Have you stayed longer than you should have in an abusive relationship due to codependency?  Do you recall being anxious all the time without being sure why?  

Filmed in Canada, Alice, Darling, Oscar-Nominated actress, Anna Kendrick (“Alice”) captures the anxious psychology of a woman in an abusive relationship as her friends try to reconnect with her while on a cottage getaway.

When Alice is invited on a cottage trip to celebrate her friend’s birthday, she feels like she has to lie to her charming and successful boyfriend, Simon (Charlie Carrick), telling him that it’s a very important business trip.

Her longtime friends, played by Kaniehtiio Horn (Letterkenny) and Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country) want Alice to enjoy their time together, but she just doesn’t seem present. With Simon continuously texting her, it becomes clear that she’s being closely monitored by him and her phone turns into an overbearing conduit for emotional abuse. Once they realize what’s happening, Alice’s friends try to convince her that her relationship isn’t normal, but she continues to doubt herself, constantly modulating where she goes or what she eats, unable to disconnect from Simon, even though she knows she’s unhappy. As the weekend progresses, not only their friendship hangs in the balance, but also Alice’s safety. The women become entangled in a psychological tug-of-war with Simon, who continues his attempts at excising Alice from those closest to her.

Written by Alanna Francis, returning to TIFF 2022 after 2019’s The Rest of Us, and intelligently realized by Mary Nighy, Alice, Darling captures the apprehension and dread that haunt victims of domestic abuse. Nighy’s direction puts particular focus on the little details that serve as warning signs and, coupled with a meticulous performance from Kendrick, she creates a tense atmosphere that serves as a unique portrait of psychological manipulation and one young woman’s effort to overcome it with the support of her friends.

As accredited media, I was at their TIFF 2022 red carpet premier to talk to Nighy, Noah Segal (co-president at Elevation Pictures Corp), Kendrick (who in part accepted this role after being in her own abusive relationship for over 6 years), Francis, and Carrick about their roles, the importance of bringing this story to the big screen, and lots more!

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Whether you marched in the civil rights movement, personally experience, or know a visible minority who continues to experience racism in our society today (sadly, incidents of crimes against humanity, discrimination and racism are still reported regularly), Sidney is a documentary portrait of the late, great Sidney Poitier. Produced by Oprah Winfrey & Derik and directed by Reginald Hudlin (House Party, Boomerang, Marshall), this piece showcases his films, life story, and litany of accomplishments as an artist and activist who forever changed what it means to be Black in America.

Poitier’s own words provide the narration of his life. Woven together is a rich mix of archive footage and contemporary interviews with a stellar group of interview subjects — from the late cultural critic Greg Tate to Halle Berry, Denzel Washington to Spike Lee, to Barbra Streisand, and Oprah.

Poitier’s contemporaries and the holders of his legacy detail just how extraordinary his rise was, from early failure at the American Negro Theater to Oscar-nominated roles in films like The Defiant Ones, to becoming the living, big-screen embodiment of America’s hopes for racial justice.

Poitier’s rise to stardom occurred in tandem with his commitment to social change, marching for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., and helping to usher Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, a milestone in portraying Black American experience, from Broadway to the big screen.

Watching signature scenes from his films, getting a glimpse of rare footage from his life beyond Hollywood, and seeing how pivotal his life and example has been for so many of today’s icons, it’s clear that there never was and never can be a figure quite like Sidney Poitier.

The movie premiered at TIFF 2022. I was there as accredited media working the red carpet. It was an honor to speak with Reginald, and see in-person Sidney’s wife & daughters, Oprah, Tyler Perry, and Gayle King relay the power and impact of Sidney Potier, who paved the way for them.

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Whether you marched in the civil rights movement, personally experience, or know a visible minority who continues to experience racism in our society today (sadly, incidents of crimes against humanity, discrimination and racism are still reported regularly), Sidney is a documentary portrait of the late, great Sidney Poitier. Produced by Oprah Winfrey & Derik and directed by Reginald Hudlin (House Party, Boomerang, Marshall), this piece showcases his films, life story, and litany of accomplishments as an artist and activist who forever changed what it means to be Black in America.

Poitier’s own words provide the narration of his life. Woven together is a rich mix of archive footage and contemporary interviews with a stellar group of interview subjects — from the late cultural critic Greg Tate to Halle Berry, Denzel Washington to Spike Lee, to Barbra Streisand, and Oprah.

Poitier’s contemporaries and the holders of his legacy detail just how extraordinary his rise was, from early failure at the American Negro Theater to Oscar-nominated roles in films like The Defiant Ones, to becoming the living, big-screen embodiment of America’s hopes for racial justice.

Poitier’s rise to stardom occurred in tandem with his commitment to social change, marching for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., and helping to usher Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, a milestone in portraying Black American experience, from Broadway to the big screen.

Watching signature scenes from his films, getting a glimpse of rare footage from his life beyond Hollywood, and seeing how pivotal his life and example has been for so many of today’s icons, it’s clear that there never was and never can be a figure quite like Sidney Poitier.

The movie premiered at TIFF 2022. I was there as accredited media working the red carpet. It was an honor to speak with Reginald, and see in-person Sidney’s wife & daughters, Oprah, Tyler Perry, and Gayle King relay the power and impact of Sidney Potier, who paved the way for them.

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It’s a topic few want to speak about. Yet, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence that often tears them and their family apart with serious scars.

Barricaded in a motel room, the multi award-winning short film Lioness, now streaming on Omeleto, tells the story of a mother’s determination and primal instincts to protect her child's innocence with only one line of dialogue.

Partially inspired by a true event, Lioness, is a moving and powerful look at the bonds of parenthood in a frightful situation.

As an accredited media sponsor at the 2022 Vaughan International Film Festival’s Short Film Screening, I caught up with Sara Oliva: Actress (playing “The Mother”), Writer, and Producer of the movie to talk about why she created the film, the rise in domestic violence since COVID, how many times it takes to leave an abuser, how far a mother will go to protect her child, and much more!

This film is a must-see for anyone who has personally experienced or knows someone who has been the victim of domestic violence or abuse.  There is help, and a way out. You’re not alone!

 Listen to the full episode on Janette's Tv Podcast!

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It’s a topic few want to speak about. Yet, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence that often tears them and their family apart with serious scars.

Barricaded in a motel room, the multi award-winning short film Lioness, now streaming on Omeleto, tells the story of a mother’s determination and primal instincts to protect her child's innocence with only one line of dialogue.

Partially inspired by a true event, Lioness, is a moving and powerful look at the bonds of parenthood in a frightful situation.

As an accredited media sponsor at the 2022 Vaughan International Film Festival’s Short Film Screening, I caught up with Sara Oliva: Actress (playing “The Mother”), Writer, and Producer of the movie to talk about why she created the film, the rise in domestic violence since COVID, how many times it takes to leave an abuser, how far a mother will go to protect her child, and much more!

This film is a must-see for anyone who has personally experienced or knows someone who has been the victim of domestic violence or abuse.  There is help, and a way out. You’re not alone!

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https://www.youtube.com/@JanettesTV/videos

Women Talking is a 2022 drama film written and directed by Sarah Polley. It is based on the Canadian 2018 novel of the same name by Miriam Toews, and inspired by the gas-facilitated rapes that occurred at the Manitoba Colony, a remote and isolated Mennonite community in Bolivia. It features an ensemble cast that includes Oscar-Winning actresses, Rooney Mara , Claire Foy (young “Queen Elizabeth” in Seasons 1 & 2 of Netflix’s The Crown), Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand, who also served as a producer on the film.

Women Talking premiered at the 49th Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2022, and was released in the United States via select theaters on December 23, 2022, before a wide release on January 27, 2023, by United Artists Releasing. The film received positive reviews from critics, who lauded Polley's screenplay and direction, the performances of the cast (particularly of Foy, Buckley, and Whishaw) and score. It was named one of the top ten films of 2022 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 28th Critics' Choice Awards, 75th Writers Guild of America Awards, and the 95th Academy Awards, where it was also nominated for Best Picture.

In this episode, I take you behind-the-scenes at Tiff (Toronto International Film Festival) 2022 to share with you more about the film, the various ways the women in the film deal with rape & their Mennonite culture in a riveting Q & Q with Polley and the cast minus Frances McDormand who was not in attendance.

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Women Talkingis a 2022 drama film written and directed by Sarah Polley. It is based on the Canadian 2018 novel of the same name by Miriam Toews, and inspired by the gas-facilitated rapes that occurred at the Manitoba Colony, a remote and isolated Mennonite community in Bolivia. It features an ensemble cast that includes Oscar-Winning actresses, Rooney Mara , Claire Foy (young “Queen Elizabeth” in Seasons 1 & 2 of Netflix’s The Crown), Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand, who also served as a producer on the film.

Women Talking premiered at the 49th Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2022, and was released in the United States via select theaters on December 23, 2022, before a wide release on January 27, 2023, by United Artists Releasing. The film received positive reviews from critics, who lauded Polley's screenplay and direction, the performances of the cast (particularly of Foy, Buckley, and Whishaw) and score. It was named one of the top ten films of 2022 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 28th Critics' Choice Awards, 75th Writers Guild of America Awards, and the 95th Academy Awards, where it was also nominated for Best Picture.

In this episode, I take you behind-the-scenes at Tiff (Toronto International Film Festival) 2022 to share with you more about the film, the various ways the women in the film deal with rape & their Mennonite culture in a riveting Q & Q with Polley and the cast minus Frances McDormand who was not in attendance.

Listen to the full episode on Janette's TV Podcast!

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With Passover and Easter upon us, this time of year, we often think about the meaning of freedom, survival, and renewal. Directed by Sally El Hosaini from a screenplay that she co-wrote with Jack Thorne, The Swimmers is a 2022 biographical sports drama film dealing with similar themes. The plot follows the true life story of teenage Syrian refugees Yusra Mardini and her sister Sarah Mardini, who swam alongside a sinking dinghy of refugees to lighten it, and eventually help 18 refugees to reach safety across the Aegean Sea while being smuggled from İzmir towards Lesbos.
Listen to the full episode now!

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With Passover and Easter upon us, this time of year, we often think about the meaning of freedom, survival, and renewal. Directed by Sally El Hosaini from a screenplay that she co-wrote with Jack Thorne, The Swimmers is a 2022 biographical sports drama film dealing with similar themes. The plot follows the true life story of teenage Syrian refugees Yusra Mardini and her sister Sarah Mardini, who swam alongside a sinking dinghy of refugees to lighten it, and eventually help 18 refugees to reach safety across the Aegean Sea while being smuggled from İzmir towards Lesbos.

Subsequent struggles as refugees are vividly depicted, but Yusra Mardini's swimming career sees her reaching the Rio 2016 Olympics as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team. In the final credits, we learn that Sarah in 2016 returned to Lesbos as part of voluntary efforts to assist incoming refugees. She was arrested and faces charges carrying potentially long-term prison sentences, if convicted.

Yusra and Sarah are played by real-life sister Lebanese Actresses, Nathalie Issa & Manal Issa. The film also stars, Ahmed Malek, German Actor, Matthias Schweighöfer (playing The Swimming Coach),  Ali Suliman, Kinda Alloush, James Krishna Floyd and Elmi Rashid Elmi.

November 11, 2022 it was in limited release in cinemas, then shown at the evening gala of the Marrakesh International Film Festival on November 18, 2022, before its streaming release by Netflix, on November 23, 2022.

As accredited media, I was at its world premiere red carpet Gala and Q & A at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2022 to conduct interviews and discuss the status of refugees, freedom, and the importance of pursuing your dreams.

Enjoy this episode with my compliments this Passover/Easter weekend!

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Hunter and Rylee have been besties since kindergarten. They share everything and have developed a level of respect, kinship, and a very strong bond. But when they reunite post-grad, bitter truths emerge threatening to tear their friendship apart.

In this episode, I interview  Jared Marino, Director, Cinematographer, Producer & Writer,
Lead Actresses, Jenna Schaefer  (plays “Rylee”), Clarice Goetz  (plays “Harper”) and Producer, Alyssa Bruno, of the film, Benevolent, at The Vaughan International Film Festival’s 2022  Canadian Short Film Screenings to find out why this multi-nominated and two-time film festival winning movie came to be. We also discuss the impact of female friendship, how women experience friendship differently than men, how friendships evolve & change over time and don’t always survive, the ever-present element of competition & jealousy between Hunter who remained living in their hometown while Rylee moved away to pursue a career, the lack of support shown for choosing different paths, how the women are driven by passion & low self-esteem , why it is important to never turn your back on those who are always there for you, and much more!

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