I Saw the TV Glow.Jane Schoenbrun understands the cursed records of suburban memory. Their films—A Self-Induced Hallucination (2018), We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021), and now I Saw the TV Glow (2024)—construct imagined archives from cultural ephemera, like internet lore, YouTube videos, and television shows. These pieces of world-building distort the concept of the transition timeline—a series of images that tracks the effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy—by undercutting the sincerity of the so-called transition “journey” with displays of disappointment and dysphoria. Whether searching for information about ghosts, ghouls, or gender, Schoenbrun’s characters struggle to self-actualize. In I Saw the TV Glow (2024), the cul-de-sacs are covered in chalk hieroglyphs for a séance with the people we might have been. Around every corner lies a new monster of the week: longing, loneliness, horniness.Other artists have used imagined archives as a way to examine desire, projection, and gender.
- 5/7/2024
- MUBI
Documentary fans have a lot to be excited about this month on HBO and Max. April begins with the premiere of The Synanon Fix, a docuseries that follows the rise and fall of the cult-like drug rehabilitation program Synanon. The documentary Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion takes a deep-dive into the controversial “one size fits most” clothing brand Brandy Mellville and the impact of fast fashion on the planet.
An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th looks at the surge of political violence and anti-government sentiment that led to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, and the effects still felt nearly 30 years later. HBO is also returning with a second part to their popular docuseries The Jinx, with filmmakers continuing their investigation of Robert Durst.
But if documentaries aren’t your thing, there’s still plenty of popular films hitting Max in April, like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,...
An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th looks at the surge of political violence and anti-government sentiment that led to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, and the effects still felt nearly 30 years later. HBO is also returning with a second part to their popular docuseries The Jinx, with filmmakers continuing their investigation of Robert Durst.
But if documentaries aren’t your thing, there’s still plenty of popular films hitting Max in April, like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,...
- 4/1/2024
- by Brynnaarens
- Den of Geek
Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki continues his investigation of convicted murderer Robert Durst in The Jinx – Part Two, a six-episode documentary series premiering on Max on April 21, 2024. The streaming service’s April lineup also includes the seven-episode limited series The Sympathizer, based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and starring Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr in multiple roles.
Comedian Alex Edelman hosts a brand new comedy special, and Conan O’Brien visits favorite fans from his podcast series in the four-episode unscripted series Conan O’Brien Must Go. The documentary series The Synanon Fix exploring the drug rehabilitation program joins Max’s lineup on April 1st. And the streaming service has set April premiere dates for the documentaries Brandy Hellville & The Cult Of Fast Fashion and An American Bombing: The Road To April 19th.
Series & Films Arriving On Max In April 2024
April 1
American Renegades (2018)
Basquiat (1996)
Black Swan (2010)
Body of Lies (2008)
Bridget Jones’s Diary...
Comedian Alex Edelman hosts a brand new comedy special, and Conan O’Brien visits favorite fans from his podcast series in the four-episode unscripted series Conan O’Brien Must Go. The documentary series The Synanon Fix exploring the drug rehabilitation program joins Max’s lineup on April 1st. And the streaming service has set April premiere dates for the documentaries Brandy Hellville & The Cult Of Fast Fashion and An American Bombing: The Road To April 19th.
Series & Films Arriving On Max In April 2024
April 1
American Renegades (2018)
Basquiat (1996)
Black Swan (2010)
Body of Lies (2008)
Bridget Jones’s Diary...
- 3/29/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Ethan Coen's queer roadtrip film "Drive-Away Dolls" is set in 1997, and feels like an escapee from that era, for better and for worse. On the one hand, it possesses all the impish, make-the-straights-squirm energy of a legit '90s indie lesbian farce. It is not just upfront about its queerness, but confrontationally playful about it. "Drive-Away Dolls" unapologetically and cartoonishly plunges audiences into lesbian basement make-out parties and rowdy gay bars, flinging about cunnilingus jokes, masturbation scenes, and multiple on-screen dildos with gleeful impunity. It's a lightweight, weirdly teen-friendly (but very R-rated) slumber party movie with an upbeat and liberating "be gay, do crime" vibe. It's a queer, hand grenade-shaped squeak toy.
On the other hand, however, "Drive-Away Dolls" is being released in 2024, and the very fact that it depicts queer characters having queer sex and talking about queer issues isn't nearly as confrontational as it once was. There...
On the other hand, however, "Drive-Away Dolls" is being released in 2024, and the very fact that it depicts queer characters having queer sex and talking about queer issues isn't nearly as confrontational as it once was. There...
- 2/21/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In her debut feature, Jazmin Jones and collaborator Olivia McKayla Ross are looking for answers. They turn to the divine, the public, and, of course, the Internet for guidance. Their holy grail is Mavis Beacon, the virtual instructor who led one of the most popular learning games of all time. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is a font of nostalgia for those who played it in its heyday, and Black fans like Jones saw Mavis as an especially important pioneer for their digital representation.
Seeking Mavis Beacon is a more artistic and conceptual film than investigative, though Jones and Ross uncover some intriguing context about Renée L’Espérance, the model who first portrayed Beacon. As the game’s first face––and thus the blueprint for Mavis, who was henceforth a Black, female character––L’Espérance played a key role in the birth of the blockbuster game. But what does it mean...
Seeking Mavis Beacon is a more artistic and conceptual film than investigative, though Jones and Ross uncover some intriguing context about Renée L’Espérance, the model who first portrayed Beacon. As the game’s first face––and thus the blueprint for Mavis, who was henceforth a Black, female character––L’Espérance played a key role in the birth of the blockbuster game. But what does it mean...
- 1/30/2024
- by Lena Wilson
- The Film Stage
Jazmin Renée Jones’ “Seeking Mavis Beacon” isn’t your typical kind of quest movie. Premiering in the Next section at Sundance, the format-defying film follows the nonbinary Black filmmaker on an elaborate search to find — but also to better understand — someone who shaped what they thought of the world and themselves. Someone who didn’t really exist: the cover model for popular 1987 computer program “Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.”
As past users of the bestselling software surely recall (but may never have consciously considered), Mavis Beacon was a Black woman — knowledgeable and warm, with a striking face and long, elegant fingernails — who encouraged young people to master their keyboard skills. She served as a virtual teacher and confidant for countless kids, including Jones and computer prodigy Olivia McKayla Ross.
An early example of AI, Mavis Beacon was an invention of three white male computer programmers. Why did they choose a Black woman as their avatar?...
As past users of the bestselling software surely recall (but may never have consciously considered), Mavis Beacon was a Black woman — knowledgeable and warm, with a striking face and long, elegant fingernails — who encouraged young people to master their keyboard skills. She served as a virtual teacher and confidant for countless kids, including Jones and computer prodigy Olivia McKayla Ross.
An early example of AI, Mavis Beacon was an invention of three white male computer programmers. Why did they choose a Black woman as their avatar?...
- 1/21/2024
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety Film + TV
Recently Guillermo del Toro, the Oscar-winning director behind “The Shape of Water,” “Nightmare Alley” and “Pinocchio,” said that collecting physical media, in the midst of streamers unceremoniously deleting thousands of titles, is nothing short of a “moral imperative.” And we agree. Each month new home video releases – of both classic films and newer titles – come out. And each one is cause for celebration. With that in mind, we want to highlight the very best titles of every month.
Here are the biggest and best releases for July 2023.
Paramount Pictures
“The Truman Show” (out now)
While there are no new extras on this edition of “The Truman Show,” Peter Weir’s minor masterpiece is now celebrating its 25th anniversary, with the same collection of bonus material that accompanied its previous Blu-ray release. But the movie gets a big upgrade where it counts – in both the picture quality (thanks to a new...
Here are the biggest and best releases for July 2023.
Paramount Pictures
“The Truman Show” (out now)
While there are no new extras on this edition of “The Truman Show,” Peter Weir’s minor masterpiece is now celebrating its 25th anniversary, with the same collection of bonus material that accompanied its previous Blu-ray release. But the movie gets a big upgrade where it counts – in both the picture quality (thanks to a new...
- 7/26/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
It was more than a little heartening to see Roger Corman paid tribute by Quentin Tarantino at Cannes’ closing night. By now the director-producer-mogul’s imprint on cinema is understood to eclipse, rough estimate, 99.5% of anybody who’s touched the medium, but on a night for celebrating what’s new, trend-following, and manicured it could’ve hardly been more necessary. Thus I’m further heartened seeing the Criterion Channel will host a retrospective of Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations running eight films and aptly titled “Grindhouse Gothic,” though I might save the selections for October.
Centerpiece, though, is a hip hop series including Bill Duke’s superb Deep Cover, Ghost Dog, and numerous documentaries––among them Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, making Michael Rapaport a Criterion-approved auteur. Ten films starring Kay Francis and 21 Eurothrillers round out series; streaming premieres include the Dardenne brothers’ Tori and Lokita,...
Centerpiece, though, is a hip hop series including Bill Duke’s superb Deep Cover, Ghost Dog, and numerous documentaries––among them Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, making Michael Rapaport a Criterion-approved auteur. Ten films starring Kay Francis and 21 Eurothrillers round out series; streaming premieres include the Dardenne brothers’ Tori and Lokita,...
- 7/19/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSOn July 13, SAG-AFTRA issued a strike order, joining the WGA, who have been striking since May. In an incendiary speech, the guild’s president, Fran Drescher, said: “SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP’s responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry…Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.” This Vulture Q&a with Jonathan Handel, author of Hollywood on Strike!: An Industry at War in the Internet Age, delves into the details of the work stoppage.Applications are open for Open City Documentary Festival & Another Gaze’s third annual critics’ workshop, which will take place in early September during the festival.
- 7/19/2023
- MUBI
The tension between uncovering hidden aspects of film history and respecting the lives of those contained within it form the undergirding conflict of Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman, a film of such multitudinous interests and storytelling pursuits that it replicates the ecstasy of newfound romance. The film’s crux, beyond the blossoming lesbian relationship at its core, is Dunye’s aligning of hidden historiographies with the hassle of dating—of searching for something (or someone) that, at the surface, cannot be immediately seen with the naked eye.
Dunye establishes the problem of incomplete histories as Cheryl (Dunye) and Tamara (Valarie Walker) debate the value of, as Tamara puts it, watching “mammy shit from the ’30s.” They do so from behind the counter of a Philadelphia video store, where their employ is less driven by cinephilia—though Cheryl clearly knows her shit—than economic necessity. Unlike Kevin Smith’s Clerks,...
Dunye establishes the problem of incomplete histories as Cheryl (Dunye) and Tamara (Valarie Walker) debate the value of, as Tamara puts it, watching “mammy shit from the ’30s.” They do so from behind the counter of a Philadelphia video store, where their employ is less driven by cinephilia—though Cheryl clearly knows her shit—than economic necessity. Unlike Kevin Smith’s Clerks,...
- 7/14/2023
- by Clayton Dillard
- Slant Magazine
“Sometimes you have to create your own history,” reads a title card at the end of Cheryl Dunye’s debut feature. “The Watermelon Woman is fiction.” And it’s quite the gut punch. The film blends romance, comedy, and documentary elements around the journey of a video store clerk, Cheryl (Dunye), to uncover more information about the eponymous yet anonymous Black actress from the 1930s. Cheryl’s quest quickly proves quixotic given the dearth of information about this figure, which Dunye later reveals as an imagined refraction of her own troubles in identifying her Black lesbian cultural forebears.
Though now recognized as a landmark of New Queer Cinema, The Watermelon Woman, in an unfortunately ironic twist, spent many years languishing in a state of invisibility following its 1996 premiere. Thanks to her own confidence in celebrating the film, as well as the public consciousness catching up with its form and content,...
Though now recognized as a landmark of New Queer Cinema, The Watermelon Woman, in an unfortunately ironic twist, spent many years languishing in a state of invisibility following its 1996 premiere. Thanks to her own confidence in celebrating the film, as well as the public consciousness catching up with its form and content,...
- 7/12/2023
- by Marshall Shaffer
- Slant Magazine
With the unfortunate history of portrayals of many marginalized communities, the first films to kick open the door to mainstream representation were often made outside of a community, resulting in work that is deemed problematic in today’s environment. Chasing Amy being one such example: though the third film from Kevin Smith met some controversy, it did not have picket lines that his fourth, Dogma, would invite.
For Sav Rodgers, a kid growing up in Kanas who adored Ben Affleck, Chasing Amy became a gateway into understanding themselves and, ultimately, who they wanted to become. In his highly personal feature film debut, the trans filmmaker expands upon his viral Ted talk, unpacking multiple problems with Chasing Amy and the ’90s independent film scene. It was a time of gatekeepers that often, intentionally or not, suppressed mainstream LGBTQ films made from within the community, bankrolling and elevating voices like Kevin Smith––in his sheer provocation,...
For Sav Rodgers, a kid growing up in Kanas who adored Ben Affleck, Chasing Amy became a gateway into understanding themselves and, ultimately, who they wanted to become. In his highly personal feature film debut, the trans filmmaker expands upon his viral Ted talk, unpacking multiple problems with Chasing Amy and the ’90s independent film scene. It was a time of gatekeepers that often, intentionally or not, suppressed mainstream LGBTQ films made from within the community, bankrolling and elevating voices like Kevin Smith––in his sheer provocation,...
- 6/12/2023
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
From trans lives to celebrations of drag, queer film pulled no punches as it hit screens in the 90s with a DIY bravura that transformed the movie industry
Queer film exploded like a glitter cannon in the 1990s, sending sparkling product raining down in every direction. Trans lives hit the screen in Orlando and Boys Don’t Cry, alongside dynamic bulletins from the Black queer experience. We had jubilant celebrations of drag with Paris Is Burning and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, provocations from New Queer Cinema in the shape of Poison, Swoon and Edward II; there were auteurist masterpieces and timeless coming-out stories. The Wachowski sisters, Lisa Cholodenko, François Ozon and Bruce Labruce all made their debuts; Pedro Almodóvar and Gus Van Sant went stratospheric. Benefiting from a surge in the fortunes of independent cinema, and a defined focus for anger brought about by Aids activism, queer...
Queer film exploded like a glitter cannon in the 1990s, sending sparkling product raining down in every direction. Trans lives hit the screen in Orlando and Boys Don’t Cry, alongside dynamic bulletins from the Black queer experience. We had jubilant celebrations of drag with Paris Is Burning and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, provocations from New Queer Cinema in the shape of Poison, Swoon and Edward II; there were auteurist masterpieces and timeless coming-out stories. The Wachowski sisters, Lisa Cholodenko, François Ozon and Bruce Labruce all made their debuts; Pedro Almodóvar and Gus Van Sant went stratospheric. Benefiting from a surge in the fortunes of independent cinema, and a defined focus for anger brought about by Aids activism, queer...
- 5/26/2023
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
At this point, it's probably not a spoiler to say that a key "Yellowjackets" character is alive and somewhat well. That character is Vanessa "Van" Palmer (Lauren Ambrose and Liv Hewton), and if we're being honest, she's kind of living the best life out of all the show's plane crash survivors. Why is that? Well, she has her own video and DVD rental business, While You Were Streaming, smack dab in the middle of an undisclosed Pennsylvanian town. If you are even the slightest bit familiar with the work we do here at Slash Film dot com, it shouldn't be a surprise that we consider this the best possible fate to have.
What also isn't surprising is that Van has very good taste in movies, and also knows a thing or two about Hollywood's bizarre queer history. That's because While You Were Streaming is filled with Easter eggs to mainstream queer cinema,...
What also isn't surprising is that Van has very good taste in movies, and also knows a thing or two about Hollywood's bizarre queer history. That's because While You Were Streaming is filled with Easter eggs to mainstream queer cinema,...
- 4/21/2023
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
This article contains spoilers for "Yellowjackets."
After last week's episode finally gave us our first look at Lauren Ambrose as Adult Van, episode 5 of season 2 picks up right where we left off with our favorite cinephile. We're given a tour of Van's apartment and video rental store, set to the soundtrack of "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes because nothing screams "Lesbian!" like the sound of Linda Perry. In a surprise to absolutely no one, Van's house is a maximalist pop culture wonderscape, further proving that if I were one of the Yellowjackets, I'd be Van (a Buzzfeed quiz also confirmed this but whatever). She's got rainbow rugs, she's got an amazing race car VHS tape rewinder, and her apartment is located conveniently above her store. Some curious youngsters are fascinated by her shop. "These boxy things are movies?" Remember kids, physical media Forever.
An eager customer comes in to return her copy of "Party Girl,...
After last week's episode finally gave us our first look at Lauren Ambrose as Adult Van, episode 5 of season 2 picks up right where we left off with our favorite cinephile. We're given a tour of Van's apartment and video rental store, set to the soundtrack of "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes because nothing screams "Lesbian!" like the sound of Linda Perry. In a surprise to absolutely no one, Van's house is a maximalist pop culture wonderscape, further proving that if I were one of the Yellowjackets, I'd be Van (a Buzzfeed quiz also confirmed this but whatever). She's got rainbow rugs, she's got an amazing race car VHS tape rewinder, and her apartment is located conveniently above her store. Some curious youngsters are fascinated by her shop. "These boxy things are movies?" Remember kids, physical media Forever.
An eager customer comes in to return her copy of "Party Girl,...
- 4/21/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
This year’s Sffilm, San Francisco’s long-running film festival, opened outside city limits. On Thursday, Ryan Coogler took the stage at Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater to introduce “Stephen Curry: Underrated,” the documentary he produced, and pointed to the middle of the room. “I saw my first movie right there,” he said.
For all the history around Bay Area filmmakers, from the early days of Frances Ford Coppola and George Lucas to the Pacific Film Archive, Oakland’s presence has gained traction. Beyond Coogler, there’s another filmmaker whose relationship with the scene goes much deeper.
Boots Riley rose to fame as the frontman for legendary Oakland hip hop group The Coup more than 30 years ago. He reinvented himself as a filmmaker with 2018 Sundance breakout “Sorry to Bother You,” a riotous workplace satire that doubled as a vessel for Riley’s longstanding Socialist values and investment in empowering the working class.
For all the history around Bay Area filmmakers, from the early days of Frances Ford Coppola and George Lucas to the Pacific Film Archive, Oakland’s presence has gained traction. Beyond Coogler, there’s another filmmaker whose relationship with the scene goes much deeper.
Boots Riley rose to fame as the frontman for legendary Oakland hip hop group The Coup more than 30 years ago. He reinvented himself as a filmmaker with 2018 Sundance breakout “Sorry to Bother You,” a riotous workplace satire that doubled as a vessel for Riley’s longstanding Socialist values and investment in empowering the working class.
- 4/15/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
How many movies are roundly better than Martin Scorsese’s After Hours? Whatever the number (seriously: six?) it is now surely among the greatest in the Criterion Collection, which will add a 4K Uhd edition in July––sufficiently packed with features, among them a new interview between Scorsese and Fran Lebowitz, who I assume will expand on her main talking point (New York used to be different). Breathless, as established a title as they have, is also getting an upgrade that fortunately retains all features from their earlier release, while Carl Franklin’s One False Move scores 2,160 pixels.
But the most purely sizable July offering is their Budd Boetticher 4K Uhd set, Criterion’s first such, boasting five films: The Tall T, Decision at Sundown, Buchanan Rides Alone, Ride Lonesome, and Comanche Station. Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman “only” getting Blu-ray seems small in comparison, but few restorations from...
But the most purely sizable July offering is their Budd Boetticher 4K Uhd set, Criterion’s first such, boasting five films: The Tall T, Decision at Sundown, Buchanan Rides Alone, Ride Lonesome, and Comanche Station. Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman “only” getting Blu-ray seems small in comparison, but few restorations from...
- 4/14/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
It's difficult to overstate the immediate and overwhelming effect that Wes Craven's 1996 film "Scream" had on pop culture. By the mid-1990s the slasher genre had pretty much come to an end. The most popular monsters of the 1980s were being deliberately killed off, as "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" and "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" seemingly closed the door on their respective franchises. The slasher series that continued started to die of fatigue, as seen in clunky, underwhelming films like "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" and "Hellraiser: Bloodline."
Then, in December of '96, "Scream" came out and a new trend was immediately born. The Kevin Williamson-scripted "Scream" was a slasher movie, yes, but it was populated by teenage characters who all knew -- and spoke openly about -- the tropes of slasher movies. Everyone was wry, sarcastic, and understood the metafictional situation they occupied.
Then, in December of '96, "Scream" came out and a new trend was immediately born. The Kevin Williamson-scripted "Scream" was a slasher movie, yes, but it was populated by teenage characters who all knew -- and spoke openly about -- the tropes of slasher movies. Everyone was wry, sarcastic, and understood the metafictional situation they occupied.
- 1/27/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Kevin Smith's latest film, "Clerks III," catches up with the characters of Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson) after their brief dalliance with low-level employment at a burger joint in 2006's "Clerks II." At the end of that film, Dante and Randall found themselves directionless after spending their 40s in minimum-wage jobs. Dante left his fiancée, and the pair found themselves in jail with the perpetual stoners Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Smith). Dante and Randall found that their way out of their rut was to go back. Using weed money from Jay and Silent Bob, Dante and Randall merely bought the convenience store they felt trapped in back in the original "Clerks."
It was a happy ending for Dante and Randall, but also a declaration from Smith. Staying put (critics might say stagnating) was, Smith declared, a form of triumph.
In "Clerks III," however, Dante...
It was a happy ending for Dante and Randall, but also a declaration from Smith. Staying put (critics might say stagnating) was, Smith declared, a form of triumph.
In "Clerks III," however, Dante...
- 9/15/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Coined by the film historian and critic B. Ruby Rich in 1992 to give voice to the explosion in queer film she was witnessing on the burgeoning film festival circuit, the New Queer Cinema’s influence on independent film cannot be overstated. The ‘80s saw films like Jim Jarmusch’s “Stranger Than Paradise” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” explode the idea of what film could be, in turn inspiring a new generation of radical queer filmmakers to pick up the camera and crack the whole thing wide open.
As Hollywood churned out blockbusters like “Terminator 2” and “Jurassic Park,” anyone paying attention could see that the real fun was being had way below budget. Sundance was still a new little gathering in Park City, where someone fresh out of film school could show a film and meet likeminded artists. Throughout the decade, Sundance gradually established itself as the...
As Hollywood churned out blockbusters like “Terminator 2” and “Jurassic Park,” anyone paying attention could see that the real fun was being had way below budget. Sundance was still a new little gathering in Park City, where someone fresh out of film school could show a film and meet likeminded artists. Throughout the decade, Sundance gradually established itself as the...
- 8/17/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
This week is Lesbian Visibility Week, and for film fans, there’s a lot to celebrate. Despite the prominence of lesbians behind the scenes in Golden Age Hollywood, love and lust between women has been a taboo subject – or at least one considered unmarketable – for much of cinema history. Tragedies like The Children’s Hour, coded but non-explicit works like Thelma And Louise, and films like Blue Is The Warmest Colour, whose sex scenes make no sense unless approached as pornography for the male gaze, have left women who desire women with very little representation. Rare exceptions like Desert Hearts and The Watermelon Woman have had to do a lot of heavy lifting and were, for most of their history, very hard for most people to get access to. Over the last few years, this has finally begun to change, with mainstream films beginning to lose their fear of queer...
- 4/30/2022
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
“Bridgerton” has been applauded for diverse casting across age, race, and body types, all while keeping the Regency era love stories as steamy as possible.
The Shonda Rhimes-produced Netflix series especially focused on breaking down racial stereotypes, according to director Cheryl Dunye.
In an interview with Insider, Dunye shared that she had a clear vision for how to capture the frustrations of boxer-turned-gentlemen’s-club-owner Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe) onscreen. During the finale, Will confronts schemer Jack (Jack Featherington) for trying to scam patrons. While Jack belittles the club, Will remains calm, which Dunye felt strongly about capturing for the character.
“It was so interesting directing those scenes because — on the page, and from his body and stature, and what we understand about Black men and the way that they are portrayed in film, Black boxer body, etc.— you’re thinking: ‘Use your body, use your strength, and use your power,...
The Shonda Rhimes-produced Netflix series especially focused on breaking down racial stereotypes, according to director Cheryl Dunye.
In an interview with Insider, Dunye shared that she had a clear vision for how to capture the frustrations of boxer-turned-gentlemen’s-club-owner Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe) onscreen. During the finale, Will confronts schemer Jack (Jack Featherington) for trying to scam patrons. While Jack belittles the club, Will remains calm, which Dunye felt strongly about capturing for the character.
“It was so interesting directing those scenes because — on the page, and from his body and stature, and what we understand about Black men and the way that they are portrayed in film, Black boxer body, etc.— you’re thinking: ‘Use your body, use your strength, and use your power,...
- 4/14/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Oscar-nominated “Flee” took home the top prize at the 15th annual Cinema Eye Honors on Tuesday evening at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York.
Going into the evening, Neon and Participant Media’s “Flee” led the field with a total of seven nominations, while “Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” followed with six.
Filmmaker Cheryl Dunye also received the organization’s legacy award during the ceremony. The director was honored for her landmark 1996 independent feature “The Watermelon Woman.” After accepting the legacy award on stage, Dunye presented the category of audience choice prize.
See the full list of film winners and nominees below.
Outstanding Nonfiction Feature
“Ascension”
“Faya Dayi” (Directed and produced by Jessica Beshir)
“Flee” (Winner)
“The Rescue”
“Summer of Soul”
“The Velvet Underground”
Outstanding Direction
“Ascension”
“Faya Dayi”
“Flee”
“In the Same Breath”
“Procession” (Winner)
“Summer of Soul”
Outstanding...
Going into the evening, Neon and Participant Media’s “Flee” led the field with a total of seven nominations, while “Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” followed with six.
Filmmaker Cheryl Dunye also received the organization’s legacy award during the ceremony. The director was honored for her landmark 1996 independent feature “The Watermelon Woman.” After accepting the legacy award on stage, Dunye presented the category of audience choice prize.
See the full list of film winners and nominees below.
Outstanding Nonfiction Feature
“Ascension”
“Faya Dayi” (Directed and produced by Jessica Beshir)
“Flee” (Winner)
“The Rescue”
“Summer of Soul”
“The Velvet Underground”
Outstanding Direction
“Ascension”
“Faya Dayi”
“Flee”
“In the Same Breath”
“Procession” (Winner)
“Summer of Soul”
Outstanding...
- 3/2/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary “Flee” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2021 at the 15th annual Cinema Eye Honors, which were presented on Tuesday night in New York City. “The Rescue,” about the efforts to retrieve a Thai youth soccer team from a flooded cave, won the Audience Choice Prize.
The Neon release “Flee,” which uses animation to give anonymity to a young gay man who escaped Afghanistan as a teenager and made his way to Denmark, also won the award for graphic design and animation. It is nominated for Oscars in the documentary, animated-feature and international-feature categories.
Robert Greene won the directing award for “Procession,” while Matthew Heineman, Jenna Millman and Leslie Norville took the producing prize for “The First Wave.”
Jessica Kingdon’s “Ascension” won the most Cinema Eye awards, three, taking the prizes for debut feature, cinematography and score.
Other winners included “Summer of Soul...
The Neon release “Flee,” which uses animation to give anonymity to a young gay man who escaped Afghanistan as a teenager and made his way to Denmark, also won the award for graphic design and animation. It is nominated for Oscars in the documentary, animated-feature and international-feature categories.
Robert Greene won the directing award for “Procession,” while Matthew Heineman, Jenna Millman and Leslie Norville took the producing prize for “The First Wave.”
Jessica Kingdon’s “Ascension” won the most Cinema Eye awards, three, taking the prizes for debut feature, cinematography and score.
Other winners included “Summer of Soul...
- 3/2/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Seymour Wishman, a longtime producer, writer, legal expert and president of First Run Features, died on Jan. 29 at a family home in Bridgewater, Conn., his daughter Samantha confirmed to Variety. He was 79.
Over the past 38 years, Wishman had served as president of First Run Features. During his time at the N.Y.-based independent film distribution company, Wishman brought Michael Apted’s “28 Up” (and later the entire “Up” series) to the United States and helped Ross McElwee finish and release “Sherman’s March” — as well as McElwee’s other films, including “Bright Leaves” and “Six O’Clock News.” Wishman also released Spike Lee’s “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads” (the director’s first feature film and his graduate school thesis), Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman,” Jan Svankmajer’s “Alice” and many other independent pictures.
On the production side, Seymour co-directed and produced “Sex & Justice,” a documentary on...
Over the past 38 years, Wishman had served as president of First Run Features. During his time at the N.Y.-based independent film distribution company, Wishman brought Michael Apted’s “28 Up” (and later the entire “Up” series) to the United States and helped Ross McElwee finish and release “Sherman’s March” — as well as McElwee’s other films, including “Bright Leaves” and “Six O’Clock News.” Wishman also released Spike Lee’s “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads” (the director’s first feature film and his graduate school thesis), Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman,” Jan Svankmajer’s “Alice” and many other independent pictures.
On the production side, Seymour co-directed and produced “Sex & Justice,” a documentary on...
- 2/14/2022
- by Wyatte Grantham-Philips
- Variety Film + TV
The National Film Registry — known as the preservation arm of the Library of Congress — has added 25 new films to its 825 titles of culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant movies. But that’s just a small portion of the Library’s whopping 1.7 million titles.
Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, the movies must be at least 10 years old, and this year’s additions feature many film fan favorites. As reported by Variety, among them are “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” from 2001, “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” from 1983, Pixar’s “Wall-e” from 2008, 1997’s beloved musical biopic “Selena,” pioneering Black lesbian drama “The Watermelon Woman” from 1996, the cult classic original “A Nightmare on Elm Street” from 1984, and even a few canonical classics like “The Long Goodbye,” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,” and “Strangers on a Train.” See the full list below in chronological order.
Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, the movies must be at least 10 years old, and this year’s additions feature many film fan favorites. As reported by Variety, among them are “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” from 2001, “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” from 1983, Pixar’s “Wall-e” from 2008, 1997’s beloved musical biopic “Selena,” pioneering Black lesbian drama “The Watermelon Woman” from 1996, the cult classic original “A Nightmare on Elm Street” from 1984, and even a few canonical classics like “The Long Goodbye,” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,” and “Strangers on a Train.” See the full list below in chronological order.
- 12/14/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Since 1989, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress has been accomplishing the important task of preserving films that “represent important cultural, artistic and historic achievements in filmmaking.” From films way back in 1897 all the way up to 2010, they’ve now reached 825 films that celebrate our heritage and encapsulate our film history.
Today they’ve unveiled their 2021 list, which includes Jonathan Demme’s concert masterpiece Stop Making Sense, Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye, the horror classic Nightmare on Elm Street, the landmark queer film The Watermelon Woman, and even a few blockbusters.
The oldest film in this year’s registry class is a recently restored 3-minute actuality recording from 1902 showing a Ringling Brothers circus parade in Indianapolis. As the Library of Congress notes, “One reason why the film was selected for preservation is it also shows, by accident, a rare glimpse of a prosperous northern Black community at...
Today they’ve unveiled their 2021 list, which includes Jonathan Demme’s concert masterpiece Stop Making Sense, Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye, the horror classic Nightmare on Elm Street, the landmark queer film The Watermelon Woman, and even a few blockbusters.
The oldest film in this year’s registry class is a recently restored 3-minute actuality recording from 1902 showing a Ringling Brothers circus parade in Indianapolis. As the Library of Congress notes, “One reason why the film was selected for preservation is it also shows, by accident, a rare glimpse of a prosperous northern Black community at...
- 12/14/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Library of Congress has unveiled its annual list of 25 movies to make the cut for the National Film Registry. The selection, considered among America’s most influential motion pictures, features titles spanning from 1902-2008. Among them are Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 Strangers On A Train; 1962’s Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford; 1972 tearjerker Sounder, which brought Cicely Tyson a Best Actress Oscar nomination; John Waters’ Pink Flamingos (1972); and Michael Schultz’s 1975 Cooley High.
More recent classics such as 1983’s Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi, 1984’s A Nightmare On Elm Street, 2001’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and 2008’s Wall-e are also honored (scroll down for the full list).
The roster further includes music and comedy performances: 1984’s Talking Heads pic Stop Making Sense from director Jonathan Demme and 1979’s Richard Pryor: Live In Concert, recorded at the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach,...
More recent classics such as 1983’s Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi, 1984’s A Nightmare On Elm Street, 2001’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and 2008’s Wall-e are also honored (scroll down for the full list).
The roster further includes music and comedy performances: 1984’s Talking Heads pic Stop Making Sense from director Jonathan Demme and 1979’s Richard Pryor: Live In Concert, recorded at the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach,...
- 12/14/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Pixar’s “Wall-e,” “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” and “Selena” have been selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.
Each year, the Librarian of Congress names 25 motion pictures that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, the movies have to be at least 10 years old.
Other titles added to the National Film Registry in 2021 include “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Pink Flamingos,” “Who Killed Vincent Chin?,” “Richard Pryor: Live in Concert,” “Cooley High” and “Sounder.”
This year’s lineup brings the number of films in the registry to 825, a small portion of the 1.7 million movies in the Library’s collection. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, says the recent assemblage represents one of the most diverse classes of films to enter the registry, with movies dating back nearly 120 years and representing Hollywood studios,...
Each year, the Librarian of Congress names 25 motion pictures that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, the movies have to be at least 10 years old.
Other titles added to the National Film Registry in 2021 include “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Pink Flamingos,” “Who Killed Vincent Chin?,” “Richard Pryor: Live in Concert,” “Cooley High” and “Sounder.”
This year’s lineup brings the number of films in the registry to 825, a small portion of the 1.7 million movies in the Library’s collection. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, says the recent assemblage represents one of the most diverse classes of films to enter the registry, with movies dating back nearly 120 years and representing Hollywood studios,...
- 12/14/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The Cinema Eye Honors has announced the nominations for its 15th annual awards. “Flee” leads the field with seven nominations, while “Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” followed with six.
Written and directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, the animated documentary “Flee” landed nominations in outstanding nonfiction feature, direction, production, original score, graphic design and animation, audience choice prize and this year’s new category for outstanding achievement in sound design. The film follows the story of Awin Nawabi, an Afghan refugee who is suddenly forced to face the life-altering effects of a secret that he has kept for 20 years.
“Summer of Soul” is nominated for outstanding nonfiction feature, direction, editing, sound design, audience choice prize and debut. The documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival is the first directorial effort by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.
Other films with multiple nominations include “Ascension,” “Faya Divi” and “The Rescue” with five nominations,...
Written and directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, the animated documentary “Flee” landed nominations in outstanding nonfiction feature, direction, production, original score, graphic design and animation, audience choice prize and this year’s new category for outstanding achievement in sound design. The film follows the story of Awin Nawabi, an Afghan refugee who is suddenly forced to face the life-altering effects of a secret that he has kept for 20 years.
“Summer of Soul” is nominated for outstanding nonfiction feature, direction, editing, sound design, audience choice prize and debut. The documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival is the first directorial effort by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.
Other films with multiple nominations include “Ascension,” “Faya Divi” and “The Rescue” with five nominations,...
- 11/10/2021
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Cinema Eye Honors, an influential bellwether in the race for documentary awards, kicked off its 15th year with non-fiction award-winners announced at its annual Los Angeles lunch attended by many top filmmakers. Steve James’ five-part Chicago series “City So Real,” and Spike Lee’s filmed portrait of David Byrne’s Broadway show “American Utopia” lead the Cinema Eye Honors broadcast nominations list with three nods apiece. “David Byrne’s American Utopia” is one of five films up for Outstanding Broadcast Film, while “City So Real” joins five other series in the Nonfiction Series category. Both projects were nominated for Outstanding Broadcast Editing and Cinematography.
“It is notable that both of this year’s most nominated Broadcast entries are part of the creative legacy of Diane Weyermann,” said Cinema Eye Founding Director Aj Schnack. The beloved documentary veteran, who died last week, was an Executive Producer on both “City So Real” and “American Utopia.
“It is notable that both of this year’s most nominated Broadcast entries are part of the creative legacy of Diane Weyermann,” said Cinema Eye Founding Director Aj Schnack. The beloved documentary veteran, who died last week, was an Executive Producer on both “City So Real” and “American Utopia.
- 10/20/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Cinema Eye Honors, an influential bellwether in the race for documentary awards, kicked off its 15th year with non-fiction award-winners announced at its annual Los Angeles lunch attended by many top filmmakers. Steve James’ five-part Chicago series “City So Real,” and Spike Lee’s filmed portrait of David Byrne’s Broadway show “American Utopia” lead the Cinema Eye Honors broadcast nominations list with three nods apiece. “David Byrne’s American Utopia” is one of five films up for Outstanding Broadcast Film, while “City So Real” joins five other series in the Nonfiction Series category. Both projects were nominated for Outstanding Broadcast Editing and Cinematography.
“It is notable that both of this year’s most nominated Broadcast entries are part of the creative legacy of Diane Weyermann,” said Cinema Eye Founding Director Aj Schnack. The beloved documentary veteran, who died last week, was an Executive Producer on both “City So Real” and “American Utopia.
“It is notable that both of this year’s most nominated Broadcast entries are part of the creative legacy of Diane Weyermann,” said Cinema Eye Founding Director Aj Schnack. The beloved documentary veteran, who died last week, was an Executive Producer on both “City So Real” and “American Utopia.
- 10/20/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Rockaway Film Festival in Queens, N.Y. has announced its 2021 lineup for the Sept. 12-19 edition.
Coinciding with the opening of a new outdoor theater, the first in Rockaway in over 20 years, the festival will play 12 feature films and 38 short films with a focus on highlighting filmmakers from the Rockaway Peninsula and elsewhere in New York City. 2021 Sundance standouts like Jane Schoenbrun’s “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” Amalia Ulman’s “El Planeta” and Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah” will be featured, as well as a short film from King called “Mulignans.” On top of the newer films presented, the lineup also includes several older films, such as Cheryl Dunye’s 1996 film “The Watermelon Woman” and Ted Kotcheff’s 1989 film “Weekend at Bernie’s,” plus the 24-hour loop of the film cut by Jon Dieringer.
The feature lineup is below.
Features
“Sam and Mattie Make a Zombie Movie,...
Coinciding with the opening of a new outdoor theater, the first in Rockaway in over 20 years, the festival will play 12 feature films and 38 short films with a focus on highlighting filmmakers from the Rockaway Peninsula and elsewhere in New York City. 2021 Sundance standouts like Jane Schoenbrun’s “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” Amalia Ulman’s “El Planeta” and Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah” will be featured, as well as a short film from King called “Mulignans.” On top of the newer films presented, the lineup also includes several older films, such as Cheryl Dunye’s 1996 film “The Watermelon Woman” and Ted Kotcheff’s 1989 film “Weekend at Bernie’s,” plus the 24-hour loop of the film cut by Jon Dieringer.
The feature lineup is below.
Features
“Sam and Mattie Make a Zombie Movie,...
- 9/3/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Hollywood history is littered with awkward moments from interviews with Black talent. When race and gender divisions are introduced, some truly uncomfortable scenarios result. Consider Dick Cavett asking an unwitting Eddie Murphy, during a TV interview, if he was offended by the word “nigger” in Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Or when a news anchor confused Samuel L. Jackson with Laurence Fishburne. The “all Black people look alike” motif has, sadly, been a recurring one in Hollywood and beyond.
Black artists are starting to react to the questions coming their way. Assuming that there will be a proliferation of film and television work from Black talent in the years ahead, here are a few handy assists for those who will be covering it, a guide to questions you should not ask and some thoughts about what you should.
“The White Gaze”
Last week, in anticipation of the release...
Black artists are starting to react to the questions coming their way. Assuming that there will be a proliferation of film and television work from Black talent in the years ahead, here are a few handy assists for those who will be covering it, a guide to questions you should not ask and some thoughts about what you should.
“The White Gaze”
Last week, in anticipation of the release...
- 5/20/2021
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Ten years ago, filmmaker Dee Rees changed the game for queer filmmaking with her stunning semi-autobiographical debut feature, “Pariah.” The compelling coming-of-age story is set in Brooklyn and follows 17-year-old Alike (Adepero Oduye), a whip-smart high school student trying to grapple with her identity. At the same time, her straight-laced church-going parents, portrayed by Charles Parnell and Kim Waynes, continue to deny Alike’s evident sexual awakening.
“Pariah” was a force. Arriving at the Sundance Film Festival 15 years after Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman,” Rees’ first feature was nominated for countless awards and cemented her status as a major filmmaker. She followed it with “Mudbound” in 2017, which scored her an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Her last effort, the Netflix-produced “The Last Thing He Wanted,” yielded mixed reviews — but Rees has already moved on with a slate of promising new projects, all of which suggest she’s...
“Pariah” was a force. Arriving at the Sundance Film Festival 15 years after Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman,” Rees’ first feature was nominated for countless awards and cemented her status as a major filmmaker. She followed it with “Mudbound” in 2017, which scored her an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Her last effort, the Netflix-produced “The Last Thing He Wanted,” yielded mixed reviews — but Rees has already moved on with a slate of promising new projects, all of which suggest she’s...
- 5/7/2021
- by Aramide A Tinubu
- Indiewire
FX’s upcoming docuseries about the fight for LGBTQ+ civil rights in America, “Pride,” has set its full director slate and lined up a May premiere date at the cable network.
The six-part series, which will begin with the 1950s and work forward through the decades, will see six LGBTQ+ directors explore stories ranging from the FBI surveillance of homosexuals during the 1950s Lavender Scare to the “Culture Wars” of the 1990s and beyond. Civil rights pioneer Bayard Rustin, writer Audre Lord and Senators Tammy Baldwin and Lester Hunt are among those interviewed for the series.
Directors include Tom Kalin (“Swoon”), Andrew Ahn (“Driveways”), Cheryl Dunye (“The Watermelon Woman”), Anthony Caronna and Alex Smith (“Susanne Bartsch: On Top”), Yance Ford (“Strong Island”) and Ro Haber (“Pose”).
The series will premiere with its first three episodes airing back-to-back on May 14. The second half of the series will air the following week...
The six-part series, which will begin with the 1950s and work forward through the decades, will see six LGBTQ+ directors explore stories ranging from the FBI surveillance of homosexuals during the 1950s Lavender Scare to the “Culture Wars” of the 1990s and beyond. Civil rights pioneer Bayard Rustin, writer Audre Lord and Senators Tammy Baldwin and Lester Hunt are among those interviewed for the series.
Directors include Tom Kalin (“Swoon”), Andrew Ahn (“Driveways”), Cheryl Dunye (“The Watermelon Woman”), Anthony Caronna and Alex Smith (“Susanne Bartsch: On Top”), Yance Ford (“Strong Island”) and Ro Haber (“Pose”).
The series will premiere with its first three episodes airing back-to-back on May 14. The second half of the series will air the following week...
- 3/30/2021
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
In the 25 years since she became the first Black lesbian to direct a feature film, the acclaimed “The Watermelon Woman,” Cheryl Dunye has lent her perspective to dozens of stories stretching across various genres on-screen. The NAACP Image Award-nominated director recently put her signature stamp on “Lovecraft Country’s” episode “Strange Case.” Now, she is lending her vision to OWN’s new series, “Delilah,” a legal drama centering Maahra Hill in the titular role as a lawyer trying to juggle her personal and professional lives.
Just as Delilah’s personal life begins to get more complicated she finds herself in the middle of a legal firestorm, facing off against her best friend, Tamara (Jill Marie Jones), for the first time in her career. Through her work on films like “Janine” and “Stranger Inside,” as well as her contributions to series like “All Rise,” “Dear White People,” and “Queen Sugar,” Dunye...
Just as Delilah’s personal life begins to get more complicated she finds herself in the middle of a legal firestorm, facing off against her best friend, Tamara (Jill Marie Jones), for the first time in her career. Through her work on films like “Janine” and “Stranger Inside,” as well as her contributions to series like “All Rise,” “Dear White People,” and “Queen Sugar,” Dunye...
- 3/16/2021
- by Aramide A Tinubu
- Indiewire
Now in its 35th year, the Teddy Awards are among the Berlinale’s most affectionately regarded institutions. Presented annually to standout LGBTQ-themed titles across the festival’s entire lineup, they have a looser, hipper, more inclusive reputation than other Berlin prizes: fittingly, they’re annually presented not at an exclusive black-tie affair, but a publicly accessible ceremony followed by an almighty dance-’til-dawn party.
Yet the Teddys’ prestige survives their informality. Surveying their list of past winners, it’s notable how many defining queer works have been recognized along the way: from Pedro Almodóvar’s “Law of Desire” to Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman,” from Derek Jarman’s “The Last of England” to John Cameron Mitchell’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” from Sebastian Lelio’s eventual Oscar-winner “A Fantastic Woman” to last year’s vibrantly intersectional “No Hard Feelings.”
As for which new film is going to join their ranks this year,...
Yet the Teddys’ prestige survives their informality. Surveying their list of past winners, it’s notable how many defining queer works have been recognized along the way: from Pedro Almodóvar’s “Law of Desire” to Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman,” from Derek Jarman’s “The Last of England” to John Cameron Mitchell’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” from Sebastian Lelio’s eventual Oscar-winner “A Fantastic Woman” to last year’s vibrantly intersectional “No Hard Feelings.”
As for which new film is going to join their ranks this year,...
- 3/5/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Los Angeles will have a new drive-in option this weekend.
Women Under the Influence (Wuti) and Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Prods. are teaming on the Wuti Drive-In, headquartered at Exposition Park, 500 Exposition Park Drive. The first weekend — Feb. 19-21 — is being billed as a celebration of Black love and sisterhood with such titles as Waiting to Exhale, Cinderella, Sylvie’s Love, Girlhood and The Watermelon Woman. Waithe is expected to attend on opening weekend and introduce the Forest Whitaker-directed Exhale.
The second weekend — Feb. 26-28 — will focus on unique visions of the Black experience in America with ...
Women Under the Influence (Wuti) and Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Prods. are teaming on the Wuti Drive-In, headquartered at Exposition Park, 500 Exposition Park Drive. The first weekend — Feb. 19-21 — is being billed as a celebration of Black love and sisterhood with such titles as Waiting to Exhale, Cinderella, Sylvie’s Love, Girlhood and The Watermelon Woman. Waithe is expected to attend on opening weekend and introduce the Forest Whitaker-directed Exhale.
The second weekend — Feb. 26-28 — will focus on unique visions of the Black experience in America with ...
- 2/17/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Los Angeles will have a new drive-in option this weekend.
Women Under the Influence (Wuti) and Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Prods. are teaming on the Wuti Drive-In, headquartered at Exposition Park, 500 Exposition Park Drive. The first weekend — Feb. 19-21 — is being billed as a celebration of Black love and sisterhood with such titles as Waiting to Exhale, Cinderella, Sylvie’s Love, Girlhood and The Watermelon Woman. Waithe is expected to attend on opening weekend and introduce the Forest Whitaker-directed Exhale.
The second weekend — Feb. 26-28 — will focus on unique visions of the Black experience in America with ...
Women Under the Influence (Wuti) and Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Prods. are teaming on the Wuti Drive-In, headquartered at Exposition Park, 500 Exposition Park Drive. The first weekend — Feb. 19-21 — is being billed as a celebration of Black love and sisterhood with such titles as Waiting to Exhale, Cinderella, Sylvie’s Love, Girlhood and The Watermelon Woman. Waithe is expected to attend on opening weekend and introduce the Forest Whitaker-directed Exhale.
The second weekend — Feb. 26-28 — will focus on unique visions of the Black experience in America with ...
- 2/17/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Whether a viewer in 1896 or 2020, cinema has always been a dynamic and variable experience. Cinema as an event—as a manifestation of a meeting point between the art of moving images and an audience, big or small—has never fit any one definition, and this last year, so severely disrupted by a global pandemic, has deeply underscored the versatility and resilience of our great love.Our viewing this year, like that of so many, has been strange: compromised, confrontational, escapist, euphoric, painful, revelatory—encompassing all of the reactions one can have to film. How we encountered our favorite movies and most meaningful cinematic experiences of the year was hardly new: A by-now-normal mix of festivals, theatres, various subscription and transactional streaming services, as well as private screener links and gems buried on over-stuffed hard drives. But for most of the year, the communal experience shrunk to living rooms and glowing screens.
- 12/23/2020
- MUBI
Wolfwalkers, Sound Of Metal, Apples among line-up.
AFI Fest has unveiled the full line-up of 124 films including 54 features for its 2020 online edition and said 53% are directed by women, 39% by Bipoc filmmakers, and 17% by Lbgtq+ filmmakers.
Festival heads announced on Tuesday (October 6) selections in the World Cinema, New Auteurs, Documentary, Cinema’s Legacy, Short Film Competition, and Meet the Press Film Festival. The virtual festival runs from October 15-22.
World Cinema entries include Michel Franco’s New Order; the animation Wolfwalkers from Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart; Orson Welles’ Hopper/Welles; Sound Of Metal; and Stéphanie Chuat’s Swiss Oscar submission My Little Sister.
AFI Fest has unveiled the full line-up of 124 films including 54 features for its 2020 online edition and said 53% are directed by women, 39% by Bipoc filmmakers, and 17% by Lbgtq+ filmmakers.
Festival heads announced on Tuesday (October 6) selections in the World Cinema, New Auteurs, Documentary, Cinema’s Legacy, Short Film Competition, and Meet the Press Film Festival. The virtual festival runs from October 15-22.
World Cinema entries include Michel Franco’s New Order; the animation Wolfwalkers from Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart; Orson Welles’ Hopper/Welles; Sound Of Metal; and Stéphanie Chuat’s Swiss Oscar submission My Little Sister.
- 10/6/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
As the LGBTQ community and allies continue to celebrate Pride Month, Amazon Prime Video is setting a virtual fest of its own with “Pride Inside” June 27-28.
The fest, which will take place at PrimeVideoPrideInside.com, will support The Black AIDS Institute and the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network. The fest will include performances by artists Betty Who, Vincint, The Aces and Greyson Chance. Drag icon Lady Bunny and RuPaul’s Drag Race alums Manila Luzon, Heidi N Closet, Monique Heart, Raja and Gia Gunn will also perform, teach makeup tutorials, and contribute to round-table conversations — which will certainly be a bit of shade.
Here’s how the virtual fest will work. The event will be totally immersive with a 360° environment and users will be able to create a profile that will allow them to invite up to nine friends to explore the festival together via peer-to-peer video.
The fest, which will take place at PrimeVideoPrideInside.com, will support The Black AIDS Institute and the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network. The fest will include performances by artists Betty Who, Vincint, The Aces and Greyson Chance. Drag icon Lady Bunny and RuPaul’s Drag Race alums Manila Luzon, Heidi N Closet, Monique Heart, Raja and Gia Gunn will also perform, teach makeup tutorials, and contribute to round-table conversations — which will certainly be a bit of shade.
Here’s how the virtual fest will work. The event will be totally immersive with a 360° environment and users will be able to create a profile that will allow them to invite up to nine friends to explore the festival together via peer-to-peer video.
- 6/24/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSThe Venice Film Festival is moving forward with its plans for a “real red carpet” and theatrical screenings this September. The Toronto International Film Festival has also announced its plans for a mix of physical and virtual screenings, with fifty new features set to premiere.Recommended VIEWINGFrom June 22-29, watch Bruce Conner's Looking For Mushrooms, a "psychedelic travelogue film" that follows Conner and his wife Jean as they hunt for mushrooms in rural Oaxaca. The new trailer for Werner Herzog's latest feature, Family Romance, LLC. Mubi is releasing the film, which premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival, on July 4 in many countries, following a free preview on July 3.
A teaser trailer for Kiyoshi Kurosawa's upcoming romance thriller, Wife of a Spy, co-written with Ryusuke Hamaguchi (!) and starring Yu Aoi.Recommended...
A teaser trailer for Kiyoshi Kurosawa's upcoming romance thriller, Wife of a Spy, co-written with Ryusuke Hamaguchi (!) and starring Yu Aoi.Recommended...
- 6/24/2020
- MUBI
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The Criterion Channel, an online subscription resource for significant classic and contemporary films, has lifted the paywall on many movies and documentaries from Black filmmakers that showcase the Black experience. Cheryl Dunye's The Watermelon Woman, Julie Dash's Daughters of the Dust, and Oscar
...
Read More >
Other Links From TVGuide.com Daughters Of The DustThe Watermelon WomanJulie DashAgnes VardaShirley ClarkeOscar Micheaux...
The Criterion Channel, an online subscription resource for significant classic and contemporary films, has lifted the paywall on many movies and documentaries from Black filmmakers that showcase the Black experience. Cheryl Dunye's The Watermelon Woman, Julie Dash's Daughters of the Dust, and Oscar
...
Read More >
Other Links From TVGuide.com Daughters Of The DustThe Watermelon WomanJulie DashAgnes VardaShirley ClarkeOscar Micheaux...
- 6/19/2020
- by Tim Surette
- TVGuide - Breaking News
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Free Films Featuring Black Voices
If you’re not able to join your local protest, there are other ways to support the vital fight again injustice and police brutality. And if you’re looking to learn more about the black experience, especially in America, a number of films are now available for free. First up, The Criterion Channel has made available Daughters of the Dust, Losing Ground, Black Mother, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One, The Watermelon Woman, and more films by black filmmakers for free without a subscription. Also available for free on other platforms is Charles Burnett’s landmark film Killer of Sheep, Ava DuVernay’s insightful documentary 13th,...
Free Films Featuring Black Voices
If you’re not able to join your local protest, there are other ways to support the vital fight again injustice and police brutality. And if you’re looking to learn more about the black experience, especially in America, a number of films are now available for free. First up, The Criterion Channel has made available Daughters of the Dust, Losing Ground, Black Mother, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One, The Watermelon Woman, and more films by black filmmakers for free without a subscription. Also available for free on other platforms is Charles Burnett’s landmark film Killer of Sheep, Ava DuVernay’s insightful documentary 13th,...
- 6/5/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
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The Criterion Channel, an online subscription resource for important classic and contemporary films, has lifted the paywall on many movies and documentaries from Black filmmakers that showcase the Black experience. Cheryl Dunye's The Watermelon Woman, Julie Dash's Daughters of the Dust, and Oscar
...
Read More >
Other Links From TVGuide.com Daughters Of The DustThe Watermelon WomanJulie DashAgnes VardaShirley ClarkeOscar Micheaux...
The Criterion Channel, an online subscription resource for important classic and contemporary films, has lifted the paywall on many movies and documentaries from Black filmmakers that showcase the Black experience. Cheryl Dunye's The Watermelon Woman, Julie Dash's Daughters of the Dust, and Oscar
...
Read More >
Other Links From TVGuide.com Daughters Of The DustThe Watermelon WomanJulie DashAgnes VardaShirley ClarkeOscar Micheaux...
- 6/4/2020
- by Tim Surette
- TVGuide - Breaking News
Much has been made in recent years of the need to support, uplift, and, for the love of God — finance —more women filmmakers, but how many lesbian films have shaken out from all that hand-wringing? It’s heartening to see a woman at the helm of a comic book movie, but when was the last great lesbian rom-com? (Even more pressing: Where is the next one?) As in the struggle for queer liberation, lesbians —and lesbian films — are often an afterthought. That’s one of the many salient points covered in the peppy new documentary, “Dykes, Camera, Action!,” which while offering yet more proof that no one does catchy titles like the queers.
At a breezy 60 minutes, the film has much in common with that other lesbian tradition, the potluck, in terms of the topics it covers. There’s a little o’ this, a little o’ that, plus plenty of vegan and gluten-free options.
At a breezy 60 minutes, the film has much in common with that other lesbian tradition, the potluck, in terms of the topics it covers. There’s a little o’ this, a little o’ that, plus plenty of vegan and gluten-free options.
- 5/15/2020
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
‘Bait’ and ‘Knives Out’ lead BFI Player charts.
UK streaming platform Curzon Home Cinema (Chc) has reported a record digital opening for Safy Nebbou’s Who You Think I Am.
The romantic drama, starring Juliette Binoche, delivered the platform’s biggest three-day opening for a premium VoD title to date.
It benefitted from Curzon bringing forward the release of the film from May 8, implemented as part of a larger reshuffle to bolster its online offering while cinemas remain closed, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The performance helped Chc record a 630% increase on the equivalent weekend in 2019 and revenue generated from...
UK streaming platform Curzon Home Cinema (Chc) has reported a record digital opening for Safy Nebbou’s Who You Think I Am.
The romantic drama, starring Juliette Binoche, delivered the platform’s biggest three-day opening for a premium VoD title to date.
It benefitted from Curzon bringing forward the release of the film from May 8, implemented as part of a larger reshuffle to bolster its online offering while cinemas remain closed, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The performance helped Chc record a 630% increase on the equivalent weekend in 2019 and revenue generated from...
- 4/15/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Coming to Film Forum in New York City is “Black Women,” a 70-film screening series that spotlights 81 years – 1920 to 2001 – of trailblazing African American actresses in American movies.
Scheduled to run from January 17 to February 13, the series is curated by film historian and professor Donald Bogle, author of six books concerning blacks in film and television, including the groundbreaking “Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films” (1973).
“Last year, Bruce Goldstein, the repertory programmer at Film Forum, asked me if there was something I was interested in doing, and this was a topic that I had been thinking about, because I recently updated my book on the subject, ‘Brown Sugar,’ which dealt with African American women in entertainment from the early years of the late 19th century to the present,” said Bogle. “That’s really the way it came about, and it just developed from there.
Scheduled to run from January 17 to February 13, the series is curated by film historian and professor Donald Bogle, author of six books concerning blacks in film and television, including the groundbreaking “Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films” (1973).
“Last year, Bruce Goldstein, the repertory programmer at Film Forum, asked me if there was something I was interested in doing, and this was a topic that I had been thinking about, because I recently updated my book on the subject, ‘Brown Sugar,’ which dealt with African American women in entertainment from the early years of the late 19th century to the present,” said Bogle. “That’s really the way it came about, and it just developed from there.
- 1/17/2020
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
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