Ep 220: The queer feminist horror hit of Cannes + talking gender & body image with Parno Mittra

Ep 220: The queer feminist horror hit of Cannes + talking gender & body image with Parno Mittra

From Girls On Film by Anna Smith

May 27, 2026 · 49 min

About this episode

Anna Smith discusses films and feminism at the Cannes Film Festival with various guests.

This episode of Girls On Film comes to you from the French Riviera. We’re here for the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Anna welcomes five guests who talk about films and feminism amid the glamour that is Cannes. First up, Anna discusses the gender balance in some of the festival’s stand out films with film critic Sucharita Tyagi. Their discussion ranges from feminism and trans rights in the darkly comic Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma to the healing power of a canine friend in Chilean dog movie La Perra (Winner of the Palm Dog Award). Next Anna is joined by writer-director Katharina Rivilis in Cannes with her first feature, I’ll Be Gone In June, a semi-autobiographical film in which a young woman’s exchange year in New Mexico is set against the backdrop of 9/11. Film critic and journalist Tomris Laffly joins Anna to talk about her festival highlights including Palme D’Or Winner, Fjord, Marie Kreutzer’s Gentle Monster and comedy drama A Woman’s Life. Finally Anna welcomes Shrimoyee Chakraborti and Parno Mittra to talk about female friendship, their passion for film and their documentary feature, Spirit Of The Wildflower, directed by Shrimoyee and exec produced by…

People in this episode

Host: Anna Smith

Guests: Sucharita Tyagi, Katharina Rivilis, Tomris Laffly, Shrimoyee Chakraborti, Parno Mittra

Topics covered

  • feminism
  • Cannes Film Festival
  • gender balance
  • body image
  • female friendship
  • transgender identity
  • documentary film

Keywords

  • Cannes
  • feminism
  • horror
  • body image
  • documentary
  • film critique
  • gender balance
  • female friendship

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma, La Perra, I’ll Be Gone In June, Fjord, Gentle Monster, A Woman’s Life, Spirit Of The Wildflower

More episodes of Girls On Film

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Girls On Film podcast page.