In writer-director Céline Sciamma’s landmark lesbian film Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), set in eighteenth-century France, the young noblewoman Heloïse (Adèle Haenel, who is Sciamma’s former partner) refuses to sit for a portrait. Soon to marry an unknown Milanese man, for whom the portrait is destined, this is the only rebellion she can wage.
Sophie Dowle has compiled a (very loosely ranked) list of great films directed by great women. What are your favourites? Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi (and Vincent Paronnaud) [France/Iran/USA, 2007] A classic, and a must-watch for teenagers searching for their identity. This stunning animation makes you laugh and cry as you follow Marjane’s journey to adulthood via… Continue reading Bluestocking Recommends…Best Films Directed by Women
By Monika Kreile.
How one of the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age became the grandmother of modern wireless technology By Sarah Illingworth. Having come to the attention of Hollywood producers after starring in the first non-pornographic movie to portray sexual intercourse and the female orgasm, Hedy Lamarr went on to co-invent an early form of spread spectrum… Continue reading Hedy Lamarr
By Kate Kingsbury Grace Jones has gained international fame both within the music industry and on screen due to her androgynous image which challenges gender stereotypes and questioning of racial norms. It has been difficult for women in the music and cinematographic industries to escape the strait-jackets of normative gender roles, yet they- more than… Continue reading An Homage to Grace Jones: Icon of Incoherence
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