HOT TOPIC: Men Write 70 Percent Of Reviews Published In America's Top 100 Dailies... Shocked? Read more
REST WITH THE ANGELS: Farrah Fawcett, 1947–2009
Jennifer Merin currently interviews directors, reviews films and DVDs for New York Press and covers nonfiction film for Documentaries.About.com. She edits Women On Film, the online magazine of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, of which she is President. She has written about entertainment for USA Today, US Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Endless Vacation Magazine, Daily News, New York Post, SoHo News and other publications. After receiving her MFA from Tisch School of the Arts (Grad Acting), Jennifer performed at the O'Neill Theater Center?s Playwrights Conference, Long Wharf Theater, American Place Theatre and LaMamma, where she worked with renown Japanese director, Shuji Terayama. She subsequently joined Terayama's theater company in Tokyo, where she also acted in films. Her journalism career began when she was asked to write about Terayama for The Drama Review. She became a regular contributor to the Christian Science Monitor after writing an article about Marketta Kimbrell's Theater For The Forgotten, with which she was performing at the time. She was an O'Neill Theater Center National Critics' Institute Fellow, and the institute's Coordinator. While teaching at the Universities of Wisconsin and Rhode Island, she wrote "A Directory of Festivals of Theater, Dance and Folklore Around the World," published by the International Theater Institute. Denmark's Odin Teatret's director, Eugenio Barba, wrote his manifesto in the form of a letter to "Dear Jennifer Merin," which has been published around the world, in languages as diverse as Farsi and Romanian. Jennifer's culturally-oriented travel column began in the LA Times in 1984, then moved to The Associated Press, LA Times Syndicate, Tribune Media, Creators Syndicate and (currently) Arcamax Publishing. She's been news writer/editor for ABC Radio Networks, on-air reporter for NBC, CBS Radio and, currently, for Westwood One's America In the Morning. Read Merin's recent articles below. For her Women On Film archive, type "Jennifer Merin" in the Search Box (upper right corner of screen).
Agnes Varda reflects on her life and art in this stylish blending of archival footage, reenactments and cinematic inventions that add up to be a remarkably poignant and inspiring documentary. Yes, for Varda, life is a beach. Read more>>
The Story of Soraya M. brings to light the harrowing practice of the stoning to death of women who’ve been accused of adultry. It’s actually done–yes, in this day and age–in a number of nations, but this particular incident occurred in rural Iran in 1986. Read more>>
AWFJ highlights films made by and about women Read the rest of this entry »
After you see this film–and it is essential that you do–you will never again approach nutrition in the same way. Not only will you eschew fast foods, you’ll find it difficult to find any foods that are readily available in popular outlets to be appealing, nutritious and healthful. Read more>>
Under Our Skin is a gripping documentary primer about the devastating bacterial affliction known as Lyme disease Read more>>
Beijing-based director Jia Zhangke uses documentary and narrative storytelling to create 24 City, an extraordinary chronicling of how the deconstruction of an aviation factory in the city of Chengdu (Sichuan Province, China) effected the lives of some 30,000 dedicated workers to whom the factory was not just a job, but a way of life. Read more>>
Unmistaken Child provides a rare, intimate look at the rituals observed by Tibetan Buddhists as they search for the reincarnation of a recently deceased Lama. With exquisite cinematography, this documentary takes you to remote, unfamiliar locales where villagers live as they have for centuries. Read more>>
Thelma Schoonmaker
AWFJ highlights films made by and about women Read the rest of this entry »
For over a decade, The Celluloid Ceiling study has tracked women’s representation as directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers on the top 250 domestic grossing films. In an effort to assess the larger picture of women’s employment in film, this year we also monitored production designers, production managers/production supervisors, sound designers/supervising sound editors, key grips, and gaffers. Read the rest of this entry »