Writer/director/actress Emily Robinson just premiered her debut feature, Ugly Cry, at the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival (where I reviewed it). In the film, Robinson plays Delaney James, a 24-year-old struggling actor in Hollywood who faces additional challenges once […]

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“Do women make harsher films?” This is the question driving filmmaker Isa Willinger’s latest documentary, No Mercy. The film is an electrifying cinematic essay investigating women’s roles on and behind the camera. Willinger brings in the testimonies of some of […]

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In The Balconettes (which I recently reviewed), French actress/writer/director Noémie Merlant (Mi iubita, mon amour) delivers an exciting sophomore effort behind the camera, crafting a powerful feminist tale about physical and sexual assault and its horrific consequences. Seamlessly working over-the-top comedy into the mix, […]

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One of the great joys of being both a journalist and a filmmaker is going to fests as one and immediately turning into the other. Last year, with my film Conversion Therapist playing FilmQuest, I had the great privilege of […]

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