documentaries – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

GIRL MODEL (2012) – Documentary Retroview by Jennifer Merin

May 28, 2023June 4, 2023 Jennifer Merin Ashley Sabin, David Redmon, documentaries, girl model

The commonplace perception about modeling is that it is a glamorous career that pays extremely well and offers fabulous opportunities for travel to exotic destinations where you get to hang out with the world’s most beautiful people in the world’s best hotels, dining at the best restaurants and wearing fabulous clothing and accessories. With all that in the offering, the job has allure, to say the least. And, that’s especially true for girls who’ve grown up under difficult circumstances and are looking for a way to work their way towards a better life. But, as we see in Girl Model, the a young model must follow to the professional runway isn’t always as smooth as they imagined it might be, and it may actually lead young and naive aspirants to various degrees of personal crisis.

Lists Reviews

Cinema Citizen’s Memorial Day Watch List – Reviews by Jennifer Merin

May 26, 2023May 27, 2023 Jennifer Merin Cinema Citizen, documentaries, memorial day watch list

On Memorial Day, as a way of honoring fallen heroes and those who’ve returned hone from war, take time to watch these emotion-filled documentaries that tell the true stories of combat veterans, ranging in age from newly recruited teens to seasoned career warriors, from all branches of the military, from across the United States and beyond. Listed in alphabetical order, this selection of impactful documentaries chronicle the experiences and emotions of men at war and show how those who return home struggle to reenter society and relate normally to their families. In their own words, these military men and women remind us that conflict resolution through peaceful negotiation is the better choice.

Reviews

WHITE BALLS ON WALLS – Review by Liz Braun

May 23, 2023May 24, 2023 Liz Braun Amsterdam, documentaries, Dr. Charl Landvreugd, dutch films, Icarus Films, Kirchner and Nolde: Expressionism. Colonialism, Rein Wolfs, Sarah Vos, Stedelijk Museum, White Balls on Walls, Yvette Mutumba

The art world is shrouded in mystery (on so many levels) but writer/director Sarah Vos wades in fearlessly in the documentary White Balls on Walls — a film about Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum and that institution’s work on diversity and inclusion. It’s a fascinating film. Sorting out whose work gets shown and evolving as an institution so more artists of colour and more women artists are included is a tricky business. But it’s crucial, for both ethical and practical reasons. Tasked with representing the population at large, museum Director Rein Wolfs begins with an almost all-white staff and the understanding that from artists to exhibits, “White middle aged men occupy 95 percent of the space but are only 10 percent of the population.”

Interviews

Sadie Frost on QUANT and Culture – Nadine Whitney interviews

May 17, 2023May 19, 2023 Nadine Whitney Alexander Plunkett-Greene, british films, documentaries, fast fashion, Mary Quant, Sadie Frost

Sadie Frost is a renaissance woman. From her early years working as a model and actor to running her own fashion house and production companies, there are few hats Frost hasn’t worn. Sadie Frost started her career as a child actor and model. Her notable cinema roles as an actor have been as Lucy Westenra in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and a role in Paul W. S. Anderson’s debut feature Shopping. In the 90s she established the first of two production companies she would run. One was responsible for the release of David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ, amongst other features. With Quant, Sadie emerges as a director with a distinct visual voice using her knowledge of fashion and youth culture to investigate the impact of swinging sixties icon Mary Quant. Nadine Whitney spoke with Sadie about what inspired her to move to the other side of the camera.

Reviews

QUANT – Review by Nadine Whitney

May 17, 2023May 17, 2023 Nadine Whitney Alexander Plunkett-Greene, british films, documentaries, fast fashion, Mary Quant, Sadie Frost

Sadie Frost, actor, producer, fashion designer, and now director is the perfect person to handle Mary Quant’s story. By the time she was filming Quant, Mary was in her nineties and unavailable for interviews. To tell Mary’s fascinating story she relies on archival footage, artistic reinterpretations (starring Camilla Rutherford as Quant), and a fascinating selection of interviewees that include musician Dave Davies (The Kinks), legendary fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, and people who worked with and knew Quant personally.

Festivals

HotDocs2023: Feminist Festival Wrap – Emma Badame reports

May 12, 2023 Emma Badame documentaries, female focus, female programming, gender parity, hot docs 2023

Hot Docs International Film Festival has long been a fabulous showcase of work from female filmmakers, and its 2023 line-up was no different. After achieving gender parity in 2018, this year the festival hosted a slate of world and North American premieres, director panel discussions, and networking events, there was plenty for film fans and industry members alike to take in as part of the festival’s 30th anniversary. The yearly, Toronto-based festival has been transparent about their goals of equity and inclusion, especially over the last 10 years. Hot Docs pledged “commitment to equity and inclusiveness in all aspects of the organization.” While they talk the talk, the organization clearly walks the walk when it comes to their programming too.

Interviews

ANNA HINTS on SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD (HotDocs2023) – Liz Braun interviews

May 11, 2023May 11, 2023 Liz Braun Anna Hints, documentaries, estonian films, folk trio EETER, hotdocs2023, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

European saunas have existed since about 2,000 BC. In the Southern region of Estonia, where Hints grew up, the smoke sauna has been added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood unfolds against a backdrop of women talking. Naked physically and emotionally, the women unburden themselves of secrets and tough experiences in the security of the small, womb-like sauna space. From initial talk of beauty and body image the women slowly begin to talk of deeper issues: love and death, sex and violence, health and childbearing.

Reviews

SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD (HotDocs2023) – Review by Liz Braun

May 11, 2023May 11, 2023 Liz Braun Anna Hints, documentaries, estonian films, folk trio EETER, hotdocs2023, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is a movie about women talking and celebrating the matriarchy, an excellent entry in that rare hey-fellas-this-is-not-about-you film genre. Award-winning Estonian filmmaker Anna Hints offers an inside look at the age-old ritual of steam baths in her country in Smoke Sauna Sisterhood. These traditional sauna huts offer a safe space for women to gather to cleanse body and soul. The documentary explains that in the past the sauna was where women gave birth and where they washed dead bodies in preparation for burial. They are sacred places.

Reviews

THE ETERNAL MEMORY (HotDocs2023) – Review by Liz Braun

May 11, 2023May 11, 2023 awfj-admin Augusto Gongoro, chilean films, documentaries, hotdocs2023, maite alberdi, Paulina Urrutia, the eternal memory

The Eternal Memory is a love story about journalist Augusto Gongoro and actress (and arts and culture minister) Paulina Urrutia, a Chilean couple living with his Alzheimer’s. Filmmaker Alberdi wanted to capture this couple because of the way Pauli integrated Augusto’s care into everyday life — an effort that allowed Augusto to thrive despite Alzheimer’s.

Festivals Interviews

Maite Alberdi on THE ETERNAL MEMORY (HotDocs2023) – Liz Braun interviews

May 5, 2023May 11, 2023 Liz Braun Augusto Gongora, chilean films, documentaries, hot docs 2023, maite alberdi, Paulina Urrutia, the eternal memory

The Eternal Memory is a love story that covers 25 years in the relationship between Chilean journalist Augusto Gongora and his wife, actress Paulina Urrutia. Augusto and Pauli have lived with his Alzheimer’s for the last decade. The heartrending movie reflects the intimate observational style of award-winning filmmaker Maite Alberdi, whose close focus on individual stories is often a door to larger national issues. We spoke to Alberdi when she was in Toronto with The Eternal Memory at the Hot Docs Film Festival.

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