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Up-and-coming comedian Tig Notaro wasn't much of a household name until a few weeks ago, when South by Southwest included her on the list of comedians to perform at the festival this week. At the time, she was the only female comedian chosen by SXSW. Since the announcement and a subsequent outcry from the public over the lack of female participants, the festival has added other women to the comedy lineup. We talked with Notaro on Thursday about gearing up for SXSW and the challenges of being a female comedian.

Tariq Tapa talks about writing and directing the film “Zero Bridge,” which was shot in Kashmir and shows what everyday life is like there. The film tells the story of a teenage pickpocket who develops an uneasy alliance with a young woman fleeing an arranged marriage, and looks at two young people's struggle to retain their humanity, despite poverty and the fatalism, sexism and casual cruelty of their families. The film opens February 16 at Film Forum.

Maxine Hong Kingston reflects on aging as she turns 65. Her memoir I Love a Broad Margin to My Life, written in verse, circles from present to past and back. She writes of her journeys as a writer, peace activist, teacher, and mother, revisiting her most beloved characters, and offers a beautiful meditation on her visit to China.

Claude Lanzmann, director of “Shoah,” discusses the film’s 25th anniversary. The nine-and-a-half hour landmark documentary, considered one of the greatest films ever made on the Holocaust, and it features interviews with survivors, bystanders, and perpetrators in 14 countries, and also visits places where the crimes took place. It opens in New York December 10th at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and on December 24th at IFC Center.

Miranda Richardson discusses the film “Made in Dagenham.” Set against the backdrop of the 1960s, the film is based on a true story about a group of women who joined forces and stood up to their bosses at the Ford Motor Factory to demand equal pay for equal work. By daring to stand up and push boundaries, the women changed a broken system. “Made in Dagenhau” opens November 19 at Lincoln Plaza and Angelika Film Center.

"Paranormal Activity 2" is arguably the most highly anticipated horror movie sequel of the year. Like its predecessor, it follows regular people who are being haunted by menacing spirits. In an attempt to determine what’s really happening, the protagonists set up cameras in their home. But they inevitably find that the truth is scarier than anything they imagined.

Director Sasha Waters Freyer, writer Phillip Lopate, and Angus Johnston talk about “Chekhov for Children,” a documentary about the 1979 staging on Broadway of Chekhov’s play “Uncle Vanya” by New York City 5th and 6th graders, directed by Phillip Lopate and starring Angus Johnson. It explores the interplay between art and life for a dozen friends across 30 years. “Chekhov for Children” is screening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center on Thursday, October 21, at 6:30 pm.

Composer and sound artist Charlie Morrow talks about the Little Charlie Fest: a three-day festival of performances, including concerts, multi-media projections, and public art. Little Charlie Fest is from September 28 through October 2.