ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

laura poitras

Festivals Reviews 

THEY’RE HERE (NYFF 2026) – Review by Diane Carson

Diane Carson , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Unfolding in the style of horror film, which it is, directors Laura Poitras’ and Rachel Lauren Mueller’s They’re Here documents ICE’s illegal, combative activity in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this past winter. Immediately mimicking the menacing, stalking point-of-view shots that evoke anxiety in that genre of films, the association is apt given ICE’s threatening, frightening, even terrorizing men, women, and children. In a revealing, informative 25 minutes, They’re Here presents the array of tactics used by ICE agents in military uniforms and, almost universally, with partial masks covering their faces, thereby concealing their identity.

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Reviews 

COVER-UP – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

Valerie Kalfrin , , , , , , , ,

Cover-Up, the Netflix documentary focusing on award-winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh, is less a biography than sobering reminder of the importance of independent journalism. The dogged Hersh, whom disgraced former President Richard M. Nixon once called “a son of a bitch” in recordings from the White House, has been at the epicenter of revelatory reporting about some of our nation’s most shameful events. Cover-Up reveals enough to emphasize how much the American public needs the press as a watchdog—and reporters tenacious enough not to look the other way.

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Festivals News 

WEEK IN WOMEN: 50+ Femme-helmed movies at TIFF 2025 – Brandy McDonnell reports

Brandy McDonnell , , , , ,

Directorial debuts from Scarlett Johansson, Shu Qi, Maude Apatow and Alice Winocour, the latest films from Academy Award winners Chloé Zhao and Laura Poitras, and new movies from Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland, Nia DaCosta, Isabel Coixet, Claire Denis and more are on the high-profile slate for the 50th anniversary Toronto International Film Festival in September.

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Festivals 

FALL FESTIVAL PREVIEW 2025 – Christina Jeurling Birro reports

Christina Jeurling Birro , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bigelow’s back, Zhao tackles Shakespeare, and More as the fall film festivals unveil their lineups. The fall film festival season kicks off on the Lido in Venice in less than a month, then rolls on from the mountains of Telluride to Toronto, and beyond. This year promises a strong showing from female directors across many lineups. Here are just a few of the exciting films to keep your eyes on!

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News 

WEEK IN WOMEN: Laura Poitras’ ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED gets DVD/Blu-ray via Criterion – Brandy McDonnell reports

Brandy McDonnell , , , , , ,

Laura Poitras’ Oscar-nominated 2022 documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed will be released on DVD and Blu-ray March 12 through The Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection release will include several special edition features.

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Reviews 

ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED – Review by Diane Carson

Diane Carson , , , ,

The title of director Laura Poitras’ documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed announces the dual aspects of her profile of artist, activist Nan Goldin’s life. But, in truth, Goldin exhibits a through line to her personal and political work. In her own observation, she’s an outlier in her art and her protests. Goldin exposed the truth behind the Sackler name on many museum wings, rooms, and galleries, due to the money they’ve given from their deceptive OxyContin campaigns. For their activism, Goldin and those involved were snubbed and stalked, but undeterred channeled their frustration and anger into constructive action. To their credit, they’ve made a difference.

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Festivals News 

WEEK IN WOMEN: Laura Poitras to be Guest of Honor at IDFA – Brandy McDowell reports

Brandy McDonnell , , , , , ,

Academy Award-winning director Laura Poitras has been named the Guest of Honor for the 35th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, set for Nov. 9-20 in the Netherlands. Poitras (Citizenfour, My Country, My Country) will be honored at the Dutch festival with Top 10 and Retrospective programs.

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News 

WEEK IN WOMEN: Laura Poitras’ ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED is NYFF’s Centerpiece – Brandy McDonnell reports

Brandy McDonnell , , , , , ,

In her new film, Laura Poitras weaves two narratives: the fabled life and career of era-defining artist Nan Goldin and the downfall of the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty Goldin personally took on in her fight to hold accountable those responsible for the deadly opioid epidemic.

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Festivals 

NY Film Fest 2022: 37.5% of Main Slate Films are Femme-Helmed – Jennifer Merin reports

Jennifer Merin , , , , , , ,

The 32 films that comprise the Main Slate of the 60th New York Film Festival (NYFF), taking place September 30–October 16, 2022, at Lincoln Center and in venues across the city include 11 films directed by women and one that was co-directed by a woman — equaling 37.5 percent. In comparison, New York Film Festival’s 2021 Main Slate roster of 32 titles included eight films directed by women, two films co-directed by women — or 31.25 percent. This year’s femme helmed films represent a diverse selection of styles, genres and themes directed by filmmakers who are returning to NYFF and those whose work is being shown at NYFF for the first time.

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