Mar 17, 2026
Some of the best, most boundary-pushing cinema at the Berlinale is quietly tucked away in the sidebars where most of the press never look.
In today's episode, I’m looking at three films that feel like a step forward for women’s stories:
Arrú: A Sámi musical from Norway
Black Burns Fast: A queer South African coming-of-age story directed by a Black woman
The Education of Jane Cumming: A Scottish period drama based on the first documented legal case involving accusations of lesbians in the UK
Taken together, these show how filmmakers are finding new ways to dramatize the systems shaping women’s lives — from colonial land politics to the legacy of apartheid to the class and racial hierarchies of the 19th century.
👉 Curious about joining one of my film programs? Get on the waitlist here.
I only open a few a year, and they're limited enrollment, so this is the best way to ensure you get first dibs on a spot.