ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

Coralie Fargeat

Reviews 

THE SUBSTANCE – Review by Susan Granger

Susan Granger , , , , ,

‘Tis the season for horror movies, specifically body horror as Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley occupy the same body in The Substance. It’s been many years since Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) got her coveted Star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. She’s now an aging actress who has built an empire on her TV aerobics videos: Sparkle with Elizabeth. But then a smarmy, misogynistic executive, aptly named Harvey (Dennis Quaid), decides she’s too old, no longer attractive, and should be replaced by a perkier, prettier younger version. “After 50, it stops,” he tells her – in no uncertain terms.

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Festivals Reviews 

THE SUBSTANCE (TIFF 2024) – Review by Liz Braun

Liz Braun , , , , , ,

Body horror extravaganza The Substance is over-the-top gross-out fun and a true homage to the masters of the genre. Writer/director Coralie Fargeat takes no prisoners. The Substance is clever, entertaining and a monstrous amount of bloody, lurid, in-your-face fun. Whether women should shoulder quite so much of the blame for how society views them based on age and beauty is the question. The answer may be somewhere in all that patriarchy-inspired jockeying for position.

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Festivals 

TIFF 2024: Female Filmmaker Preview – Rachel West reports

Rachel West , , , , , , , , , , ,

Of the 278 films playing at TIFF in 2024, according to our calculations, approximately 25% are directed or co-directed by women – a number down from the festival’s all-time high of 45% women-directed films in the pandemic-era 2020 online-only festival. Women-helmed films comprised 36% of the festival lineup in 2019 and 2023. Though TIFF may have to make leaps and bounds to reach gender parity, there are still a number of women-helmed films directed by cinematic stalwarts, up-and-comers, and award winners scheduled to hit the screen at the 2024 festival. With more than 65 films, series, and shorts directed by women, there are many opportunities to take in female-helmed films this festival, which runs September 5th through 15th.

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SPOTLIGHT 

SPOTLIGHT August 2024: CORALIE FARGEAT, Fiercely Feminist Filmmaker

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas , , , , , , , , ,

Coralie Fargeat is one of the most daring, exciting and innovative filmmakers working in the horror space today. Going back to the launch of the 5050×2020 campaign at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 that called for a then-goal of gender parity in the screen industries by 2020, Fargeat has long been actively involved in amplifying the role of women in film. She makes remarkable, zeitgeist-defining movies.

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Festivals 

Cannes Film Festival 2024: Yes, Women Cannes – Nikki Fowler reports

Nikki Fowler , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This year, the Cannes Film Festival spotlighted a rich diversity within its Official Selection Jury, including prominent women like Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) and the Jury President, Oscar-winning director Greta Gerwig (Barbie). The festival celebrated the achievements of many female filmmakers and actresses, who not only appeared on screens in the South of France but also took home prestigious awards. The festival was a powerful celebration of women’s contributions to cinema, setting a high standard for future events.

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