Always On Film

Welcome back for Season 2! We’re so happy to have you with us for another season. To kick things off, Immi, Kitty and Lou are taking you through some of the key female figures who have shaped the film industry, from Alice Guy-Blaché, widely recognised as the first recorded female film director, and her groundbreaking film La Fée aux Choux (The Cabbage Fairy), all the way to Kathryn Bigelow’s history-making Oscar win and the influential women making their mark today. We’ll be exploring their stories, achievements and the barriers they broke along the way, celebrating the women who have helped shape film as we know it. Watch La Fée aux Choux (The Cabbage Fairy) here: https://youtu.be/-Ewo-jcNYRI?si=QClFB__SA7sUDlkn , and find our research resources below: Immi’s Section: BFI Article https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/female-gaze-100-overlooked-films-directed-by-women? AFI Article https://www.afi.com/news/alice-guy-blache-afi-catalog-spotlight/ Harvard Gazette Article https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2003/11/radcliffe-fellow-explores-early-female-film-pioneers/? Science Institute Article https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/where-are-my-children-public-health-in-the-movies/? AFI Catalog https://catalog.afi.com/Film/14392-WHERE-ARE-MY-CHILDREN?cp=1&pos=0&sid=ee081118-cfbe-423f-86f6-f88b70537736&sr=4.887564& BFI Article https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-with-early-women-filmmakers? BFI Player https://player.bfi.org.uk/rentals/film/watch-the-marvellous-mabel-normand-the-leading-lady-of-film-comedy-2018-online AFI Article https://www.afi.com/news/mabel-normand-afi-catalog-spotlight/? UCLA Article https://cinema.ucla.edu/touring-series/directed-by-dorothy-arzner-tour-2003/ Harvard Article https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2003/11/radcliffe-fellow-explores-early-female-film-pioneers/? Kitty’s section: Bechdel Test Online https://bechdeltest.com Alison Bechdel interview on the origins of the test https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/02/alison-bechdel-test-dykes-to-watch-out-for-cartoonist-interview Lou’s section: The Celluloid Ceiling - 28th Edition https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-Celluloid-Ceiling-Report.pdf USC Annenberg - 2024 was a historic year for women in film https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/2024-was-historic-year-women-film USC Annenberg - DEI is DOA: Hollywood’s lack of progress toward inclusion https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/dei-doa-hollywoods-lack-progress-toward-inclusion USC Annenberg - Was 2023 the year of the woman director? Survey says… no https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/was-2023-year-woman-director-survey-says%E2%80%A6-no

In our second episode from the BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, we present two engaging conversations around Lunar Sway, a striking feature that celebrated its world premiere at the festival. We’re joined by writer-director Nick Butler, who reveals how the script came together in just a week and was brought to life in an ambitious 20-day shoot, alongside lead actors Noah Parker and Liza Weil, who star as Cliff and Marg. A dark comedy, the film follows Cliff, a lonely drifter in a desert town whose fragile routine is upended by the arrival of his con-artist birth mother. Across both conversations, we explore the intensity of the fast-paced production, the film’s dreamlike surrealism and its impact on Cliff’s sense of identity, and what it meant for the team to experience the energy of a live audience at its world premiere for the very first time. Check out https://www.cloudypicturesinc.com/ to track all movement and updates on Lunar Sway! *Emily Atef is the director of More Than Ever, the film Liza mentions at 37:22.

Always on Film had the immense privilege of covering press at this year’s BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, where we spoke with the brilliant Alex Burunova about her debut feature, Satisfaction. The film traces the relationship between Lola (Emma Laird) and Philip (Fionn Whitehead) across two timelines and locations, as questions of identity, truth, and credibility are gradually unearthed. In our conversation, Alex reflects on the dedication behind bringing the project to life, why Emma and Fionn were the perfect pairing for these roles, and the importance of women owning their truth, their art, and their story.

This week it’s just your Always on Film hosts, Louelle, Immi, and Kitty, chatting all things movies, snacks, and cinema crushes. We kick things off with the ultimate salty versus sweet popcorn debate and share our go-to snacks for a perfect film night. From Kitty’s love of the Prince Charles Cinema and the Everyman on the Canal to Immi’s soft spot for Dog Day Afternoon at the Curzon, we talk about the places that make watching films feel special. We dive into our hottest takes, debating what’s over or underrated and how early 2000s films were marketed compared to how they might be promoted today. We also revisit big franchises like Jurassic Park and discuss well-known movies that seem to have slipped from memory. Things get nostalgic as we share our first celebrity crushes, from Hayden Christensen to Immi’s animated love for Kovu. We chat about recent watches, including the anniversary screening of The Sound of Music, and catch up on the latest film news, from the end of The Conjuring universe to the future of Downton Abbey. We also talk about how more TV shows are wrapping up with a final film, Erik Kripke bringing back the Supernatural cast for The Boys season 5, and Kitty’s review of Le Bonheur at the Prince Charles Cinema. To finish, we look ahead to upcoming releases we cannot wait to see, including Stephen King’s The Long Walk, Guillermo del Toro’s new Frankenstein, and Robert Eggers’ mysterious Werewolf. So grab your popcorn, sweet or salty, and join us for a fun, film-filled catch-up.