New Female Voices
words by Marko Grba Singh
Chantal Akerman once remarked in Venice that the line between documentary and fiction is merely an administrative label. In 2022, her “Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” topped the BFI Sight & Sound poll, finally ending the decades-long reign of “Citizen Kane” and “Vertigo”. The recognition of her feminist vision as the greatest film of all time was more than symbolic – it showed that new voices can redefine what cinema is.
Although it would be wonderful to live in a world without labels – one where a separate category for female filmmakers wouldn’t be necessary – discrimination, violence, and inequality still shape our lives. New Female Voices showcases films that embody diverse forms of resistance: a space where tenderness and rage meet, and where memory and identity are explored through bold and original film languages.
“When the Phone Rang” reflects on both personal and collective trauma in the wake of a disintegrated homeland, through one girl’s memories of 1990s Yugoslavia. In “Phantom Youth“, two girls from rural Kosovo face the challenges of postwar transition. “Caravan“, drawn from the director’s own life, is a moving road film about maternal love clashing with the desire for freedom, while “Crickets, It’s Your Turn” follows a young photographer confronting the imbalances of a male-dominated world and delving ever deeper into a macho society against her better judgment.
