FEMALE POWER

Women Who Contain Multitudes: An Intimate Look Into Living With Split Personalities—‘Busy Inside‘, dir. Olga Lvoff, 2019

November 10th, 2020|Country: Russia, USA|

The mindblowing documentary showcases Dissociative Identity Disorder through the eyes of vulnerable young woman Marshay, therapist Karen Marshall, herself juggling 17 personalities, and others

A Long Distance Art Practice Is Here to Heal a World Where Families Are Split Apart By the Pandemic —‘Sister Octopi’, Natalya Konforti & Justine Formentelli

November 19th, 2020|Country: France, Italy, UAE, United Kingdom, USA|

Two cousins separated by time zones and oceans create together to overcome shared trauma, lack of concrete roots and keep the family close-knit despite the distance

A Displaced Child Prodigy’s Imagination Offers Ideas For Our Collective Future—‘Anbessa’, dir. Mo Scarpelli, 2019

November 15th, 2020|Country: Ethiopia, Italy, USA|

Urban development in Addis-Ababa and humanity’s race for progress are explored through the eyes of a curious, talented ten-year-old boy living in a hut in the shadow of shiny new condominiums

The Exhausting Reality of Being on the Vanguard in the Fight for Trans and Sex Worker Rights in Brazil—‘Indianara’, dir. Marcelo Barbosa & Aude Chevalier-Beaumel, 2019

October 1st, 2020|Country: Brazil|

A consummate portrait of Brazilian organizer Indianara follows her through joy and pain, rites of passages, and a tense fight for the respect, inclusion, and protection of which her community is constantly robbed

An Enlightening Journey to the Heart of Mezcal and Tequila Production—‘Agave: The Spirit of a Nation’, dir. Nick Kovacic & Matthew Riggieri, 2018

September 27th, 2020|Country: Mexico, USA|

Through portraits of three distillers and a thorough exploration of their process, this gorgeous documentary shows the role of mezca in Mexico’s economy, society, and environmental landscape

A Vulnerable Portrait of Girlhood Between Two Cultures Is a Searing Indictment of the Commercialization of Budding Sexuality— ‘Cuties,’ dir. Maïmouna Doucouré, 2020

September 24th, 2020|Country: France, Senegal|

In a much-discussed coming-of-age comedy-drama, French filmmaker of Senegalese origin does not pull any punches while shedding light on the way cultural excesses harm those caught between them

A Searing, Claustrophobic Portrait of Family Homelessness in Ireland—’Rosie’, dir. Paddy Breathnach, 2018

September 20th, 2020|Country: Ireland|

Based on a screenplay by Roddy Doyle, this film is as relevant as ever in the times of COVID economy and focuses on the hidden homelessness where families with kids are left without shelter

Cy Gavin’s Incendiary Paintings Shed the Neon Light on the Dark Spots of Bermudian and American Histories

September 17th, 2020|Country: Bermuda, USA|

Excavating the past and applying creative scrutiny, this exciting young artist creates electric landscapes that give power to those hidden in the colonial reading of history

One of the Greatest Queer Love Stories of the 21st Century Hiding In the Gritty Alleys of Genoa— ’The Mouth of the Wolf,’ dir. Pietro Marcello, 2009

September 13th, 2020|Country: France, Italy|

Pietro Marcello’s documentary about a career criminal and a transsexual sex-worker who fell in love in prison is the director’s lesser-known film, but it deserves all the accolades

The Voices of Women Reclaim Algerian History Through Colonization, Wars, and Personal Infractions—Assia Djebar, ’Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade,’ 1985, trans. Dorothy S. Blair

September 2nd, 2020|Country: Algeria|

A linguistically ornate exercise exploring postcolonial history and identity, Assia Djebar’s account of her homeland is a monument to the country’s women and their heroic lives

The Transformations of Albania and Its Femininity in the Works of Hasan Nallbani

August 30th, 2020|Country: Albania|

Whether he’s depicting socialist worker heroines, women alienated by their fragility, or experiments with the Byzantine heritage, Hasan Nallbani is Albania’s foremost master of the female portrait

The Many Facets of Kyrgyz Womanhood—‘Jamilia’, dir. Aminatou Echard, 2018

February 26th, 2020|Country: France, Kyrgyzstan|

Ethnography meets experimental film in a stunning, sprawling study of Kyrgyz femininity and its relationship to the culture's defining novella about a rebellious woman

Wool Over the Eyes—‘This Magnificent Cake!’, dir. Emma De Swaef & Marc James Roels, 2018

February 6th, 2020|Country: Belgium, DR Congo, France, Netherlands, South Africa|

Whimsical felt puppet fantasy from filmmaking couple tackles colonization of Congo by Belgian King Leopold in a graceful satirical exploration of the chaos that ineptitude sows

A Dog’s Heart—‘Marona’s Fantastic Tale’, dir. Anca Damian, 2019

February 4th, 2020|Country: Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Romania, Spain|

Abstract art meets unconditional love in an animated film about a dog's history living with humans: a dazzling all-age feature from Romanian auteur and an international team of visual artists

An Anthology of the Best New Music from Burundi, Part III: East African Express

February 3rd, 2020|Country: Burundi, Rwanda|

Our last dispatch from the musical scene of Burundi, where genocide survivors, Christian youth ministers, and rural dwellers make fantastic music you know you want to dance to

6 Animated Shorts to See at New York City’s Animation First Festival 2020

February 2nd, 2020|Country: Argentina, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Tajikistan|

Family memories, heart-wrenching puppets, thrilling technological advancements and a lot of dark, delicious humor from the world’s finest animators, including two Oscars nominees

Shrouded in Hopelessness—‘The Swallows of Kabul’, dir. Zabou Breitman & Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec, 2019

January 30th, 2020|Country: Afghanistan, Algeria, France|

The lives of two couples waiting for their real-life to begin in Taliban-run Kabul are entwined in a heart-breaking animated adaptation of Yasmina Khadra's novel

Woman, Winter, Work Camp—Guzel Yakhina, ‘Zuleikha,’ trans. Lisa C. Hayden

January 26th, 2020|Country: Russia, Tatarstan|

A forceful, award-winning and debate-sparking debut novel about life in Gulag through the eyes of a diverse cast of characters, with fierce but timid Tatar woman at the forefront

The Ordinary Double Life of a Teenage Somali Model in Budapest—‘Easy Lessons’, dir. Dorottya Zurbó, 2018

January 23rd, 2020|Country: Hungary, Somalia|

After her narrow escape from becoming a child bride in Somalia, 17-year-old Kafia is building her life anew in Hungary. But she fears that her emerging European identity is a betrayal of her roots

An Anthology of the Best New Music from Burundi, Part II: Keeping Up With Kirundi

January 21st, 2020|Country: Burundi, USA|

Burundi has it all: afrobeat, gangsta rap, golden-voiced goddesses, bongo flava and boy bands. Come for them, stay for the zip bag suits and Cassava-themed trap anthems

Brazilian Students Narrate Their Struggle Against Austerity and Neoconservatism—‘Your Turn’, dir. Eliza Capai, 2019

January 15th, 2020|Country: Brazil|

Three Brazilian student activists present a multidimensional, inclusive account of their fight for the right to education over the past decade in an electrifying, award-winning documentary

A Shattered Polish Factory Is Resurrected in a Multidisciplinary Performance—‘Symphony of the Ursus Factory’, dir. Jasmina Wojcik, 2018

January 12th, 2020|Country: Poland|

Former workers of Poland's manufacturing giant are asked to reinterpret their labor rituals through dance and music in a visceral body of analytical work from Poland's finest young artists

Documenting the Growing Pains of Gay Parenthood Over the Decade—‘Fatherhood Dreams’, 2007, and ‘My Dads, My Moms and Me‘, 2019, dir. Julia Ivanova

January 9th, 2020|Country: Canada|

Soon after Canada legalized same-sex marriages, Julia Ivanova filmed four gay fathers realizing their liberties. She returned a decade later to see how the dads, their co-parents and kids were doing

An Anthology of the Best New Music from Burundi, Part I: Behold the Buja Beats

January 8th, 2020|Country: Burundi, Sweden|

Crooners, rappers and comeback kids, a diva and a soccer hymn: our first dispatch of freshest tunes from Burundi will satisfy your Afrobeat, R&B and hip-hop cravings and lift you up

Family Values, Fraud, Post-Colonialism, and Scary Healing Rituals in ‘Suleiman Mountain’, dir. Elizaveta Stishova, 2017

January 6th, 2020|Country: Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Russia|

A husband, his two wives, and estranged young son grapple with opportunities and morals in rural Kyrgyzstan—a powerful road-movie from a young Russian director

Carved Bamboo Canes as Ritual Objects and a Form of Writing in Kanak Artist’s Revival of Melanesian Heritage

January 5th, 2020|Country: Kanak People, Melanesian People, New Caledonia|

Bamboo canes with intricate designs had been made by the Indigenous New Caledonians for generations. Micheline Néporon is adapting the technique to link the heritage of her ancestors to the future

Abkhazia	Congo-Brazzaville	Indonesia	New Zealand	Spain
Afghanistan	Costa Rica	Iran	Nicaragua	Sri Lanka
Albania	Côte d’Ivoire	Iraq	Niger	Sudan
Algeria	Croatia	Ireland	Nigeria	Suriname
Andorra	Cuba	Israel	Niue	Sweden
Angola	Cyprus	Italy	North Korea	Switzerland
Antigua-and-Barbuda	Czech Republic	Iwaidja People	North Ossetia	Syria
Argentina	Dagestan	Jamaica	Norway	Taiwan
Armenia	Denmark	Japan	Oman	Tajikistan
Arrernte	Dominica	Jordan	Pakistan	Tamil Nadu
Aruba	Dominican Republic	Kanak People	Palestine	Tanzania
Australia	DR Congo	Karelia	Panama	Tatarstan
Austria	Dunghutti People	Kashmir	Papua New Guinea	Thailand
Azerbaijan	Ecuador	Kazakhstan	Paraguay	Tibet
Bahamas	Eelam Tamil	Kenya	Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians	Timor-Leste
Bahrain	Egypt	Kosovo	Peru	Tiwi Islands
Balochistan	El Salvador	Kurdistan	Philippines	Togo
Bangladesh	Estonia	Kyrgyzstan	Poland	Tonga
Barbados	Eswatini	Laos	Portugal	Torres Strait Islands
Bashkortostan	Ethiopia	Latvia	Puerto Rico	Transnistria
Belarus	Faroe Islands	Lebanon	Qatar	Trinidad and Tobago
Belgium	Fiji	Liberia	Rapa Nui	Tunisia
Belize	Finland	Libya	Reunion	Turkey
Benin	France	Lithuania	Roma	Turkmenistan
Bermuda	French Guiana	Luxembourg	Romania	Tuvalu
Bhutan	Gabon	Macedonia	Russia	Uganda
Biripi People	Gambia	Madagascar	Rwanda	Ukraine
Bolivia	Garifuna Nation	Malak Malak People	Saint Kitts and Nevis	United Kingdom
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Garrwa People	Malawi	Saint Lucia	Uruguay
Botswana	Georgia	Malaysia	Saint Vincent and The Grenadines	USA
Brazil	Germany	Mali	Samoa	Uyghur Nation
Brunei	Ghana	Malta	San Marino	Uzbekistan
Bulgaria	Golan Heights	Māori	Sao Tome and Principe	Vanuatu
Burkina Faso	Greece	Martinique	Saudi Arabia	Venezuela
Burundi	Greenland	Mauritania	Scotland	Vietnam
Buryatia	Grenada	Mauritius	Senegal	Wales
Cabo Verde	Guatemala	Mexico	Serbia	Wallis and Futuna
Cambodia	Guinea	Moldova	Sierra Leone	Water
Cameroon	Guyana	Monaco	Singapore	Yemen
Canada	Haida Gwaii	Morocco	Slovakia	Yöruk People
Central African Republic	Haiti	Mozambique	Slovenia	Zambia
Chad	Ho-Chunk Nation	Myanmar	Solomon Islands	Zimbabwe
Chile	Honduras	Namibia	Somalia
China	Hong Kong	Native American Tribes	South Africa
Chinook Nation	Hungary	Nepal	South Korea
Colombia	Iceland	Netherlands	South Ossetia
Comoros	India	New Caledonia	South Sudan

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