Read more about the article Cecilia Mangini’s the world in shots at Venice, a living archive of over a half-century of images

Cecilia Mangini’s the world in shots at Venice, a living archive of over a half-century of images

There has been a positive shift in the last couple years for films selected for the Venice Film Festival competition. Previously, festival director Alberto Barbera stubbornly declared that films would be selected for their merits, an arbitrary selection process which resulted in few women featured in the lineups. This year at the 78th Venice Film Festival, which ran from September 1 – 11, was exceptional, with films by several women winning top awards. The Golden Lion went to Audrey Diwan’s abortion drama Happening. The feature chronicles the story of a student in provincial France who realizes she is pregnant during the countdown to her final examinations. The film was chosen for the award in a unanimous decision by the jury, presided over by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho.

Continue ReadingCecilia Mangini’s the world in shots at Venice, a living archive of over a half-century of images
Read more about the article Jane Fonda gives Master Class on female centric filmmaking and climate change at the Cannes Filmfestival 2023

Jane Fonda gives Master Class on female centric filmmaking and climate change at the Cannes Filmfestival 2023

Jane Fonda was a guest at the 76th Cannes Film Festival for a Master Class on May 26 in Salle Buñuel. The following evening she was called on to present the Palme d' Or from the official jury. For young people today she is an important major star. Many of this new generation knows her through Grace and Frankie with seven seasons from 2015 – 2022. She spoke about the trajectory of her career and her evolution from "a blonde with a lot of hair" to a young woman that wanted to be a tomboy and ride horses". Cat Ballou (1965) was one of her first films that she liked making because of it. Four films were made with her first husband, French director Roger Vadim such as Barbarella (1969) but Fonda dismissed them as unimportant because she was basically unaware of herself as a woman. In the 1970's her focus turned to civil rights, women's rights and activism.

Continue ReadingJane Fonda gives Master Class on female centric filmmaking and climate change at the Cannes Filmfestival 2023
Read more about the article Voices of vision, identity, and activism in women’s film history: a roadmap to films #directedbywomen

Voices of vision, identity, and activism in women’s film history: a roadmap to films #directedbywomen

The following films are illustrations of how the representation of film in Hollywood has evolved since the beginning of the 20th century until today. All films have specific feminist film historical and theoretical foundations or have been studied by feminist film scholars and activists. The emphasis of these films in the selection is not the subject matter, rather it’s how the film form has been used by directors and how they represent concepts in feminist film theory such as the “male gaze” and the “imperial gaze.”[1] My focus in this selection is not on “stories” but on how film style shows the representation of women through the cutting, shooting, framing, and use of sound. These are all landmarks in women’s film history.

Continue ReadingVoices of vision, identity, and activism in women’s film history: a roadmap to films #directedbywomen