Fun fact about our guest Blake Berlin - he’s been kidnapped and tortured by Andrea and Devin! For a film of course. Blake is our brilliant actor and writer friend, who produced his first feature this year! Blake picked the iconic, incomparable action-adventure-romance-horror film - the amazing 1999 “The Mummy.” We talk about our deep love of this film, how it’s a feminist film that does not pass the Bechdel test, the comedic genius of Rachel Weisz and all the ways this film still holds up and impresses us! We were so excited to talk about this movie with Blake, especially considering this May is it’s 25th anniversary! Our women in film history was finally the thing we kept wondering if we would accidentally do - we picked the same person! We talk about Aziza Amir, who is hailed as the founder and godmother of Egyptian cinema, and is considered Egypt’s first female film actress and producer, blazing a trail not only for Arab women but Egyptian filmmakers all around! Follow Blake on IMDb and instagram @itsblakeberlin, especially right now as his film “Instead,” which he wrote and produced and starred in AND directed, is hitting the festival circuit starting this weekend on April 28th! We could not be more excited or proud of him! If you love beautiful indy romance dramedies, you’ll want to check out his lovely film, it’s seriously so wonderful guys.

(0:00) Introduction 

(04:58) Icebreakers

(17:11) Women in Film History

(24:13) The Mummy!

Our guest James Dunovan is an editor, writer, director, colorist, and expert in the art of the Irish goodbye. He’s a long-time friend of Andrea and her husband, and is our resident dungeon master and friendly neighborhood nerd, being a gamer in every sense of the word. James picked Stephen Frears’ “High Fidelity,” starring John Cusack, Lisa Bonet, and introducing the world to Jack Black. We discuss how this film brought about a change to the rom-com/dramedy genre, the fantasy of the "perfect woman" and how it damages the woman in question as well as the creator of the fantasy. We talk about how the film objectifies women- and how our lead character tries to learn not to.

This week’s women in film facts are Frances Marion and Helen Hayes, some of the most influential women in history in screenwriting and acting, respectively. You can find more of James at @james.dunovan on instagram, but honestly, if you want the full experience of the talented man that is James? Then you'll have to play D&D with him.

Grab your favorite sweet treat, your sweetheart or a friend or a frenemy or your fur-baby, and join us for our Valentine’s re-watch! Our guest, the bad-ass actress, model and writer Patricia Galvez picked the 2000 film “Chocolat,” as it was one that made a big impact on her life not just as an artist, but as a person, and it just felt so right to have this be our Valentine’s Day episode! This has a star-studded cast, among them Dame Judy Dench, Juliette Binoche, and Alfred Molina to name a few. We discuss how this film tricked people into thinking they were watching a romance film, but really what they got was so much more - a film about the relationships between women, the roles of motherhood, and all the delightful subtle subversiveness woven throughout the film. Patricia and Devin met on a music video shoot very shortly after Patricia moved to Los Angeles, and then reconnected years ago through their training at the martial arts studio Noho MMA. This was a room full of women warriors, you do NOT want to mess with them. We also talk about some of the rom-coms of our childhood, a lot about musical theatre, and making chocolate. This week’s women in film facts are appropriately French in theme, discussing Alice Guy Blaché, who is considered the first female director and filmmaker, and Bridgette Bardot, being both an icon and later marring on her own legacy. You can find Patricia on Instagram @patriciag_03 and check out her IMDb to catch her on a screen near you!   

(0:00) Introduction 

(01:23) Icebreakers

(16:21) Women in Film History

(30:28) Chocolat   

Our guest, the incredibly gracious and talented actress, writer, director Anisha Adusumilli picked the 2021 Canadian dramedy “Donkeyhead,” that is starring, written and directed by female filmmaker Agam Darshi. Anisha and Andrea met as romantic co-leads on the LGBTQ+ series, BIFL, and you can watch all of Season 1 on YouTube right now. For more of Anisha, watch her brilliant performances on the most recent seasons of Grey’s Anatomy and NCIS. Check her out on Instagram @anishaadusumilli to see what this self-described “sweet weirdo” has been working on, because she’s brilliant!

Our guest this week was our quick-witted, clever, and brilliant friend Travis Sentell, who’s an amazing writer and human. Travis picked “Mad Max: Fury Road,” as he is an avid and knowledgeable fan, having hosted his own podcast that was all about this film! We discuss the many (or as many as we can) layers of this film in its messaging about gender roles and dynamics, feminism, climate crises, and all the amazing practical stunts, story-telling, 1980’s comedy films that might horrify us now, and fun behind the scene tidbits! Our women in film history highlights were both appropriately stunt women! We learn about Kitty O’Neal, a 5’2” absolute badass who set so many records in the stunt world and beyond, including holding the women’s land speed record up until 2019! Our next high-falling, trailblazing (literally she also did fire stunts) force of nature woman in film was Jadie David, one of the early African-American stunt women who even after an injury stopped her career in stunt doubling, could not be stopped, as she continued on to make film sets safer and more equitable for all people, and founded A Diamond In The Raw Foundation, which helps at-risk girls empower and transform their lives through educational and mentorship programs! You can find Travis’ writing work on your TV in “Electric Dreams” and “The Thing About Pam,” which was nominated for it’s writing no big deal!! And also through Audible! Follow him on instagram @travissentell or check out his IMDb website to see where you can watch, read, or listen to this wonderful man’s work! https://www.travissentell.com/

(0:00) Introduction 

(06:44) Icebreakers

(15:06) Women in Film History

(28:26) Mad Max: Fury Road   

This week our guest was one of us! Devin sits in the hot seat this week so we can answer our own icebreakers, feeling it’s only fair to our friends who are wonderful enough to come onto the show and get put on the spot :) Her pick was the zombie horror-comedy film “Little Monsters” starring Lupita Nyong’o, which felt appropriate for a spooky season watch! We talk about the feminist failings of the film and what we wish was better, as well as the moments that we still really loved and how Lupita kicks ass! Our women in film history are Helen Gibson, who is considered the first professional stunt woman in film (we’re talking silent era all the way up to the 50s!) and Maria Montez, who is considered the first Dominican American moviestar and was a trailblazer for Latin American actresses. Check out Devin on instagram @devinraebrooke where you can see what she’s working on and her super cute rescue dog, and if you haven’t already, please follow CineFemme’s instagram @cinefemme_podcast ! Hope you enjoy this minisode and getting to know our hosts better! Look out for Andrea's coming soon!

(0:00) Icebreakers

(05:57) Women in Film History

(19:12) Little Monsters Talk

6. This week our guest was one of us! Andrea sits in the hot seat this week so she can answer our own icebreakers, feeling it’s only fair to our friends who are wonderful enough to come onto the show and get put on the spot :) It’s also her birthday month, so what better time to get to know her better! Her pick was the coming-of-age comedy “Booksmart,” wanting to talk about a film that was written by a woman, directed by a woman, and starring and crewed by even more women! We discuss what moments we missed on our first watch of the film that stood out on a rewatch, high school drama, and how this film really works in ways where others fall short. Our women in film history are Lorraine Hansberry, the trail blazing African American playright and activist who authored “A Raisin in the Sun,” and Dorothy Dandridge, the iconic star who's career was marked with triumphs, tragedy, and many trials and broke down barriers for women of color in Hollywood. Check out Andrea on instagram @theandreanelson where you can see not only her bad-ass self but her beautiful baby and family, and if you haven’t already, please follow CineFemme’s instagram @cinefemme_podcast ! 

(0:00) Introduction & Icebreakers

(14:05) Women in Film History

(24:18) Booksmart Discussion

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! It’s our Halloween special episode, with our amazing ethereal guest Amber guiding us through our spooky season watch of the 1992 and 2021 Candyman movies! This was a very fun watch, with our guest Amber being a horror film aficionado, Halloween being Devin’s favorite season (yes it’s a season in her house) and Andrea not being someone who really watches horror films and watched not one, but TWO to discuss! Amber is an artist, educator, writer and cosplayer. If you haven’t seen her amazing cosplay work, then go find her right now on social media - seriously you're already on your phone! Her cosplay pieces are truly works of art and huge labors of love, follow her cosplay on instagram at @demonslay.her and on TikTok @ohcult. You can also see her artwork @ohcult.studio on instagram - it's stunning! Go support this amazing artist and highschool teacher! Our teachers need extra love guys. We talk about the movies our parents didn’t notice us watching as children, the playing of summoning games (again as children, hey kids are weird), the feminist triumphs and failings of the first Candyman film and how it compares to the most recent 2021 film in the series. Our women in film history fun facts are themed appropriately, being Cassandra Peterson who played the horror host Elvira, and Milicent Patrick, a groundbreaking and sadly overlooked creature creator, animator, actress and makeup artist. We hope you enjoy this episode and have a frightfully delightful Halloween! And remember, be careful what you say in the mirror…Candyman…

(0:00) Introduction 

(03:24) Ice Breakers

(10:45) Women in Film History

(35:20) Candymen Talk

 Our guest, the delightful, intelligent, and intrepid Australian actor, writer, and producer Zac Garred picked the 1997 film “Boogie Nights”, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring too many talented people to list here - seriously the cast list is insane. Zac is one of Devin’s favorite humans, being her Australian brother from another mother. We look at Julianne Moore’s role as Amber Waves, the matriarchal figure of the odd family of the characters in “Boogie Nights,” and happened to record this episode in the film's 25th anniversary year of 2022! The breadth of our conversation is vast, talking about “The Matrix” to “Ace Ventura" and our own love of filmmaking, to Aussie slang and other cross-cultural experiences growing up in the US versus Australia. Zac, being a history major at university, brings his own women in film fact to the table - the Australian trailblazing powerhouse Annette Kellerman, and we also learn about Erika Lust and Jacky St James who are feminist filmmakers in the porn industry today and how they’re changing the game, as well as the first Chinese-American film star Anna May Wong. You can find Zac in a Netflix queue near you, starring in the action packed Australian sci-fi films Occupation and Occupation Rainfall, as well as many more projects to come this year - check out his newest film trailer “Bring Him to Me” with none other than Jurassic Park's Sam Neill! Some may recognize him from his villainous work on General Hospital as well. Check out his IMDb and find him on social media @zacgarred on Instagram and @ZJGarred on whatever they’re calling Twitter these days. 

(0:00) Introduction

(07:52) Ice Breakers

(22:13) Women in Film History

(49:06) Boogie Nights Talk

Our guest, the brilliantly funny, multi-talented Gwen Carole picked the 2004 comedy “Mean Girls,” written by Tina Fey, starring so many talented people, including of course Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, and also Tina Fey herself. Gwen and Devin met we-can’t-remember-how-many-years ago on a horror-comedy short film, and have stayed connected since! We discuss the successes and failings of the film, its impact on comedy and feminism, and our own past teen angst. This week’s women in film history are the women of SNL and the incomparable trailblazing comedian Moms Maybley. You might recognize Gwen from her TikTok brilliant videos of “ancient dancer dances to/acts out [insert film/TV dance moment here]” - if you haven’t seen them, treat yourself to her social media on TikTok @gwencarole or on Instagram of @gwendolynstagram right now. Seriously, go check out her videos! You’re already on your phone!

(0:00) Introduction

(06:29) Ice Breakers

(14:05) Women in Film History

(24:50) Mean Girls Talk