Currently Browsing: Nicole Ackman

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due: Meet Jo van Gogh!

The way  VAN GOGH – The Immersive Experience (which is currently touring across the United States) uses technology to present the extraordinary work of 19th Century painter Vincent van Gogh is truly awe-inspiring. That said, however, I am deeply troubled by how little acknowledgement is given to the work of the woman who labored tirelessly to ensure that history would remember him.… read more.

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Holiday Toys Revisited: The Legacy of American Girl Dolls

If the holidays can be counted on for one thing – regardless of region or cultural moment – it’s turning back the clock for a month or so, and offering up brightly-wrapped nostalgia. Nostalgia literally means the “pain from an old wound,” but today its connotations include both sentimentality and irreverence for the past.… read more.

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Alexandra Byrne: Costume Design From Shakespeare to Superheroes

Ten years ago today — on May 4, 2012 — the Marvel Cinematic Universe released The Avengers. Therefore, today is also the day that Alexandra Byrne, previously best-known for her excellent work on costume design for period pieces, assumed responsibility for crafting much of what we see the MCU team of superheroes wearing in the subsequent films of this enormously influential franchise.… read more.

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Celebrating the Impact of French Filmmaker Marie-Louise Iribe

Today we celebrate the life of actress, director and producer Marie-Louise Iribe on the anniversary of her untimely death at age 39. Marie-Louise starred in nearly 20 films, and is often credited as a pioneer of French cinema, but her name is not well-known. 

In 1931, she directed, wrote and produced The Erl King, a film about a man trying to save the life of his child while death, characterized as the Erl King, torments him.read more.

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Amma Asante Fearlessly Shines Bright Light on Hidden History

Amma Asante film still
Today is Amma Asante’s birthday! She is the first woman to receive the BUFF honorary award for her contribution to film and TV.
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Meet Alvin Ailey — “Pied Piper of Modern Dance” — in Jamila Wignot’s BioDoc

In Ailey, a touching look at the life and work of American choreographer Alvin Ailey, director Jamila Wignot excels at mixing archival footage with contemporary clips from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performances. (NBA: 4/5)

Review by FF2 Associate Nicole Ackman

When Alvin Ailey was celebrated at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1988, Cicely Tyson described him as “a choreographer of the heart” and “a Pied Piper of modern dance.”read more.

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