Alliance of Women Film Journalists

The film #FunnyGirl made Barbra Streisand synonymous with #FannyBrice, but we're remembering the original funny gal on her birthday today. A comedienne, actor, and singer, Brice was a steady headliner of the Ziegfeld Follies and received a posthumous Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

Happy birthday, #WinonaRyder! A Gen X icon since the 1980s (#Beetlejuice, #Heathers, #EdwardScissorhands, #RealityBites), Ryder earned an Oscar nomination for 1993's #TheAgeofInnocence. Anyone streaming #StrangerThings or 1992's #Dracula this Halloween?

Happy birthday to actor, producer, and director #TraceeEllisRoss! Winner of BET, Primetime Emmy, and Golden Globe awards for her leading role on #Blackish, Ross also is known for #Girlfriends, #BlackMirror and #AmericanFiction. What's your favorite role of hers?

We're remembering German film star #ElkeSommer today, who died this week just shy of her 86th birthday. She famously flustered Peter Sellers in 1964's #AShotintheDark but also earned a Golden Globe award opposite Paul Newman in #ThePrize. What's your favorite role of hers?

We're remembering Oscar-nominee #BarbaraBarrie today, who died this week at age 95. Although widely known for 1979's #BreakingAway, Barrie appeared on Broadway, TV, and film in roles that often showcased a dry wit, from #BarneyMiller to #SuddenlySusan. May she rest in peace.

Go watch The Name of the Game, McMillan & Wife, Kate and Allie or even Love at First Bite as a tribute to actress #susanstjames. The Emmy winner and activist passed away this week from pancreatic cancer. The @AWFJ will fondly remember Susan’s free spirit.

Brad Bird's new feature #RayGunn screened at @middleburgfilm. Sam Rockwell, who voices the title character, calls it "Blade Runner meets The Jetsons meets The Maltese Falcon". Find out why AWFJ's Leslie Combemale agrees, giving it 5 out of 5 stars: awfj.org/blog/2026/10/22/ray…

AWFJ's Leslie Combemale reviews @middleburgfilm release #Tangles. She calls director Leah Nelson's feature debut based on queer artist and illustrator Sarah Leavitt's chronicle of her mom's alzheimer's a must-see for fans of artistic cinema: awfj.org/blog/2026/10/22/tan…

AWFJ critics come together to write about kids and horror movies, sharing their own stories and perspectives. Read thoughts from Brandy McDonnell, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Liz Whittemore, and Betsy Bozdech here: awfj.org/blog/2026/10/22/hor…

Opening: Director Gina LeVay's doc #BlindAF Writer/director Marie Kreutzer's drama #Gentlemonster Juliette Binoche starrer, the drama #QueenAtSea More here: awfj.org/blog/2026/10/25/ope…

Filmmaker #AlejandoGonzálezIñárritu is preaching to the choir in #Digger - Birdman for the post-climate catastrophe age. Mix of fantasy and reality is an ambitious artistic endeavour that doesn't quite work. With Tom Cruise. @jen4green.bsky.social reviews: awfj.org/blog/2026/10/20/dig…

Filmmaker #LanceHammer examines fragile line btw protecting someone & overriding their autonomy, & the devastating uncertainty around either choice in #QueenAtSea, an unflinching #GreenwichEntertainment film about love, sex, age, consent. @AprilMac reviews awfj.org/blog/2026/10/23/que…

A wife and mother (Lea Seydoux) must rethink her life and emotions after police come for her husband in #GentleMonster, an intense @netflix drama from #MarieKreutzer about love/ trust/ the war between men & women. It's the @AWFJ #MovieOfTheWeek. Reviews: awfj.org/blog/2026/10/25/mov…

The often-overlooked middle sister, Mary Bennet, in the #PrideandPrejudice household gets her due in the BritBox "sleeper sensation" #TheOtherBennetSister, which @susangranger found empathetic and enchanting. More here. awfj.org/blog/2026/10/14/the…

That's a wrap on the 64th annual #NewYorkFilmFestival, where out of 34 films on the main slate, only nine--or just under 25 percent--were directed by women. @MarBarFu has more. awfj.org/blog/2026/10/14/nyf…

Do you remember your first horror movie? With Halloween around the bend, our reviewers weigh in on the level of fear kids experience during scary movies and how do onscreen blood and gore influence their social expectations. awfj.org/blog/2026/10/22/hor…

The eight-part miniseries #AmericanHostage covers the same true-crime event as the 2025 film Dead Man’s Wire, featuring a standout performance from #JonHamm but otherwise tedious pacing. @susangranger has more. awfj.org/blog/2026/10/22/ame…

In #KlaraandtheSun, #JennaOrtega plays a solar-powered droid who bonds with a brilliant yet ill teen--a premise that director Taika Waititi treats with more wide-eyed whimsy than edge, says @TeejFlix1, but Ortega burns bright. More here. awfj.org/blog/2026/10/22/kla…

Shot with the observational intimacy of cinéma vérité, #QueenatSea centers on a riveting performance by #JulietteBinoche as a caregiving daughter thrust into a complicated situation involving her mother, who has dementia. @AprilMac has more. awfj.org/blog/2026/10/23/que…