Reel Stories
Female & Non-Binary Filmmakers To Know
Female and Non-Binary Media Makers
International Women’s Day
We're partnering with Genero & Luna to host an epic International Women's Day! On March 8, we're kicking off the event at 6 PM with the premiere of our student board's documentary, #TeensToo, a film about growing up in the era of #TimesUp & #MeToo movements. Following this short is the Reel Stories debut of Nevertheless created by Emmy Award winning filmmaker Sarah Moshman. Nevertheless dives deep into the intimate stories of 7 individuals who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. To cap off these premieres, we're holding a panel with Academy Award winning director Brenda Chapman, Award winning [...]
The Genius of Grace and Frankie
I first stumbled upon this show while looking for something new to watch on Netflix. Going into a show with no idea what it is can be one of the scariest kinds of adventures. However, once I watched the pilot, I was hooked. Grace and Frankie is a show about two women who become best friends as they go through a big change in their lives: their husbands leave them for each other. These two leading ladies are brilliant characters, Grace is the responsible friend and Frankie is the wild. The show stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, both extremely [...]
All the Psychic Space
For the past 7 years, I’ve been working with and training the next generation of female and gender non-conforming filmmakers. I have learned so much from working with these teens and I know our future will be in good hands if we can survive the present. For the past few months, we have been working with an elite team of female and gender non-conforming filmmakers as they produce a documentary about their experiences while coming of age in the Times Up and Me Too era. What has struck me the most with seeing these young women in action is recognizing [...]
“Subira” Film Review
I recently had the honor to watch the film “Subira” and was blown away by how beautiful the shots were that introduced the film. The storyline and plot didn’t fail to impress me either. It is an incredible story of a young woman overcoming outside judgement and pressure to be a certain way. The main character lives in Kenya in a culture that has strict expectations and traditions of what women should do and how they should act. It is an incredible film of how a woman, Subira, overcomes those stereotypes and restraints. It was overall very inspiring and motivating. [...]
Spotlight on Olivia Wilde Directorial Debut-Mill Valley Film Fest
On Friday, October 4th, the Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) honored Olivia Wilde with the directorial debut award for the coming of age comedy Booksmart. At 8:00 pm, the multi-generational audience assembled in the red velvet rows of the San Rafael Film Center. The lights dimmed and the first 10 minutes of Booksmart played. The witty dialogue insinuated consistent laughter from the film veterans above the age of 60 to the aspiring adolescent filmmakers. Following the preview, Zoe Elton, MVFF Director of Programming, lead a discussion with Wilde on breaking minority barriers in the film industry and directing a successful [...]
“Alternative Facts” Documentary Review
This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to watch Alternative Facts directed by Jon Osaki. I also had the opportunity to work on a scene within the film itself. Although the scene I helped work on was only in the film for half a minute, there was still a sense of pride knowing I had contributed. Regardless of whether or not I worked on the film, it was still an incredible and moving documentary. Alternative Facts goes over the events that followed after World War II, when families and communities were seen as enemies and against the U.S. government. Lack [...]
My Tour Of Pixar
As a student board member at Reel Stories, I had the amazing opportunity to experience a tour of Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California. Living only fifteen minutes away from Pixar Studios, I have met dozens of people who either work there or have family or friends who work there, some holding high-level positions in the production of these films, others even taking on the roles of characters in these loveable animations. Although I drive only blocks away from Pixar several times a week, I have never had the opportunity to enter its gates and venture into the world where [...]
Oil Money Donated to MEN in Support of Women’s Rights…Shocking🙄
Last week a newsletter came in to my inbox with the headline “Chevron gives $5M to honor men promoting gender diversity.” My first reaction was “WHAT???” and now, a week later, I haven’t calmed down ONE BIT, especially after digging into this a bit more. According to the article, Chevron itself has a problem with gender diversity as does the entire field: “Oil and gas has one of the lowest shares of women in the workforce among major industries, 22%, ahead of only construction.” Wouldn’t the money be better used to train women and/or promote women in these fields? Especially [...]
“Runaways” Review
Runaways has quickly become one of my favorite shows on television. It features a diverse cast of interesting characters, great acting, and an on-the-edge-of-your-seat storyline. The plot revolves around six high-schoolers, who although were once friends, have fallen out of touch throughout the years. They discover their parents are in charge of a secret organizations with mal intentions, while simultaneously finding out that some possess supernatural abilities. The kids then embark on a mission to get revenge for the victims of their parent’s operations, as well as prevent the organization from any further destructive work. Although at first the characters [...]
