H.E.R – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

FORGOTTEN ISLAND – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

September 29, 2026October 3, 2026 Valerie Kalfrin animation, Dolly De Leon, dreamworks, Filipino culture, Forgotten Island, H.E.R, Januel P. Mercado, joel crawford, lea salonga, Liza Soberano, Tagalog

Friends can be closer than family, creating memories that make us who we are. Forgotten Island, the new DreamWorks animated

Festivals Reviews

THE MAKINGS OF CURTIS MAYFIELD (SXSW 2025) – Review by Leslie Combemale

March 15, 2025March 15, 2025 Leslie Combemale Dr. Dre, H.E.R, Jimmy Jam, John Legend, Mary J. Blige

From the first moment, when The Makings of Curtis Mayfield titles land in the typeface style used in Superfly, you know the documentary is going to be fun, and, as it says in the song, “The man of the hour has an air of great power”. This is the directorial debut of Oscar-winning singer/songwriter and instrumentalist H.E.R, and a project inspired by her love of Mayfield’s work and influence. In her statement, she says, “Ask any lover of music about Curtis Mayfield, and they’ll all have a visceral reaction along with a story about their first time hearing his music or maybe recall a memory for which his music was the soundtrack”.

SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT December 2024: DIANE WARREN, Revered and Prolific Songsmith

November 30, 2024January 8, 2025 Leslie Combemale bess kargman, Celine Dion, cher, Diane Warren, diane warren relentless, gaga, H.E.R, oscar, paul mccartney, Ringo starr, songwriter, Songwriters Hall of Fame, spotlight

Diane Warren is an artist who even early in her career was called “the most important songwriter in the world”. So far, Warren has been nominated for an Oscar fifteen times in five different decades, and in 2022 garnered an Academy Honorary Award. She is part of the fabric of popular music in a way that transcends genre and gender, with a list of accomplishments that include being the first songwriter, male or female, in the history of Billboard magazine to have seven hits by seven different artists on the charts at the same time. Many of her melodies have a longevity not shared with the films in which they appear. She is quirky, straightforward, mouthy, curse-y and is always herself, whether she’s on the red carpet, attending the Governor’s Ball, or visiting the rescued farm animals living at her self-financed animal sanctuary in Malibu.

Interviews

Fantasia Barrino on Healing, Celie and THE COLOR PURPLE – Bonnie Laufer interviews

December 21, 2023January 5, 2024 Bonnie Laufer Actors dealing with childhood trauma, alice walker, Celie, Colman Domingo, Director Blitz Bazawule, Fantasia Barrino, Fantasia's childhood traumas, H.E.R, Novel turned movie turned play turned movie, taraji p. henson, the color purple

The latest version of The Color Purple to hit the big screen is based on the stage musical of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. The story involves the traumatic struggles of a young African American woman living in the South during the early 1900s. The film stars Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, and Fantasia Barrino in her film debut as the lead character, Celie. Bonnie Laufer caught up with Fantasia Barrino to talk about her big screen debut and how it differs from the stage performance.