Fort Lee Film Commission Women in Film Series
(Women in Film Series 2007 ) Fort Lee Film Commission presented films about women and by women (representing era, time and place) from the first cinematic film productions and pioneer filmmakers and actors to recent works that are embodiments of these never ending issues that all women come across sooner or later. Curated by Christina Kotlar.
MARCH 3 MATRIMONY’S SPEED LIMIT (1913) Directed by Alice Guy Blache at Solax Studio in Fort Lee and MOLLY O’ (1921) Starring Mabel Normand. Rutgers University Professor and Film Historian, Richard Koszarski, curates the early films and opened the film program with some of the most interesting historical placements and locations.
MARCH 10 THE WOMEN (1939) A classic 1930s MGM sophisticated comedy an all female cast – Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Norma Shearer, Marjorie Main with Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine, Ruth Hussey and Virginia Grey in minor roles. Based on a play by Clare Boothe Luce, the screenplay was written by Anita Loos who is considered to have been one of Hollywood’s foremost early screenwriters having written screen scenarios for director D.W. Griffith and the Biograph Company.
MARCH 17 THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE (2005) Directed by Mary Harron; Written by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner. “The Pin Up Sensation That Shocked the Nation” is a biographical account of pin up and bondage model Bettie Page whose photos gave her the nickname Dark Angel and eventually led to U.S. Senate Committee investigation. Portrayed by Gretchen Mol, this film had its world premiere at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. Rated R – Only 18 and over admitted.
MARCH 24 EVE’S BAYOU (1997) Written and Directed by Kasi Lemmons. Produced by Samuel L. Jackson, Caldecot Chubb, starring Lynn Whitfield and Samuel L. Jackson. The story centers around a family in 1962 Louisiana when a decisive moment triggers an underlying intrigue of deception, sex, and family. Kasi Lemmons won Outstanding Directorial Debut by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures and Best First Feature Independent Spirit Awards. Roger Ebert named it the top film of 1997 and nominated for seven NAACP Image Awards.
MARCH 31 REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (2002) Directed by Patricia Cardoso and winner of the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award (2002) this HBO Films stars America Ferrera, (Golden Globe Award winner) as a first-generation Mexican-American from East Los Angeles, who struggles to strike a balance between her main stream ambitions and her more traditional cultural heritage.
Christina Kotlar, founder and host of podcast, Film Festival reViews, will introduce the programs and moderate a Q&A following each film.
New York Women in Film & Television: A Case Study on the Making of a Documentary
This case study program provides an opportunity for in depth conversations that deconstruct a documentary’s very essence with carefully chosen film clips and the filmmaker and/or producer/production team who provide valuable insights and a behind-the-scenes commentary into the technique and craft of a feature documentary and its journey through film festival and distribution strategies.
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (2006)
DIXIE CHICKS: SHUT UP AND SING (2007)
MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES (2008)
MAN ON WIRE (2009)