Ela Bittencourt is a critic and cultural journalist, currently based in Berlin. She writes on art, film and literature, often in the context of social issues and politics.
Books
In Walter Gropius: Visionary Founder of the Bauhaus, author Fiona MacCarthy attempts to debunk the myth that the German pioneer of modernist architecture is somehow an unsexy subject for biographical study.
Film
On Resentment, a film series opening at BAM on March 20, probes the question: "How does resentment channel our attentions and efforts, and to what ends?"
Books
A new book chronicles how leftist directors of the 1960s and '70s used the essay film as an activist tool.
Film
Shirkers, an irresistible mix of insouciance and precocious maturity, delivers a story of ultimate geekiness, as director Sandi Tan sketches a portrait of her younger self.
Film
A retrospective of the New German Cinema director's influential work marks the release of her latest documentary, Searching for Ingmar Bergman.
Film
In his latest film, Life and Nothing More, Spanish director Antonio Méndez Esparza employed non-professional actors and documentary realism to create a moving study of race, class, and familial bonds in America.
Film
In a documentary about Black female strippers who dance for women, Leilah Weinraub makes us question how we think about sex and its presentation on camera.
Film
Germaine Dulac may have just been too far ahead of her time as a queer woman filmmaker, and too prodigious in her output to receive proper recognition in any category.
Film
Women were fighting since the very beginning of celluloid for a role that allowed them to express their creativity.
Film
Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet’s The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach, entirely played by professional musicians, is a peculiar and striking film.
Film
Ildiko Enyedi's film, which is nominated for an Oscar, is a fantastical reflection on human intimacy and vulnerability.
Film
The 21st edition of the Mostra de Cinema de Tiradentes film festival reflected Brazil's volatile social and political climate, while avoiding the conventions of poverty porn.