In "Joy joy nails" unusual close-ups and adept cinematography combine the claustrophobic feelings of a confined workplace with the eerie lighting from the city's streets, its buses and subways. “Joy Joy Nails,” directed by New Yorker Joey Ally, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at a Queens nail salon from the viewpoint of its employees, most of whom are Korean. Subtitles (in the foreign film tradition) help convey what they’re

One of the best things about Tribeca (this film premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Festival recently) are the more character-driven independent films that get screened there. One example of this is “My Art,” written, directed and starring Laurie Simmons. Simmons of course falls into that underrated category of “Female Director” that thankfully Tribeca recognizes more and more each year. The story of the film revolves around “Ellie"

The Tribeca Film Festival ended on Sunday and, once again, proves what a great outlet for women-made films it is. “The Boy Downstairs,” by newcomer Sophie Brooks, was one of those entertaining and smart films. I had the pleasure of speaking with Brooks about her Tribeca, and feature film debut, as both writer and director.

Brooks is a graduate of the NYU Tisch

The short film genre and female filmmakers are usually two areas that don’t get enough attention ... till now. Just ask Susie Singer Carter. The current quadruple-threat of filmmaking is right in the middle of the festival circuit with her short “My Mom and the Girl." The story about a young woman dealing with a parent suffering with Alzheimers is both a professional and personal project for the writer/director/producer

Most first time writer/directors usually take on a short film or several short films before attempting something larger, much less a full-length feature that includes an Oscar-nominated actor. Such was not the case with writer/director/producer and actress Victoria Negri. This quadruple threat has not only accomplished what people double her age (and opposite her sex) haven’t even attempted

Self-actualization is her. Not only has Illeana Douglas become one of the most recognized faces in film but she’s run the creative decathlon as writer, director and producer, recently becoming a movie host and best-selling author and collaborating with distributor Kino Lorber on a multi-disc series of female filmmakers from the beginning of the twentieth century, a vibrant tribute to the women who’ve helped open doors for people like Illeana as well as other women in film.

Before Spielberg, Scorsese and Coppola, there was Sidney Lumet. The six-time Oscar-nominated director brought us the best films in almost every genre including mystery (“Murder on the Orient Express”), courtroom drama (“The Verdict”), crime (“Dog Day Afternoon”), political thriller (“Fail-Safe”) and even musical (“The Wiz”). He’s also perhaps the only director whose career is bookended by two great films