Films/Series’ By/About Women + Amplifying BIPOC’s Voices ~ My Ongoing Pledge

Art with Lórien Studio Video Production Set

Hello My People!

I am delighted to share this passion of mine is supporting women in the media and my enthusiasm for films that are directed by women, are written by a woman and/or feature stories about women.  One of my guiding litmus tests for the content of a film, is applying the Bechdel test.  What is  the Bechdel test?  It asks whether a work of fiction features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The requirement that the two women must be named is sometimes added.

So, to solidify my commitment to my quest, in Jan. 2016 I pledged to watch one film per week as part of the #52FilmsByWomen campaign sponsored by Women in Film.  What I am really excited about is discovering the #52weeks List of Gayle Nachlis, Women in Film Senior Director of Education, so many superb films on her list!

I also learned about Film Fatales, a network of women filmmakers who meet regularly to mentor each other, share resources, collaborate on projects and build a supportive community in which to make their films. Here’s Film Fatales list of films directed by women streaming on Netflix USA, 245 and counting!

And, so as we approach the end of 2016, and my 52-week pledge, I am sharing what I have enjoyed so far… And, I do pledge to continue into 2019 and beyond. I also including films I have seen/appreciate that amplify black voices and people of color in this evolving list.

With our evolving landscape, values, priorities and the balancing act that is occurring, there will be much to catch on the screen, big and small!  Enjoy and join the fun!

My Ever Evolving LIST from 2016 through the present day Focused on Female-Driven and People of Color’s Voices/Stories: (in no specific order)

The 100 greatest films directed by women (according to BBC)

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20191125-the-100-greatest-films-directed-by-women-poll

UPDATE: Hulu ReFrame Stamped Be sure to check out the 100 and counting productions Made by Her.

Abbott Elementary

The Black Emperor of Broadway

Halftime

ROAR

Radium Girls

Lucy and Desi

Lady Boss The Jackie Collins Story

Patsy & Loretta

Mary J. Blige My Life

Dumplin

Girl Most Likely

Insecure: the End

Misbehaviour

Respect

Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things

Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It

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Passing

The Underground Railroad

Dolly Parton: Here I Am

55 Steps

Radioactivity

The Banker

On the Rocks

Woman Walks Ahead

Ava

Emma (2020)

This Changes Everything

Audrey

Little Accidents

Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold

Promising Young Woman

Nomadland

Pieces of a Woman

Ammonite

The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Miss Juneteenth

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

The Glorias

Enola Holmes

Jane

Miss Representation

Pariah

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

42

Black Panther

Get On Up

Marshall

12 Years a Slave

Anita: Speaking Truth to Power

Becoming

Harriet

13th

Queen&Slim

Bessie

What Happened Miss Simone?

Birth of a Nation

True Cost

Middle of Nowhere

Selma

Little

The Women’s List

Doin’ the L.A. Thing

Jenny’s Wedding

Joy

Philomena

Iron Lady

Mustang

Woman in Gold

Diana

Tig

Tangerine

Trainwreck

Hello, My Name is Doris

All About Eve

The Story of Ruth

East Side Sushi

Séraphine

The Lady in the Van

Coco Before Chanel

Suffragette

Brooklyn

Carol

Joan of Arc: Virgin Warrior

He Named Me Malala

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel

Hanna

Miss Potter

The Passion of Joan of Arc

Maggie’s Plan

Frida

India’s Daughter

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny

Zootopia

Me Before You

Dukhtar

Girlhood

Ride

The Letters

Big Stone Gap

Under the Same Moon

Testament of Youth

Still Alice

A Ballerina’s Tale

Conviction

The Intern

Me Without You

Under a Tuscan Sun

Ai Wei Wei Never Sorry

Citizen Four

Wonder Woman

Planeat

The Future of Food

The 33

The Whole Truth

Our Kind of Traitor

Mia Madre

Certain Women

Lovely and Amazing

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story

The Post

Ladybird

Maudie

I, Tonya

Paris Can Wait

Moana

Jackie

Florence Foster Jenkins

Eat Pray Love

Girl Rising

Eighth Grade

RGB

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present

The Female Brain

The Favourite

Yentl

On the Basis of Sex

The Kindergarten Teacher

Captain Marvel

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Bad Reputation

Kusama: Infinity

Pariah

Heal

Mary Queen of Scots

Becoming Astrid

Westwood Punk • Icon • Activist

Unicorn Store

Captain Marvel

Longshot

Late Night

Call to Courage

Booksmart

Abominable

Little Women

The Farewell

Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Miss Americana

Kareem: Minority of One

Just Mercy

Loving

A Beautiful Day…

Hamilton- Musical to Film

Professor Marston & Wonder Women

TV Shows or Limited Series:

Mrs. America

Genius: Aretha

The Great

The L Word

Insecure

The Queen’s Gambit

The Morning Show

and counting…

Please take a look at a blog post here that features a documentary called Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct by friend Cady McClain,  She wrote, directed, and produced this documentary along with Kate Super.  Also, one of my favorite organizations is the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, an organization that engages, educates, and influences the need to dramatically improve gender balance, reduce stereotyping and create diverse female characters in entertainment targeting children 11 and under.

I invite you to explore my website, my art collection and my Art with Lórien online classes for kids.

Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and would love to hear from you on my Facebook page, check out  Art with Lórien on YouTube, visit my website/sign up for my newsletter, or email me at artwork@lorieneck.com.

May your days be filled with a sense of wonder, love, creativity, adventure and play!

In love, gratitude and beauty…

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What Inspires You? Guest Blogger: Cady McClain, Filmmaker

My featured Guest Blogger is Cady McClain.  I met Cady through a mutual friend from my childhood and boy am I glad that she reached out!  We connected through our shared interest and passion for women’s voices and representation in the field of arts, both visual and performing.  My video post on balancing the genders in the arts connected us online and I am so inspired and excited about the powerfully awesome documentary film that Cady is directing, writing, and producing along with Kate Super.  I promise, you will feel inspired and like me, looking forward to the release of her film.  Thank you Cady for being you and sharing your inspiration here and with the world!

Cady’s Blog Post:

For the past five months, I’ve had the honor and privilege of getting to interview women who direct film, television, and theater for a documentary I am working on called Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct. I’d like to share with you a little bit about a couple of women I’ve spoken to in order to give you a bit of the inspiration I’m enjoying!

Leah Meyerhoff is the founder of a group called “Film Fatales,” and graduated from NYU Film School with an amazing film called I Believe in Unicorns, a coming of age story filmed so sensitively, so creatively, I practically felt like she was whispering to my inner teenager. Film Fatales consists of female filmmakers who create “peer-to-peer mentorship” by meeting once a month at each others’ houses and participating in conversations that help each host with a topic related to the project on which she is currently working. This organization is also making a mark on the Independent film scene with its outreach programs and support of filmmakers on the circuit. I admire Leah so much I was practically shaking when I met her, but by the end of our conversation I felt quite at ease. She’s that kind of person. Incredibly well-spoken and clear, thoughtful and kind, super organized (which I loved), and without the slightest tinge of bitterness for the gender bias that is so rampant in our industry. She says that she “took the script and flipped it,” and I love that expression. Instead of identifying herself as being at the hand of gender discrimination, she proudly took on the label of “woman director” and created a whole movement of creative women who are now all owning their gender status and creating flourishing careers. I am proud to say I am now a “fellow fatale”!

 

 (This is Leah Meyerhoff with a traveling coffee mug that looks like a camera lens. A gift from me to her as a “thank you” for her wise words and journey!)

I also got to interview Deborah Kampmeier  whose first film, Virgin, had a huge run on the festival circuit, and whose second film, Hounddog, caused an international scandal due to its subject matter: the rape of a child. Honestly, I was very concerned myself about watching the film, but I’m so glad I did. It’s a beautiful film and nothing like what it was made out to be. Sensitively done, considerate and respectful to the issue of sexuality in a developing girl, and surprisingly insightful into female sexuality. Deborah works with a passionate authenticity and a deep respect of her and others “womanhood.” She understands things about being a woman that I never heard anyone say, or even suggest. Listening to her talk I was brought to tears by her commitment to her artistry, and her passion for her unique vision. Her work is daring, original, and important, and reminded me that I must take risks in my own work, despite everything.

(This is a shot of my interview with Deborah, taken while playing back on my big screen TV!)

I think that is what really inspires me the most: women committing to their unique vision, despite all. No matter what anyone says, no matter what the statistics are, they persevere, the drive forward. Sure, everybody gets afraid sometimes. But these women (and many more) don’t submit to the fear. They continue to stay above water and true to themselves. There’s no being shut down by “the business” and all that talk about how you “have to compromise.” No mam. They talk about being clear about who they are, what they love, and how to work in spite of the obstacles.

And that’s inspiring stuff!

Here’s a link to a promo about the film: https://vimeo.com/145945236

And to the films’ FB page: https://www.facebook.com/WomenDirectors

Film’s FB page Videos: https://www.facebook.com/WomenDirectors/videos

(And this is me with Mr. Peanut, my loyal and loving super buddy.)

With gratitude,

Cady

Cady McClain
www.cadymcclain.com
Devil in the Machine Productions
IMDB
Twitter

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Guest Blogger Courtney Daniels // Being a Writer-Director: Top 10 Things I am Grateful For

When I met Courtney at a dinner party last year, I instantly knew that I had met a true soul sister.  We chatted about some of my most valued and favorite topics: our dogs, art and painting, writing and living an examined life.  I have always admired women writers, women screenwriters and women directors~ especially women writer-directors breaking down barriers in Hollywood~ all heroines in my book!  Here’s to Courtney’s Top 10 things that she is grateful for: it’s honest, real and amazing! Thank you Courtney, you rock sister!  Cheers!

Courtney directing on set.

1. Jimmy, my husband. He believes in me, and when he gets excited about my writing, it gets me excited about my writing.
2. Working with friends. Shooting with people you know and enjoy, that you have a history with, makes every step of the process more fun.
3. My dogs. As with all animals, each is a character. I like taking breaks from work to pet them and hang out with them.
4. Others’ feedback. It’s helpful to hear which parts of my writing resonate with readers/viewers and which don’t.
5. The things other people make—paintings, music, books, movies. When Steven Soderbergh was accepting an award for one of his films, he commented, “Art makes life worth living.” Trying to imagine life without the arts is like trying to imagine the planet without trees.
6. Doing a mix of things makes me happier than spending too much time and energy on only one thing or another.
7. Iced matcha lattes. I drink two a day. I’m so addicted to this healthy ‘treat,’ and the matcha powder is so expensive, that I lick any undissolved grains of it off the bamboo whisk and glass the way people in movies rub grains of leftover cocaine into their gums.
8. The wisdom of others. Reading books like “The War of Art” and “The Alchemist,” and clipping interviews of successful people talking about the lessons they learned on their journey helps me feel less alone and it fortifies me to keep working. Current favorite bit of wisdom: “Do not look back. And do not dream about the future, either. It will neither give you back the past, nor satisfy your other daydreams. Your duty, your reward—your destiny—are here and now.” (Dag Hammarskjold, “Markings”)
9. Tracy Anderson. I’ve done a lot of different types of workouts and I think hers are the most efficient way to get in the best shape of your life. I will probably never do anyone else’s workouts. They make me feel great, and energized, and better able to tackle film production, which is draining.
10. I’m grateful to God. Obviously I don’t know if there really is a God, but I choose to have faith, because I would rather have the comfort it provides than not. Some people don’t need it, which I get and respect. But it has helped me a lot, having God to talk to when I need strength or courage to keep taking risks. I feel like everything is a risk—even the smallest step can make you feel vulnerable and exposed to rejection and disappointment. To keep taking small and big steps every day… well, I think this is why L.A. people are famously “woo-woo.” Most of us need a lot of faith (or other coping strategies, like meditation, yoga, etc.) to keep moving forward.

Courtney Daniels grew up in Houston, attended the University of Texas at Austin, and lives in Los Angeles. After writing feature screenplays on spec for several years, she wrote and directed a short film that premiered at LA Shorts Fest. She then made a feature, “What Other Couples Do,” which premiered at the Pasadena film festival. Courtney writes about people, books and things on her site, Sugarinsixtyseconds.com, and is currently shooting the pilot episode of a web series she’s writing. Her film, “What Other Couples Do,” can be streamed on Amazon and on the indie film subscription site, Fandor.com.

   www.Sugarinsixtyseconds.com

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