ven attempt to predict what will happen to this beautiful country and it’s brave citizens. Instead, I want to focus on a celebration of Ukrainian cinema and the country’s very talented and intelligent filmmakers as well as celebrating Ukrainian stories and the country’s people. Continue reading Ukraine: More Than Just A News Headline
By Joan Amenn What are you doing this weekend? I got to chat with Executive Director Kate Barr and Development Director John O’Connor from Scarecrow Video about their big plans for expansion that they are calling Scarecrow 2.1. If you don’t know about the incredible film repository that is Scarecrow Video, check out my previous interview here https://intheirownleague.com/2021/01/26/exclusive-interview-with-scarecrow-video-part-i/ A fun live streaming telethon is happening … Continue reading Exclusive Interview: Scarecrow Video 2.1 & the Future of Physical Media Livestream Telethon
First off, it’s damn near impossible to pick just ten women who have inspired me over the years. I have heard and read so many stories of hell blazing women who have stood up against discrimination in the film industry throughout the years, whether it’s the brave women who spoke up against Harvey Weinstein and shared their #MeToo stories, or women like Frances McDormand, who have actively campaigned for the Inclusion Rider in filmmakers’ and actors’ contracts in order provide a certain level of diversity in the casting and production process. Continue reading Women’s History Month: 10 Women Who Have Inspired Me
Olive Thomas died at twenty-five years of age, thanks to the accidental ingestion of mercury bichloride. She had acted in approximately twenty films over four years, but sadly, her career ended as quickly as it had begun. While Thomas’ death essentially created the first Hollywood scandal ever, I feel that she should be remembered for her expressiveness and liveliness that she brought to her acting.
Olive Thomas won the “Most Beautiful Girl in New York City” contest in 1914, launching her modelling career. She joined the Ziegfeld Follies shortly thereafter and remained with the Follies until 1916. That year, she signed with the International Film Company, and her acting debut was in an episode of “Beatrice Fairfax,” called “Playball.” Continue reading The Illustrious Life and Mysterious Death of Olive Thomas
You may not know her name, but I am damn certain that you would recognise her face and more importantly her hairstyle. The ‘Lulu’ Bob haircut worn by Louise Brooks is a representation of the Jazz age in all of its glory and revolutionary awe. For a few brief years, Brooks was one of the most well known and one of the highest-paid actresses in the world. At the height of her career, she made a bold decision to leave La La Land, in order to star in two of the silent era’s most famous films, “Pandora’s Box” (1929) and “Diary of a Lost Girl” (1929).
However, when she returned to America her career had virtually ended and by 1938 she had turned her back on Hollywood. Throughout the 1940s and 50s, Brooks lived in extreme economical hardship before being ‘rediscovered’ by James Card, who encouraged her to write down her memoirs as well as essays that reflected on the silent era. Continue reading Women’s History Month: Louise Brooks
In Their Own League 