Cold Souls – “a soul-searching comedy”

Posted on 19 October, 2009

by Gwen Ragno
Earlier this weekend, the film $9.99 offered us the meaning of life by mail order. Now Cold Souls, written and directed by Sophie Barthes, offers soul extraction and storage. And trafficking, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Paul Giamatti, starring as himself, is struggling with a theatrical performance when he hears about [...]

Older Than America – cultural genocide is not ancient history

Posted on 19 October, 2009

by Gwen Ragno
I have a lot of respect for anyone who can write, direct and star in her own film, especially when the subject is something highly personal — that is exactly what Georgina Lightning did with Older Than America (same goes for Karen Skloss on Sunshine). This film is about the brutal treatment of [...]

Sunshine- A documentary about the changing role of single mothers.

Posted on 18 October, 2009

by Alex Goff
“Sunshine” is a documentary made by Karen Skloss telling her story of her journey into single parenthood, and also getting to know her biological mother’s story about her decision to give her up for adoption. She points out the irony of history repeating itself. She explored the social movement from the time when [...]

Lemon Tree – strength and hope in a sour Middle East

Posted on 18 October, 2009

by Gwen Ragno
Lemon Tree is the incredibly powerful story of a woman who, despite all of the forces working against her – social, political, bureaucratic, cultural – fights to hold on to what matters to her. Salma is a Palestinian widow living on the border between Israel and the occupied West Bank. She lives alone, [...]

Women behind the camera at Citizen Jane

Posted on 17 October, 2009

by Gwen Ragno
One of the best parts of film festivals is the opportunity to meet and talk to the filmmakers. This panel discussion included Georgina Lightning, writer and director of Older Than America; Karen Skloss, director of Sunshine; Beth Mickle, production designer on Cold Souls; and Lindsay Bosch, video art curator and distribution manager for [...]

Experimental animation at Citizen Jane

Posted on 17 October, 2009

by Gwen Ragno
“Saturday Morning Cartoons Never Tasted So Good,” at the Citizen Jane Film Festival  is a showcase of experimental animation techniques that you have probably never seen the likes of before, all created by female artists and animators. Ranging from works made in 1971 to 2009 – using film, video or some combination of [...]

$9.99- An amazing display of stop-motion animation.

Posted on 17 October, 2009

by Alex Goff
“$9.99″ is an independent feature-length stop-motion animated film about a man who orders a book from a catalog for $9.99 which promises to hold the meaning of life, and his neighbors who live in his apartment building.
Although this film is animated, it is by no means a children’s film. There is strong language, [...]

Bright Star: Love and Hot English Chastity

Posted on 06 October, 2009

by Erin Riley
“Bright Star” is a love story and not for the feint of heart.  The film stars  Ben Whishaw as John Keats and Abbie Cornish as Fanny Brawne. This film is about the tragic affair between the romantic poet and his unexpected love with the girl next door, literally.

While he was living, John Keats [...]