Festivals

Out of thirty-four films in the festival’s Main Slate, nine were directed by women, or just under 25%. More promising, a dozen male-directed films within the Main Slate focused on women’s themes and featured women in leading roles. Out of the festival’s three pinnacle films, the closing night selection, 14th, was directed by Ava DuVernay—although the premiere courted some controversy as many critics and viewers were uneasy with the director’s liberal use of AI to animate historical images. Aside from this definite flaw, 14th makes some effective points, paying special attention to contemporary threats to birthright citizenship under the Trump administration while employing a historical perspective. Several other women-directed or co-directed documentaries made waves within the Main Slate: Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s Naza, is a ruthless, clear-eyed and methodical takedown of Israeli drone warfare and genocide, while Julia Loktev’s My Undesirable Friends: Part II—Exile follows up with the subjects from Part I, the Russian journalists who were forced to flee their own country.