Year: 1934 Runtime: 105 minutes Director: Frank Capra Writer: Robert Riskin, Samuel Hopkins Adams (based on his short story) Actors: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Jameson Thomas, Charles C. Wilson By Joan Amenn This film is the stuff of Hollywood legend. It was shot in just a few weeks with lead actors who did not even want to be on set. One of them … Continue reading Pre-Code April: It Happened One Night
Jane Campion is an extraordinary filmmaker. In fact, she’s the second woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and the first female filmmaker to receive the Palme d’Or; both of these achievements came for “The Piano” (1993). Campion’s films often feature strong female lead characters who rebel against the strict constraints of the society that they inhabit. She has an unique storytelling technique, often using all of aspects of the mise-en-scene to capture the world that her characters exist in, and plays around with non-linear editing in order to draw the audience in. She’s well overdue a place in our Hall of Fame, so we have decided to dedicate our next slot to her. Continue reading In Their Own League Hall of Fame: Jane Campion
Year: 2020 Runtime: 86 minutes Directors: Lucy Harvey and Danielle Kummer Stars: Jason Hill, Lydia Hayward, Jacqui Roe, Carolyn White, John Elliot, Mike Rustici, Scott Douglas, Penny Thorne, Dave Mitchell, Luc Hayward, Peter Lawford By Valerie Kalfrin Anyone who loves the theatre or has felt like a deer in spotlights will get a kick out of “Alien on Stage,” an affectionate behind-the-scenes documentary about British … Continue reading SXSW Online 2021 Review: “Alien On Stage”
Year: 2020 Runtime: 73 minutes Directors: Sungbin Byun, Yujie Cao, Akira Kamiki, Arun Fulara & Dan Dansen By Calum Cooper “Love or Something Like It” (2020) is a collection of short films that are united by a lot more than their identities as LGBTQ+ media. Although each short is unique, be it the visuals, length or even language, all of them are encompassed by their … Continue reading Scottish Queer International Film Festival: Love or Something Like It
Last year I attended a talk at the Edinburgh Film Festival regarding women in the film industry, and a filmmaker called Kira Muratova was discussed. This was a filmmaker I had never heard of before, and I made a note to research into her and her work once I returned back from the festival. Alas, until now, I didn’t hold that promise. Continue reading In Their Own League Hall of Fame: Kira Muratova
The first woman to ever direct a movie was Alice Guy-Blaché. Then came Louise Kolm-Fleck. But there is a significant difference between the two. One has made her mark in the history books, is considered a milestone, and does ring a bell for even those not too familiar with female film history. The other one vanished into obscurity. One might argue, if she was “only” the second, maybe that’s why we don’t talk about her anymore? Continue reading In Their Own League Hall of Fame: Louise Kolm-Fleck
By Bianca Garner There’s a high chance that you haven’t heard of Nell Shipman. Like many pioneering female filmmakers of the silent cinema era, her name has become lost in time. So many of us who study film are aware of the ‘great’ film directors of this era: Cecil B. DeMille, Josef von Sternberg, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Erich von Stroheim. However, the achievements … Continue reading In Their Own League Hall of Fame: Nell Shipman
There are many great female directors who have broken barriers in the industry and paved the way for future generations. One of those women (who is often forgotten outside of academia) was Dorothy Arzner. She is the most prolific female director to date, was the first woman to direct a film with sound, and was the first female member of the Directors Guild of America. Continue reading In Their Own League Hall of Fame: Dorothy Arzner
Now if I asked most people, which actor was the trailblazer for Asian people on the worldwide stage (and I guess I mean Hollywood), I would wager most would come up with Bruce Lee. A few might even offer up Nancy Kwan. What if I told you that the breakthrough was not made in the 1970s by Lee, nor in the 1960s by Kwan, but … Continue reading Anna May Wong: The First Asian American Icon
In Their Own League 