Diego Rivera – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 8, 2025: HOLA FRIDA

August 1, 2025August 3, 2025 Jennifer Merin Andre Kadi, animation, Annie Girard, betsy bozdech, biopics, Cate Marquis, Cinema Citizen, Diego Rivera, Emma Rodriguez, Frida Kahlo, Hola Frida, jennifer merin, Karine Vezina, leslie combemale, Level 33 Entertainment, liz whittemore, loren king, Manuel Tadros, nell minow, Olivia Ruiz, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, truth-based

Like the lovingly illustrated picture book it’s based on (Frida, C’est Moi), Karine Vézina and André Kadi’s charming Frida Kahlo biopic Hola Frida brings the famous artist’s early years to life in a colorful, creative, accessible way. It’s simple enough for even young children to understand, yet it has enough layers that it will still be appreciated by those who are already familiar with the story of Kahlo’s path to becoming an icon of both feminism and international art.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK March 15, 2024: FRIDA

March 11, 2024March 15, 2024 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, biodoc, Carla Guitterez, Cate Marquis, Diego Rivera, documentaries, Fernanda Echaverria del Rivero, Frida Kahlo, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, mexican films, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole

The art and experiences of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo come to vivid life in director Carla Gutierrez’s intimate documentary Frida. Told through creative animation, archival images, and first-hand accounts — with a particular emphasis on Kahlo’s own letters and diaries — the film brings viewers inside the mind and heart of one of the world’s most iconic modern artists, empathetically revealing her near-lifelong struggle with both self-criticism and chronic pain.

Reviews

FRIDA – Review by Sherin Nicole

March 6, 2024March 10, 2024 Sherin Nicole Carla Guitterez, Diego Rivera, documentaries, Fernanda Echaverria del Rivero, Frida Kahlo, mexican films

It’s as though Frida Kahlo‘s illustrated diary alights off the shelves of a mystical library, and opens itself to immerse us in her story. Filled with animated paintings and sketches; coupled with love letters and lovers’ portraits; enlivened by footage and photographs: This is the Frida (2024) documentary. Binding it together are Frida’s written confessions—her heart is the inkwell, infusing the pages with copper and salt. Her blood and tears have spilled onto the screen. That must be how this documentary came to be. But we should ask director Carla Gutiérrez and the wondrous voice actress Fernanda Echevarría if that is indeed the ‘alchemistry.’

Festivals Reviews

FRIDA (Sundance FF 2024) – Review by Leslie Combemale

January 22, 2024January 22, 2024 Leslie Combemale animation, biodoc, Carla Gutièrrez, Diego Rivera, documentary, Fernanda Echaverria del Rivero, Frida, Frida Kahlo, Sundance FF 2024

There’s something powerful about seeing a bio-doc based on the words and images of their subject. Even if the subject is believed to be well-known, their own words either supersede or create new context for all former knowledge. These are their thoughts. These are their images. In director Carla Gutièrrez’s new film Frida, she brings famed artist Frida Kahlo into sharper focus through her letters, essays, interviews, and her illustrated diary. Though many might know the broad strokes of her life, the constant pain from an early accident, her tumultuous relationship with Diego Rivera, and her exquisite, emotional self portraits, there’s more to the know about this exceptional woman and historical figure. In Frida, the audience learns so much more, and nearly all from her own words.