Celluloid Ceiling

07/06/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16K8foAsJ9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

07/06/2025

Read more about Camille Claudell in the book’50 Women Sculptors’ Aurora Metro Books

Camille Claudel was a brilliant sculptor whose life and work were long overshadowed by the man she once loved and collaborated with—Auguste Rodin. Born into a conservative family in 1864, she defied expectations early on, pursuing sculpture with passionate determination in a male-dominated field. When she met Rodin in her late teens, their intense creative and romantic partnership began. But while he was celebrated, she was dismissed as merely his muse or mistress, despite playing a crucial role in many of his masterpieces.

Claudel’s own work speaks volumes—full of emotional depth, movement, and complexity. Pieces like The Waltz and Clotho reveal an artist with her own voice, one that dared to challenge conventions about femininity, desire, and the body. Her sculptures are not timid; they are charged with tension and longing, carved from her lived experience and deep understanding of form.

Yet the personal cost of genius was high. After her relationship with Rodin ended, Claudel struggled with poverty, artistic rejection, and growing mental distress. In 1913, her family—particularly her brother Paul, a celebrated writer and devout Catholic—committed her to an asylum. She remained institutionalized for the last 30 years of her life, despite doctors saying she didn’t require confinement.

Today, Claudel’s legacy is being reexamined. Her sculptures, long neglected, are now praised for their originality and emotional power. Museums have begun to center her work, and her story has become a symbol of how patriarchal narratives can bury women’s genius under the shadow of men’s acclaim. Her life is a poignant reminder of how art history is often shaped not just by talent, but by who gets to tell the story.

07/06/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1J1FDxGjZm/?mibextid=wwXIfr

07/06/2025

Hope London friends will join us for talk on Thursday 12th June in Euston at Quaker library and bookstore. 6.30pm. Guest tickets available @ [email protected]

to coincide with 'At the Heart of Conflict: Talking Resolution' Book Launch and Q&A

20/05/2025

“As filmmaking expands globally, driven by untapped talent and a surge in tax incentives, this partnership addresses vital skill gaps for women.”

20/05/2025

Bertha von Suttner was a pioneering peace activist. She was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (in fact, she's credited as the inspiration behind the very creation of the prize) and became the second female Nobel Prize laureate after Marie Skłodowska Curie.

Von Suttner is recognised as one of the leaders of the international peace movement of her time. Her influential anti-war novel 'Lay Down Your Arms' (1889) was provocative to many, but the anti-militaristic message caught on. At male-dominated peace congresses she stood out as a liberal and forceful leader. She was referred to as the "generalissimo of the peace movement."

She became a close friend of Alfred Nobel's in the 1870s, and they corresponded for years on the subject of peace. There is little doubt that von Suttner's friendship with Nobel had an impact on the contents of his will, and many give her the credit for his establishment of a peace prize. It is said that the letter written by Alfred to Bertha in January 1893 was the first time Alfred introduced the idea of a peace prize.

"Inform me, convince me, and then I will do something great for the movement," Alfred Nobel said to Bertha von Suttner.

Discover more: https://bit.ly/2WYDxrB

20/05/2025

Calling All Emerging Filmmakers!
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has announced the 2025/26 dlr First Frames Short Film Scheme, providing funding and support to emerging film talent looking to develop creative short films in the area.

📅 Application Deadline: Monday, 21st July 2025, 12 PM
💻 Online Briefing Session: Wednesday, 14th May 2025, 1 PM – Register here

With awards of up to €13,500 per project and mentoring from , this is a fantastic opportunity to bring your creative vision to life!

For more information and to apply, visit: https://iadt.ie/news/dlr-first-frames-2025/

20/05/2025

Behind every good love story is a woman writing her own ending. 💚

We are thrilled to support the newest film from our partner , “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” — a whimsical, heartfelt story about Agathe, a hopeless romantic and aspiring writer navigating friendship, self-doubt and the complicated reality of modern-day love.

🎬 In select theaters this Friday, May 23.

13/05/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19exKxj1BE/?mibextid=wwXIfr

*The Children's Hour* (2019) is a powerful drama based on Lillian Hellman’s 1934 play of the same name. The film follows two teachers, Karen (Keira Knightley) and Martha (Elisabeth Moss), whose lives and careers are shattered when a malicious student spreads a false accusation about their relationship. Set in a conservative society, the movie explores themes of reputation, the destructive power of lies, and the fragility of human relationships. The stellar performances from Knightley and Moss, alongside Ellen Burstyn's portrayal of a mother caught in the crossfire, create a gripping narrative about truth, shame, and betrayal. *The Children’s Hour* is an emotionally charged, timeless story that challenges societal norms and questions the consequences of falsehoods.

13/05/2025

“Directing 2nd Unit you have to go with your gut. You have to be very clear and concise in your direction, take only the essential time that you need and most of all prioritise.”

— Claire Tailyour on directing 2nd Unit for

📸Credit: Matt Frost. Claire Tailyour with John Hardwick on set.

11/05/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/192eJWckn9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

“After dedicating my life to Disney… they fired me behind my back.
I walked away angry, afraid — but with one thought in mind:
to prove that sometimes, dreams are born from nightmares.” 🎬🔥

I had given everything to Disney.
I rescued films everyone had given up on — The Little Mermaid, The Lion King.
I literally slept at the studio. I had no life outside of it.

But when I finally asked for what I had been promised — a fair position, a seat at the table —
they let me go without hesitation.
As if I had meant nothing.
That night, I cried in my car.
Humiliated.
Burning inside. 🚗💔

I almost quit Hollywood. I was exhausted. Drained.
But then came Steven Spielberg and David Geffen with a crazy idea:
Let’s build our own studio.
One that breaks the rules.
One that dares to stand up to the giants.

And that’s how DreamWorks was born.
Not with magic — but with risk, struggle, and pain.
We ran out of money.
We released flops like The Road to El Dorado.
We had to let people go.
Every failure hurt… but made us stronger. 💸🎥

Then came Shrek.
An anti-fairy tale. Sarcastic. Weird. Real.
A green ogre and a talking donkey?
Nobody believed in it.

But Shrek changed everything.
We won an Oscar. We made history.
And most importantly —
we proved you don’t need a crown to tell legendary stories. 🏆👑

“Not all dreams are born in castles.
Some rise from rubble — when you decide to never stay silent again.”
— Jeffrey Katzenberg