A Family to Me
Director Linda Harness, PhD.
Subject Documentary
Language English
Running Time 28 minutes
Distributor New Day Film Library
Question: What is a Family? Answer: Dad works, mom stays home, there are two
children. The fact is, less than 7% of American families fit this description.
A Family To Me moves beyond these stereotypes to unveil positive and realistic
portraits of four unique families: two brothers who discovered new identities
as househusbands; a black single parent with her philosophy of "going it
alone"; a lesbian couple and their experiences mothering twin boys; and a
divorced couple who have created a joint custody arrangement congruent with
their Jewish values.
The Famine Within
Year 1990
Running Time 90 minutes
Distributor PBS
Comments: Misleadingly labeled by some as a documentary about anorexia and
bulimia, Katherine Gilday's highly provocative first feature from Canada (1990)
might better be described as an essay on contemporary women's obsession with
body weight. A lot of intelligent women speak in this film, but perhaps the
most impressive "discourses" are Gilday's narration and her editing, both of
which serve to link the disparate voices we hear into a powerful, unified
statement.
The Farmer's Wife
Producer David Sutherland
Year 1998
Running Time 6.5 Hours
DistributorPBS Video
Comments: Step inside the passionate yet troubled lives of Juanita and
Darrel Buschkoetter as they cling to their family and their farm. Darrel labors
night and day in his quest for a bumper crop while Juanita cleans houses and
finishes college. Despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, their marriage is
transformed as they rediscover the love that binds them together. Part
documentary, part love story, The Farmer's Wife eloquently blends the harsh
realities of American farm life with the bittersweet drama of modern
marriage.
Fassie; Brenda Fassie: African Wave
Subject Documentary
Running Time 25 minutes
DistributorFilms for the Humanities and Sciences
Comments: The music in this program is a detonating blend of soul, disco,
and Mbanqanqa -- a blend of pop and traditional rhythms -- from South African
music legend Brenda Fassie, niece of Nelson Mandela. Fassie talks about her
childhood days as a singer with the Tiny Tots -- a street-corner group with
whom she often did imitations of American folk singer Roberta Flack. Later
music, which she describes as "bubble-gum," made her a star. But it was her
song written and dedicated to Mandela entitled "Black President" that thrust
her into the international music scene. Banned in South Africa, the song became
an international anthem for the anti-apartheid movement.
Fat
Producer Anthony Thomas
Year 1998
Running Time 60 minutes
DistributorPBS Video
Comments: Fat exposes the interplay between cultural ideals and
genetic predisposition in the conflict between food and fashion. Craved by our
brains as a rich source of nourishment, fat is simultaneously rejected by a
society obsessed with being thin. Despite the appeals of the multi-billion
dollar diet and exercise industries, the United States is getting fatter. The
media bombards us with images of thin models exuding the message that to be
thin is a difficult, if not impossible, achievement. This program examines how
the diet industry is contributing to our frustration over unwanted pounds and
asks if one can be healthy, fit, beautiful and fat.
Female Misbehavior
Director Monika Treut
Year 1992
Comments: Female Misbehavior is a group of four short films linked
by the controversial women and issues that are featured in each film. The first
film, Dr. Paglia, is a confrontation with the infamous author of
Sexual Personae, Camille Paglia. The second film, Annie, is
an inside look at Annie Sprinkle, porn-star, performance artist and sexual
diva. The third film, Bondage, centers on S & M practitioner,
Carol, and her use of pain as pleasure. The final film, Max, is the
story of a transsexual's journey from female to male.
Female Perversions
Director Susan Streitfeld
Year
Subject Feature Film
Language English
Running Time 114 minutes
Distributor Trimark Home Video
Comments: Eve Stephens, a beautiful and high-powered attorney, is up for
appointment as a judge. But below her veneer of self-confidence lies a darker
side, one in which she is driven by bizarre visions and sexual fantasies. After
a series of events, including rescuing her sister Madelyn after her arrest for
shoplifting, being reject by her lover John during a surprise visit, and
finally meeting with the Governor regarding her appointment, Eve comes
unraveled. In a stunning and climactic conclusion, Eve is forced to confront
her fears and more importantly herself.
Filming Desire
Director: Marie Mandy
Year: 2000
Subject: Documentary
Running Time: 60 minutes
Distributor: Women Make Movies
“In this bold documentary Marie Mandy asks the question: how do women
directors film love, desire, and, especially, sexuality? In rare interviews
with many of the leading women directors working in the world today – including
Sally Potter, Agnès Varda, Catherine Breillat, Doris Dörrie, Deepa Mehta,
Moufida Tlatli, Safi Faye, and Jane Campion – Filming Desire: A Journey
Through Women’s Cinema directly engages the sexual politics of
cinematographic choice. Powerfully illustrated with film clips from their own
work, the directors discuss the reality of an explicit women’s point of view,
the possibility of a women’s cinematic language, and the desire in their films
to ‘fantasize and dream a new image of themselves’. While discussing how their
depictions of sexuality and relationships are correctives, they also reflect on
the sexual differences in selection of image, shot, and story. The film also
provides a virtual anthology of the debates about the body, sexuality, power,
and passion one sees in contemporary feminist and film theory: the body in
representation and image; as a subject of censorship; as the vehicle of desire
and love; as the contested ground of cinematic production; and as part of
women’s identity and voice. Explicit, funny and beautifully edited, Filming
Desire weaves an intriguing essay that is international in scope and
reflective of the great diversity of women’s filmmakers. Essential viewing for
classes in women’s studies, film studies, sexuality, body image, and feminist
theory.” – Joseph Boles, Visiting Scholar, Center for Visual Culture, Bryn
Mawr
Finding Christa
Director Camille Billops
Running Time 55 minutes
Distributor DU Art Video
Comments: A mother gives her daughter up for adoption at age 4 so that she
can have both a mother and a father. Christa later locates her mother through a
search agency. The video tells the story of each woman's life and their
reunion.
Fire
Director Deepa Mehta
Year 1996
Subject Feature Film
Language English
Running Time 104 minutes
Distributor New York Video
Comments: In modern New Delhi, the beautiful and intelligent young Sita
lives with her extended family and is stuck in an arranged, loveless marriage
to her cheating husband, Jatin. When her sister-in-law Radha is unable to
conceive, Radha's husband Ashok becomes celibate and takes off with a swami.
Soon Sita and Radha develop an intimate relationship more emotionally
satisfying than with their husbands.
Forbidden Love
Directors Aerlyn Weissman and Lynne Fernie
Year 1992
Language English
Running Time 85 minutes
Distributor Women Make Movies
Comments: Taking its cue from those campy lesbian pulp novels of the 50s and
60s, Forbidden Love cleverly frames documentary interviews with its
own pulp novel romance. Against a fascinating backdrop of book covers, tabloid
headlines, archival photographs, and film clips, the women interviewed in
Forbidden Love paint a portrait of lesbian sexuality and survival
during the sexual dark ages of the 1950s and 1960s. Accenting the compelling
and often hilarious stories of these brave women is a fictional drama
reenacting a young girl's coming out and erotic seduction. An interview with
author Ann Bannon and the reminiscences of the women who read these books
brings to life the contrast between their actual experiences and the way they
were fictionalized in popular lesbian pulp novels.
Four Women of Egypt
Director Tahani Rached
Year 1997
Running Time 90 minutes
Distributor Women Make Movies
Comments: Amina Rachid was raised in a non-religious, Westernized,
aristocratic household before embracing Socialism and fighting for social
justice. Another deeply committed activist, Shahenda Maklad, a Muslim, was a
student demonstrator in Egypt's national movement who lost her husband to a
political assassination before pursuing political office herself. Her mentor,
Wedad Mitry, a devout Christian, is a militant nationalist leader and author.
Their friend, Safynaz Kazem, is a political journalist and strict Muslim. These
four women are the subject of this impressive documentary exploration of
opposing religious, social, and political views in modern-day Egypt. There is
little they agree upon and little they won't speak about, yet their friendship
endures. Though possessed of widely divergent and often incompatible
viewpoints, these women maintain a deep and committed friendship with each
other, arguing openly but with extreme tolerance for their differences, and
often dispelling tension with hearty laughter. Through their friendship, we
learn of the reality behind the Western myth of Egypt. Essential viewing for
all interested in the political history of Egypt and women's lives in the
Middle East.
Free to Be...You and Me
Director: Michael Jackson, Alan Alda
Year: 1974
Subject: Documentary
Running Time: 45 minutes
Distributor: Hen's Tooth Productions
Comments: Free to Be…You and Me is a journey into the endless possibilities
of life, rich with positive, life-enhancing messages about growth and change.
In a series of live action and animation, positive messages of self-esteem are
illustrated through songs, stories and laughter. It explores children’s
authentic experiences, their dreams and concerns, their fears and
fantasies.
From the Back-Alleys to the Supreme Court and Beyond: a documentary
trilogy
Director: Dorothy Fadiman, Daniel Meyers, and Beth Seltzer
Year: 1996
Subject: Documentary
Running Time:
Distributor: Women Make Movies
Comments: This acclaimed series provides a comprehensive look at abortion in
the United States. Combining interviews and archival footage, it covers the
moving story of the fight for, Supreme Court decision regarding, and current
climate surrounding legalized abortion. Produced in association with KTEH-TV.
This three-volume series includes When Abortion was Illegal: Untold
Stories (1992); From Danger to Dignity: the Fight for Safe
Abortion (1995); The Fragile Promise of Choice: Abortion in the US
Today (1996). For a detailed description of each volume, look under volume
title.
From The Mountains To The Maquiladoras
Running Time 25 minutes
DistributorA Tennessee Industrial Renewal Network Education Video
Comments: In the late 80's and early 90's, General Motors, Converse and
several other corporations moved their plants from Tennessee to the
Maquiladoras in Mexico. The mass relocation was prompted by the corporations'
search for cheaper labor. In light of this development, nine women workers from
Tennessee join together to preserve industrial jobs and decent living standards
for workers. This documentary follows the women as they travel to Mexico in
July 1991 to meet with the plant managers and workers.
Funny Ladies: A Portrait of Women Cartoonists
Subject Documentary
Running Time 46 minutes
DistributorNew Day Films
Comments: Why are so few women in the comics pages? What is it about women's
place in society that keeps them from doing this? Why is it so important for
society to say that women don't have a sense of humor? Why is humor itself so
powerful and threatening? Four smart and witty role models show audiences new
ways to look at the comics and the world.
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