 Meet the Team: Mirjam Margarete Mager
Hometown: Zerbst, Germany Current residence: Dresden, Germany Mirjam is the daughter of a film buff, the mother of a cinema lover and herself a wholehearted cinéaste. As an art and film historian she is fully committed to the international art house, short film, animation film and video art scene. During her studies in Dresden and Paris, she programmed for the Dresden Film Festival, worked on set as 1st AD and read scripts for NISI MASA, the European Network of Young Cinema. Currently she is working for the Film Association of Saxony (Filmverband Sachsen), promoting and strengthening the work of filmmakers from this region of the former GDR. Favorite films: chronologically in my life -> The Last Unicorn, Watership Down, Chocolat (Denis), Stalker (Tarkovsky), The Matrix (Wachowski Sisters), Die Legende von Paul und Paula (Carow), Volver (Almovodár), 10 Things I Hate About You, Il Confirmista (Bertolucci), Die bleierne Zeit (von Trotta), La Jetée (Marker), Daisies (Chytilová), 24 Wochen (Berrached) Favorite shows: Buffy forever! Favorite actors: Mia Wasikowska, Octavia Spencer, Nina Hoss, Kim Min-Hee, Kate Winslet, Penélope Cruz Favorite directors: Chris Marker, Agnès Varda, Maren Ade, Mia Hansen-Løve, David Fincher Favorite genre: Anything metaphysical gets me excited! Favorite books: Kafka on The Shore (Haruki Murakami) Would you be able to give up your career to get married / start a family? No. I wanted both, I got both and now I have to deal with both ;) Why are you a feminist? Born into a freshly collapsed state and raised by a family with many struggles – but with a golden heart and good intentions: Intersectional Feminism is my empowering megaphone to fight inequality, injustice and ignorance.
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Meet the Team: Welcome, Charlie Brook!
I studied journalism and acting in my undergraduate degree, and then went on to do my Master’s in Documentary Journalism with a focus in rape culture in the media. Now I specialize on that topic, which is why I created the podcast Her Me Out to talk about it! I currently work as a full-time freelance content writer in Barcelona, working for different companies across a span of industries. Favorite films: I see there are a lot of Clueless fans here, I’m also a big fan (I did an episode on it!); I also love the guilty pleasures as well as the bigger names and indie. Big fan of movies in general and documentaries (13th, Free Solo, Blackfish, The Act of Killing, Chef’s Table). Favorite shows: Parks and Rec, 30 Rock, Bojack Horseman, Crazy ExGirlfriend, Fleabag, The Good Place, Queer Eye, Gilmore Girls (guilty pleasure) - I love TV so I could go on forever... Favorite actors: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Rachel Bloom, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern Favorite directors: Greta Gerwig, Mary Harron, Amy Heckerling Favorite books: Noughts and Crosses, Sapiens, Harry Potter :), La Sombra del Viento, Little Women Would you be able to give up your career to get married / start a family? Luckily, I don’t think that I’d have to, at least not with the current career I have right now. As a freelancer, I’m able to build my own schedule and take on the work that I want to. And my work is very easily done at home and doesn’t require much more than my computer. So I think I’d be able to do both things at the same time, and I would really like to believe that this is possible for women. Why are you a feminist? Because I’m a woman who’s lucky enough to have had the opportunity to learn and open my eyes to the inequalities that women face everyday just for being women. I’m also a feminist because I think it’s important for us to slowly expose that our culture, for most of history, hasn’t been great to women, even more so to women of color. Representation is such a crucial part of people’s ability to identify with stories and empower themselves to become more active members in our mainstream culture. And that’s why intersectional feminism is so important in my opinion.
FemFilmFans at Remake. Frankfurter Frauen Film Tage By Christina Schultz
Animal rights are environmental rights are disability rights are women’s rights are girls’ rights are trans rights are human rights. If you’re not for one, you can’t be for all. Promoting perspectives from these marginalized groups (and the list above is by no means exhaustive) and allowing their stories to be told is vital to our work at FemFilmFans and a must in order to change the still largely white cis ableist media landscape. Therefore it was an honor and a privilege to again be named media partner for the second edition of the Remake. Frankfurter Frauen Film Tage organized by the Kinothek Asta Nielsen because that is one of their aims, too. This year’s festival, although shorter than last year's inaugural run (which was held from November 2-November 11, 2018), was no less intense or impressive. Festival curators Gaby Babic, Karola Gramann and Heide Schlüpfmann presented audience members with a diverse range of films by filmmakers, most of them female, from all over the world. The festival had four main foci: *Geschichtsanschauung. Her Story (Viewing History. Her Story in Cinema); *Fixsterne des queer cinema (Fixed stars of queer cinema); *Tribut at KIWI - Kino Women Internatioal in Osteuropa (1987-90) (Tribute to KIWI - Kino Women International in Eastern Europe); and *Neues Frankfurt: Die Filmaktivistin Ella Bergmann-Michel (New Frankfurt: Film Activist Ella Bergmann-Michel). Lissy, Marina and I were mainly privy to the Her Story and New Frankfurt programs. We viewed avant-garde feminist filmmaker Heiny Srour’s documentary The Hour of Liberation Has Arrived (1974) about the struggles in Oman, the thorough Ella Bergmann-Michel program which featured all her documentary films, plus a biographical homage to her life and oeurve by Jutta Hercher and Maria Hemmleb, and Agnieszka Holland’s feminist eco-thriller Spoor (2017), to name a few. I also had the pleasure of accompanying my Grade 8 Media Studies class to the viewing of Sally Potter’s Orlando (1992), part of the Queer Cinema program. A particular favorite of mine was the surprisingly strongly feminist Hindle Wakes from 1927. It was not directed by a woman, but starred the fabulous Estelle Brody (think Louise Brooks but slightly more wholesome) and rekindled my love of silent film. As with last year’s festival, I felt incredibly inspired, full of ideas for future collaborations, plans to visit other related film festivals and armed with plenty of material for FemFilmFans. The high caliber of the films left me uplifted, curious, melancholy, sometimes even angry at the injustices of the world. But after the very literal buzz of the festival, reality set in. I was dealing with crippling anxiety and sleep deprivation. My personal life was quite honestly a mess and I was in constant distress. Trying to find the time to be creative escaped me. Even writing emails post-festival seemed difficult. I put so much pressure on myself to pump out articles and content for Instagram that I am unfortunately still feeling the effects (even trying to write this has been a struggle). I am slowly starting to feel better and would like to continue to write what I had originally intended (at the very least some reviews of the films listed above). I also plan to follow up with all the incredible women I have had the pleasure to meet and introduce a wider range of people to the female filmmakers with whom we became acquainted this past November and December. This environment of female empowerment and encouragement, especially for women of all shapes, sizes, colors, sexualities and genders in the media, was the reason we started FemFilmFans so long ago and something I continue to strongly believe in. Which is why, perhaps most importantly, my current goal is to take care of myself. Part of my healing journey is knowing when enough is enough, guarding my time and saying no, being assertive but polite and listening to my body and my heart (in other words, the voice inside your head telling you how you really feel). Feeling ashamed or hiding from mental health issues will get you nowhere. Even women who seem to have their shit together might be struggling under the surface, which is why we need compassion for one another. Watching so many films from women with vastly different experiences humbles me, just as it makes me realize that it is worth taking the time to listen to her story, whatever it may be. This is why Remake is such an important festival in Frankfurt because it provides the opportunity for women (but not just women) to present their stories, when they have normally been repressed and silenced for far too long.
About the Giveaway Calling all our FemFilmFans in the Los Angeles area! We’ve teamed up with the Rom Com Fest to give away FOUR (4) TICKETS to the LA Premiere of Tracks (UK, 2018, Jamie Patterson) this coming Friday, June 21. The screening will take place at the Downtown Independent in Los Angeles and will be followed by a Q&A with writer/executive producer Finn Bruce, in from the UK. You can enter to win tickets two ways: 1. To enter on Instagram - follow us (if you don't already), like our Rom Com Fest giveaway post and repost it to your account. 2. To enter on Facebook - like the post on our site, follow the FemFilmFans page on Facebook (if you don't already) and repost this link to your account. And don't forget to tag @femfilmfans and the festival @romcomfest! That’s it! Winners will be chosen and notified on Wednesday, June 19 (by midnight CEST/3pm PDT)! GOOD LUCK, FemFilmFam! Please note: To claim your ticket, you must live or be in the Los Angeles area at the time of the screening. We are not able to pay for travel costs to the festival or accommodations.
About the Festival Rom Com Fest is a festival that celebrates love through film and experiences. The festival will showcase a mix of classic and new films - such as Bride Wars (2009, Gary Winick), His Girl Friday (1940, Howard Hawks), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998, Kevin Rodney Sullivan), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999, Gil Junger) and Tracks (see below) - ensuring all attendees will experience warm fuzzies, no matter what their taste in film. Special Guests to the Rom Com Fest include one of our personal faves, Rachel Bloom, star and creator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, as well as Casey Wilson (who acted in and wrote the screenplay to Bride Wars) and Kirsten Smith (one of the writers for 10 Things I Hate About You). Hosted by the Downtown Independent Theater in Los Angeles, California, we believe Rom Com Fest will have plenty to offer our FemFilmFam. Viewers can thoroughly enjoy rom coms, while analyzing them with a critical eye, especially in terms of gender roles. We would love to hear what our winners and other attendees think! About the Film
Tracks UK / 2018 / 87 minutes Directed by Jamie Patterson Written by Jamie Patterson, Chris Willoughby, April Pearson and Finn Bruce Starring April Pearson and Chris Willoughby Lucy (April Pearson – Skins) and Chris (Chris Willoughby – Threesome) are cut adrift in their thirties struggling to remember what initially attracted them to one another and wondering where do they go from here. Cue an impulsive decision to spend a fortnight interrailing around Europe’s most romantic destinations, in the hope that this might save their seemingly doomed relationship. What ensues is bold, bonkers and a comic treat as Chris and Lucy travel through the backdrop of Europe’s most beautiful cities. *All images and video courtesy of Rom Com Fest.
Today FemFilmFans.com turns one year old and we couldn't be happier! Over the past year, we have had the opportunity to attend so many great festivals and film events, to meet and interview so many wonderful Women in Film, to discover so many films, shows and female filmmakers of which we were previously unaware, to network and make lasting connections with others fighting for the feminist cause, to grow as individuals and to learn so much about feminism, filmmaking, web design, social media and so much more. We would like to use this happy occasion to thank all of our followers and supporters because we couldn't have made it this far without you! Below is a slideshow of some of our favorites moments from the past year of FemFilmFans (in no particular order). One of FemFilmFan's guest contributors, Romina Leiding (click here for more info), was Assistant Director for the short film entitled Hope by Cem Arslan. It's currently in the online short film competition "Grenzenlos" ("Beyond Borders") organized by Arte and we need your help! Please visit this link and vote for the film Hope: grenzenlos.arte.tv/video/hope/  Not entirely convinced? Fair enough. Here's why we think you should vote for Hope.
The short film reflects the current refugee situation in Europe with a loving tenderness often lacking in such filmic portrayals. In 15 minutes, Arslan succeeds in allowing this rather motley group of individuals to reveal their hopes and dreams for the future, while also providing glimpses into their pasts, even when their present outlook is bleak. The characters feel pain as well, but it is this hope that keeps them together and drives them onward. Thanks for your help! And drop us a comment below to let us know what you think of the film! Female Filmmakers Fuse Presents The Elevator Pitch SeriesCalling all filmmakers in LA County! We'd like to tell you about an exciting film contest run by Female Filmmakers Fuse! For full details, please visit the official Elevator Pitch Contest page.
The Elevator Pitch is a docu-series, that will go behind the scenes of the Elevator Pitch Contest. Contestants submit their short film ideas to the Elevator Pitch Contest. The Top Six (6) will be announced and brought in to document their quick elevator pitch. The elevator pitch will be posted on the Female Filmmakers Fuse channel, opened to public voting. Votes will be tallied and the Top Three (3) filmmakers will return for a sit down pitch. The Top Three (3) pitches will be posted on the Female Filmmakers Fuse channel, opened to public voting again. Female Filmmakers Fuse will tally the votes and announce the winner. The winning filmmaker will have their short film idea turned into a reality. Female Filmmakers Fuse and their sponsors will produce and assist in the production of the short film, all while capturing the process. From casting, to hiring crew, to pre-production, to principle photography and finally wrapping up the project in post. We hope this serves as a learning tool for other filmmakers as well, as they join us and watch the entire process take place. The completed film will premiere at the 3rd Annual Female Filmmakers Fuse Film Festival, which takes place November 1-3, 2019! RULES & CONDITIONS
IMPORTANT DATES FOR THE ELEVATOR PITCH
READY TO SUBMIT? Print out the ELEVATOR PITCH APPLICATION FORM (click --> here <-- to download form), fill it out, sign it and send it with your script to: [email protected]. Make sure you type ELEVATOR PITCH in the subject line of the email. We at FemFilmFans wish you good luck!
Even though our site is called Femfilmfans, don't be fooled into thinking we are only interested in the rights of women. Our more loyal Femfilmfam knows this by now, but it is worth repeating that we want to promote, support and protect not only the rights and interests of women, but especially those of women of color and the LGBTQ+ community. In doing so, we call attention to and raise the visibility of such marginalized groups in the entertainment industry by providing a safe space to discuss, display and celebrate the amazing work they create.
This is why we would like to share a link to a helpful and detailed guide to online safety for the LGBTQ+ community, brought to our attention by Carla Doniva. The online safety guide was published by the site vpnMentor, which is dedicated to internet safety and web privacy. Here are a few facts about the online experiences of LGBTQ+ people according to a survey conducted by vpnMentor:
The purpose of the guide is to provide practical strategies for coping with adversity, bigotry, and abuse on the web. Readers will learn how to change their privacy settings on social media, how to navigate the workplace while queer, where to find blogs, forums and support organizations for LGBTQ+ youth, about safe dating apps, and so much more. Whether you are part of the LGBTQ+ community or are an ally, we think you will find the guide useful. Click --> vpnmentor.com/blog/lgbtq-guide-online-safety/ <-- to be taken to the guide! And feel free to share it, as we did with you today. "Powerful stories can change the world." Loading Videos... Calling all filmmakers! We wanted to share this exciting grant opportunity from the Berlin Feminist Film Week (BFFW), who has teamed up with filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and the global campaign organization Purpose.
Submit your film by Friday, December 7, 2018 at midnight (23:59 CET - Central European Time; the timezone in Germany) and have the chance to receive a €10,000 grant! From the BFFW website: "Obaid Chinoy’s academy award winning documentary, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, ignited public outrage and political pressure in Pakistan, feeding a movement that eventually led to the banning of honor killings in the country. What started as a tale of one woman’s courage, resilience and strength in the face of terrible violence, became a symbol and rallying cry for those across the country and internationally campaigning to put such violence firmly in Pakistan’s past. This is the power of one story. We are looking for global stories that touch on the themes of inequality, climate change, global health and/or gender inequality and that highlight women (or female identifying), like Sharmeen and Saba, who are fighting for change. The winning filmmaker will be supported to develop and build a public engagement campaign to accompany their film, creating ways for the film’s viewers to take action on the issues depicted in the story and help create meaningful change in the world." For more info, please go to: berlinfeministfilmweek.com/2018/10/powerful-stories-can-change-the-world/ Or you can go directly to the grant application: purposecampaigns.typeform.com/to/VBx5kb We have some exciting news to share with you: Christina is a "Belle" and "Muse" as part of Belle en Argent's coverage on women in the arts. To read her interview on the Belle en Argent website, click --> here or on the images below.
Never heard of Belle en Argent (Beauty in Silver)? Well, we think you should.
Belle en Argent specializes in clean, timeless beauty products with a decidedly contemporary edge. Drawing inspiration from women in the arts, Belle en Argent honors the creative legacy of women who write, photograph, film, act, direct and produce. The company channels the artistry of inspiring women through pigment and texture, liberating the feminine tradition with modern fluidity. You might be wondering what Belle en Argent has to do with Femfilmfans, besides the interview with Christina. For starters, they offer more than just beauty products (although we have no problem with that) - they foster and support a community of empowered women with projects like #BEAMuse, a grant program committed to the advancement of women who write, photograph, film, act, direct and produce. According to their website: "In partnership with the Global Philanthropy Group, grants are awarded to inspiring women in the arts. Each beneficiary receives funding for her latest artistic pursuit plus promotional support from our team. By uplifting women in the arts, we hope to ensure authentic and empowering representations of women for years to come." The company also knows how to recognize talent and support women trying to make a name for themselves in the fast-paced, ever-changing film and media landscape. This is definitely something we can get behind! |
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