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After 34 films, Steven Spielberg finally broke down. Not emotionally but cinematically.

Documentarian Gabriela Cowperthwaite is no stranger to danger stemming from upsetting those in powerful and moneyed positions. Her 2013 film Blackfish, which detailed the systemic abuse of captive orcas at SeaWorld, and involved no small amount of clandestine shooting, brought plenty of threats her way.

Spanning nineteen years, The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone reveals the memories of Georgie Stone, an Australian transgender teen as she helps change laws, affirms her gender, finds her voice, and emerges into adulthood. Australian director Maya Newell – whose 2013 documentary, Gayby Baby, followed four children of LGBQTI families –  began filming Georgie and her family six years ago, after hearing about her advocacy and wanting to document the teenager’s point of view.

The Joker, the longtime foil of superhero Batman both in comic books and onscreen, is known for his anarchic sense of humor. But an independent film made much in that same spirit, writer-director-star Vera Drew’s outrageously imaginative The People’s Joker is finding its attempted fair-use satirical exploitation of that same character muffled.

Japanese writer and director Kôji Fukada is no stranger to international film festivals. In 2016, his film Harmonium was selected to be presented at the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard.

The AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) hate crimes which spiked at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to occur all over the country. The victims are usually the most vulnerable – the elderly or women.

Three-time Golden Globe winner Jennifer Lawrence returns to her indie roots in the upcoming drama Causeway, taking on roles both in front of and behind the camera as leading lady and producer.   More recently known for such mainstream fare as Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games and X-Men franchises, American Hustle, Passengers, and Red Sparrow, Lawrence began her career in the critically acclaimed indie film Winter’s Bone, in 2011.

The clothes that adorn the actors on such iconic TV shows such as And Just Like That…, Succession, Euphoria, or past hits including Sex and the City, Mad Men, Killing Eve, or Girlfriends Guide to Divorce, are as integral to the storyline as the spoken dialogue that brings everything to life. In many cases, what the characters wear has influenced mainstream fashion, while the words they spout can stop a trend dead in its tracks.

  HFPA journalists Elisabeth Sereda and Janet Nepales sat down to reflect on their experiences at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, which came to an end this past weekend. They touch on everything from the surprise win for the documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, some of the red carpet fashion trends from the likes of Timothée Chalamet and Cate Blanchett, and the controversy surrounding Olivia Wilde's new film Don't Worry Darling - and more.

Few movies and television shows celebrate Black culture and portray the issues they face in their lives. And often, only African-American culture is displayed, rather than Black African or Black Latino.