52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #14. What Happened Miss Simone (2015) [USA] – Liz Garbus
52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #14. What Happened Miss Simone (2015) U.S.A. Liz Garbus Hands down, this documentary opening is the most captivating, that I’ve ever seen. Many artist claim to give themselves to the audience but here we are observed by Nina! Are we worthy of her performance? We wait in silence as she…
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52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #13. RAW (Grave) (2016) [France/Belgium] – Julia Ducournau
52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #13. RAW (Grave) (2016) France/Belgium Julia Ducournau RAW is a nuanced story of love, secrets, & acceptance. I read a comment on this film calling it a slow Ginger Snaps, but I think that fan (of possibly the horror genre) missed the subtle subplots. In the film, Justine (an adamant…
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52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #12. Mustang (2015) [Turkey/France] – Deniz Gamze Ergüven
52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #12. Mustang (2014) Turkey/Russia/France – Deniz Gamze Ergüven Mustang is a moving tale about a group of sisters stuck in a traditionalist Turkish environment as they long for modernity. At the end of the school year 5 sisters frolic with classmates unaware of the events to follow. Upon returning to…
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52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #11. 13 (2016) [USA] – Ava DuVernay
52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #11. 13 (2016) U.S.A. – Ava DuVernay We just want to “Make America Great Again” = $$ profit. Ava DuVernay and her team have done a phenomenal job highlighting the bias and corporate greed entrenched in America’s justice system. The experts she interviews, from both sides of the political aisle,…
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52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #10. The Bad Batch (2017) [USA] – Ana Lily Amirpour
52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #10. The Bad Batch (2017) U.S.A. – Ana Lily Amirpour I have two views on this film. Feminist Filmmaker’s view *(FF) and a Black Feminist Filmmaker’s view *(BFF). Let’s start with an overall take… Here we have the story about a loner in a dystopian world…Mad Max? No Arlen. …
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52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #9. The Rape of Recy Taylor (2017) [USA] – Nancy Buirski
52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #9. The Rape of Recy Taylor (2017) U.S.A. – Nancy Buirski A mother walking home from evening service with 2 friends is accosted by six men, kidnapped and raped. There would be justice. In 1944, a Black mother walking home from evening service with friends a black couple in…
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52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #8. HUSH (2016) [USA] – Kate Seigel
52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #8. HUSH (2016) U.S.A. –Written by Kate Seigel Not every film by a woman that I post will be loved by me. But I will respect that a woman is part of the process and evaluate the project. Such is the case with Hush. Premise: Maddie (Kate Seigel) is at…
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52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #7. Mudbound (2017) [USA] – Dee Rees
52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #7. Mudbound (2017) U.S.A. Directed by Dee Rees When two men return home from the war to their families, though they find each other’s friendship as a PTSD coping mechanism…the town is not quite ready to offer them equal amounts of respect. The film is a powerful slow burn, that paints…
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52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #6. One of Us (2017) [USA] – Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #6. One of Us (2017) U.S.A. Produced by Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady Three “Individuals” that want their own versions of freedom in a NYC Hasidic community show their struggles toward independence. This film is the true embodiment of documentary filmmaking. “One of Us” comes from the producers of “Jesus Camp” …
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52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #5. Estiu 1993 “Summer 1993” (2017) [Spain] – Carla Simón
#5. Estiu 1993 “Summer 1993” (2017) Spain by Carla Simón #52FilmsByWomen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm9QiTqOUdI No one can tell you when to cry or how to process grief. This story was patient with it’s protagonist Frida, a child who had to process the death of her mother at age 6. It’s as if the director gave her space…
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