Lane pushes boundaries, finds humor in 'Hail Satan?'
Boldly daring filmmaker Penny Lane returns to Sundance with her third feature-length documentary Hail Satan? The title itself is certainly eye-catching. And quite surprisingly, after seeing this film, I was shocked by my changed perspective about the topic. In fact, I dare you not to have a different outlook, too. Lane, a self-proclaimed rebel herself, delves…
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…