Female Filmmakers at SXSW Face a Familiar Challenge: Funding

With South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin’s rearview mirror, some of its most talented female filmmakers still have a long road ahead to bring their movies to public screens. Even the women who clinched premieres at one of America’s most prestigious festivals have to hustle to support their craft.

“The streaming channels that dominate global viewership are no longer buying many smaller or risk-taking projects,” wrote Keri Putnam of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center.

“The number one challenge is fundraising,” said Anayansi Prado, director of Uvalde Mom, which premiered at SXSW and tells story of Angeli Rose Gomez made worldwide headlines during by jumping a fence during a school shooting and racing in unarmed to save her two young sons.

Centuries After Christine de Pizan Wrote a Book Railing Against Misogyny, Taylor Swift Is Building Her Own ‘City of Ladies’

In her work, Taylor Swift has taken inspiration from women of the past, including actress Clara Bow, socialite Rebekah Harkness and her grandmother Marjorie Finlay, who was an opera singer.

But sometimes I wonder what the 34-year-old pop star would think of the life and work of Italian-born French writer Christine de Pizan.

Back in the 15th century, Christine—who scholars customarily refer to using her first name, because “de Pizan” simply reflects her place of birth, and she may not have had a last name—dealt with her share of “dads, Brads and Chads,” just as Swift has in the 21st century.

Sabrina Carpenter Gets to the Point of Sexual Expression: Fun and Enjoyment

Sabrina Carpenter’s “sexual revolution” is not unprecedented; in fact, it has been paved for her. Yet, there is still something refreshing—and controversial—about her sexual expression that uniquely contributes to the constant effort of normalizing and embracing female sexuality through art. And perhaps it boils down to a simple truth: Carpenter is making it explicitly clear she enjoys sex, and she’s having fun with it.

‘Adolescence’ Is a Cautionary Tale of the Male Rage and Isolation Fueled by the Manosphere

Adolescence is a powerful cautionary tale about the destructive forces of the manosphere and the isolation many young boys face today. Through the lens of Jamie’s tragic journey, the show illuminates the profound impact of online misogyny, social media and a culture that discourages vulnerability in young men. As both a fictional story and a reflection of the real lives I’ve encountered, it serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for adults—teachers, parents and communities—to guide boys through the confusion of adolescence and protect them from harmful online influences.

If we fail to act, the tragedy we see in Adolescence may become a reality for more young men.

Why Weren’t Women Allowed to Act in Shakespeare’s Plays?

Numerous English theatergoers considered seeing women on the public stage for the first time a pivotal moment.

The role of Desdemona, the devoted, loving wife murdered by her husband in Othello, wasn’t performed by a woman until 1660—about six decades after Shakespeare wrote the play. This is because when Shakespeare was writing for the early modern stage, young men and boys performed all the women’s parts.

‘Uvalde Mom’ Shows the Courage of Angeli Rose Gomez—and the Failure of Texas Leaders

Premiering at SXSW, Uvalde Mom follows Angeli Rose Gomez, the mother who defied police inaction to save her children during the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. The documentary not only captures her heroic actions but also reveals the relentless harassment she faced from local authorities in the aftermath. Through Gomez’s story, the film exposes systemic failures, community trauma and the power of mothers who refuse to stay silent.

Entitlement, Harassment and Retaliation: The Justin Baldoni Story

The legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has been messy. There are several players, including multi-billionaire Steve Sarowitz, who is furnishing near-unlimited resources for Baldoni’s legal and PR crusades, a variety of complaints in several courts, and misinformation spreaders all over social media. Coverage has been rife with misogynistic and confusing storytelling. Baldoni and Jamey Heath (the CEO of Baldoni’s studio) have made (profitable) careers out of being male feminists, and this battle endangers their carefully crafted public personas.

This piece aims to add context at a time when Baldoni continues to play his cases out in the press. It is for a court to decide whose claims are most legally compelling, but I am going to sketch out Baldoni’s feminism, the movie release and controversy, ongoing court cases, and Lively’s allegations and Baldoni’s meager responses—so that readers might find, as I do, that this battle actually looks quite similar to what happens any time a woman stands up for herself against a well-resourced man. 

The Witch Hunts of Abortion Providers: How Reproductive Care Became a Crime

St Walburga of Eichstatt with Nuns

In 1618, in the German town of Eichstätt, Anna Harding was interrogated repeatedly about her life and abortion practice, sometimes under torture.

Harding worked as a healer for decades. She and other women like her had their ordinary medical practices transformed into evidence of magic by misogynist fantasies of male interrogators and a larger cultural shift that sought to control female sexuality in the interests of Church and state. Abortion became associated with witchcraft because it was a routine part of women’s lives and healing practices.