Alliance of Women Film Journalists

Women On Film - 2008 AWFJ EDA Awards and Top Tens in the News

AWFJ — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:28:21 +0000

AWFJ’s 2008 EDA Awards and Top Ten lists received global coverage in consumer and industry media, and at fan and special interest Websites. Here, selected from thousands of items available on the Internet, is a rather randomly organized list with links to of some of our favorites:

Women On Film - Releasing January 7 and 9, 2009

AWFJ — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:22:00 +0000

AWFJ highlights films made by and about women:

Wednesday, January 7

Silent Light - Palisades Pictures Entertainment/Tartan Films, 120 mins

Friday, January 9

Bride Wars - 20th Century Fox, 90mins - Two best gal pals (Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway) become rivals when they schedule their respective weddings on same day. Another Kate Hudson stunner, perhaps?
The Unborn - Universal Pictures, 87mins - A young woman fights the spirit that is slowly taking possession of her. Now, how fem-centric can you get?
Not Easily Broken - Sony Pictures, 99mins
Yonkers Joe - Magnolia Pictures, 102mins
Nothing But the Truth - Yari Film Group, 102 mins - Kate Beckinsale and Vera Farmiga duel in this tension-filled Rod Lurie political thriller about a woman journalist who outs a women CIA operative.

Women On Film - AWFJ’s Top Ten of 2008

Jennifer Merin — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:04:22 +0000

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists’ Top Ten Films of 2008 are: (in alphabetical order)

Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
Man On Wire
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
The Visitor
Wall-E
Wendy and Lucy
The Wrestler

AWFJ Members’ 2008 Top Ten Lists, including exclusives from Susan Wloszczyna, Maitland McDonagh, Sheigh Crabtree, Jennifer Merin and others, are posted here.

Women On Film - “New Moon” - New Male Director - Kim Voynar comments

Kim Voynar — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:00:21 +0000

Does it really matter that he’s not a women? Read more>>

Women On Film - Releasing December 31, 2008

AWFJ — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:00:37 +0000

AWFJ highlights films made by and about women

Wedesday, December 31

Defiance - Paramount Vantage, 137min
Good - Thinkfilm, 91min

Women On Film - AWFJ’s 2008 EDA Awards Celebration at Circa Tabac

Jennifer Merin — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:32:47 +0000

Circa Tabac proved to be the perfect setting for the celebration of AWFJ’s third annual EDA Awards. Circa, as the place is referred to by the incrowd of downtown filmmakers and artists who habituate the place, is one of non-smoking NYC’s five smoking lounges. Regulars, who treat Circa as their home or a second office, arrive in the late afternoon, claim their table and hang out until the wee hours. The decor, a hodgepodge of deco, left bank bistro and La Golue, is charming, but the real reason Circa’s so popular is that it presents such an easy, relaxed, cozy and unfailingly congenial environment. That’s thanks to Circa owner Lee Ringelheim–and how generous it was of him to allow AWFJ to transform his lounge into our non-smoking livingroom for three of his busiest hours. From 7 to 10 pm on December 15th, Circa Tabac became chez AWFJ.

AWFJ co-VPs Joanna Langfield and Maitland McDonagh joined me in sweeping ashtrays off the tables and replacing them with heaping platters of FlatOut flatbreads and fixin’s like tabouleh, hummus, cheese cubes, thickly sliced pepperoni, olives from France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco and glorious grapes. Oh, yes, and sweets–trays of homebaked brownies, chocolate chunk and English toffee cookies, and gingerbread were on the bar.

Libations were poured very liberally–Merlot and Chardonnay, and our four featured cocktails, each named for an AWFJ’s EDA Awards winner: Slumdog-tini, Frozen River, Happy-Go-Lucky and Prop-8-Banger.

(PHOTO: Prima publicist Donna Daniels, EDA Award-wnning doc director Tia Lessin (Trouble The Water) and EDA Award-winning feature filmmaker Courtney Hunt (Frozen River). Courtney’s drinking the pretty blue cocktail named for her film. Credit: Frank Lovece).

Like Circa’s regular patrons, our guests weren’t in any hurry to leave. MaryAnn Johanson, who arrived early to help stuff goodie bags and post our EDA Awards winners’ names around the room, stepped up to become our official greeter and welcomed everyone–around 60 guests, in all–as they arrived.

(PHOTO: Ed Douglas holds a “Happy-Go-Lucky” and FatDot’s Brandon Rohwer has a “Frozen River.” Credit: Michael Rose.).

ComingSoon.Net’s Ed Douglas came promptly at 7, but most invitees arrived between 7:15 and 7:45. Once they were with us, they seemed to be in no hurry to leave. Most stayed until around 10, when Circa’ regulars began drifting past the “private party” sign posted on the door, and reclaiming their preferred spots. Several AWFJ guests were still comfortably perched on banquettes and NYWIFT’s Terry Lawler and MoMA’s Sally Berger, each of whom arrived late after making appearances at other pre-holiday festivities, were deep in conversation at the bar as our AWFJ crew headed out the door.

That people stayed and schmoozed delighted us, especially since we presented neither formal program nor official trappings to keep them there–just women’s hospitality. At one point, when publicist Sharon Kahn, ever generous in her support of AWFJ, suggested I make a speech about our organization and EDA Awards, I surveyed Circa aka chez AWFJ to read the scene, and saw everyone enjoyably engaged in lively conversation–Jenny Halper and Lexi Feinberg and other AWFJ members and all our guests were mingling, mixing, making new acquantances and reconnecting–by sheer happy happenstance–with long lost friends and former teachers. And I grinned at Sharon and said, with a note of glee, “Naw, it’s not necessary. Everyone knows why we’re here. They’re having a good time celebrating. There’s excitement in the air. It’s all good. Let’s not interrupt the flow.”

(PHOTO: Golden Trailer Awards’ Evenlyn Brady Watters and Publicist Sharon Kahn. Credit: Liza Bear)

We were sad, of course, that Stephen Daldry, Karina Longworth, David Magdael, Loreen Arbus, Warrington Hudlin, Olympia Dukakis and Sophie Kahn (Sharon’s mom, and a brilliant publicist in her own right)–and several others–who’d intended to join us ultimately couldn’t do so. But a truly amazing group of people had gathered at Circa aka chez AWFJ. Our members had a wonderful opportunity to chat with our awards winners–”Frozen River” writer/director Courtney Hunt and producer Molly Connors, “Trouble the Water” producer/directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, and “Man On Wire” producer Maureen Ryan–and with other bright and fascinating directors, actors, producers, publicists. Players who make things happen.

When you convene the right bright and creative people in an environment like Circa aka chez AWFJ for three hours, wonderful conversations are bound to blossom–about AWFJ and the EDA Awards, film and filmmaking, birthing babies and movies, life in general–in a high-powered but low-key sort of way that’s hard to describe and even harder to achieve. But that’s exactly what happened at AWFJ’s first-ever EDA Awards celebration.

We’re grateful. We wish to express sincerest thanks to all who laid it on the line to make the films–the best of them and the most egregious mistakes, too–that we recognized in our 2008 EDA Awards, and all who joined us at Circa aka chez AWFJ, and to our generous event sponsors, Circa Tabac’s Lee Ringelheim and Brian Michels, WomenFilmNet’s Adriana Shaw, Joanna Plafsky and FlatOut Breads.

Judging by the post-celebration notes we’ve been getting, AWFJ’s 2008 EDA Awards celebration will be fondly remembered by all, and everyone will look forward to receiving their invitations to join us at next year’s bash–which is already in the planning. Meanwhile, we deliver the 2008 EDA Awards celebration’s only formal presentation: a rather informal and randomly arranged gallery of snapshots of the event, along with recipes for our deliciously potent winning drinks. Enjoy!

GUEST SNAPS by FRANK LOVECE, MICHAEL ROSE and LIZA BEAR

Frozen River producer Molly Conners and friend, actress Sherin Shaker. (Credit: Frank Lovece)

Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, Producer/Directors of Trouble The Water chat with Maureen Ryan, producer of Man on Wire. The films tied for 2008 EDA Award for Best Documentary. (Credit: Frank Lovece)

Actress Peggy Pope and Indie Film Attorney Jonathan Gray. (Credit: Michael Rose)

Publicist Dianne Collins. (Credit: Liza Bear)

Miramax's Julie Fontaine and Nicolette Aizenberg. (Credit: Frank Lovece)

HBO's Joanne Firneno and Cristin Curry with Zeitgeist's Shannon Attaway and Nadja Tennstedt. (Credit: Frank Lovece)

WNET's Donald Lee. (Credit: Liza Bear)

Producer Abe Shainberg and WomenFilmNet's Adriana Shaw. (Credit: Frank Lovece)

Women On Film - Per Request: AWFJ 2008 EDA Award-Winner Cocktail Recipes

Jennifer Merin — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:45:37 +0000

We’ve been asked for the recipes for the four cocktails served at AWFJ’s 2008 EDA Awards celrbration. Each cocktail was named for one of our winners. And here, in alphabetical order, they are:

“Frozen River,” named for the winner of AWFJ’s 2008 EDA Award for Best Film (”Frozen River”) Directed by A Women (Courtney Hunt), and several other categories: Mix vodka with blue Curacao and pineapple juice. Shake well over ice. Drain into a martini glass.

“Happy-Go-Lucky,” named for Sally Hawkins’ 2008 EDA Award for Best Actress for her unflinchinly cheerful performance in Mike Leigh’s wonderful film of the same title, is a frothy light-hearted starter: Mix vodka with watermelon liquor. Shake vigorously over ice. Strain into a martini glass.

“Prop-8-Banger,” named in honor of Sean Penn’s brilliant portrayal of gay rights activist Harvey Milk in “Milk.” As Maitland McDonagh pointed out, we would offend drinkers if we used the word milk in our drink’s name because mild just doesn’t mix well with alcohol. So we focused on Harvey, then added a dash of our current political ire, and came up with “Prop-8-Banger.” To concoct it, you mix vodka with sour apple liquor, stir it over ice and strain it into a martini glass.

Sumdog-tini, a tropical India-evoking delight named for 2008 EDA Award-winning Best Film “Slumdog Millionaire,” directed by Best Director Danny Boyle: Mix vokda, mango and orange juice, shake over ice, strain into a martini glass.

Enjoy! And, for everyone’s sake, do not drive after drinking any of these winning cocktails. But, if you’d care to share your impressions, we’d like to know which is your favorite.

Women On Film - “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” - Carol Cling reviews

Carol Cling — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:30:33 +0000

“Benjamin Button” is nothing if not ambitious — especially in its consideration of the Big Picture. (Otherwise known as Life and What It All Means.) Read more>>

Women On Film - “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” - Susan Granger reviews

Susan Granger — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:25:54 +0000

“I was born under unusual circumstances,” explains Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), who emerges from his dying mother’s womb as a wrinkled old man. It’s 1918, New Orleans, and his distraught father (Jason Flemyng) abandons the swaddled newborn on the doorstep of Nolan House, a retirement home, where he’s taken in and lovingly raised by Queenie (Taraji P. Henson). Despite his elderly infirmities, he’s befriended by Daisy, a spirited young girl who often comes to visit her grandmother.
While everyone else is growing older, Benjamin is gradually becoming younger. He goes to sea with rowdy tugboat Captain Mike (Jared Harris), who introduces him to worldly vices and pleasures. In the Russian port of Murmansk, Benjamin becomes infatuated with a sophisticated diplomat’s wife, Elizabeth Abbot (Tilda Swinton), who dreams of swimming across the English Channel. Meanwhile, Daisy (Cate Blanchett) has become a ballet dancer in New York. And when their lives once again intersect, they fall deeply in love, poignantly aware that their romantic relationship is doomed to be ephemeral, since Benjamin is living his life backwards.
Inspired by F.Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, screenwriter Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump”) cleverly frames Benjamin’s epic fable into a gentle character-study, revolving around mortality, with haunting memories as related by elderly Daisy to her estranged daughter (Julia Ormond) in a New Orleans hospital during Hurricane Katrina.
Director David Fincher elicits subtly engaging performances, integrating Greg Cannom’s miraculous make-up with Eric Barba’s stunning visual effects and meticulous research by production designer Donald Graham Burt and costumer Jacqueline West.
At 167 minutes, it’s too long, but on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a tantalizing, touching, timeless 10. As Queenie says, “You never know what’s coming for you.”

Women On Film - “Revolutionary Road” - Lexi Feinberg reviews

Lexi Feinberg — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:13:29 +0000

Oh the suburbs, with their cookie-cutter houses, finely trimmed lawns and Toyotas parked in the driveway. It’s like a Kodak moment sprung to life, Read more>>