In all my years of viewing British films and television shows, I somehow missed Cadfael (1994-1998) with the brilliant Derek Jacobi in the eponymous role. My boyfriend, being somewhat of a history buff and an equally keen viewer of British productions, sang the show's praises and I was intrigued. The show is based on a series of twenty detective novels penned by English writer Edith Pargeter (1913-1995), published under her nom de plume Ellis Peters. Set during the Anarchy (a civil war in England in the 12th century), Pargeter's character Cadfael is a Benedictine monk who helps solve murder mysteries. Pargeter/Peters was well versed in history, having written historical and historical fiction works throughout her career. She also wrote short stories and translated Czech classical literature into English. In many ways, she reminds me of a female J.R.R. Tolkien, writing with incredible historical detail and accuracy, possessing a talent for languages and proving adept at research and scholarship. The show, filmed in four series for ITV Central in the UK, is perhaps not as exciting or well produced as some of the modern British productions such as Sherlock or Downton Abbey, but it certainly has its own merits and provides fascinating insight into life in 12th-century England. What particularly struck me about the show, and serves as my main motivation for writing this article, is the gentle, perhaps even censured nature of the storytelling. Despite war, leprosy, fights over inheritance and religious crusades, violence takes on a subtle role. I pointedly refused to watch Games of Thrones for its depiction of violence for violence's sake, especially when it comes to violence against women. Cadfael, in particular the episode entitled "The Virgin in the Ice", depicts rape in the best way: it doesn't. Cadfael finds the body of a young and beautiful nun frozen under the ice in a lake. After examining her body, he merely states that the woman was "defiled" and murdered. Thus this violent act commands literally no screen time. And that is exactly how much screen time violence toward women is necessary: none. Women, especially during the time in which the novels and show are set, were often subject to gross mistreatment. While in many parts of the world women are still treated like property, it is safe to say that women have much more freedom and far more rights than they did 1,000 years ago. However, knowing the effect the media has on us and its ability to seriously prejudice us, even against ourselves, there is simply no place for rape scenes or any place for violence toward women on screen. The imbalance in power for millennia, the long-standing patriarchy that still forms the basis of almost all corners of society, has been punishment enough, causing excessive damage toward women. Over the past few years, there has been an active push by various filmmakers in putting an end to rape culture and demanding the respect and representation of all peoples. Two such works within recent memory are Maybe if it were a nice room (2016) by Alicia K. Harris (read FemFilmFans' interview with her here) and Jane (2019) directed by and starring Jessica Michael Davis. Both works depict rape like Cadfael, choosing not to depict it at all. Maybe if it were a nice room features shots of various rooms devoid of people. There is a simple yet poetic voice over, removing the anger and violence one normally associates with such a terrible act. The short film is thus an ode to survivors, giving it a different kind of metaphorical pain and power. Jane quite literally places the pain and power into the hands of a badass hitwoman who kills rapists, yet at no point do we witness any violence toward women. This removal of the act itself, this withholding of violence, displaces the power from those who traditionally hold it (i.e. cis white men) to those traditionally subjected to it (i.e. everyone else, but in the examples outlined above, women). I am not naively suggesting this will stop rape altogether but it shows survivors (myself included) true compassion and suggests alternate versions of reality that do not continue to keep women down, cowering from the men that cause them a lifetime of harm. While Jane flips the violence, gunning down rapists at point blank range (which I feel is a much needed addition to the media landscape), all three productions still refuse to portray women as victims. It seems so simple but this is where series like Cadfael and short films like Maybe if it were a nice room and Jane get it right.
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Noelle Loizos' short film BUM encourages and empowers women to end the cycle of toxicity... By Christina Schultz
I have, unfortunately, been in a handful of toxic relationships. There's no need to deny it or sugarcoat this fact. I am an emotional, empathetic person and have the tendency to be easily reeled in and not know when to call it quits, even if the relationship is toxic. The most frightening thing about such relationships perhaps is that the toxicity continues to build until both parties are engaging are unhealthy, manipulative behavior. Your perfectly normal needs and wants are denied and used against you. You almost can't remember that you are a normally functioning person of sound mind, that's how deep you are in this thing. Your judgement is clouded, your sense of self is destroyed, your emotions are askew - nothing in the toxic relationship happens as it should in a healthy one, and eventually the toxicity effects all aspects of your life. The only thing to do is to end the relationship and move on with your life. This is generally easier said than done, but what if you were able to clearly envision the future with the toxic person? How would things look in one month, one year or even one decade from now if you stayed in the relationship? The future in those scenarios doesn't look too bright, in fact, it looks positively frightening. This is partly due to the fact that it takes clarity of mind to realize that one is in this dangerous kind of relationship and actually label your partner's behavior as abusive or violent. Even this realization can turn things from bad to worse. What might seem obvious to others has been obfuscated by this skewed sense of reality caused by the relationship that you initially might not be able to cope. But how can you look beyond the toxicity and the abuse to be able to identify that you are in such a relationship? In the film BUM, the main character daydreams about what will happen to her if she says in her toxic relationship. The unhealthy patterns in the couple’s behavior and their conversations eventually wind up having an impact on other individuals and causes an unexpected tragedy. She tries to break the cycle of codependency on her boyfriend, which causes physical harm to herself and others. Her daydream finally empowers the female to leave the relationship and seek help. She is able to leave her partner before it is too late. But how often has domestic abuse and violence, either physically or mentally, gone unchecked until it is too late? Too often. That is precisely what Noelle Loizos' film BUM aims to change. BUM is a vehicle for helping stop the cycle of toxicity, domestic abuse and violence by supporting and empowering the survivors. It is such an important film project and one that is (unfortunately) personally near to my heart. According to Nolo Entertainment, the production company backing the film, all the producers of BUM support the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, just as we do at FemFilmFans. The producers "see this film as a means of tackling domestic violence at its roots. When they recognized societal trends dismissing toxic relationships, they felt a responsibility to bring this story to life for audiences around the world." The producers are also "proud to align with such groups in the fight against domestic violence and all things toxic" and have partnered up with LifeWire - a survivor-driven non-profit organization offering trauma informed services while promoting prevention through community-based training and coaching - showing their disclaimer at the end of the film to provide resources for those who need help. All profits made from the film will also be donated to LifeWire. I therefore ask that you consider donating to the film's IndieGoGo campaign so they can add the finishing touches. If you need a few more reasons as to why this film is so important...
What a year 2018 was for us at Femfilmfans. We launched our site, wrote lots of great content, interviewed some fabulous filmmakers and grew our Femfilmfam. We really can’t thank you enough for all your love and support this past year!
Christina Fem: My feminist highlight of 2018 was without a doubt Remake. Frankfurter Frauen Film Tage this past November. I met so many amazing women, watched inspiring feminist films, learned an incredible amount about the women’s movement all over the world, and so much more. Film: They by Iranian filmmaker Anahita Ghazvinizadeh. I watched it at the Berlin Feminist Film Week and it made a lasting impression on me. The film focuses on a gender non-conforming teen, raising awareness for this overlooked demographic. I also found Ghazvinizadeh’s camerawork incredibly skilled. They is a film I highly recommend to all our FemfilmFans (read my review of the film here). Fans: I’m going to cheat and list two things...1) I became a huge fan of the Netflix show One Day At a Time, a recommendation from our very own Lissy (read her review of the show here); 2) I fell in love with Hannah Gadsby this year, therefore I want everyone to watch at the very least Hannah Gadsby’s special Nanette (read Christian Berger’s review here) so they can become her fans, too.
(left) Poster for Remake. Frankfurter Frauen Film Tage; (center) Film poster for They; (top right) Title screen for One Day At a Time; (bottom right) Promo poster for Hannah Gadsby's Netflix special Nanette Marina Fem: My feminist highlight of 2018 was interviewing filmmaker Natalie MacMahon. Natalie is a director, actress and festival founder all in one person! I was impressed by her work quantity and quality and I am looking forward to meeting her again next year when the first edition of the Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin kicks off in June 2019. I am sure the festival will be a great opportunity for female filmmakers to connect with and support each other. Film: Admittedly, I am a huge fan of the 80s, especially its music. So Netflix show GLOW, set in the 80s. had an easy time winning me over. I love the female cast with its original and unique characters, the complex story of emancipation and the struggles with patriarchy in show biz. And guess what? The music is great as well (read my review of the show here). Fans: I became an even bigger fan of all women in film and TV. I am now paying more attention to the “hard facts” of film production. How’s the cast set up? How many women participate in the production of a film? And I am amazed by the amount of talented women worldwide who are no longer waiting for their opportunities in the film business but taking action.
Lissy Fem: Like Christina and the rest of the world, I was awed by Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix special Nanette and it was definitely one of the most important feminist moments in 2018 for me. Gadsby not only managed to redefine stand-up comedy and call out the abundance of toxicity in the genre and in art in general, but also managed to make everyone cry, laugh and feel amazed by this strong, humble and incredibly intelligent woman. Her show is a philosophical manifesto and a poetic piece of art that should belong to the feminist canon. Film: Since I love television shows, I want to point out my favorite one from this past year: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. This is a show that is very hard to define as “just” a comedy. It uses the trope of a rom com, but puts the genre on its head by bringing in complex issues and different female perspectives. It’s still hilarious and the musical numbers are so much fun even if you typically do not care for musicals. I can’t wait to watch the fourth and final season - it will be available on Netflix soon. You can read my review of the first three seasons here. Fans: This year, I became a huge fan of Awkwafina after seeing her on screen in Crazy Rich Asians. Not only is she incredibly funny and talented, but her performance was so unique that she really stood out to me when watching the extraordinary cast of Crazy Rich Asians. Also, she is a fantastic rapper and I encourage everyone to check her out on Spotify.
(left) Fan art by Sogayjen with a quote from Hannah Gadsby's Nanette; Promo poster for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend starring Rachel Bloom; Awkwafina as Peik Lin in Crazy Rich Asians Before we sign off, we want to sincerely thank everyone who helped, supported and encouraged us this past year. We hope to bring you many great things in 2019 and want to wish our Femfilmfam an empowered, enlightened and femtastic New Year! And before you sign off, don't forget to like this post, leave us a comment with your favorites of 2018 and share the post with your loved ones. If you don't already, you can also like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram or send us an email with your suggestions, film event information, ideas for collaborations with us or whatever else floats your boat! Just click on the social media icons below. Women in Film and Television Germany at Remake. Frankfurter Frauen Film TageBy Christina Schultz Perhaps this is not a secret to you but the world generally still thinks in binary terms: the proverbial black or white. This logic of course applies to gender: male or female. Even in the (supposedly) incredibly modern and progressive era in which we live, with the recognition of transgender, asexual and non-conforming people, as well as other groups of the population that have long been forced to shame and/or silence, we still tend to see things one way (male) or another (female). Without sounding too reductive, anyone that is not male is automatically at a disadvantage. If we add the aspect of race, sexuality or even religion, it becomes even more complicated. But the fact still stands that males (and in particular white males) still have the upper hand in society. I have actually been called racist - ironically enough by white males - for holding this view. White men feel threatened when any other group of people speaks up. They are downright scared to lose their power and privilege. We have seen it time and again, especially recently - and so this post doesn’t turn into a giant rant against Trump, Putin, Erdogan and cohort, I’ll stop myself here. So how can we smash that good old patriarchy that has been so repressive and oppressive since the beginning of time? The answer lies in a restructuring of how we think and view gender. This of course might not shock you either. It’s been said and done before. But as we know with many things, unfortunately the deeply ingrained binary mindset won’t change anytime soon, so the next best answer would be to study “male” behavior and use it against the oppressors. Marianne Brandt, with the organization “Women in Film and Television Germany,” advised precisely that in her talk as part of the Remake. Frankfurter Frauen Film Tage. If you are working on a film or television set, you need to develop smart strategies to communicate effectively. You need to understand how men communicate and recognize that empathy, typically considered a feminine trait, will not get you very far, at least at first. Ms. Brandt suggests instead that you exert your dominance by channeling male aggression and power trips in meetings or verbal smackdowns and turn it against the source. You need to be able to quickly read the room, make space for yourself, exude confidence and size up the competition (among other things, but these are the salient points). If you make a dominant alpha male feel insecure, you can then prove your value, worth, expertise, professionalism and overall right to do your job like a boss.  (image © Mohamed Hassan) I myself am guilty of being bowled over by men telling me my business; it’s so demoralizing, degrading and demotivating. However, getting past this is more nuanced than simply being aggressive and demanding, displaying your power and getting what you want (what usually earns a woman the title of “bitch”). If one views sensitivity as a strength like our hero Hannah Gadsby (read Christian Berger’s review of her show here), it can also be combined with the aforementioned “male” qualities. And this is where working with women proves to be a real joy, as the women in the industry with whom I have spoken on this subject can confirm. A female producer or director can get the job done while still empathizing with her crew on a personal level, creating a positive environment for growth and empowerment - a vast improvement over a tyrannical dictatorship on set. There is nothing wrong with “non-violent communication” (gewaltfreie Kommunikation) or the female tendency, according to Ms. Brandt, to have an “inhibition toward aggression” (Aggressionshemmung), yet if women in film and/or television carrie themselves more in the way that a male colleague would, they too can speak the (male) language of success. Rather than being doubted and questioned every step of the way, women could walk into a board room or a set, take charge and still retain their feminine qualities...if they exist, we are trying to move away from the dangerous binaries here. But the point is, the “male” and “female” qualities can coexist, and, as Ms. Brandt agrees, with great results. So the bottom line is to think like a man without compromising yourself too much. Once you reach a certain level of respect and enough fame (the name Ava Duvernay particularly comes to mind here), these issues diminish and hopefully will even vanish. But anyone not at the top of the hierarchy has to work so much harder to receive the same level of trust and respect, which is why we need to stick together more than ever. So if you work on the production side, as a director, writer, camera person, or are part of the editorial staff, you should consider becoming a member of WIFT Germany or applying for membership in your area, such as Women in Film Los Angeles, New York Women in Film and Television or Women in Film & Television UK. Perhaps that ultimately is the best way to flip the script: by continuing to grow the network of women who help, support and empower one another. But when dealing with men, it usually helps to speak their language.  The Breast in Hollywood: |
 (photo: Sam Schneider) | Note: This highly opinionated post originates from my other blog, The Love Chronicles, and originally focused on La La Land (although it has been drastically altered). However, I thought some of the themes were relevant for Femfilmfans. You can read the old post from February 2017 here: tinskies.blogspot.com/2017/02/la-la-lame.html. |
The Oscars were all the way back in February yet I couldn’t help but think that those who were shocked, upset or angry with the fact that Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016) won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2017 felt similarly about the fact that The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro, 2017) won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2018. Why could the past two winners for Best Picture cause such an uproar? Personally, I think the Oscars, and Hollywood at large, while not perfect entities – because let’s face it, they’ve f*cked up a lot and perpetuate so much that makes the industry so problematic – made the right decisions these past two years. Decisions that show audiences worldwide the U.S. film industry is moving away from the mainstream, the conventional, the heteronormative, the blandness, the whiteness and the head-up-the-assness of Hollywood.
Naturally audiences will react to such decisions (especially after the brilliant envelope slip up, #schadenfreude) and react they did. But how hard is it to understand that audiences consist of, well, every type of person on the spectrum of human beings? So instead of giving awards to a small sliver of this spectrum, i.e. straight white people, for films about said spectrum, we might actually be able to, or even should, bestow awards on “different” films? How could so many people say films like Moonlight or The Shape of Water are garbage, disgusting or indecent? They most certainly are not, especially if you view films with an open mind and fully comprehend the power of images. But yet I kept reading and hearing: *Sex with a fish man? Gross. *A love story between gay black men? Revolting. *La La Land [or other film nominated for Best Picture] was such a great film. You are entitled to your personal opinions, although I respectfully have to disagree with you, because the past two Best Picture winners certainly deserved the Oscars for so many reasons, and more importantly not because they were objectively “good films” (a term one tends to use lightly).
Naturally audiences will react to such decisions (especially after the brilliant envelope slip up, #schadenfreude) and react they did. But how hard is it to understand that audiences consist of, well, every type of person on the spectrum of human beings? So instead of giving awards to a small sliver of this spectrum, i.e. straight white people, for films about said spectrum, we might actually be able to, or even should, bestow awards on “different” films? How could so many people say films like Moonlight or The Shape of Water are garbage, disgusting or indecent? They most certainly are not, especially if you view films with an open mind and fully comprehend the power of images. But yet I kept reading and hearing: *Sex with a fish man? Gross. *A love story between gay black men? Revolting. *La La Land [or other film nominated for Best Picture] was such a great film. You are entitled to your personal opinions, although I respectfully have to disagree with you, because the past two Best Picture winners certainly deserved the Oscars for so many reasons, and more importantly not because they were objectively “good films” (a term one tends to use lightly).
#/media/File:La_La_Land_(film).png) (photo: Wikipedia) | #/media/File:Moonlight_(2016_film).png) (photo: Wikipedia) |  (photo: Flickr) |
Allow me to use fan favorite La La Land as an example to prove why Moonlight and The Shape of Water deserved to win. La La Land is a simultaneous tribute to and self-aggrandizement of white Hollywood. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, who are just so darn cute, are not professional singers or dancers, and I would argue even their acting skills are lacking. They are nothing more than pretty white people and Hollywood has plenty of them. Despite all the buzz around the movie, it by no means deserved Best Picture. Dramas almost exclusively take home the Oscar, so if Warren Beatty had been right and La La Land won, not only would Hollywood be upholding its own superiority but it would have neglected to make an important political statement at this crucial time in American history. Moonlight was the first film with an all-black cast and the first LGBT film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Think about that for a minute. One year later, The Shape of Water wins, a film in which “love trumps hate, monsters become lovers and freaks, geeks and the typically marginalized become heroes” (tiff_net). In other words, a mute woman (Sally Hawkins), her African-American friend (Octavia Spencer), a Russian scientist and a gay man (as it turns out, all types of people hated by 1950s conservative America, which sadly still seems true today) rescue a beautiful, highly intelligent creature from white men in power because they are willing to give it a chance and open their hearts. Two bold and aesthetically beautiful films featuring marginalized people that challenge the status quo. I could not think of more deserving films!
And before people say I'm a jerk or not giving the La La Land crew any credit for their work, let me explain why I'm writing this. While I enjoyed the film to a degree, it still left me cold, mainly because of the singing and the dancing and its retelling of an all-too familiar story. Besides representing white Hollywood, it was nothing like the ultimate musical from the 1950s. You know the one I'm talking about. Wait, you don't? Then let me tell you about it...
And before people say I'm a jerk or not giving the La La Land crew any credit for their work, let me explain why I'm writing this. While I enjoyed the film to a degree, it still left me cold, mainly because of the singing and the dancing and its retelling of an all-too familiar story. Besides representing white Hollywood, it was nothing like the ultimate musical from the 1950s. You know the one I'm talking about. Wait, you don't? Then let me tell you about it...
Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen's 1952 musical, Singin' in the Rain, is to this day considered one of the best Hollywood pictures ever. And why you might ask? Because so much work went into the film. It is a masterpiece of choreography, musical composition, cinematography, acting, set design and screenwriting. Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, may they all rest in peace, danced and sang up a storm (get it? Singin’ in the Rain...storm?). However, the three main actors did not particularly like each other. Gene Kelly was such a notorious tyrant and taskmaster on set that he had a voice double (Betty Noyes) for Debbie Reynolds when she couldn't cut it and he had his co-stars frightened and upset by his incessant push for perfection.
And the craziest part of all? Debbie Reynolds wasn't a dancer (see below). Gene Kelly trained her so hard that you wouldn’t know she wasn't just as skilled as the others. Even though this is problematic (which I should probably address in another post), that is hard work. That is love for your craft. That makes history. Singin’ in the Rain is the far superior musical. Oh, and it has already been done. In 1952.
To connect the main threads here: we are moving beyond the time of the pretty white people in Hollywood; we are moving beyond the one-dimensional representation of the world; we are honoring the work and stories of people who have so often been marginalized in Hollywood and the film industry at large. And that is why La La Land is La La Lame.
And the craziest part of all? Debbie Reynolds wasn't a dancer (see below). Gene Kelly trained her so hard that you wouldn’t know she wasn't just as skilled as the others. Even though this is problematic (which I should probably address in another post), that is hard work. That is love for your craft. That makes history. Singin’ in the Rain is the far superior musical. Oh, and it has already been done. In 1952.
To connect the main threads here: we are moving beyond the time of the pretty white people in Hollywood; we are moving beyond the one-dimensional representation of the world; we are honoring the work and stories of people who have so often been marginalized in Hollywood and the film industry at large. And that is why La La Land is La La Lame.
For more information about Singin' in the Rain, click here:
http://www.filmsite.org/sing.html
*Note: I know my audience largely consists of intelligent, worldly people, so please understand this is a Schultzian rant about the film industry and is not directed at my readers! I thank you for taking the time to read and support my work, and the work of my team, at Femfilmfans. So please, do not in any way feel offended. Or if you are offended, let me know! Or if you disagree. Or if you love it. Any feedback is good feedback. I love to hear what my readers think.
(photo: Mavelus, Wikimedia) By Christina Schultz
Words of warning: If you have not seen Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, be warned that the plot will be discussed in this editorial post. You should also be warned that the opinions expressed here, including those about rape, belong solely to the author.
If I were the mother of a teenage girl who was “raped while dying,” the text from the first of the three eponymous billboards, would I be moved to violence? The answer is simple: Yes. In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Martin McDonagh, 2017), the mother of dead rape victim Angela Hayes is certainly that. At first, Mildred (Frances McDormand, Oscar for Best Actress) takes out the brunt of her anger, grief and frustration on the local police because: “Still no arrests?” (billboard #2). She provokingly poses the question directly to the town’s well-liked police chief on the final billboard: “How come, Chief Willoughby?” Mildred’s three billboards and her subsequent acts of vehement hostility against the justice system that has seemingly failed her then set off a chain of events that will change the little town in many ways.
Words of warning: If you have not seen Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, be warned that the plot will be discussed in this editorial post. You should also be warned that the opinions expressed here, including those about rape, belong solely to the author.
If I were the mother of a teenage girl who was “raped while dying,” the text from the first of the three eponymous billboards, would I be moved to violence? The answer is simple: Yes. In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Martin McDonagh, 2017), the mother of dead rape victim Angela Hayes is certainly that. At first, Mildred (Frances McDormand, Oscar for Best Actress) takes out the brunt of her anger, grief and frustration on the local police because: “Still no arrests?” (billboard #2). She provokingly poses the question directly to the town’s well-liked police chief on the final billboard: “How come, Chief Willoughby?” Mildred’s three billboards and her subsequent acts of vehement hostility against the justice system that has seemingly failed her then set off a chain of events that will change the little town in many ways.
Chief Willoughby and Officer Dixon (photo: Tanuki's Magic Box) When Mildred realizes Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson in fine form), Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell, Oscar for Best Supporting Actor) and the rest of the Ebbing, Missouri police force are not the bad guys, her hatred of the unknown bad man takes over. The end of the film has Mildred and Dixon embarking on an assassination road trip to Idaho where – get this – a rapist lives. Not the rapist. But you know what? I’m going to be real honest here, and I know a lot of people will find this controversial or offensive, I agree with Mildred and her approach to rapists. Maybe I wouldn’t actually become a cold-blooded murderer or really contemplate killing someone, but if I was in her shoes, I would damn sure want to do something about it. And perhaps I wouldn’t be able to bring the defiler of my little girl to justice, whether I were on the right side of the law or not, but I could bring the rapist of someone’s little girl to justice.
Too often we ignore rape victims. Or the victims are afraid to speak out against their aggressors. We have seen it time and again. If a case does go to court, it is a messy tennis match of he-said, she-said, with the man’s reputation somehow remaining more or less intact post-trial (take Kobe Bryant, for starters). The women are portrayed as slutty, stupid bimbos who are either money hungry or just DTF or both. How is it better to deny what you did, to paint the woman in such a defamatory way, or better yet to plead ignorance when even a two-year-old knows what the words “no” and “stop” mean?
Even though we are living in the time of #MeToo and Time’s Up, why is it that so many of the women are still somehow forgotten? Why are their faces and voices not heard? Why is justice still not being served? Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby are just two, albeit major, examples but how many more men walk free? Why are women, or any victims of sexual assault, violence and abuse, still afraid to speak up? Why do we not listen to, support and help the victims even more? I am making the situation seem totally hopeless and it certainly is not all bad. Full disclosure: I am a rape victim - it is still incredibly painful to discuss - and have sought out the free and very necessary counseling services offered by Rape Victims Advocates in Chicago. There are great resources out there if you look but such programs and organizations are constantly struggling for funding. That is enough to make me want to pay for billboards all over the world...maybe my first crowdfunding campaign?
The three billboards “on a road no one goes down unless they got lost or they’re retards” (said at least twice in the film) and the woman who put them there, Mildred Hayes, vividly demonstrate what the fight could look like for things to really change. We need mouthier, fuck-all confidence. We need a better justice system. We need to get in people’s faces, perhaps slightly more respectfully than Mildred, and question their bullshit. We must call for action in rape cases, in abuse cases, in police brutality cases, in gunshot cases – the list goes on. I read the film as a call for action. The billboards tip the scales in Podunk, small town Ebbing, Missouri and this is what the country needs.
Time’s up!
Too often we ignore rape victims. Or the victims are afraid to speak out against their aggressors. We have seen it time and again. If a case does go to court, it is a messy tennis match of he-said, she-said, with the man’s reputation somehow remaining more or less intact post-trial (take Kobe Bryant, for starters). The women are portrayed as slutty, stupid bimbos who are either money hungry or just DTF or both. How is it better to deny what you did, to paint the woman in such a defamatory way, or better yet to plead ignorance when even a two-year-old knows what the words “no” and “stop” mean?
Even though we are living in the time of #MeToo and Time’s Up, why is it that so many of the women are still somehow forgotten? Why are their faces and voices not heard? Why is justice still not being served? Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby are just two, albeit major, examples but how many more men walk free? Why are women, or any victims of sexual assault, violence and abuse, still afraid to speak up? Why do we not listen to, support and help the victims even more? I am making the situation seem totally hopeless and it certainly is not all bad. Full disclosure: I am a rape victim - it is still incredibly painful to discuss - and have sought out the free and very necessary counseling services offered by Rape Victims Advocates in Chicago. There are great resources out there if you look but such programs and organizations are constantly struggling for funding. That is enough to make me want to pay for billboards all over the world...maybe my first crowdfunding campaign?
The three billboards “on a road no one goes down unless they got lost or they’re retards” (said at least twice in the film) and the woman who put them there, Mildred Hayes, vividly demonstrate what the fight could look like for things to really change. We need mouthier, fuck-all confidence. We need a better justice system. We need to get in people’s faces, perhaps slightly more respectfully than Mildred, and question their bullshit. We must call for action in rape cases, in abuse cases, in police brutality cases, in gunshot cases – the list goes on. I read the film as a call for action. The billboards tip the scales in Podunk, small town Ebbing, Missouri and this is what the country needs.
Time’s up!
Frances McDormand (photo: Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV, Wikimedia)
(photo: courtesy of Brace Bargo) By Guest Contributor Brace Bargo
Located in Berlin, Germany, Brace is interested in history, film and culture, and the way they resonate together. Having studied at University of Illinois at Chicago and Freie Unversität, he applies this background to find new ways to understand film that is relevant for critics and casual viewers alike. When not hidden behind the keyboard or movie screen, he dabbles in music, filmmaking and the hipsterest of craft beers.
Rain beat down as the audience wandered in the cryptically-labelled Kreuzberg courtyard trying to find the theater. The sign had been spotted: Sputnik Kino, 5th floor. Wait. Five stories up? Yes, five stories up. But there’s an elevator, right? No. The prize at the end of this journey was a collection of short films made by female filmmakers, presented by the Women’s Film Network Berlin and the short film Meetup Shortcutz. In the entrance, one gazed up at the task before them: stairwell after stairwell framed by raw walls and hanging wires. Upon reaching the first set of stairs one was greeted with an uplifting sign “No pain, no film” shortly followed on the next staircase with “This is so Berlin…” (written in English, which is itself quite Berlin). Perhaps the trial by stairs was meant as a taste of the struggle and pain of women in the film industry? The fight to reach the top only to receive a condescending pat on the head, rejection, or platitude? Whatever the reason, the struggle is always worth the reward when it comes to promoting the representation of the underrepresented in the media landscape.
Located in Berlin, Germany, Brace is interested in history, film and culture, and the way they resonate together. Having studied at University of Illinois at Chicago and Freie Unversität, he applies this background to find new ways to understand film that is relevant for critics and casual viewers alike. When not hidden behind the keyboard or movie screen, he dabbles in music, filmmaking and the hipsterest of craft beers.
Rain beat down as the audience wandered in the cryptically-labelled Kreuzberg courtyard trying to find the theater. The sign had been spotted: Sputnik Kino, 5th floor. Wait. Five stories up? Yes, five stories up. But there’s an elevator, right? No. The prize at the end of this journey was a collection of short films made by female filmmakers, presented by the Women’s Film Network Berlin and the short film Meetup Shortcutz. In the entrance, one gazed up at the task before them: stairwell after stairwell framed by raw walls and hanging wires. Upon reaching the first set of stairs one was greeted with an uplifting sign “No pain, no film” shortly followed on the next staircase with “This is so Berlin…” (written in English, which is itself quite Berlin). Perhaps the trial by stairs was meant as a taste of the struggle and pain of women in the film industry? The fight to reach the top only to receive a condescending pat on the head, rejection, or platitude? Whatever the reason, the struggle is always worth the reward when it comes to promoting the representation of the underrepresented in the media landscape.
(photo: courtesy of Brace Bargo) Women’s voices, and those of many other identities, are conspicuously inconspicuous in the production of film and television. Most can recall an actress, but it is a much greater challenge to recount the work of a renowned female director, producer or writer, positions which shape the stories to be told. The difficulty recalling a favorite female producer or director is due to the fact that there just are not that many. From all these influential roles, women make up no more than twenty-seven percent of the field, and are even more limited as executive producers, directors and writers.[1] One must assume that the numbers for LGBTQ and ethnic communities do not fare much better. What we lose from this exclusion is the ability to engage with a too-often ignored part of itself, that is, the groups and identities excised from the simplified concepts of “everyday” culture, but nonetheless constitute a part of who we are as individuals and society. Women are denied their voice and the expression of their individual worldview. No two people see things exactly the same way, but all have been influenced by their surroundings. The external too often determines the internal, as how one looks changes the way one is greeted, treated, raised, employed, included, excluded, and even the way one speaks or is allowed to speak. It is a diversified and distributed network of power and norm-production that builds the frame within which our freedom and individuality exist.[2] Is it not fair then, that all those affected should be seen, heard, and take part in the conversation?
It is this void of the voiceless that is expanded through the exclusion of alternative perspectives from cinema and media and against which the Women’s Film Network Berlin positions itself. The WFNB “hosts meetups and events aimed to provide a space to inspire, empower, inform and collaborate.” And far from inciting revolution: “At the end of the day, most of us just want to make something.”[3] A space is thus provided for women filmmakers to collaborate and refine their work, and tools are shared to bring these perspectives to a wider audience. The Sputnik Kino, like all theaters, is a place where identities and ideas are produced and reproduced on the screen daily, and on this rainy Wednesday evening, newly refined voices were about to leave their mark.
The evening consisted of four short films written and directed by female or female-identifying filmmakers: The Glasshouse by Gianna Arni, Win Win by Nina Walter, Löwe am Montag/Lion on Monday by Leni Wesselman, and Out of Frame by Sophie Linnenbaum. All of the films showcased great production value, witty and clever writing and clear sense of vision. The themes were familiar: loneliness, failed ambitions, complicated relationships and regret. One is tempted to ask, what is so female about these films? That, however, is precisely the wrong question.
Contrary to the popular idea “men are from Mars, women are from Venus,” the concept of two distinct camps reduced down to their supposed core sexuality, all individuals have been shaped by similar social forces. Since the information we receive is filtered through a gendered lens, the internalization of this influence has individual effects; different perspectives on the same processes. These new takes on old themes come through in the works of the Berlin Female Filmmakers short film collection. The Glasshouse delves into failed fatherhood and reveals both a critique and expectation of masculinity through the lens of director Gianna Arni. Sophie Linnenbaum in Out of Frame explores not just feminist observations that women are seen and judged through the male gaze, but also the isolation of being the observer, the never seen, the camera itself.[4] Indeed, some of the films resonate with and reproduce Hollywood tropes as Löwe am Montag maintains the essentializing form of the eccentric girlfriend and the boyfriend that just can never understand. Win Win addresses the aspirations of women to achieve the beauty ideal, and uncritically replicates this narrative. Cliché, one could say, but so is Hollywood, because the cliché is what exists in everyone. It is not necessary that these films and other works of women tear down the system or address brand-new, specifically feminine things. Indeed, the limitation of female filmmakers to only talk about female things is already the reality, as so-called chick-flicks exemplify. It is significant that these filmmakers observed themes and feelings that affect them and thus touch on narratives that affect everyone, and through sharing their vision, they help clarify, and more importantly, take part in defining this ephemeral object we call culture.
Women in film does not necessarily mean feminism in film. To limit women to feminist stories and ideologies serves to further isolate their work from the rest. The films this evening had a tendency to reproduce rather than resist the patriarchal narrative. All four films had male protagonists, male narrators and the agency to act was largely in male hands. Mothers were caregivers, women characters prioritized beauty and eccentricity was a female trait. Men and women existed as categories without question. One must remember that liberation is the freedom to choose to accept the status quo and to identify with whatever one wishes. The first step to an equal culture is telling the story from all sides and being part of the larger conversation, to have a platform from which to confront and construct what it means to be a woman, and to share this process with a larger audience. The WFNB takes a great first step in amplifying the voices of the underrepresented from the small screen to the big screen, and eventually letting them reverberate through the halls, down the stairs, and in the exposed structure itself (where, coincidentally, one could very easily build an elevator).
[1] http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/research/.
[2] Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish, 1975.
[3] http://www.womenfilmberlin.com/.
[4] Laura Mulvey, Narrative Cinema and Visual Pleasure, 1989.
This post was originally published on Brace's blog. He graciously allowed us to post it on Femfilmfans in an edited form. To read Brace's original post in its entirety, please visit his blog at the link below:
https://threadbaer.wordpress.com/2018/02/07/female-filmmakers-berlin-pt-1/
It is this void of the voiceless that is expanded through the exclusion of alternative perspectives from cinema and media and against which the Women’s Film Network Berlin positions itself. The WFNB “hosts meetups and events aimed to provide a space to inspire, empower, inform and collaborate.” And far from inciting revolution: “At the end of the day, most of us just want to make something.”[3] A space is thus provided for women filmmakers to collaborate and refine their work, and tools are shared to bring these perspectives to a wider audience. The Sputnik Kino, like all theaters, is a place where identities and ideas are produced and reproduced on the screen daily, and on this rainy Wednesday evening, newly refined voices were about to leave their mark.
The evening consisted of four short films written and directed by female or female-identifying filmmakers: The Glasshouse by Gianna Arni, Win Win by Nina Walter, Löwe am Montag/Lion on Monday by Leni Wesselman, and Out of Frame by Sophie Linnenbaum. All of the films showcased great production value, witty and clever writing and clear sense of vision. The themes were familiar: loneliness, failed ambitions, complicated relationships and regret. One is tempted to ask, what is so female about these films? That, however, is precisely the wrong question.
Contrary to the popular idea “men are from Mars, women are from Venus,” the concept of two distinct camps reduced down to their supposed core sexuality, all individuals have been shaped by similar social forces. Since the information we receive is filtered through a gendered lens, the internalization of this influence has individual effects; different perspectives on the same processes. These new takes on old themes come through in the works of the Berlin Female Filmmakers short film collection. The Glasshouse delves into failed fatherhood and reveals both a critique and expectation of masculinity through the lens of director Gianna Arni. Sophie Linnenbaum in Out of Frame explores not just feminist observations that women are seen and judged through the male gaze, but also the isolation of being the observer, the never seen, the camera itself.[4] Indeed, some of the films resonate with and reproduce Hollywood tropes as Löwe am Montag maintains the essentializing form of the eccentric girlfriend and the boyfriend that just can never understand. Win Win addresses the aspirations of women to achieve the beauty ideal, and uncritically replicates this narrative. Cliché, one could say, but so is Hollywood, because the cliché is what exists in everyone. It is not necessary that these films and other works of women tear down the system or address brand-new, specifically feminine things. Indeed, the limitation of female filmmakers to only talk about female things is already the reality, as so-called chick-flicks exemplify. It is significant that these filmmakers observed themes and feelings that affect them and thus touch on narratives that affect everyone, and through sharing their vision, they help clarify, and more importantly, take part in defining this ephemeral object we call culture.
Women in film does not necessarily mean feminism in film. To limit women to feminist stories and ideologies serves to further isolate their work from the rest. The films this evening had a tendency to reproduce rather than resist the patriarchal narrative. All four films had male protagonists, male narrators and the agency to act was largely in male hands. Mothers were caregivers, women characters prioritized beauty and eccentricity was a female trait. Men and women existed as categories without question. One must remember that liberation is the freedom to choose to accept the status quo and to identify with whatever one wishes. The first step to an equal culture is telling the story from all sides and being part of the larger conversation, to have a platform from which to confront and construct what it means to be a woman, and to share this process with a larger audience. The WFNB takes a great first step in amplifying the voices of the underrepresented from the small screen to the big screen, and eventually letting them reverberate through the halls, down the stairs, and in the exposed structure itself (where, coincidentally, one could very easily build an elevator).
[1] http://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/research/.
[2] Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish, 1975.
[3] http://www.womenfilmberlin.com/.
[4] Laura Mulvey, Narrative Cinema and Visual Pleasure, 1989.
This post was originally published on Brace's blog. He graciously allowed us to post it on Femfilmfans in an edited form. To read Brace's original post in its entirety, please visit his blog at the link below:
https://threadbaer.wordpress.com/2018/02/07/female-filmmakers-berlin-pt-1/
Meet co-founder and writer for Femfilmfans, Marina Brafa
Hometown: Waiblingen, Germany
Current Residence: Berlin, Germany
M.A. in European Literature, focusing on German and Italian Literature
Wrote her master thesis on the banned DEFA film Fräulein Schmetterling by Christa and Gerhard Wolf
Culture junkie, riding throughout the city to find inspiration and creativity. Never stops.
Favorite Films: Hard to say...melancholic mood: Forrest Gump; girl’s night: Crazy Stupid Love
Favorite Shows: I hardly watch any but I can recommend Türkisch für Anfänger and Weissensee
Favorite Books: Never ask a literature student this question but, currently, Vielleicht Esther, the Neapolitan Novels, Der Fall Mersault
Would you be able to give up your career to get married? No, because without being able to do what I like and to develop my own projects outside of a relationship I would be unhappy and feel bored.
Why are you a feminist? I have a hard time saying that I am a feminist because everyone has their different definition of that term. I do support the idea of female solidarity and empowerment, and equality for everyone.
Hometown: Waiblingen, Germany
Current Residence: Berlin, Germany
M.A. in European Literature, focusing on German and Italian Literature
Wrote her master thesis on the banned DEFA film Fräulein Schmetterling by Christa and Gerhard Wolf
Culture junkie, riding throughout the city to find inspiration and creativity. Never stops.
Favorite Films: Hard to say...melancholic mood: Forrest Gump; girl’s night: Crazy Stupid Love
Favorite Shows: I hardly watch any but I can recommend Türkisch für Anfänger and Weissensee
Favorite Books: Never ask a literature student this question but, currently, Vielleicht Esther, the Neapolitan Novels, Der Fall Mersault
Would you be able to give up your career to get married? No, because without being able to do what I like and to develop my own projects outside of a relationship I would be unhappy and feel bored.
Why are you a feminist? I have a hard time saying that I am a feminist because everyone has their different definition of that term. I do support the idea of female solidarity and empowerment, and equality for everyone.
Meet our regular contributor, Lissy Granzow
Hometown: Berlin, Germany
Current Residence: Düsseldorf, Germany
M.A. in American Studies with focus on Identity, Diversity, Gender Studies in American Literature and Culture
Wrote thesis on Fresh Off the Boat and the U.S. sitcom genre
Obsessed with television dramas and comedies and analyzing them
Favorite Films: I can’t think of any films I would count as my absolute favorites. I’m a TV fanatic through and through. I love guilty pleasure movies, such as Clueless, Mean Girls, The Holiday, BBC adaptations of novels (e.g. Pride and Prejudice)
Favorite Shows: currently into Buffy (which always has and will have that special place in my heart), Game of Thrones (I’m very worried that the final season will be a disaster), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Arrested Development, The Handmaid’s Tale, Dear White People and others
Favorite Actors: currently Elisabeth Moss, Michael B. Jordan, Rachel Bloom, Samira Wiley, Constance Wu
Favorite Books: Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (get it together George and finish what you started!), the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (duh), the Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante (LOVE them), Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (love all her work), the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss (pretty woke for a male fantasy writer)
Would you be able to give up your career to get married? I personally would always want to have some sort of career to not be bored out of my mind. I also would not would want to be with a partner who expects me to stay home or be dependent on them. But I think you always need to weigh the circumstances and find a compromise that works for both sides. If one partner in a relationship would like to stay home for family or any other reason, and the economical situation allows it, why not?
Hometown: Berlin, Germany
Current Residence: Düsseldorf, Germany
M.A. in American Studies with focus on Identity, Diversity, Gender Studies in American Literature and Culture
Wrote thesis on Fresh Off the Boat and the U.S. sitcom genre
Obsessed with television dramas and comedies and analyzing them
Favorite Films: I can’t think of any films I would count as my absolute favorites. I’m a TV fanatic through and through. I love guilty pleasure movies, such as Clueless, Mean Girls, The Holiday, BBC adaptations of novels (e.g. Pride and Prejudice)
Favorite Shows: currently into Buffy (which always has and will have that special place in my heart), Game of Thrones (I’m very worried that the final season will be a disaster), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Arrested Development, The Handmaid’s Tale, Dear White People and others
Favorite Actors: currently Elisabeth Moss, Michael B. Jordan, Rachel Bloom, Samira Wiley, Constance Wu
Favorite Books: Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (get it together George and finish what you started!), the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (duh), the Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante (LOVE them), Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (love all her work), the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss (pretty woke for a male fantasy writer)
Would you be able to give up your career to get married? I personally would always want to have some sort of career to not be bored out of my mind. I also would not would want to be with a partner who expects me to stay home or be dependent on them. But I think you always need to weigh the circumstances and find a compromise that works for both sides. If one partner in a relationship would like to stay home for family or any other reason, and the economical situation allows it, why not?
Why are you a feminist? “I don’t understand the question and I won’t respond to it…” (Lucille Bluth)
Just kidding! I think Chimamanda Ngozi Aidichie sums it up pretty well in her TED talk “Why we should all be feminists.” Feminism basically just means that we believe in the equality of the sexes, and all people for that matter, so I don’t think this should be controversial at all. Feminism has often been highly misunderstood. Many people, men and women, do not realize how privileged men are in Western societies and how all non-cis men are discriminated against on a daily basis. I think people need to be made aware that institutional sexism, racism, heteronormativity, classism etc. exist everywhere and are masked in Western societies and around the world. This is why I think intersectional feminism is so important, because it deciphers the many systems of oppression people face and we should learn as much as possible about them, particularly if we are privileged through these systems.
Just kidding! I think Chimamanda Ngozi Aidichie sums it up pretty well in her TED talk “Why we should all be feminists.” Feminism basically just means that we believe in the equality of the sexes, and all people for that matter, so I don’t think this should be controversial at all. Feminism has often been highly misunderstood. Many people, men and women, do not realize how privileged men are in Western societies and how all non-cis men are discriminated against on a daily basis. I think people need to be made aware that institutional sexism, racism, heteronormativity, classism etc. exist everywhere and are masked in Western societies and around the world. This is why I think intersectional feminism is so important, because it deciphers the many systems of oppression people face and we should learn as much as possible about them, particularly if we are privileged through these systems.
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