We’ve grown accustomed to the premise underpinning the HBOMax series ‘Allen v. Farrow,’ directed by Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick. Yet another heralded male celebrity, this time Woody Allen, is exposed by accusations of sexual assault. Yet, what’s most disturbing about the details uncovered by the investigative work in ‘Allen v. Farrow’ is just how much hid in plain sight—for nearly 30 years.
Tag: Women in Film and TV
“Abortion Helpline, This is Lisa”: A Wake-Up Call to Unseen Harms of Abortion Restrictions
“Abortion Helpline, This is Lisa” paints a harrowing picture of life under the Hyde Amendment; after dipping into rent and food money, asking everyone in their life for money, and calling strangers at a fund, a person may still not end up with enough to exercise their legal right to an abortion.
Sex Sells—But Why? and How? Author Maria San Filippo on Sexual Provocation in Film and TV
In her latest book, San Filippo examines the history of sexual provocation in the media. Yes, sex sells—but why and how? In particular, she examines how female and queer filmmakers coopt sexual provocation for their own radical and sometimes even radically ordinary purposes.
Rest In Power: Judy Irola, Trailblazing Feminist Cinematographer
Judy Irola’s mission—besides teaching the artistic and technical aspects of camera and lighting—was to help women pursue careers behind the camera.
“I Care a Lot” Takes on the Girlboss
“I Care a Lot” takes the Girlboss to her logical conclusion, replete with mayhem, murder and little moral ambiguity.
What happens when the Girlboss is in the wrong? Who do we root for then?
“Madan Sara” Tells the Story of Haitian Women Both Ordinary and Extraordinary
“Madan Sara” centers Haitian women’s voices, perspectives and even policy recommendations to imagine a future in which Haitian businesswomen no longer operate on the margins.
“To talk about Madan Sara is to talk about Haitian women”—but it is also to talk about pressing issues like structural violence, government failures and resistance to neoliberalism that resonate throughout the Global South.
The Inhibition Myth: What ‘Losing Alice’ Gets Wrong About Older Women
“Losing Alice”‘s implicit message is that younger women are intrinsically freer, more uninhibited, than older ones. But today, as a middle-aged wife and mother, I feel much freer in every way that matters.
Among other things, I no longer feel I have to perform for a male gaze: Only now do I understand how exhausting such performance was.
Black Women Just Wanna Get Free
Black women in pop culture are “not lightning that strikes once,” but the “hurricane” that returns again and again to crack open and restructure the American cultural landscape.
As Black Futures Month comes to an end, let’s set our sights beyond the horizon and focus on getting free. We deserve this, and Cecily Tyson, she expects it.
Portrait Gallery: Iconic Black (S)Heroes, in Their Own Words
On the cusp of Women’s History Month and to round out Black History Month, we share portraits of some of the innumerable Black women who have worked hard for the rights we now hold dear, who have shared their artistic talents, and who have helped to nurture this experiment in democracy that is still a work in progress.
Sundance 2021: “CODA” and “Marvelous and the Black Hole” Are Stand-Out Coming-of-Age Features
“CODA” marks an important step in the right direction for diversity and inclusion in film: a crowd-pleaser that faithfully and respectfully represents a marginalized community often lacking in representation.
“Marvelous and the Black Hole” manages to be both playful and meditative by turns, navigating Sammy’s deep and real grief while recognizing that sometimes the ways teenagers express themselves is simultaneously unproductive and wholly outside their control.