Kiwi filmmaker Juliet Bergh's new sci-fi flick "Existence" was written up on the Kiwi site Bearing News, which says,
The film, written and directed by Juliet Bergh, dips into the relatively modern genre of “salvagepunk,” a theme that explores post-apocalyptic worlds and dystopian societies. In “Existence,” young mother Freya lives with her two children, husband and father-in-law on a windy, ruined coastline. Opposite the ocean is an ominous, ever-running wind farm, accompanied by an electrically-charged fence called the Boundary Fence. The Fence is guarded by cowboy-esque law enforcers, titled The Riders, whose sole duty is to make sure none of Freya’s people get through the gate. Freya, desperate for freedom, enters into a physical relationship with one of these Riders, hoping he will allow her access to the “other side.”
New Zealand Film reported recently that "Existence" will screen in Hanoi, and was made as part of the New Zealand Film Commission’s low-budget Escalator scheme.
Speaking of sci-fi, Inside Movies recently ran an article discussing female sci-fi directors amidst the outpouring of director suggestions for the new "Star Wars" films Disney's going to make. In that article, my fave lady from Australia Briony Kidd ("The Room at the Top of the Stairs") along with Maureen Perkins ("Laura Keller – NB"), Lynn Hershman Leeson ("Teknolust") and Letia Clouston ("Broken Toy") were interviewed about their feelings on women and the new "Star Wars". Leeson says things like,
“It’s about time this story takes on a real and vital transfusion which will only happen with an empowered female director — like Miranda July or me!” Hershman Leeson exclaimed. “While there is a new understanding that women too buy tickets, I don’t think a significant shift will occur until an enlightened woman team also directs and rewrites the characters.”
Incidentally, Perkins won Best Film for "Laura Keller" at the first Etheria Film Festival, at which Leeson was a judge. Small world! (my small world).
Continuing on sci-fi news, "Cloud Atlas" was reviewed by Thelma Adams and cross-posted on Women and Hollywood, where Adams says things like,
In the "Cloud Atlas" universe, the us-versus-them split that often characterizes Hollywood discussions about women is beside the point. In the six narrative threads braided into the film, the boundary is not between male and female but between good and evil. Those who enslave, exploit, or degrade are not restricted to a specific sex (or age or race), and they write their fates with their actions. It's up to those who salvage, fight against injustice, and create to remake the world every day and in every generation. The chaos between these elements, the dynamic, is what makes all the variety that is life in the past, present, and future. Today, you may be a sister fighting bitterly with another sister (I am!); in your next life, you might be married to that person (eek!). The trick is to resolve the conflict and to understand that the battle isn't between male and female but between darkness and light, extermination and survival.
Watch Wachowski talk about being a transgendered person and on being seen as a woman in the industry:
When Heather talks to Wes Craven, she gains some understanding of how and why Nancy was created to be who she was. This is in conjunction with how fans feel about Nancy. All sentiments from here on out truly pay homage to her strength and how she has inspired others to be fearless in the face of fear.
You can listen to Katie Toomey talk about the sci-fi film she recently edited,"Ingenue", directed by Kate Chaplin, on That Post Show. Toomey herself directed a short horror film called "He Who Watches" – the incestuous world of women directors stikes again!
Ali Scher's sex-and-gender-bending fantasy "The Maiden and The Princess" won Best Lesbian Film at the Hamburg International Queer Film Festival!
At the recent Salty Horror Film Festival, Emily Lou's comedic horror "The Selling" won Best Feature Film!
Katie Yu's short fantasy "Anna- May Got Lost" won Best Canadian Short Award from the National Film Board of Canada!
And Jen and Sylvia Soska's "American Mary" takes home Best Director, Best Canadian Feature, Best Leading Actress, Best Cinematography, Bets Antihero, and Most Disturbing Film at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival.
The post So Much News: Women-Directed Kiwi and Aussie Sci-fi, Heather Langenkamp, and New Festival Winners! appeared first on Planet Etheria.
