Because of the latest controversy surrounding the telecast of the Oscars on February 24th, I thought a few words of wisdom from the Academy's first president were in order.

"The Day of the Dolphin", released in 1973, is the third and final collaboration between screenwriter Buck Henry and director Mike Nichols. Completely different from "The Graduate" or "Catch-22", this unique political thriller based on interspecies communication is still worth viewing.

This focus of this week's column is female filmmakers. I look forward to Anne Sewitsky's new film about skater Sonja Henie, discuss Amy Adrion's 2018 documentary "Half the Picture",and celebrate the success of Susanne Bier's "Bird Box".

Jonathan Cenzual Burley's third feature film contrasts the beauty of the Spanish countryside with the pressures of the modern world. A contented shepherd is forced to take drastic action when a land developer threatens to bulldoze his farm.

I discuss upcoming films from directors Kasi Lemmons and Dee Rees. Also, a change to the Drama Movies site in 2019.

An extraordinary documentary from Bill Morrison. Using silent film footage found underneath an abandoned Canadian hockey rink in 1978, Morrison tells the history of film and the 20th Century.

This week's column discusses Ashley Bell's directorial debut. "Love & Bananas" is an eye-opening documentary on the lives of Asian elephants and the work of celebrated activist Lek Chailert.

This film successfully transplants a Norwegian crime story to Italy. Based on Karin Fossum's "Don't Look Back", Toni Servillo plays a detective investigating the murder of a vibrant young athlete.

Finns are engaged in far more peculiar forest activities than raking if "Euthanizer" is any indication. While the film is an offbeat and violent revenge fantasy, "Euthanizer" has a philosophical underpinning that makes it strangely effective. This is Finland's official entry for the 2019 Oscars.

Writer-director Kaouther Ben Hania fashions a powerful indictment of police corruption that occurs in the midst of Tunisia's Arab Spring. Newcomer Mariam Al Ferjani plays a sexual assault victim who refuses to be silenced.