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https://blackgirlnerds.com/female-horror-directors-you-need-to-know/

As we’ve seen with cult horror flicks like Karyn Kusama’s Jennifer’s Body, and Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, female filmmakers bring a much-needed female perspective to the horror genre, exploring social issues like body image, female sexuality, and motherhood. Horror fans are familiar with names like Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou), Mary Harron (American Psycho), Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary), Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark), and the Soska Sisters (American Mary). 

Here are just a few women making waves in the horror genre you may not know but absolutely should.

Mimi Cave

Mimi Cave’s directorial debut Fresh premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and recently began streaming on Hulu. Written by Lauryn Kahn (Ibiza), the horror-comedy explores women’s fears when it comes to modern dating through a single woman’s disastrous encounter with a charming sociopath. While she’s just now getting noticed in Hollywood, Cave’s previous work includes commercials and music videos for artists like Sleigh Bells and Vance Joy. She notes that her background in dancing helps her approach filmmaking from a “physical standpoint” with a “spatial awareness.” With Fresh, Mimi Cave proves that she’s an intuitive filmmaker with a unique eye, who will continue to chill and thrill us. 

Nia DaCosta

If you’re a fan of Jordan Peele, chances are you’re familiar with Nia DaCosta, with who he collaborated on Candyman. The film was largely marketed using Peele’s name. Once the film came out, DaCosta showed everyone that she’s the person we should be talking about. She became the first Black female director to have a #1 film at the box office and is currently working on The Marvels. She may be one of the most exciting voices in horror, but she’s just getting started.

Julia Ducournau

In 2016, Julia Ducournau came on the scene with the cannibalistic horror film Raw, a bloody coming-of-age tale that garnered high praise. Last year, the French writer-director won the Palme d’Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival Titane, making history as the second female director to take the top prize. In an interview with Sharon Stone, she said that she created a character that was “hyper-violent” and went “against every feminist stereotype of softness, being polite, having a great body.” Having already made her way into television, directing episodes of Servant, Ducournau is sure to go on as an iconic filmmaker in horror. 

Nikyatu Jusu

Speaking of making history, Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny recently won Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize, the first horror movie to win the top award. Jusu herself is only the second Black woman to win. Nanny centers on a Senegal woman caring for the child of a wealthy white family in Manhattan while she saves money to bring her son over from West Africa to live with her in New York. Jusu calls the film “a dark, but hopeful, love letter for mothers who have been systematically excluded from the American dream.” Not only is this film centered on a Black woman, but there were several women of color behind the camera including cinematographer Rina Yang (Euphoria), casting director Kim Coleman (Lovecraft Country), and costume designer Charlese Antoinette Jones (Judas and the Black Messiah), just to name a few. 

Ruth Paxton

Ruth Paxton’s feature directorial debut A Banquet follows a widow raising her two teenage daughters, the eldest of which experiences a spiritual awakening and stops eating. Paxton was drawn to Justin Bull’s great script and felt she could make the well-written characters even more authentic. “I know these relationships, I know these women, but I think I can deepen the characterization here,” she said. The result is a deeply unsettling, authentically feminine portrait of complex mother-daughter relationships, the psychology of food, personal spirituality, and more. 

Mariama Diallo

Another recent horror hit out of Sundance is Mariama Diallo’s Master, an atmospheric thriller following three Black women as they navigate a predominantly white university. Like other films on this list, Diallo’s personal experience as a Black woman in America gave her the tools to authentically portray the common microaggressions people of color deal with on the daily. The director recently told BGN, “There’s a responsibility that I feel to do it properly and to do it honestly and not to do it in a way that feels kind of crass or exploitative…” Something that the horror genre offers filmmakers is a sense of freedom. Diallo perfectly blends horror with drama, mystery, and thriller, to tell a very real story. 

Rose Glass

Writer-director Rose Glass solidified her status as a modern horror auteur with her debut film Saint Maud, a surreal psychological horror about a young hospice nurse and her fanatical Catholic faith. Maud’s personal relationship with God intensifies, leading to hallucinations and an obsession with her female patient. Glass told Film4, “I’m interested in brains and bodies and the fact they can go wrong.” Given the focus of this list, she’s clearly not alone since most of these women find themselves fascinated with the macabre. As she says, “Women love messed up stuff.”

https://blackgirlnerds.com/ladies-first-10-black-women-trailblazers/

The month of March is recognized as Women’s History Month and is dedicated to the celebration of women and their accomplishments. It’s always a good time to celebrate Black women, in particular, who are empowering generations to break down barriers. Let’s look at 10 Black women and their historic firsts.

Kamala Harris made “herstory” on January 20, 2001, when she was sworn in to become the first Black and South Asian woman Vice President of the United States. She wore a string of pearls in tribute to her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and took the pledge while placing her left hand on a bible that belonged to Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice. Watch Kamala Harris’ swear-in ceremony.

Amanda Gorman, the nation’s first youth poet laureate, captivated us all listening to her deliver the Inauguration poem on January 20, 2021. In doing so, the 22-year-old became the nation’s youngest inaugural poet. The Harvard graduate’s work centers on the intersection between feminism, race, youth, and community. She delivered her poem, The Hill We Climb, which touched on a number of topics, including race and national unity. Read the full poem here.

Jennifer King was hired in 2021 to serve as an assistant coach for the Washington Football Team, making her the first Black woman to do so in the National Football League’s 101-year history. King says her appointment is a step forward towards changing the narrative surrounding racial and gender representation in sports leadership. “Representation means so much,” King said in a statement. “It’s really important right now to be a good representative, what I didn’t have growing up. I didn’t have anyone that looked anything like me working. To be able to see that, I think, is big. It’s super cool to be a part of this.”

All you have to say is say “Oprah,” no last name required, and everyone knows who you’re talking about. Her name is synonymous with Black excellence. In 2003, Oprah Winfrey registered a net worth of $1 billion, making her the first Black woman to accumulate that much wealth. As a philanthropist, she’s established educational scholarships and built a school for girls in Africa.

Nia DaCosta has been confirmed as the director for Captain Marvel 2 for Marvel Studios. This makes her the fourth woman to direct a Marvel Studios picture and the first Black woman to do so. A graduate of The NYU Tisch School of the Arts, she also has directed “Top Boy,” the British Netflix drama about two London drug dealers. After directing the 2021 film Candyman, it also makes DaCosta the first Black woman director to debut at No. 1 at the U.S. box office.

Mariya Russell is honored and overwhelmed to be the first Black woman to receive a Michelin star in the Guide’s 94-year history. It has taken a long time for a Black woman to break this barrier, and she has reached this prestigious milestone. The Michelin Guide is one of the oldest guide books that started out rating restaurants and hotels. The Michelin star is now also a mark of excellence for restaurateurs and one of the highest honors a chef can receive. 

I have loved Whoopi Goldberg since she played Celie in The Color Purple, one of my all-time favorite movies. She’s the first Black woman to win an EGOT – the acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Goldberg won an Emmy two times (2002, 2009), a Grammy in 1985, an Oscar in 1990, and a Tony in 2002. Whether on the daytime talk show The View or in the series Harlem, we are definitely watching to see what Whoopi does next.

Robin Ransom is the first Black woman appointed to the state of Missouri’s Supreme Court. In my home state, this is a big deal. Ransom stated, “While I may be the first African-American woman to be part of this court, I’d also like to say that I have never lived by a label or by any identity that anyone’s tried to put upon me.”

At 14-years-old, Zalia Avant-Garde became the first African-American to win the coveted Scripps National Spelling Bee. She correctly spelled murraya, which is a type of tree, to win the competition and a $50,000 cash prize. This young lady is also great at basketball and holds the Guinness Book of World Records for most dribbles in one minute. No doubt that we can expect even more big things from Zalia in the future.

Keechant L. Sewell is currently serving as the 45th New York City Police Commissioner. She is the first woman to serve as the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department. Sewell’s appointment in 2021 was at a time of national crisis. A time of distrust in policing and when there were efforts to defund departments, even as murder and shooting rates remain higher than they were before the pandemic. As she told the New York Post, “I am here to meet the moment.”

http://nerdywithchildren.com/best-kids-sprinklers-more/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=best-kids-sprinklers-more

Get the kids outside with this list of the best kids sprinklers and other fun water activities!

When summer rolls around, the kids start getting a little wilder (and so do us adults). Later sunsets, no school, vacations, and lazy days cooling off by the pool are all that’s on our minds when the weather starts warming up. Alas, beating the heat can be hard to do depending on your home climate. Not everyone has access to a pool, or a beach, or a lake. That’s why you can’t beat a good old-fashioned sprinkler for those hot summer days. However, don’t pull out that old hunk of metal that grandma uses for her garden. Instead, read on and discover all the fantastic kids sprinklers and other water activity options your whole family will enjoy!

Before we get into it, if you’re looking for even more wet and wild summertime fun, check out our list of nerdy inflatable pool toys!

All right, time to put on a bathing suit, slather on the sunscreen, and get to splashing!

Kids Sprinklers

Kids Splash Pads and Pools

Sprinkler Systems

The post Best Kids Sprinklers & More appeared first on Nerdy With Children.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/netflixs-docuseries-bad-vegan-reveals-the-dirty-side-of-clean-eating/

Bad Vegan is an engaging reminder that the best “con-people” make us feel loved. Sarma Melngailis was the celebrity restaurateur/owner of Pure Food and Wine, the wildly popular vegan restaurant in Gramercy, NYC. Melngailis and her husband Anthony Strangis stole money from her employees and investors, skipped town, were on the run from the law for a year, and were arrested in a motel room in Tennessee after ordering Domino’s Pizza and chicken wings.

When Pure Food and Wine was one of the most successful raw food restaurants in NYC. The raw food eating style is only eating plant-based meals that are not cooked or heated over 104-118 degrees and are pesticide-free, not pasteurized, refined, or processed. To convince a New Yorker to pay almost $29.00 for vegetables and nuts, you better have a great hook and jaw-dropping flavors. Pure Food and Wine seemed to have all of that and more. In four episodes Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives takes the audience on a whirlwind trip back in time to the 2010s when haute cuisine veganism blossomed in New York City. It gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how Sarma Melngailis fell from grace.

Episode 1 “Mr. & Mrs. Fox”

Meet Sarma Melngailis. She went to Wharton, studied economics, then got a job in investment banking for a year, then quit and went to culinary school. She was a fan of celebrity chef Matthew Kenny and got a job working with him on a cookbook. They started dating immediately after they met. 

Restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow agreed to back them for the idea of vegan/raw food, and the restaurant thrives. The restaurant does better than the couple, and Jeffrey lets Kenny go. Sarma goes through another relationship breakup and is super lonely and depressed. She meets Shane (we later find out is named Anthony) on Twitter and they, begin a relationship. 

This is where I thought, huh, this documentary really works hard to show Sarma Melngailis in a positive light but doesn’t go deeper into asking why Sarma found herself in these situations. The episode does a nice job of introducing the loneliness and depression that could have allowed Sarma to open her heart to Anthony, who changes the trajectory of her life. Unfortunately, Anthony declined to be interviewed for this film. We only get Sarma’s side of this story.

Episode 2 “Happily Ever After”

In “Happily Ever After” Anthony connects with Sarma and, according to Sarma, begins his manipulation of her love for her dog, Leon. Anthony travels quite a bit, so they don’t see each other for long periods, but they form a relationship. Anthony convinces Sharma that he is immortal and has the key to everlasting life, this “happily ever after” and will extend eternal life to Sharma and Leon. As I got to know Sarma Melngailis more through this documentary, the more questions I had about her intentions. Why is this supposedly savvy businesswoman was so quick to believe Anthony’s outrageous stories?

In this episode, we get interviews with Sarma’s sister and father as they add nuance without letting Sarma off the hook for her actions. Melngailis starts to transfer funds to Anthony’s bank accounts to work toward immortality in this episode. It’s notable that as the situations she experienced occur, she shifts all of the blame onto Anthony. Not once so far has she taken any responsibility for her part in the fraud. I found it odd that the documentary has recordings of conversations with Anthony throughout their relationship. Was she recording him from the beginning? Hmmm.

Episode 3 “No Angels in Hell”

Episode 3 is the best episode of the series. The storytelling is tight, and we’ve spent enough time with all of the folks involved to want to know how Sarma and Anthony allowed everything to go off the rails. We learn in this episode that Anthony likes to gamble, and this information adds even more color to the situation. Again, how can this intelligent woman not see that this person is a total con man? 

Anthony’s friend and business associate Nazim and his ex-wife Stacy come into the story. Stacy actually adds the best moments of humor in the series. Episode 3 blew my mind. Anthony continually asks Sarma to transfer hundreds of dollars to him, and she does it over and over again, to the point that she has to find investors to give her money so that she can make payroll. But the interviewers never ask Sarma Melngailis how is she getting people to give her all this money? At the same time, the staff isn’t getting paid. 

It’s telling how she goes away to Europe and posts photos of herself in Europe on IG, but she’s not making payroll. When a member of her staff asks about their check, Sarma replies, “If you’re so upset by the inconvenience of a one-day delay and checks, then you are welcome to give your notice and leave. — I don’t want anger and resentment in our place.” 

Episode 4 “Everything Will be Fine”

“Everything Will be Fine” and will not disappoint. We get the couple on the run, their capture, and the aftermath. 

Throughout the film, director Chris Smith interviews several members of the front-of-house management team and the business office (who are all white). However, he only interviews one “back of the house” employee who is a person of color, Maiquen Saez-Vega. Perhaps Saez-Vega was the only one willing to talk to Chris Smith about this whole ordeal but it’s telling that the stories of the people most harmed by this ordeal had the least amount of time on screen. 

Saez-Vega broke my heart when he shared that there was a family, daughter, mother, and father who all worked back of the house, and no one got paid for those weeks. The workers walk off, and the restaurant closes for a while, but then Sarma raises funds, and the restaurant opens again, and employees come back to work for her only to get their money stolen again. 

Why don’t the filmmakers know how Sarma is getting all of that money from her investors? The documentary glosses over the most vulnerable worker’s stories but gives the audience nuance and deeper understanding of Sarma Melngailis’ bad actions. But then the documentary turns around and questions itself, is Sarma Melngailis in on the con? 

I gotta admit, it is entertaining to watch and be outraged by all of Sarma and Anthony’s foolish hijinks and seeing a pious stealing vegan have to deal with the consequences of her actions. I’m sure Sarma will have a new crew of admirers who will defend her after this documentary airs. I won’t be one of them. At the end of the day, Bad Vegan is a binge-worthy docuseries that proves what you eat doesn’t make you a person with good ethics.

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives is currently streaming on Netflix.