#MUFFApproved: TIFF 2016

I have been blown away by the on-screen powerhouse female talent and the off-screen powerhouse creators.

Hey! This is Jenn (and Andrea!), and we are at The Toronto International Film Festival this week. We’ve been cramming in as many films as possible, especially women-centric and women-directed (obviously). We’ve got some #MUFFApproved films that you should try to check out over closing weekend or keep an eye out for in the future.

Our top films are Jean of the Joneses, Certain Women, Divines, and Below Her Mouth.

Amma Asante wisely said on Friday’s The Guardian Talks:

“I was finally excited for the opportunity to share MY story on the big screen, to share the London that I grew up in.”

What she is referring to is how our history books, like film, have been controlled by a privileged few who determine what should and should not be included in “our” story.

That story includes how women have been portrayed.

This year at TIFF, I have been blown away by the on-screen powerhouse female talent and the off-screen powerhouse creators. The female characters are complex, not driven solely by romantic end-goals, and have ambitions to climb the ladder in the world.

Certain Women (directed by Kelly Reichardt)

Reichardt wrote, directed, and edited Certain Women. Can we take a moment to appreciate that? When we enter into the narrative, Reichardt really shows us the mundanity (or familiarity) of everyday life—the in-between work that no one seems to care about on screen. However, the film is far from bland. The characters feel instantly recognizable and yet also distant. I don’t think we will ever understand the look that passes between Beth (Kristen Stewart) and Jamie (Lily Gladstone). And that is the beauty: we are not meant to understand but to just pass through their lives.

Divines (directed by Houda Benyamina)

The thing I love most about this film is how sensual it is. I feel Dounia’s anger. And I mean anger, not hysterics or villainy. She swallowed her pride, fought for her friends and family, and chose to rise above the longing we can only assume she had for Djigui. The dancing combined with the perfect soundtrack made this film a MUST SEE! It was beyond deserving of its Camera D’or at Cannes.

Jean of the Joneses (directed Stella Meghie)

Why is it MUFFApproved? Meghie is a Canadian writer director and Jean of the Jonses is her debut feature. It’s an all black, largely female cast telling a mulit-generational story about a dysfunctional family. Also, so Jill Soloway gave the most inspirational talk on Sunday about “the female gaze” and is this it? Complex women characters telling a woman’s story—my excitement is uncontainable. Boom.

What is evident from the films above is how organic and real the characters on screen feel when a story comes straight from the source — i.e. a women telling a women-centric story.

Below Her Mouth (directed by April Mullen, written by Stehpanie Fabrizi)

This is the most highly #MUFFApproved film at TIFF. It is a Canadian made film written and directed by women and completely and absolutely crewed by women. And the story is about a sudden, passionate love affair between two women. All women. All day. Bam. Plus it was filmed in Toronto. Go see this film!!!! It’s absurd that an all-female crew is a rarity when it can be the norml with men. Give these women your eyes, your ears, and your money!

Other great films at TIFF 2016: Marie Curie, Barakah Meets Barakah, Two Lovers and a Bear, Anatomy of Violence.

There’s a lot of buzz these days about women in film. There are panels, there are articles, there are tweets debating the status of women and film. If you are in the film industry reading this, next time think about your cast and crew. Take a step back and really consider how beneficial it is for a film to have a diverse perspective.

But what actually matters, from the perspective of an audience member, is going to films crafted by women, giving them your money, and promoting them. You know, so that women can make more films and we can have more diverse stories.

Let us close with the most fantastic and moving talk I have ever seen by Jill Soloway: THE FEMALE GAZE.

Want to see YOUR work on the MUFF Blog? Check out our submission guidelines and get at us! Live in Toronto? Join us at our next screening!