Ingrid Veninger announces pUNK Films FEMMES LAB Screenwriting Intensive

INGRID VENINGER ANNOUNCES pUNK Films FEMMES LAB
SCREENWRITING INTENSIVE WITH 6 CANADIAN WOMEN PARTICIPANTS
AND SUPPORT FROM OSCAR WINNER MELISSA LEO

Following a fall festival tour for her latest feature film, The Animal Project, Ingrid Veninger returned to Toronto with a desire to see more fiction features written and directed by Canadian women. On November 18th, she proposed the idea of a screenwriting lab on her Facebook page, and received 20 submissions.

“I want to galvanize the Canadian women who have already completed at least one feature film”, says DIY Queen Ingrid Veninger, “and who want to pursue their filmmaking with an eye on taking bigger creative risks.”

“When I won the EDA Award for The Animal Project at the Whistler Film Festival from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists,” adds Ingrid, “I decided to take a chance at the podium. I offered a first look at the 6 scripts written in the Femmes Lab, to the first person who stepped up with $6000… The room was stone silent until Melissa Leo stood up and shouted, “I’ll do it!”… she’s is a true champion. Over the holidays I received Melissa’s cheque, which will be shared between the participating women. Then TIFF offered us a place to meet at the Lightbox. So it’s on!”

Call for submisisons: Crankyfest

Crankytown, an interactive site about periods that features videos, stories and poems from artists such as Feist, Emma Thompson, Jessica Paré and Karine Vanasse, has expanded to include Crankyfest – an online contest for videos about periods. The project was created by Canadian actors Liane Balaban and Vanessa Matsui, and costume designer Jenna Wright, who have partnered with iThentic, Playback’s Digital Company of the Year. The contest launches on January 17th with a submission deadline of March 1, 2013.

Alliance of Women Film Journalists' 2012 EDA Awards – winners

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has announced their winners for the 2012 AWFJ EDA Awards. The EDAs are named in honor of AWFJ founder Jennifer Merin’s mother, stage, film and television actress Eda Reiss Merin, and is an acronym for "Excellent Dynamic Activism."

Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty led the winners, just as it had led the nominations. It won eight of its ten nods including Best Film, Best Director, Best Woman Director, Best Actress (Jessica Chastain), and Best Original Screenplay.

Beasts of the Southern Wild was next with three awards, winning Best Film Music Or Score, Best Woman Screenwriter (Lucy Alibar), and Best Breakthrough Performance (Quvenzhané Wallis).

Alliance of Women Film Journalists' 2012 EDA Awards – nominees

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has announced their nominations for the 2012 AWFJ EDA Awards. The EDAs are named in honor of AWFJ founder Jennifer Merin’s mother, stage, film and television actress Eda Reiss Merin, and is an acronym for "Excellent Dynamic Activism."

Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty dominates the nominees as it has done with most awards up until now. It received ten nominations including Best Film, Best Director, Best Woman Director, Best Actress (Jessica Chastain), and Best Screenplay.

Ben Affleck's Argo followed with eight nominations, while Steven Spielberg's Lincoln nabbed seven. Both received nominations for Best Film, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

2012 Women Film Critics Circle Awards – winners

The Women Film Critics Circle has announced their winner for their 2012 WFCC Awards. They have been known to make some eyebrow-raising choices but this year, their selection seems fairly sensible.

As with most awards thus far, they lavished praise on Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty. It won three awards, taking Best Movie by a Woman, Best Equality of the Sexes and Best Female Images.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel won two awards for acting. Maggie Smith was named Best Comedic Actress, while the whole cast won for Best Ensemble. Lincoln also took two awards, for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Best Male Images. The Damish film A Royal Affair took the awards for Best Movie about Women and the Karen Morley Award, given for best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity.

2012 WFTV (UK) awards – winners

Today at the London Hilton on Park Lane, Women in Film and Television (UK) presented their Women in Film and Television Awards, largest annual event in the UK celebrating women who work in the film, TV, and digital media industries. The event was hosted by comedian Sue Perkins.

This year's honourees included writer-director-producer Lynne Ramsay, who made the films Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar and We Need to Talk about Kevin. She was unable to attend, but sent a message from L.A. through video link.

Writer-director Sally El Hosaini was awarded the FremantleMedia UK New Talent Award. Her debut feature film was the award-winning drama about Egyptian immigrants in East London, My Brother the Devil.

THR's Actress Roundtable interview

The Hollywood Reporter has uploaded their latest Roundtable interview, this one with Actresses who will possibly contend for major awards. The interview takes place with Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Amy Adams (The Master, Trouble With The Curve), Sally Field (Lincoln), Naomi Watts (The Impossible), Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea), Helen Hunt (The Sessions) and Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone). Unfortunately, this year's group is devoid of diversity but that is a sad reflection of the industry as a whole.

All have been Oscar nominees and Field, Weisz, Hunt and Cotillard are previous winners. Topics that they discuss include their fears, fame, fighting for roles, bad auditions and working with nightmare directors.

2012 Festival Les HTMlles, Nov 10-18

The women's artist-run centre Studio XX launches their 10th edition of the Festival Les HTMlles Festival féministe d'arts médiatiques + de culture numérique (Feminist festival of media arts + digital culture) tonight with an open house. The festival name HTMlles is a clever wordplay on "html" and the French word "elles."

The two floors of the 4001 Berri space will be animated by the festival partners and artists as part of an open house exhibition, Risky Business. There will be a launch of a special double issue of the electronic periodical .dpi, featuring a one-time-only print component at the occasion of the anniversary of The HTMlles. The evening also includes Oboro's Sound Saloon featuring Alexis O'Hara, art performances at the GIV, a projection/installation in CQAM’s window, and 360 degree photos by Time Code and Orangium. Finally, there will be a performance The Ultimate Company – Dominations, risques, profits by Franco-Belgian artist Valérie Cordy

2012 Breast Fest, Nov 2-4

The fifth annual Breast Fest -- the world’s first film festival dedicated to breast cancer awareness and education -- will open with a Gala Presentation of Jonna Tamases’ hilarious and moving comedy Jonna’s Body, Please Hold. Jonna Tamases will be in attendance and will participate in a Q&A following the screening.

Jonna's Body, Please Hold is a comedic tour de force of outlandish visuals, snappy dialogue and draw-dropping sets. Wildly imaginative and playful, it’s hilarious and deeply moving portrait of one young woman's battle against breast cancer. Taking place entirely on location within Jonna Tamases body, the film follows sassy receptionist (and Jonna’s brain) Pearl, as she fields calls from a parade of competing body parts including Sgt. Coif leading a head full of unruly troops; Upper Back, frantically knotted and uptight; and Uta and Ula, begging to be released from their brassiere imprisonment. It's business as usual until two nasty intruders move in, killers who will stop at nothing to take over. Suddenly the off-beat citizens of Jonna's body are thrown together into their greatest battle ever, the fight to save Jonna's life.

2012 She's Canadian, Eh? Women's Comedy Festival, Oct 4-6

Tonight, the She's Canadian, Eh? 2nd Annual Women's Comedy Festival kicks off with an all-Montreal show hosted by Chantal Desjardins, and featuring Heidi Foss, DeAnne Smith and festival founder Eman El-Husseini.

The festival continues Friday and Saturday with shows hosted by Christina Walkinshaw, and with Torontonian Steph Tolev in place of Heidi Foss.

The She’s Canadian, Eh!: Second Annual Women’s Comedy Festival runs Thursday to Saturday at Club Privateer, 1222 Mackay Street. Shows are Thursday 8pm; Friday and Saturday at 8pm and 10pm.

10th Anniversary Female Eye Film Festival, June 20-24

The 10th Anniversary Female Eye Film Festival gets underway tomorrow with an opening night screening of Barbara Willis-Sweete's Billy Bishop Goes To War. The film about the World War I flying ace Billy Bishop stars Eric Peterson and award-winning writer/composer John Gray, and is based on the hit play co-written by both. Willis-Sweete has been named the 2012 Honourary Director and will be presented with A Best In The Biz Tribute on Sunday, June 24.

Other honours will be a Best In The Biz Tribute to American director Nancy Savoca, Honourary Maverick award to Carol Whiteman (President & CEO, Creative Women Workshops Association; Producer, The Women in the Director’s Chair Program), and the inaugural Life Time Achievement Award to First Nations Documentary Filmmaker, Alanis Obomsawin.

The closing night film will be Nancy Savoca's Union Square. It's about an unexpected reunion between estranged sisters played by Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino and Tammy Blanchard.

Call for submissions: TWAT/fest (Trans Women’s Arts Toronto)

TWAT/fest CALL for SUBMISSIONS!!
TWAT/fest
(Trans Women’s Arts Toronto)

CALL OUT FOR SUBMISSIONS

Due June 10th, 2012

Please distribute widely!

Do you identify as a trans woman (MTF, MAAB genderqueer, transsexual, tgirl, transgender, hijra, travesti, transvestite, woman of transsexual experience, etc etc etc etc etc)?

Do you create fine art? (Film/video, visual art, performance, dance, sculpture, photography, music, and everything else that we create and destroy)

2012 Feminist Porn Awards – winners

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

2012 Edgy Women Festival, Mar 15–Apr 1

The 19th Annual Edgy Women Festival gets underway tonight. It begins with a free launch party starting at 8pm at the Royal Phoenix, 5788 St-Laurent. The evening will include the launch of a feminist zombie anthology, films, presentations and a dance party with DJ DYKE.

In addition to performances and shows, they will be hosting a conference at the Casa Del Popolo, workshops, an opportunity to meet the artists, and a late-night hockey game.

Edgy Women "explores the complexity of contemporary feminism, through fun, experimental, and community-building artistic events. Presented by Studio 303, Edgy Women has blossomed from a 4-day event into a full-blown international festival, featuring a plethora of neophyte and experienced artists in a diverse programme of cutting edge work which is both experimental AND entertaining. Through its performance series, artist talks, and professional workshops, Edgy Women creates a forum for cultural exchange through a thematic context, providing an excellent opportunity for audiences to experience content-driven artwork by women."

Mireille Dansereau Retrospective, March 8-14

As today is International Women's Day, the women's filmmaking group Réalisatrices Équitables is hosting a retrospective of the films of Mireille Dansereau as part of a program called 40 ans de vues rêvées par des femmes (40 years of views dreamed by women).

Dansereau was the first woman director in Quebec, making her debut with La Vie rêvée (The Dreamlife) in 1972. The series begins with this film and continues with her other works including L’Arrache-coeur (Heart Break) and Le sourd dans la ville (Deaf to the City).

The retrospective of Mireille Dansereau continues to March 14 at the Cinémathèque québécoise, 335, boul. De Maisonneuve Est.

Call for submissions: Breast Fest

Breast Fest has put out a call for submissions for their 5th Annual Breast Fest Film & Art Festival.

Breast Fest uses the versatile medium of film to frame and explore the spectrum of issues surrounding breast cancer. This annual festival uses films, panels, workshops and speakers to connect people to the breast cancer cause, inspire dialogue, facilitate learning and foster community. Breast Fest is the world's first film festival dedicated to breast cancer awareness and education and is an initiative of Rethink Breast Cancer.

Rethink Breast Cancer is a Canadian charity helping young people who are concerned about and affected by breast cancer through innovative breast cancer education, research and support programs. Rethink is a national volunteer-driven registered charity with a bold, enterprising and entrepreneurial approach.

2011 Alliance of Women Film Journalists EDA Awards - winners

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists have announced the winners for their 2011 EDA Awards. The EDAs are named in honor of AWFJ founder Jennifer Merin’s mother, actress Eda Reiss Merin, and is also an acronym for Excellent Dynamic Activism.

The Artist continued its winning streak in claiming the most awards with three. It won Best Film, Director and Most Unforgettable Moment for a clinking by a glass. It led the nominations with nine.

Albert Nobbs also picked up three awards including a Female Icon Award for Glenn Close and a shared Best Supporting Actress Award for Janet McTeer. But the third award was actually an anti-award for Most Egregious Love Interest Age Difference, an honour it shared with Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part I.

A number of films were double winners. They were Rango, The Help, Shame, Bridesmaids, Hanna, and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Jessica Chastain won the Outstanding Achievement By A Woman In The Film Industry for her performances in a number of highly acclaimed films.

Alliance of Women Film Journalists' 2011 EDA Awards - nominees

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has announced the nominees for the 2011 AWFJ EDA Awards.

Yet again, the leader going in is the silent film homage from France, The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius. It received nine nominations including Best Film, Director, Original Screenplay and Actor (Jean Dujardin).

Following well behind with six nominations each were Alexander Payne's The Descendants and Martin Scorsese's Hugo. Both were nominated for Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay.

Also nominated for Best Film were Lars von Trier's Melancholia and Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. Von Trier, however, missed out on a Director nomination with Terrence Malick taking the fifth spot.

2011 Women Film Critics Circle Awards - winners

The Women Film Critics Circle has announced their 2011 Awards last night.

The top winner was The Help. It won for Best Movie About Women, Best Actress (Viola Davis), Best Female Ensemble and the Josephine Baker Award "for best expressing the woman of color experience in America." I have issues with how it expresses the "women of color experience" and it isn't actually that good, but it is a fine acting ensemble.

The other top award Best Movie By A Woman was a tie between The Iron Lady and We Need To Talk About Kevin. The Iron Lady also picked up the Best Storyteller Award for its screenwriter Abi Morgan.

The Descendants was a double winner, for Actor George Clooney and Young Actress Shailene Woodley. Albert Nobbs also picked up a pair of prizes for Courage In Acting (Glenn Close) and the Karen Morley Awards "for best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity."

Reading of Judith Thompson’s Big Girl

Event: Reading of Judith Thompson’s Big Girl
, Nightwood Theatre

From the multi-award-winning grand dame of Canadian playwriting comes the new play, Big Girl/The F Word (Working Title) which decodes the communication gap between second wave feminists and young women.Q and A to follow.

Date/Time: Saturday, December 10th at 4:30pm
Location: Nightwood Studio
PWYC (suggested donation $5)