ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

heidi ewing

Reviews 

FOLKTALES – Review by Liz Braun

Liz Braun , , , , , , , , ,

Folktales is a beautiful little gem about young people, dog sledding and building character in the farthest northern reaches of Norway. The documentary — all fresh-faced, sincere kids finding their purpose in a magnificent wilderness setting — is a coming-of-age story that feels a million miles away from the current social chaos in America. Given that the film is from Jesus Camp directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, it’s impossible not to wonder about Folktales‘ possible political intent.

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Festivals Reviews 

ENDANGERED (Tribeca 2022) – Review by Martha K Baker

Martha K. Baker (Archived Contributor) , , , , , , , , ,

“Governments attacking journalists are not new.” That is but one of the quotations to take home from Endangered, an HBO Documentary on the status of the press today. Other meaty quotations range from screams at reporters that “You are the enemy of the people!” to tempered analyses by the reporters themselves, such as, “This profound crisis is not going away.”

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SPOTLIGHT 

SPOTLIGHT July, 2021: Heidi Ewing on Nonfiction, Partnership and I CARRY YOU WITH ME

Karen Peterson , , , , , ,

Kudos to Heidi Ewing who has built her laudable career and cinema catalogue by helping fascinating people to tell their stories with authenticity and grace. Whether she’s focusing on a strict religious community, the physical and financial impact of manufacturing shutdowns on an industrial city, or two men risking everything to seek the freedom to love each other, Ewing’s empathetic lens captures the humanity of her subjects, while she is always seeking new opportunities to grow and develop her own unique talents and skills.

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Reviews 

I CARRY YOU WITH ME – Review by Lois Alter Mark

Lois Alter Mark , , , , ,

You’d have to be heartless not to be touched by this moving film about a gay couple who emigrate from Mexico to the United States not just in pursuit of the American Dream but simply to be together without fear of being killed. Director Heidi Ewing, renowned for her documentaries, adds a twist to her narrative feature debut by including the actual couple in the movie.

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Reviews 

LOVE FRAUD – Review by Martha K Baker

Martha K. Baker (Archived Contributor) 0 Comments , , , , , ,

Imagine having your heart and wallet stolen by a charmer. Imagine marrying the man. Imagine discovering that, in addition to being a cad, he’s a bigamist and that you should have taken a number to marry this snake. Then — and you don’t have to imagine this — find the blog started by his other women. That’s what happens in Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s new documentary series.

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Festivals 

Sundance 2020: Female-Directed Films – Leslie Combemale reports

Leslie Combemale 0 Comments , , , , , , ,

I saw only films directed by women this year, and my focus was on films from the Latinx community, as well as World films from diverse cultures, and African-American filmmakers. How absolutely delightful that I found nearly all of the movies I saw to be well-crafted, compelling, and unique, but a number of them were to be more widely celebrated because they’d gained distribution or won awards, or both.

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News 

Women Honored at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards — Jennifer Merin reports

Jennifer Merin 0 Comments , , , , , , , ,

Jane (as in Goodall) was awarded the top honor of Best Documentary and filmmaker Ceyda Torun’s Kedi won the award for Best First Documentary at the second annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards gala, held on November 2 at BRIC in Brooklyn, New York. Jane was one of 16 films nominated for Best Documentary. The others included femme-helmed Beware the Slenderman (directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky) Faces Places (co-directed by Agnes Varda and JR), Kedi (directed by Ceyla Torun), and One of Us (directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady).

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Interviews 

Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady talk ONE OF US and Partnering with Netflix — Jennifer Merin interviews

Jennifer Merin 0 Comments , , , , ,

In One of Us, filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady investigate the unique lifestyle of Brooklyn’s Hassidic community. Presented in Ewing and Grady’s signature style, the highly dramatic stories of two men and a woman who want to leave the community reveal a complex and arcane culture that exists right in our midst, but is largely unknown to outsiders. Ewing and Grady talk about making One of Us and changes in documentary filmmaking during the 15-year span of their partnership.

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Reviews 

JESUS CAMP – Retroview by Jennifer Merin

Jennifer Merin 0 Comments , , , ,

Even though it’s not a thriller, Jesus Camp is a truly terrifying film. It is, in fact, a purely observational documentary, one that serves as a galvanizing cautionary revelation about Evangelical indoctrination of children in heartland America. Framed by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s resignation and confirmation of ultraconservative Samuel Alito as her successor, we witness home-schooled preteens, Levi (12), Rachael (9) and Victoria (10) delivered by their Evangelical parents unto Bible camp at Devil’s Lake, ND, where Pentecostal Children’s Minister Becky Fischer ‘hooks them up’ (her words) with Jesus.

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Commentaries Festivals 

My Sundance 2016 Trifecta — Chaz Ebert Comments

Chaz Ebert 0 Comments , , , , , , , ,

When I won a trifecta at the Kentucky Derby, I was hailed as a heroine by my fellow revelers, who were natted out in their finest headgear. They marveled at the ability of anyone to guess three winning horses in a row, and in the correct order. Indeed it was not easy, but I had to admit that dumb luck played a big part.

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