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VOOZH | about |
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VOOZH | about |
Have you ever read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl? If yes, what do you remember about it? I read it as a kid, maybe eleven or twelve, and haven’t revisited it since. The main part I remember is her crush on Peter, which probably speaks to the state of my pre-adolescent preoccupations more than anything.
Curiously, and somewhat hauntingly, I also remember thinking Anne survived the Holocaust when I read the Diary as a kid.… read more.
Before the screening began, I realized I was bringing my own history with Frida Kahlo into the theater. As a child, she was one of the first women artists whose work genuinely moved me. I encountered her paintings in museums long before I understood their historical context, and later discovered her life and work through Julie Taymor’s 2002 film Frida.… read more.
In Boots Riley’s latest absurdist film I Love Boosters, clothes do indeed make the (wo)man. The film follows a group of shoplifters (Keke Palmer as Corvette, Naomi Ackie as Sade, Taylour Paige as Mariah, and Poppy Liu as Jianhu) as they target stores stocking the clothes of Demi Moore as prominent designer Christie Smith.… read more.
The Devil Wears Prada is among the most quotable and iconic films of all time. It remains ever-present in pop culture and everyday comedic conversation. The Devil Wears Prada 2, builds on the success of the very iconic 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada. In the wake of the sequel’s release, many fans have revisited the iconic lines of dialogue the world— even two decades later– can’t stop quoting.… read more.
On Saturday, May 23, the Cannes Film Festival awarded an honorary Palme d’Or on its final night of festivities. This honor is a prestigious one, given to only the most accomplished members of the film industry. Past recipients include Agnès Varda, Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, and other legends working both in front of the camera and behind it.… read more.
Last weekend, I headed out with a few FF2 team members to see Ask E. Jean, an incredible new documentary directed by Ivy Meeropol about E. Jean Carroll—the iconic journalist and advice columnist who is also the only woman to beat Donald Trump twice in court.
News has just broken that the Supreme Court has launched a criminal investigation into E.… read more.
After a sold out premiere followed by an extended run at NYC’s famous Public Theater (which FF2 Media covered in 2022) *Suffs* moved to Broadway in the spring of 2024 to uproarious crowds and won multiple Tony Awards.
With book, music, and lyrics by Shaina Taub, *Suffs Musical* follows the story of Alice Paul and the National Women’s Party as they fight for the right to suffrage (with Shaina Taub playing the role of Alice Paul).… read more.
It’s hard to appreciate “visibility,” because most of us don’t recognize how much we take our own visibility for granted. For Alice Wong, though, visibility was of insurmountable importance. The possibility of being “visible” was a source of hope and optimism, and its denial fueled her anger.… read more.
Julia Ducournau, one of our era’s most prolific horror filmmakers, has ventured both deeper into and then beyond the genre with her new film, Alpha, which has just recently become available for streaming. Intimately documenting the complex and intertwining relationships between Alpha (the young protagonist played by Mélissa Borosas) and her mother (Golshifteh Farahani) and her uncle (Tahar Rahim), Julia’s newest film is about what it means to love someone—and, therefore, to worry about them. … read more.
Watching this year’s Academy Awards nominees for Best Production Design, what stayed with me was not just the scale of the worlds created, but how completely I believed in them. Across this year’s lineup, the environments feel less like constructed sets and more like spaces that extend beyond the frame.
In films like Frankenstein, the world does not call attention to itself as design.… read more.
“A combination requiem mass, séance, revival meeting, metaphysical lecture, rock concert, and autobiographical one-woman (plus band and choir) show.” (Vogue 2017)
That’s how Vogue described Animal Wisdom in 2017, the now near-canonical experimental performance piece that introduced many to Heather Christian: a writer, composer, performer, and now a newly minted 2025 MacArthur Fellow.… read more.
Anne B. Real, the feature film presented at Chicago’s SWAN Day 2026 program, attests to how Anne Frank’s words – originally written in her diary between 1942 and 1944 – continue to resonate almost a century later, inspiring and the uplifting the voices of women and girls in our own era.
Founded in 2004, SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now), continues to host various events around the world during Women’s History Month to support women artists across creative disciplines and create community engagement with their work.… read more.
The Perfect Neighbor (2025) is an incredibly tough watch. Following the lead up to the murder of Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old Black mother of four who was shot and killed by her white neighbor, Susan Lorincz, in 2023, the film is aggravating and heartbreaking.
I experienced watching this documentary in theatres, followed by a panel discussion that featured the production crew including Geeta Gandbhir, the producer and director, and Viridiana Lieberman, the film’s editor.… read more.
When Diane Keaton passed away on October 11, 2025, it seemed as though the entire world immediately rose up to offer tribute, and we — at FF2 — were no different. We knew that when the next International SWAN Day rolled around on March 28, 2026, Diane Keaton would be our “American Icon.” No one could compete with her, and there was never any doubt!… read more.
The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature has only existed for twenty-five years. In this short timespan, only 49 of the 243 nominees in the top three categories — Director, Screenwriter, &/or Producer — have been women (~ 20%). Remarkably, 14 of these women (~ 29%) were nominated in 2026’s 98th Academy Awards cycle.… read more.
From exploring her cultural heritage to the role of Native women, Wendy began working as a visual artist to reflect on her upbringing and early life. She was raised on the Apsáalooke (Crow) reservation in Montana, and today, her work draws from discoveries in archival records, oral tradition, and a deep-rooted passion for adding to public knowledge about her ancestry.… read more.
Cabaret, cultural criticism, care. These are some of the words Justin Vivian Bond uses to describe their dynamic performance style. Calling them a singer, stage performer, or visual artist would not be enough. Whether belting operatic standards or riffing with piano accompanists, Justin Vivian’s delicate y6balance of wit, distinct vocal style, and stage presence make each performance transformative.… read more.
The Oscars’ non-acting awards— since the industry’s conception— have overwhelmingly been awarded to men. This disproportionate distribution is no secret to the women who are in or breaking into the film industry, who often face the disadvantages of this gender divide.… read more.
When I first began reading about Gala Porras-Kim’s work, I was struck by how quietly it asks for attention. There is nothing flashy or declarative about her practice. Instead, it unfolds slowly, almost patiently, asking us to pause and reconsider the systems we often take for granted—museums, archives, and the institutional frameworks that claim to preserve history.… read more.
Part of the joy of attending a film festival is getting to know the volunteers that keep the festival running smoothly. After watching Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, a volunteer I had befriended hurried up to me as I emerged into the lobby, asking if I needed any tissues. Worriedly, she said that many other people had cried, but none as much as I had.… read more.
