contents   great directors   cteq annotations  top tens    about us    links    archive    search

Walk The Talk For readers' opinions, see the Letters to the Editors page. Women at Work: Interviews with Australian filmmakers Interview with Jan Chapman by Rose Capp Jan Chapman, one of Australia's pre-eminent film producers, speaks with Rose Capp about life, film and her brilliant career. Interview with Sarah Stollman by Mandi Bialek-Wester Esteemed production designer, Sarah Stollman, who has worked with such diverse directors as Todd Haynes and Rachel Perkins, talks freely here about her work, her process and her relationship with some of Australia's leading cinematographers and directors. Interview with Mandy Walker by Rose Capp Mandy Walker, one of Australia's leading cinematographers, talks about the long hours and many satisfactions of working behind the camera.    advertisement Interview with Livia Ruzic by Rose Capp Livia Ruzic, who has a long and distinguished career as a sound editor, talks to Rose Capp about the pleasures of sound editing, big bangs and working with Baz. Australian romantic comedy Brazen Brides, Grotesque Daughters, Treacherous Mothers: Women's Funny Business in Australian cinema from Sweetie to Holy Smoke by Felicity Collins Contemporary Australian women filmmakers rework the romantic comedy genre to incorporate women and their experiences. Spotlight: Claire Denis Claire Denis   Claire Denis: An Interview by Aimé Ancian In this detailed, wide-ranging interview, Denis talks openly about her early fascination with literature, the beginnings of her filmmaking career, her collaborators and the latest film. Making Contact: Claire Denis' Vendredi soir by Aimé Ancian The release of Vendredi Soir in Paris gives Aimé another opportunity to reflect upon and appreciate the singularity of Claire Denis' cinema.  It's All True Interviews: Critics Interview with Sylvie Pierre by Bill Krohn In this personal discussion, evolving via email, Sylvie Pierre talks eloquently with Bill Krohn about her time at Cahiers, May '68, the impetus to leave France, discovering Brazil, and the changes brought upon her worldview by this 'magical' place. Interview with Manohla Dargis by Steve Erickson Film critic for the L.A. Times, Manohla Dargis discusses her experiences writing for The Village Voice to editing the L.A. Weekly as well as film criticism today and being a film critic in L.A. The Female Actor Cinema and the Female Star - A Symposium Louise Brooks   Bulle Ogier   Natalie Wood   Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Arletty by Bernard Hemingway Kate Hudson by Peter Tonguette Elizabeth Taylor by Liz Burke Stéphane Audran by Ray Young Anna Karina by Christa Fuller Lili Taylor by Anna Daly Halle Berry by Charlie Kanganis Ling, Po by Feng-ying Ming Fay Tincher by Andrew Grossman Louise Brooks by Tina Marie Camilleri Melina Mercouri by Charlie Kanganis Mari Töröcsik by Dina Iordanova Geneviève Bujold by Girish Shambu Samantha Morton by Maximilian Le Cain Natalie Wood by Angela Costi Bess Flowers by Joe McElhaney Cathy O'Donnell by Brian Frye Xiao, Fangfang by Feng-ying Ming Setsuko Hara by Dan Harper Bulle Ogier by Jit Phokaew Tsetsiliya Zervudaki by Jorge Didaco  The Umbrellas   of Cherbourg The Ornamentation of Nicole Kidman (Eyes Wide Shut) and Mita Vashisht (Kasba): a Sketch by Laleen Jayamanne Jayamanne argues that, drawing on traditions of painting and eliciting a brand of performance, Kubrick and Shahani mobilise ornamentation to create femininity as a metamorphic force. Two Women: The Dialectical Sexual Persona of Catherine Deneuve by Maria San Filippo An overview of Deneuve's screen persona in key French and non-French productions. Lyubov Orlova: Stalinism's Shining Star by Dina Iordanova Throughout one of the grimmest eras of Soviet political history, Soviet mass audiences were enchanted by locally produced musical comedies starring the glamorous Lyubov Orlova. Women and early Avant-garde/Experimental Cinema    La souriante Madame Beudet The Importance of Being a Film Author: Germaine Dulac and Female Authorship by Rosanna Maule Rosanna Maule explores the career of Germaine Dulac, arguing that in addition to her status as a pioneering French filmmaker, she is equally historically significant as a theorist and prototypic auteur. Photographs in Haunted Rooms: The Found Home Experimental Film and Merilee Bennett's A Song of Air by Adrian Danks Adrian Danks discusses the interventionist strategies at work in the 'home experimental films' of local and international female filmmakers including Merilee Bennett and Su Friedrich.     Satan Was A Lady Doris Wishman Bad Girls Go To Dildo Heaven: An All-Nude Tribute To Doris Wishman by Andrew Leavold Not only afraid to go where no man had gone before, Wishman also proudly maintained total artistic control of her films. Essays/on/Films Kissing Jessica Stein Trash And Treasure: The Gleaners And I by Jake Wilson Wilson's insightful analysis highlights the beauty and complexity of Varda's contemporary masterpiece. Single White Female Seeking Same: the search for Sisterhood in Kissing Jessica Stein and The Banger Sisters by Rose Capp Rose Capp reviews two recently released female friendship comedies, Kissing Jessica Stein and The Banger Sisters. Manijeh Hekmat and Women's Prison by Alissa Simon This new Iranian director addresses sensitive societal and political issues. Dame Darcy Dame Darcy Lyrical Anachronism: the visual imagination of Dame Darcy by Jim Knox Knox discusses the unique sensibility of musician, animator and artist, Dame Darcy, who remains little known in contemporary film culture. Book Reviews Women's Cinema: The Contested Screen by Alison Butler Book Review by Natalie Neill Mother India by Gayatri Chatterjee Book Review by Laleen Jayamanne You can order any of these books directly from  Sex is Comedy at TIFF Film Festivals Toronto 2002: A Festival Report by Girish Shambu Chinese films at the 27th Toronto International Film Festival - A Report by Shelly Kraicer The 21st Vancouver International Film Festival - A Report by Lisa Roosen-Runge The New York Film Festival 2002 - a Report by Jared Rapfogel Spider at the Cork Film Festival The 47th Cork Film Festival - A Report by Maximilian Le Cain Cinémathèque Annotations on Film The following are annotations for films screening at the Melbourne Cinémathèque on Wednesdays during November and December. Editorial Click here for information on the editors of the annotations, the Melbourne Cinémathèque and queries regarding contribution. Santiago Alvarez with  Fidel Castro & Alfredo Guevara   Footage Fetishist by Adrian Danks The Merry Widow screens on Wed, November 27, 8:45 p.m. Films that Make a Difference. Santiago Alvarez and the Politics of Bengal by James Leahy Ciclon screens on Wed, December 4, 7:00 p.m. Ciclon by Travis Wilkerson This film screens on Wed, December 4, 7:00 p.m. 79 Springtimes of Ho Chi Minh by Travis Wilkerson This film screens on Wed, December 4, 7:00 p.m. Introduction to Black Girl by Rahul Hamid This film screens on Wed, December 4, 7:50 p.m. Closely Observed Trains by Roger Hillman Bezhin Meadow by David Ehrenstein This film screens on Wed, December 11, 7:00 p.m. Ballad of a Soldier by Julia Levin This film screens on Wed, December 11, 9:30 p.m. Ousmane Sembene