Author: jmamenn

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Femme Filmmakers Festival 7 Review: Polished

Year: 2022 Runtime: 6 minutes Director/Writer: Colleen Dodge Actors: Jane Stiles By Dominic Corr Six minutes. That’s all it takes for Colleen Dodge’s “Polished” to communicate a vulnerable glimpse in decisions, everyday decisions, but decisions only half of the world is making. And within these six minutes, nothing is taken at second value; it speaks true and forthright with a stellar cinema verité framework. Aiming … Continue reading Femme Filmmakers Festival 7 Review: Polished

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Female Characters, Female Filmmakers, Female Writer, Film Festivals, Horror, Indie Film, Reviews, Short Film, Women in Film, World Cinema

Femme Filmmakers Festival 7 Review: Hot Singles

Year: 2022 Runtime: 9 minutes Written/Directed: Laura Jean Hocking Actors: Shannon Walton By Dominic Corr At the end of all things, as the planet burns and is battered by the winds of climate chaos – one thing will persist, one eternal message: ‘hot singles in your area.’ It’s a humorous and all too crushing reality. That in a not-too-distant future where temperatures skyrocket and the … Continue reading Femme Filmmakers Festival 7 Review: Hot Singles

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Awards, Female Filmmakers, Film Festivals, Indie Film, Reviews, Short Film, Women in Film, World Cinema

Femme Filmmakers Festival Review 7: Freedom Swimmer

Year: 2022 Runtime: 15 minutes Director: Olivia Martin-McGuire By Joan Amenn “Freedom Swimmer” (2022) is a gut-wrenching film about fleeing oppression as well as a lyrical visual poem. This ying yang of narration combined with montage and animation creates a unique and powerful documentary that will haunt you long after the last frame. As the film recounts, from 1950 to 1980 two million refugees swam … Continue reading Femme Filmmakers Festival Review 7: Freedom Swimmer

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Female Filmmakers, Female Writer, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Indie Film, Reviews, Short Film, Women in Film, World Cinema

Femme Filmmakers Festival 7 Review: Chute (Strangers)

Year: 2022 Runtime: 21 minutes Director/Writer: Nora Longatti Actors: Agathe Lecomte, Barbara Kurth, Fhunyue Gao, Julian Gyphens, Jeff Nsingi Ambassi, Yevgenia Korolov By Juli Horsford Chute is twenty-one minutes long. There are several intriguing aspects about Chute and one of them is that there is almost no dialogue at all. We witness some muffled background conversations that are incomprehensible and a phone call with a … Continue reading Femme Filmmakers Festival 7 Review: Chute (Strangers)

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Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Film Festivals, Horror, Indie Film, Reviews, Women in Film, World Cinema

Femme Filmmakers Festival 7 Review: Titane

Year: 2021 Runtime: 104 minutes Director: Julia Ducournau Writers: Julia Ducournau, Jacques Akchoti, Jean-Christophe Bouzy, Simonetta Greggio Actors: Agatha Rouselle, Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier, Lais Salameh, Mara Cisse, Myriem Akheddiou, Betrand Bonello, Marin Judas, Diong-Keba Tacu, Dominique Frot By Special Guest Reviewer: Darren Gaskell  As the result of a horrific car accident, a young girl called Alexia has a titanium plate fitted to her skull. … Continue reading Femme Filmmakers Festival 7 Review: Titane

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Muru: TIFF Review

Year: 2022 Runtime: 104 minutes Writer/Director: Tearepa Kahi Actors: Cliff Curtis, Jay Ryan, Manu Bennett, Simone Kessell By Joan Amenn A thriller that reveals that police are corrupt and native peoples are being abused? Sounds like we have been here before and as sincere an effort as “Muru” (2022) is, it does not break out of old cliches. However, the performem takes on us a … Continue reading Muru: TIFF Review

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Female Filmmakers, Female Writer, Film Festivals, Reviews, Women in Film

Bones Of Crows: TIFF Review

Year: 2022 Runtime: 120 minutes Writer/Director: Marie Clements Actors: Grace Dove, Philip Lewitski, Remy Girard, Alyssa Wapanatahk, Gail Maurice, Jonathan Whitesell, Cara Gee By Joan Amenn That the Native people of the United States and Canada have suffered horrific treatment at the hands of the respective governments of each country is well known. What is not acknowledged until recently is that innocent children by the … Continue reading Bones Of Crows: TIFF Review

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Animated, Female Characters, Personal Essays, Spotlight, Uncategorized, Women in Film

The Women of the Watery World of Atlantis: The Lost Empire

By Joan Amenn Over twenty years ago, Disney did something extraordinarily out of character. They allowed animators to create a world more like a live action film than had permitted previously. No doubt it helped that the directors of “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” (2001) were Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, who had collaborated on the blockbuster hit “Beauty and the Beast” in 1991. However, the … Continue reading The Women of the Watery World of Atlantis: The Lost Empire

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Deep Dive July Retrospective: Moby Dick and the Triumph of the Feminine

By Joan Amenn Ask any high school American Literature major what the most challenging book was on their required reading list and chances are, they’ll reply “Moby Dick.” No wonder then that the film version was not exactly a doggy paddle to adapt either. Director John Huston was no doubt attracted to the male centric story of revenge but the way screenwriter (and famous science … Continue reading Deep Dive July Retrospective: Moby Dick and the Triumph of the Feminine

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Documentaries, Female Filmmakers, Music, Reviews, Short Film, Streaming, Women in Film

Review: ruth weiss: the Beat Goddess

Year: 2019 Runtime: 69 minutes Director: Melody C. Miller By Joan Amenn “Walking on a tightrope Is like any other road Just believe your foot.” -ruth weiss An extraordinary life deserves to be celebrated and remembered and for too long, Ruth Weiss has been eclipsed by other poets of the Beat Movement. Unsurprisingly, the men of the era like Ginsberg and Kerouac were considered the … Continue reading Review: ruth weiss: the Beat Goddess

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