ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

maryann johanson

Reviews 

ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY – Movie of the Week, January 15, 2021

Jennifer Merin , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If what happened in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, took you completely by surprise, then you’re overdue to watch Lisa Cortes and Liz Garbus’ powerful (and AWFJ EDA Award-winning!) documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy. As the film makes abundantly clear through compelling interviews and extensive documentation, the horrifying acts of domestic terrorism that took over our computer and TV screens a few days ago are the direct result of the United States’ legacy of racism and voter suppression.

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Member News 

AWFJ MEMBER NEWS July 2024 – Wendy Mitchell reports

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The Alliance of Women Film Journalists brings together some of the world’s leading female film critics, writers and journalists, and we’re always amazed at the scope and breadth of our colleagues’ creative talents and achievements. Our Member News column spotlights these amazing women and their latest achievements in their professional and personal lives. Help us celebrate our members’ latest successes and milestones. Read on for news about Beth Accomando, Margaret Barton-Fumo, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, MaryAnn Johanson and Wendy Mitchell. Congrats to all!

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Festivals News 

EDA Awards @ Tallgrass Film Festival 2023 – Jennifer Merin reports

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The Alliance of Women film Journalists partnered with Tallgrass Film Festival to present EDA Awards for Best Female Directed Films at the festival’s 21st edition, held in Wichita, Kansas from October 5 to 8, 2023. This is the third consecutive year of the partnership. With “Stubbornly Independent” as its motto, Tallgrass Film Festival, one of the nation’s leading regional film festivals, founded in 2003, aims to foster an appreciation of the cinematic arts by creating shared experiences around the international medium of film. Women in film are high priority on the festival’s agenda and the program presents a high percentage of female-directed films.

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Movie of the Week Reviews 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK February 26, 2021: MY ZOE

Jennifer Merin , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Like Kramer vs. Kramer by way of The Twilight Zone, Julie Delpy’s compelling drama My Zoe examines the depth and fierceness of maternal love. It centers on Isabelle (Delpy), a woman who will take every risk and push every envelope in the name of her beloved daughter, Zoe (Sophia Ally). But is she acting in Zoe’s interests or her own?

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Movie of the Week Reviews 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK February 25, 2021: TEST PATTERN

Jennifer Merin , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Heartbreaking and infuriating in its authentic portrayal of a woman left reeling after being raped, Shatara Michelle Ford’s Test Pattern makes it crystal clear just how stacked the system often is against the victims of sexual assault. Between endless bureaucracy and condescending skepticism, it’s no wonder so many women don’t even bother pursuing justice for these horrible crimes.

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Movie of the Week Reviews 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK February 12, 2021: COWBOYS

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The consequences of denying your loved ones the right to live authentically plays out in dramatic fashion in Cowboys, writer/director Anna Kerrigan’s moving film about a family in crisis. Starring the talented Steve Zahn and Jillian Bell as Troy and Sally, the divorced parents of 10-year-old transgender boy Jo (Sasha Knight), the film ultimately shows the power of unconditional love and acceptance.

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Movie of the Week Reviews 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK February 5, 2021: TWO OF US

Jennifer Merin , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Boasting powerful performances by stars Barbara Sukowa and Martine Chevallier, Two of Us is a poignant, empathetic drama about two aging women who live in Paris whose love has lasted for decades but who’ve never felt free to live the life they dream of. Nina (Sukowa) and Madeline (Chevallier) don’t have especially ambitious goals for their retirement: All they want is to live together, openly, in Rome, as the couple they’ve been in secret for so long.

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Movie of the Week Reviews 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 29, 2021: TRUE MOTHERS

Jennifer Merin , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Motherhood — in all its complexity — is at the heart of Naomi Kawase’s drama True Mothers, which tells the intertwined stories of Hikari Katakura (Aju Makita) and Satoko Kurihara (Hiromi Nagasaku). Their circumstances are very different, but they both fiercely love the same little boy, and that love ultimately helps each better understand the other.

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Movie of the Week Reviews 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 22, 2021: IDENTIFYING FEATURES

Jennifer Merin , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Heartbreaking and quietly powerful, writer/director Fernanda Valadez’ debut drama Identifying Features shines a light on the complex, tragic realities of what can happen when undocumented immigrants set out to cross the border from Mexico into the United States. It is a truly heartbreaking film that puts a very human face on a humanitarian crisis, sparking both empathy and outrage.

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Movie of the Week Reviews 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 15, 2021: ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY

Jennifer Merin , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The United States has never truly been a democracy, because it has never fully supported voting rights for all of its citizens. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope for the future. By focusing specifically on Stacey Abrams’ work and experiences in Georgia, All In reveals the path to true democracy — and, guess what? It works, but it’s hard.

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