“Pili” by Leanne Welham (2017)

A week of (US) first features

Good script and message
Excellent gender content and minority representation

A young single mother of two is too proud to tell that she’s HIV positive and has to struggle to gather the money she needs to start a business
Although the movie leaves behind the idea that it was made as a vehicle to convince African women with HIV to come out of their isolation, it also illustrates the harsh reality of the life these women have, and the role the community plays in their life

IMDB 6,7

Cast: Bello Rashid, Nkwabi Elias Ng’angasamala, Sesilia Florian Kilimila
Director: Leanne Welham
Writers: Sophie Harman, Leanne Welham
Music by Tim Morrish
Cinematography by Craig Dean Devine
Film Editing by Kant Pan

“Buffaloed” by Tanya Wexler (2019)

2019 was a good year!

Good dialogues, humor, direction
Great gender content and minority representation

It’s probably the first time such a (typical bad guy) role has been written for a young woman … and Zoey Deutch brings it to a top level

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,5
Metascore 6,1
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,8
IMDB 6,1
Average critics 6,7
Average public 7,5

Cast: Zoey Deutch, Judy Greer, Jermaine Fowler, Jai Courtney, Jermaine Fowler
Director: Tanya Wexler
Writer: Brian Sacca
Cinematographer: Guy Godfree
Editor: Casey Brooks
Composer: Matthew Margeson

“Social Animals” by Theresa Bennett (USA, 2018)

 

First feature

Predictable and overdone, but good dialogues and humor

Cast: Noel Wells, Carly Chaikin, Aya Cash, Josh Radnor
Director: Theresa Bennett
Writer: Theresa Bennett
Cinematographer: Sandra Valde-Hansen
Editor: Yaniv Dabach, Jonathan Melin

“The Intern” by Nancy Meyers (USA, 2015)

 

All female characters in this movie have to cry to provide a chance for Robert de Niro to hand them his handkerchief …  and many more clichés

Cast: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo
Director: Nancy Meyers
Writer: Nancy Meyers
Music by Theodore Shapiro
Cinematography by Stephen Goldblatt
Film Editing by Robert Leighton

“Toni Erdmann” (Maren Ade, Germany 2016)

A father and a daughter that so much separates and that so much unites.
A very surprising movie!

Cast: Peter Simonischek, Sandra Hüller, Lucy Russell, Vlad Ivanov, Hadewych Minis
Director: Maren Ade
Writer: Maren Ade
Cinematographer: Patrick Orth
Editor: Heike Parplies