Tag: Female Writers

Directors, Female Filmmaker, Indie Film, Interviews, Women in Film

Exclusive Interview With Neasa Hardiman, Director of “Sea Fever”

“Sea Fever” is a fantastic psychological thriller which will be live streaming on Thursday, April 9th, 5:00pmPT/8:00pmET. Viewers can tune in to watch the official film premiere together, post their comments in a chatroom, and have their questions answered by the cast and crew via a moderated Q&A following the credits.  The event will kick-off the film’s on-demand and Digital release on April 10th. You can check out our review of the film here.

Bianca Garner spoke to the film’s director Neasa Hardiman about how timely the film is, what films inspired her and how they managed to shoot those incredible underwater scenes! Continue reading Exclusive Interview With Neasa Hardiman, Director of “Sea Fever”

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Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Female Writer, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Reviews, Short Film

SXSW Exclusive Review: Waffle

Ah, the joys of a sleepover party with your BFF! “Waffle” is a fun take on the sleepover/slumber party chick-flick film, it’s deliciously dark and a wonderfully amusing short film that leaves you aching for more. With “Waffle” director Carlyn Hudson and writers, Kerry Barker and Katie Marovitch examine how fractured we have become as a society and how we crave affection from others, the film looks at the lengths some people will go in order to gain friendship and the how a seemingly ordinary girls night can quickly escalate into a full-blown nightmare.

The film opens with what appears to be a very normal situation, two young women dressed in pyjamas, sat on the sofa drinking wine. The two women are Kerry (Barker) and the socially awkward, mysteriously orphaned heiress Katie (Marovitch). Already things appear off when Katie gets angry with Kerry for retelling a story incorrectly, and when a timer suddenly goes off it becomes clear that Katie and Kerry are not really friends. Katie is using an ‘Uber-like’ service where she has hired Kerry to be her friend. Continue reading SXSW Exclusive Review: Waffle

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Acting, Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Female Filmmakers, Female Writer, Film Reviews, Reviews, Women in Film

Review: System Crasher (Systemsprenger)

What do you do with a child so out of control that they are a danger to themselves and others? What if they are too young to be housed in a secure facility and no group homes will take them?

In Nora Fingscheidt’s first scripted feature “System Crasher” (2019) we see innocence meet with blind violent rage in a story that is both infuriating and incredibly sad. This film was Germany’s official submission to the International Feature Film category at the 2020 Oscars. Continue reading Review: System Crasher (Systemsprenger)

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Female Filmmakers, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Reviews, Women in Film, World Cinema

Mini Review: Hava, Maryam, Ayesha

“Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” is a film about the everyday struggles of three Afghan women – specifically in relation to patriarchy, marriage and pregnancy – directed and co-written by fellow Afghan woman Sahraa Karimi. In its opening section, focusing on Hava (played by Arezoo Ariapoor), the film makes its focus on the everyday very clear with a documentary-like realism. A frequently handheld camera that shows the routines and chores Hava spends her days performing in full, unbroken takes. Her laboured, exhausted breathing makes up a large part of the film’s soundscape in this segment as she is belittled by the men around her and treated like a disrespected employee rather than a family member. Continue reading Mini Review: Hava, Maryam, Ayesha

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History, Women in Film, Writers

Mari Sandoz: Keeper of the Flame for Native American History

When an artist creates a body of work, they will sometimes look back to assess what they have done. John Ford was near the end of his career and apparently wasn’t completely proud of what his oeuvre consisted of. Most egregious was the way his Western films depicted Native Americans as villains who deserved to be killed and their lands confiscated. His shot at redemption came through a remarkable woman named Mari Sandoz who had written a strongly researched book titled, Cheyenne Autumn.

Mari grew up hearing the stories of the suffering of the Native American people through friends, neighbors and visitors to her family farm in Nebraska in the early 1900’s. Her relationship with her father was difficult but she wrote a very well received biography about him after his death. Her research into his life brought back the memories of the members of the Cheyenne tribe who were his friends. Continue reading Mari Sandoz: Keeper of the Flame for Native American History

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Female Writer, Film Reviews, Netflix, Reviews

Review: All The Bright Places

If you are unfamiliar with the book or the story in general, be cautious travellers: this is one of those films that is going to be coated in melodrama and ultimately, demanding of your tears. The question is, is the journey worth that outcome?

Yes.

As with life itself (which primarily ties to the central heart of the story: there are always bright places in dark times) things can be challenging, disheartening, and sometimes downright seemingly hopeless, but we can prevail. That sort of message, even if it’s paraded at times here, is worth seeking, and if it allows someone out there to feel less alone, the intent is successful. Continue reading Review: All The Bright Places

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Female Filmmaker, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Reviews, Women in Film

Exclusive Sundance Review: The 40 Year Old Version

Radha Blank’s “The 40-year-old version” is my favourite film of the Sundance Film Festival. I walked into the screening without any previous knowledge of the synopsis nor seen any reviews of earlier showings. The film begins and immediately grabs your attention you can’t keep your eyes off Radha, not only because she’s the protagonist of this film but also because her presence charms you towards her. As a struggling playwright, Radha has kept herself busy with her teaching profession while grieving the loss of her mother. As she approaches 40, Radha wants to continue being creative and decides to give rapping a second chance. 

“The 40-year-old Version” is directed, produced, written, and brilliantly acted by the talented Radha Blank. Believe me when I say she is someone to look out for in the future. Her name will soon be familiar to many of you. After all, she won the best director prize at Sundance (deservingly so). It’s no secret that I lost my mother a little over five years ago, and I’m still grieving her loss. Radha’s grieving process reminded me of my own. Continue reading Exclusive Sundance Review: The 40 Year Old Version

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Female Filmmaker, Female Writer, Film Reviews, Reviews, Women in Film

Review: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn)

Following the infamous “Suicide Squad”, “Birds of Prey” sees the return of of the infamous Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) to the big screen. Only this time things have changed since we’ve last spent time with her, she and the Joker have broken up. With this framing “Birds of Prey” follows Harley as she navigates her newfound independence from her toxic relationship, through various means she ends up in the hands of Roman Sionis/Black Mask (Ewan McGregor) and his twisted henchman Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), that eventually see her crossing paths (Reluctantly) with Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), and Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco). Continue reading Review: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn)

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Acting, Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Female Writer, Film Reviews, Indie Film, Netflix, Reviews, Uncategorized, Women in Film

Review: “Jezebel”

Numa Perrier’s feature debut “Jezebel” (2019) is a deeply personal film that makes viewers feel like they’re a part of the action. Perrier, the writer director, and co-star of the film, based the film on her experiences as a cam girl. The film is an important step in humanizing sex workers, a group of people who are often looked down on and disrespected. At its heart, “Jezebel” is about sisterhood and grief through the lens of two sex workers struggling financially and emotionally.  Continue reading Review: “Jezebel”

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