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INDIA'S DAUGHTER is the powerful story of the 2012, brutal gang rape on a Delhi bus of a 23 year old medical student, who later died from her injuries. In 2012, it made international headlines and ignited protests by women in India and around the world. This month India's government banned the film while the BBC moved their planned broadcast up by days and ignited a new controversy. BAFTA winning filmmaker Leslee Udwin, herself a victim of rape, went to India inspired by the protests against sexual assault. With an all Indian crew, Udwin got exclusive, first time on camera interviews with the rapists and defense attorney, none of whom express remorse. The defense attorney goes even further, stating that "immodest" women deserve what happens to them. An impassioned plea for change, INDIA'S DAUGHTER pays tribute to a remarkable and inspiring young woman and explores the compelling human stories behind the incident and the political ramifications throughout India. But beyond India, the film lays bare the way in which societies and their patriarchal values have spawned such acts of violence globally.
Reviews
~ "This film does what the politicians should be doingˇK this documentary's determination to shed light on the country's rape crisis should inspire change." - The Guardian
~ "India's Daughter is a necessary watch ˇV not just for women of India but for women across the world." - The Independent
~ "Ms. Udwin's film has increased worldwide awareness of attitudes that beget sexual violence against women." - The New York Times
Why are young women giving up the security of British citizenship, the love and support of their families and the comforts of Western living to become part of the Islamic State, the self-styled 'caliphate' fighting its way through Syria and Iraq?
This World explores the stories of five separate disappearances - from 21-year-old Aqsa Mahmood, a student from Glasgow, to the Halane twins from Manchester who were just 17 when they left for Syria. Friends and family offer an insight into the minds of these women at the time of their disappearance, while footage and the testimony of those with first hand experience of the Jihadist group explain what the women's new lives are likely to be like.
Note: This BBC title not available in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, USA, Canada.
Miss World is a competition known for glamorous girls and bikini modelling. But today there is an alternative version aimed at finding positive role models for women in the Muslim world - World Muslimah.
This global pageant aims to promote modesty and Islamic values and attracts competitors from Iran, USA, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Nigeria. Britain's first entrant, Dina Tokio, is a 25 year old fashion blogger and stylist from Cardiff with thousands of followers on her YouTube channel.
This film follows her journey as she aspires to make it through from her online audition to the selection stages, and into the final in Jakarta in November 2014. With unique backstage access to the competition and the finalists from all over the world, Dina gets to the heart of what being young, Muslim and female means in Britain and the rest of the world.
Note: This BBC title not available in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, USA, Canada.
OLD SOUTH, through a quiet unfolding story, provides a window into the underlying dynamics of race relations that influence so many American communities. In Athens, Georgia, a college fraternity traditionally known to fly the confederate flag moves to a historically black neighborhood and establishes their presence by staging an antebellum style parade. Through the perspective of local resident Hope, OLD SOUTH follows the neighborhood struggle over three years, while both communities fight to preserve their historical legacies against an ever evolving cultural backdrop in the South.
Reviews
~ Beverly unveils the hauntingly present racism still inherent in the Old South, while creating a dichotomy that opens up a space for a much needed conversation. - Kristy Brenerman, Programming Director, Atlanta Film Festival
~ "Old South' represents the transformation of a neighborhood in Athens, GA but it's a familiar story to manyˇKtotal erasure of, neighborhoods that were once vital communities in the center of our city." - Laura Kissel, Assoc. Prof. and Director, Film and Media Studies Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia
~ "This documentary provides an entry point for dialogue, deliberation, and re-imagining how communities can thrive.'Old South' brings up the personal and political in a way that invites audiences to explore their experiences." - Jess Solomon, Community Engagement Facilitator, Alternate ROOTS
Twenty years ago, while still First Lady, Hillary Clinton made a groundbreaking speech in Beijing, setting down a challenge to world leaders: to treat women's rights as human rights. She highlighted abuses including young girls sold into slavery; women raped as a tool of war; lack of education for girls.
Since then, three women ˇV Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice and of course Clinton herself ˇV have done one of the world's most powerful jobs, as US Secretary of State. In candid interviews, these three former Secretaries of State talk about what it's like being a woman at the centre of power, how they personally tried to change things and about the political challenges of improving the lives of women across the world.
The film reveals the shocking extent of abuses in some developing countries and conflict zones and asks what Western politicians should ˇV and should not ˇV do to promote women's rights and equality. And as the US waits to hear if Hillary Clinton will make a second attempt at the US presidency, the film asks if America is ready to break the biggest glass ceiling of all ˇV and what a woman President of the USA could do for the world's women?
Note: This BBC title not available in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, USA, Canada.
The struggle for Muslim women's emancipation is often portrayed stereotypically as a showdown between Western and Islamic values, but Arab feminism has existed for more than a century. And its unique history is shaped by, and inseparable from, assertions of national identity and the fight for liberation from colonialism. This groundbreaking documentary recounts Arab feminism's largely unknown story, from its taboo-shattering birth in Egypt by feminist pioneers up through viral Internet campaigns by today's tech-savvy young activists during the Arab Spring. Moving from Tunisia to Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, filmmaker and author Feriel Ben Mahmoud tracks the progress of Arab women in their long march to assert their full rights and achieve empowerment. En route, FEMINISM INSHALLAH also considers the paradoxes of limited championship by conservative forces and regimes, as well as the setbacks imposed by Arab geopolitics and the rise of religious fundamentalism. Featuring previously unreleased archival footage and exclusive multigenerational interviews, FEMINISM INSHALLAH is an indispensable resource for Women's Studies, Global Feminism, Middle East and Islamic Studies
While we live in a highly sexualized society, the messaging around female sexuality is distorted and rife with shame. What women should look like, who women should want, what women should desire...in fact, who women should be, is dictated to us from screens and pages and people. INSIDE HER SEX is a thought-provoking, feature-length documentary that explores female sexuality and shame through the eyes and experiences of three women from different walks of life, each brave enough to chart her own course of sexual discovery: Elle Chase, a popular sex blogger, Candida Royalle, the creator of Femme Productions Inc., a feminist, adult film company designed to speak with a woman's voice and Samantha Allen, the ex-devout Mormon and current gender, sex, and tech writer for The Daily Beast. Through varied, candid and intensely personal interviews, INSIDE HER SEX will delve to the core of these three women and their sexuality, beginning a much needed conversation around female sexuality and shame. Essential viewing for Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Reviews
~ "...provokes a fascinating discussion about the role of sexuality in women's livesˇK" - Sexpert.com
~ "Female sexuality and shame is an endlessly fascinating subjectˇKfilmmaker Sheona McDonald takes a raw and comprehensive look at the issue." - YouBeauty.com
REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG is an intimate and nuanced investigation into the life of one of the most influential and provocative thinkers of the 20th century. Endlessly curious, passionate and gracefully outspoken throughout her career, Susan Sontag became one of the most important literary, political and feminist icons of her generation. This beautifully constructed documentary tracks Sontagˇ¦s life through evocative experimental images, archival materials, accounts from friends, family, colleagues, and lovers, as well as her own words as read by Patricia Clarkson.
From her early infatuation with books to her first experience in a gay bar; from her early marriage to her 15-year relationship with legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG is a fascinating look at a towering cultural critic and writer whose works on photography, war, illness, and terrorism continue to resonate today.
Reviews
~ "REGARDING SUSAN SONTAGˇK stood out for the complexity of its portrayal of a difficult characterˇK striking for its nuance, its communication of overlapping meanings." - Pat Aufderheide, International Documentary Association
~ "CompellingˇK and ˇ§PerceptiveˇK" - Stephen Holden, The New York Times
~ "Using interviews from people who were close to her, as well as archival footage and interviews, the film brings Sontag to life on the screen." - Vogue
Award
~ Tribeca Film Festival, Winner Special Jury Prize
Photographer Suzy Lake is one of the formative feminist artists to evolve out of the heyday of the 1960's and the Second Wave. A master of the art of self-portraiture, Lake influenced Cindy Sherman as well as a host of other female artists. Lake makes art that address politics, gender, youth, beauty and aging while reflecting on her own journey through time. SUZY LAKE: PLAYING WITH TIME tells the story of how much has changed in the worlds of feminism and art, and yet how much things remain the same.
Filming for almost 4 years, filmmaker Annette Mangaard weaves a powerful portrait of the complex artist by juxtaposing powerful archival footage, still photography and interviews with Lucy Lippard, Mary Beth Edelson and Martha Wilson among others. SUZY LAKE: PLAYING WITH TIME delves into Lake's legacy as she continues to explore the politics of gender with work that deals with the aging woman, countering notions of consumer beauty with a different and real image, celebrating stamina, maturity and experience. An essential companion piece to any discussion on the Second Wave, feminism and art.
Reviews
~ "A moving portrait of the artist as a speaking subject. Lake speaks directly to the messy negotiation of identity in a culture obsessed with narrow definitions of beauty." - Georgiana Uhlyarik, Associate Curator, Art Gallery of Ontario
~ "Mangaard's luminous new documentary on the life and career of Suzy Lake plays like a cross between a well-scripted, jam-packed biography program and a dreamy, experimental film." - R.M. Vaughn, Canada Art
Structured as a personal journey of rediscovery by filmmaker Jennifer Lee, this documentary brings the momentous first decade of secondwave feminism vividly to life. Its trajectory starts with the earliest stirrings in 1963 and ends with the movement's full blossoming in 1970ˇXfrom the Presidential Commission's report on widespread discrimination against women and publication of Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique up through radical feminists' takeover of the Statue of Liberty and Friedan's calls for a women's strike for equality. A wealth of period footage captures landmark events and the pivotal roles of the National Organization for Women (NOW), the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Redstockings, and other organizations. Thirty-five diverse interviewees, including rank-and-file activists along with well-known feminists Betty Friedan, Frances M. Beale, Gloria Steinem, Robin Morgan, Ti-Grace Atkinson, and others, share memories of the period as well as issues and challenges that still resonate today. A great introduction to Women's Studies and critical viewing for historians and academics interested in feminism, activism and the Women's Movement.
LIVING THINKERS: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BLACK WOMEN IN THE IVORY TOWER examines the intersection of race, class and gender for Black women professors and administrators working in U.S. colleges and universities today. Through their diverse narratives, from girlhood to the present, Black women from different disciplines share experiences that have shaped them, including segregated schooling as children, and the trials, disappointments and triumphs encountered in Academia. Though more than 100 years have passed since the doors to higher education opened for Black women, their numbers as faculty members are woefully low and for many still, the image of Black women as intellectuals is incomprehensible. And while overtly expressed racism, sexism and discrimination have declined, their presence is often still often unacknowledged. Through frank and sometimes humorous conversations, this documentary interrogates notions of education for girls and women and the stereotypes and traditions that affect the status of Black women both in and out of the Academy. A perfect companion film for any classroom discussion on the intersection of racism, sexism and/or feminism.
Award
~ BlackStar Film Festival, Audience Choice Award for Documentary
Where do black women activists fit into the epochal struggles for equality and liberation during the 1960s and 70s? This feature-length documentary unearths the story of black women's political marginalizationˇXbetween the male-dominated Black Power movement and second wave feminism, which was largely white and middle classˇXshowing how each failed to recognize black women's overlapping racial and gender identities.
Archival footage and in-depth interviews with former members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), SNCC's Black Women's Liberation Committee, the Black Panther Party, Third World Women's Alliance, and the National Black Women's Feminist Organization reveal how black women mobilized, fought for recognition, and raised awareness of how sexism and class issues affected women of color within and outside The Black Power Movement and mainstream feminism. Prominently featured activists include Frances Beale, Angela Davis, Kola Boof, Nikki Giovanni, Rosemari Mealy, Judy Richardson, Gwendolyn Simmons, Deborah Singletary, and Eugenia Wiltshire. Required viewing for Women's Studies, African American Studies, and students of the Civil Rights Movement.
Reviews
~ "Nnaji's film is a compelling and timely portrayal of the discrimination that black feminists endured during the American civil rights struggleˇK" - Feminist Perspektiv
~ "As many young Black women begin to explore feminist works by noted women of color, this film is a valuable and important narrative that's been added to the discourse." - Tiff Jones, Coffee Rhetoric
~ "The ways in which it touches upon the experiences of black women in relation to the masculinist Black Power movement as well as the emerging white middle-class feminist movement, are brilliant and incisive." - Elaine Castill, Author
THE GREY AREA is an intimate look at women's issues in the criminal justice system and the unique experience of studying feminism behind bars.
Through a series of captivating class discussions, headed by students from Grinnell College, a small group of female inmates at a maximum women's security prison in Mitchellville, Iowa, share their diverse experiences with motherhood, drug addiction, sexual abuse, murder, and life in prison. The women, along with their teachers, explore the "grey area" that is often invisible within the prison walls and delve into issues of race, class, sexuality and gender.
Reviews
~ "This insightful and thought-provoking documentary asks us to truly see the most invisible women in the United States - women in the criminal justice system. One cannot walk away from this film untouched or unaware of the reality of incarcerated women's lives. The Grey Area challenges us to take action and advocate for the reassessment of our current policies and programs." - Stephanie S. Covington, Ph.D., Co-director, Center for Gender & Justice, La Jolla, CA
~ "A compelling example of the power of feminism to bridge barriers between women and to heal some of the damage they have endured." - Michael Kimmel, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, SUNY
Throughout 1992 and 1993, sensationalized accounts of the Riot Grrrl phenomenon appeared in publications all over the country, describing a new subculture that had emerged out of the underground punk scene. Despite the intense media interest in Riot Grrrl, little video documentation of this important facet of feminist and pop culture history exists, due in part to a decision by Riot Grrrls to no longer engage with the mainstream media that sensationalized, misrepresented and co-opted them. Filmmaker Abby Moser was granted access to Riot Grrrl NYC, the New York City chapter of this international movement. She interviewed individual members of the group, and documented meetings, rock shows, marches and events. An invaluable historical document, GRRRL LOVE AND REVOLUTION glimpses how the women in Riot Grrrl NYC organized and participated in a movement that revitalized a stagnant alternative rock scene, created safe spaces for women musicians and queer punks, and created a new wave of DIY feminist politics.
Reviews
~ "Riot grrrl NYC was an activist group, a feminist group, a LGBT group, but above all it was a community, where female artists and musicians supported each other and created together. The documentary does a wonderful job of capturing this sense of community and the power it had in inciting change. I highly recommend that anyone interested in feminism and riot grrrl see this movie!" - Grrrl Beat Magazine
~ "Grrrl Love and Revolution is an essential document that offers a rare inside look at Riot Grrrl as it really was." - Sara Marcus, Author, Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution
With the Iranian revolution of 1979 came the harsh imposition of Sharia law and the repression, persecution, state-sanctioned discrimination and murder of women. Over the last 30 years, the women's fight for freedom and equality led to an inner awakening. In 2003, Shirin Ebadi became the first Muslim woman and the first Iranian citizen to receive the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize acknowledging her courageous efforts for democracy and human rights in Iran.
Her crowning achievement inspired Iranian women to begin what has become the most powerful movement for reform in Iran's history, the One Million Signature campaign. The bravery of these women is remarkable as they risk their lives to gain freedoms under one of the world's most repressive regimes. Lion Women chronicles the untold story of the Iranian Women's Movement and its fight for democracy and human rights.
The fight culminated in Teheran's bloody streets in 2009 when the Lion Women were joined by hundreds of thousands protesting the controversial presidential election. For the first time, Iranian women reveal to the world their heartbreaking stories in this powerful documentary directed by filmmaker Gry Winther, who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Lion Women in Teheran amid the brutality and violence.
Throughout history, boys have been taught that the things that make them men -- good men -- are transcendent ideals like courage and honesty and integrity, while girls have been led to believe that a woman's moral compass lies somewhere between her legs, literally. In this alternately hilarious and enraging new film adaptation of her bestselling book, The Purity Myth, pioneering feminist blogger Jessica Valenti shows how this moral double standard is alive and well today thanks to a well-funded coalition of virginity-obsessed conservatives bent on vilifying feminism and rolling back women's rights.
Valenti trains her sights on what she calls the "virginity movement" -- an unholy alliance of evangelical Christians, political activists, and policy wonks who have been spreading irrational fears about women's sexuality to shape government policy, public education, and even popular culture in their own traditionalist image. And whether her focus is the exploding popularity of dad-and-daughter "purity balls," or the millions of dollars American taxpayers shell out each year for failed abstinence-only programs, Valenti's baseline target is the same: the myth that the worth of a woman depends on what she does or does not do sexually. In the end, The Purity Myth shows why commercial culture's hypersexualization of women is too serious a problem to be left to ideologues, arguing that the antidote to our pornified culture is not a set of reactionary policies that replace one form of sexism with another, but embracing women's autonomy and power.
Reviews
~ "Fierce and funnyˇK In-your-face feminism is what Valenti is about." - Antonia Zerbisias | The Toronto Star
~ "Valenti shines a bright light on the cultural misogyny that -- yes, even today -- keep women struggling for the simple justice of owning our bodies, embracing our sexuality, and fully assuming the right to own our own lives." - Gloria Feldt | Author, The War on Choice | Planned Parenthood Federation of America
DVD (With English Subtitles) / 2011 / () / Approx. 60 minutes
Tracing the influence of the Women's Movement's Second Wave on art and life, The Heretics is the exhilarating inside story of the New York feminist art collective that produced "Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics" (1977-92). In this feature-length documentary, cutting-edge video artist/writer/director Joan Braderman, who joined the group in 1971 as an aspiring filmmaker, charts the collective's challenges to terms of gender and power and its history as a microcosm of the period's broader transformations.
On the road with her camera crew from New Mexico to Italy, Braderman reconnects with 28 other group members, including writer/critic Lucy Lippard, architect Susanna Torre, filmmaker Su Friedrich, and artists Ida Applebroog, Mary Miss, Miriam Schapiro, and Cecilia Vicuna. Still funny, smart and sexy, the geographically dispersed participants revisit how and why they came together and the extraordinary times they sharedˇXsupporting and exploring women's art and demanding the right to be heard.
Enlivened by striking digital motion graphics, The Heretics intercuts interviews with archival film clips, video and stills from the period, texts and images from "Heresies" magazines, and footage of completed artworks and works-in-progress. An exuberant, multi-layered collage, the film brings the Heresies collectiveˇXand its strategies for unlocking the potential in women's livesˇXvividly to the screen.
Reviews
~ "Ms. Braderman intercuts the story of the magazine and of second-wave feminism with recent interviews with the women. Thirty-odd years later, they're just as passionate and engaged. It's a pleasure to spend time in their company." - Rachel Saltz, The New York Times
"Skillfully craftedˇKinvigorates feminism, art, and politics. Captures a fertile and effervescent past that is a model for young activist-artists of today. A compelling powerhouse example of feminism's creative force." - Ariel Dougherty, On the Issues
~ "Upbeat and affirmativeˇKThe stories these women tell envision a radically different moment in art-world history, one in which questions of career and market are barely mentioned, and philosophical arguments are firmly grounded in street-level politics." - Ed Halter, ARTFORUM
Thirteen years, two radical activist all-stars-one conversation. Internationally renowned scholar, professor and writer Angela Davis and 89-year-old grassroots organizer and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Yuri Kochiyama have spent over a decade conversing intimately about personal histories and influences that shaped them and their overlapping experiences.
MOUNTAINS THAT TAKE WING offers the gift of these two remarkable women's lives, sharing the pair's recorded exchanges in 1996 and 2008. The film's unique format honors the scope and depth of their knowledge on topics ranging from Jim Crow laws and Japanese American internment camps, to Civil Rights, anti-war, women's and gay liberation movements, to today's campaigns for political prisoners and prison reform. Intercut with compelling period footage, Davis and Kochiyama's cogent observations, keen analyses, and steadfast resolve to create a more equitable, humane world offer inspiring lessons in empowerment and community building for current and future generations.
Reviews
~ "What is so striking about this film is its living history lessons, the breadth of singular and plural movements, the shared humanity and generations present in the room with subjects Yuri Kochiyama and Angela Y. Davis." - San Francisco Bay View
~ "Illustrated with rare footage of extraordinary speeches and events from the late 1800's to the 1960's through today, the film explores the critical role women, youth and crosscultural, crossracial alliances played inˇKimportant social movements." - The Adams Report
Awards
~ San Francisco Black Film Festival, Winner, St. Clair Bourne Award for Best Feature Documentary
~ Some Prefer Cake Lesbian Film Festival - Bologna, Italy - Winner, Audience Award for Best Feature Film
~ COMMFEST (Global) Community Film Festival - Toronto, Canada - Winner, MADA Award (Make A Difference Award) for Best Feature Documentary
~ Mid-Atlantic Black Film Festival - Norfolk, Virginia - Finalist, Best Feature Documentary
This module is a comprehensive review of the women's rights milestones within the United States. The timeline covers the years of the 1800s to the mid-1970s. Topics include the women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y., the establishment of the National Woman Suffrage Association, and the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote.
Covers These Topics
~ Colonial Times
~ Sojourner Truth and Ida Wells
~ 19th Century Work life
~ Birth of the American Women's Movement
~ Early Suffrage Strategy
~ Progressive Era
~ 19th amendment
~ Women and the World Wars
~ Second Wave Feminism
The Feminist Initiative reveals the passion, pitfalls and promise of a diverse group of women working to establish the world's first feminist political party in Sweden in the spring of 2005. Even in one of the most gender-equal societies in the world, the advancement of women's agenda within the patriarchal establishment requires a revolution. Beginning from the innovative and inclusive decision to elect three party leaders rather than one, the film charts every trail-blazing step (and misstep) of the Feminist Initiative (F!) from their energetic start to the climactic moments of their inspiring, celebrity-supported rally.
In the face of internal discord, public backlash, and a worrisome lack of funds, the Feminist Initiative forges a new path towards parliament, raising critical questions along the way about what women really want from their government and about gender differences in leadership. This is an invaluable story about the struggle to have women's voices heard in a patriarchal, modern society, and an amazing behind-the-scenes film about what women do with power, and what power can do to women.
Reviews
~ "An excellent film for Women's Studies and Political Science, especially students of social movements and third partiesˇK Captures the essence of the movement towards real democracy. I highly recommend this film and I will be rooting for F! in the future!" - JoAnne Myers, Political Science & Women's Studies, Marist College
~ "An inspiring, educational journeyˇK. Despite the odds against electoral success and hostility they encounter, these women remain positive and determinedˇXfeminists who dream that 'if you build it, they will come'ˇKeventually." - Ruth B. Mandel, Dir., Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University
~ "Compelling story of the need for ongoing feminist activismˇK. Reveals not only their achievements, but also the magnitude of opposition to gender equity and the power of media to perpetuate the status quo." - Susan Wefald, Executive Vice President & COO, Ms. Foundation for Women
DVD (Swedish, Color, With English Subtitles) / 2007 / () / 97 minutes
Why is it that some young, independent, progressive women in today's society feel uncomfortable identifying with the F-word? Join filmmaker Therese Shechter as she takes a funny, moving and very personal journey into the heart of feminism. Armed with a video camera and an irreverent sense of humor, Shechter talks with feminist superstars, rowdy frat boys, liberated Cosmo girls and Radical Cheerleaders, all in her quest to find out whether feminism can still be a source of personal and political power.
In this enlightening documentary, screened worldwide, Shechter hunts down the answers to questions many women are grappling with about their roles and identities in today's society: Is feminism dead, hibernating, or trapped below the radar? Have the goals of the '70s been accomplished or have feminism's opponents appropriated and denigrated the movement beyond all recognition? If so, how did this happen? Do you have to be political to be a feminist? And do you even have to be female? With home movies clips of Shechter as a budding feminist, archival materials from old health classes, and music by Ani DiFranco, Lavababy, Gina Young, Moxie Starpark and the legendary Helen Reddy, I WAS A TEENAGE FEMINIST redefines the F-Word for a new generation.
Reviews
~ "Makes you laugh, and makes you look at feminism in a new way. It is very well done. Recommended. " - Educational Media Reviews Online
~ "This film is evidence that feminism ˇV whether second wave, third wave or no wave ˇV hasn't ceased to be a vital, many-hued movement with something to offer women of any age." - Bitch Magazine
~ "Has the potential to reach a whole new generationˇKThe film speaks their language, rejecting preaching and dogma for clean-headed and entertaining social inquiry- and a healthy dose of irony." - Paula Kamen,Author, "Her Way: Women Redefine the Sexual Revolution"
Awards
~ Karachi Int'l F F, Documentary Special Mention
~ Jewish Women's FF, NCJW New York, Best Film
By Shola Lynch
Recalling a watershed event in US politics, this compelling documentary takes an in-depth look at the 1972 presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress and the first to seek nomination for the highest office in the land.
Following Chisholm from her own announcement of her candidacy through her historic speech in Miami at the Democratic National Convention, the story is a fight for inclusion. Shunned by the political establishment and the media, this longtime champion of marginalized Americans asked for support from people of color, women, gays, and young people newly empowered to vote at the age of 18. Chisholm's bid for an equal place on the presidential dais generated strong, even racist opposition. Yet her challenge to the status quo and her message about exercising the right to vote struck many as progressive and positive. Period footage and music, interviews with supporters, opponents, observers, and Chisholm's own commentary all illuminate her groundbreaking initiative, as well as political and social currents still very much alive today.
Reviews
~ "Long before Hillary Clinton there was Shirley Chisholm. [This] gripping portrayal ought to be mandatory viewing for [understanding] the historic presidential race of 2008 or the American political scene in the age of Nixon." - Robin D. G. Kelley, Professor of History & American Studies, University of Southern California
"An essential historical record of Chisholm's campaign and its multidimensional significance to American culture and politics told in Chisholm's voiceˇKCrucial example of how necessary independent filmmaking is to civic engagement." - Terri Simone Francis, Asst. Professor, Film Studies & African American Studies, Yale University
~ "A refreshing antidote to the opportunism and cynicism that rules the political roost todayˇKan inspiring tale of someone who made a difference." - The Hollywood Reporter
Estelle Freedman, Professor of History, and Director of the Program in Feminist Studies, discusses the role of women in early 20th century political and social history.
Explores the international movement for women's rights.
In 1994, 179 government leaders attending the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development signed a groundbreaking agreement aimed at improving the lives of women worldwide. Balancing Acts -- the first in a duo of Life programs made in collaboration with women broadcasters and producers around the world to mark the 10th anniversary of that conference -- explores how women from very different cultures, often faced with extremes of inequality, are taking on the status quo. Individual stories look at how Afghani women refugees are returning to pick up the pieces of their lives in Kabul; the feisty female entrepreneurs of Nigeria known as "Mama Benz" who, despite owning an estimated 50 per cent of the country's small businesses, are denied recognition of their contribution to the economy; a teenager battling purdah to get an education in Pakistan; and the "inherited widows" who are challenging convention in Kenya. Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN Commissioner for Human Rights, provides an overview of the state of women's rights worldwide-and why they are so crucial to social and economic development.
This powerful documentary is a moving tribute to legendary black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde (1934-1992). One of the most celebrated icons of feminism's second wave, Lorde inspired several generations of activists with her riveting poetry, serving as a catalyst for change and uniting the communities of which she was a part: black arts and black liberation, women's liberation and lesbian and gay liberation. Nowhere was this more apparent than the groundbreaking "I Am Your Sister Conference" which brought together 1200 activists from 23 countries, including thrilling footage of the inimitable Lorde herself, and candid interviews with conference organizers. THE EDGE OF EACH OTHER'S BATTLES powerfully brings Lorde's legacy of poetry and politics to life and conveys the spirit, passion and intensity that remains her trademark.
Reviews
~ "A must for women's studies, gay-lesbian studies, and political collections in an academic library."- Susanne Boatright, Educational Media Reviews Online
~ "ExtraordinaryˇKembodies Lorde's words on anger and difference - how these can unite, not divide, when faced squarely and expressed honestly." - M. Charlene Ball, Ph.D., Academic Professional, Women's Studies Institute, Georgia State University
~ "The depth of discussion is intensely satisfying.. The footage of Lorde in Abod's film is superbˇK" - Feminist Collections
Award
~ Black International Cinema, Berlin, Best Doc.
By Joan Sadoff, Dr. Robert Sadoff and Laura J. Lipson
In 1965, when three women walked into the US House of Representatives in Washington D.C., they had come a very long way. Neither lawyers nor politicians, they were ordinary women from Mississippi,and descendants of African slaves. They had come to their country's capitol seeking civil rights, the first black women to be allowed in the senate chambers in nearly 100 years. A missing chapter in our nation's record of the Civil Rights movement, this powerful documentary reveals the movement in Mississippi in the 1950's and 60's from the point of view of the courageous women who lived it - and emerged as its grassroots leaders. Their living testimony offers a window into a unique moment when the founders' promise of freedom and justice passed from rhetoric to reality for all Americans. Through moving interviews and powerful archival footage, STANDING ON MY SISTERS' SHOULDERS weaves a story of commitment, passion and perseverance and tells the story of the women fought for change in Mississippi and altered the course of American history forever.
Reviews
~ "Editor's choice. Highly recommendedˇKa powerful must-see slice of American life."- T. Keogh, Video Librarian
~ "A classic portrait of the women who risked their lives to achieve Civil Rights for all Americans... a film every American should see and never forget." - William Ferris, PhD, Former Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
~ "A moving, must-see film of courageous Black women fighting for (and winning) their families' constitutional rightsˇK a truly inspirational portrait." - Jacqueline Bobo, Prof. Of Women's Studies and Black Studies, Univ. of CA
Awards
~ Pan African Film Festival - Best Documentary
~ Pensacola Film and Video Festival - Best Documentary
~ Savannah Film and Video Festival - Special Jury Prize
~ Atlanta Film Festival - Audience Award
~ African American Women in Cinema Film Festival - Audience Award
~ Long Island Film Expo - Humanitarian Award
~ Dances with Films - Audience Award
DVD (Color, Black & White) / 2002 / () / 60 minutes