Women's Views on News |
- It’s London Feminist Film Festival time!
- Is Amnesty International supporting pimps?
- Exhibition: Agnes Martin at the Tate Modern
| It’s London Feminist Film Festival time! Posted: 27 Jul 2015 10:48 AM PDT
The London Feminist Film Festival was set up in 2011 as a response to the underrepresentation of women in the film industry, as well as to the dearth of films addressing feminist issues and the fact that the representation of women on screen is often narrow and stereotypical. The films being shown this year are: The Lady of Percussion (La Dama de la Percusión): A documentary short about Deborah, a percussionist from Old Havana, Cuba who has had to fight to be part of the world of the batá drum, an instrument traditionally only played by men. Through the Lens of Hip Hop: UK Women is a documentary on women from the UK hip hop community. It touches on issues of feminism, identity, race, hip-hop education, women in the music industry and more. Presented in insightful personal narratives/reflections through intergenerational interviews, this film explores the much obscured but very present feminist hip-hop sensibility in the UK. She's Beautiful When She's Angry: resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women's movement from 1966 to 1971. The film takes us from the founding of NOW, with ladies in hats and gloves, to the emergence of more radical factions of women's liberation; from intellectuals like Kate Millett to the street theatrics of W.I.T.C.H. (Women's International Conspiracy from Hell!). Artfully combining dramatisations, performance and archival imagery, the film recounts the stories of women who fought for their own equality, and in the process created a worldwide revolution. Esther Broner: A Weave of Women: In 1975 Esther Broner co- wrote the first Women's Haggadah (the book of readings for a Passover Seder service), paving the way for modern Jewish feminism. For the next 36 years, Esther Broner led the Feminist Passover Seder in New York City, which became the basis for a Jewish feminist tradition that continues today. One of the founding members of the Seder, director/producer Lilly Rivlin documents the evolution of Jewish feminism through archival footage and interviews with leading Jewish feminists such as Gloria Steinem. The film also tells the story of Esther Broner, a prolific writer who explored the double marginalisation of being Jewish and female. This is an inspiring portrait of a feminist pioneer and a testament to her legacy which has helped empower generations of Jewish women around the world. It Happened Here: [Trigger warning: testimonies from survivors of sexual assault] Filmed in the USA but with huge relevance for the UK, It Happened Here is a documentary about the alarming pervasiveness of sexual assault on US university campuses; the impact on the student, their family and institution; and the burgeoning movement of student survivors coming forth and taking action against their universities on campus and in federal court. Through the personal portraits of five students at three universities, testimonials from university administrators, educators, mental health experts and legal scholars, It Happened Here breaks the silence surrounding campus sexual violence and asks: why is this happening? what are universities doing about it? what is 'rape culture' and what can we do to prevent campus assault? Invisible Skin: Short film exploring the body as boundary and as self. Three women from three generations speak about their experiences of their bodies throughout their lives. Running Commentary: Drama capturing the everyday sexism that women and girls experience. A woman becomes the focus of men's gaze and commentary whilst out jogging. A Bird in a Cage: Through a combination of interviews, archive footage and traditional cut-out animation, the remarkable life of Welsh suffragette Margaret Mackworth is uncovered. There and Back: [Trigger warning: testimony from a survivor of sexual assault] The story of one woman's experience of sexual assault, how she dealt with the trauma and the support that existed to help her along the way. The Girl and the Gondola (La Ragazza e la Gondola): Drama. Following in your father's footsteps can be tough, especially when you're a girl. 10 year old Carla dreams of becoming a gondolier like her father, but 900 years of Venetian tradition and the disapproval of her parents stand in her way. Kids on Gender: A child-led investigation of gender performance. A group of children reveal their ideas of what gender is, what they think about it and whether they believe in it. The film shows the kids struggling with stereotypical gender roles and questioning their rigidity. The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo: The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo explores the artistic contribution of one of Africa's foremost woman writers, a trailblazer for an entire generation of exciting new talent. The film charts Ama Ata Aidoo's creative journey in a life that spans seven decades from colonial Ghana through the tumultuous era of independence to a more sober present day Africa where nurturing women's creative talent remains as hard as ever. Over the course of a year the film follows Aidoo as she returns home to her ancestral village in the Central Region of Ghana, launches her latest collection of short stories in Accra and travels to the University of California, Santa Barbara to attend the premiere of her seminal play about the slave trade, Anowa. With contributions from Carole Boyce Davies, Nana Wilson-Tagoe and Vincent Odamtten, The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo gives a fascinating insight into the life of this important feminist poet and novelist. I was Five When I Became a Woman: An emotional tapestry that invites you to briefly share the life-long torment of genital mutilation still forced upon many young girls around the world. But They Can't Break Stones: Nepal's civil war ended nearly 10 years ago and its effects are still very visible, especially in terms of women's rights. But They Can't Break Stones shows the effect the war has had on women, and how women's lives are shaped by political instability and by cultural norms that place them in domestic roles. We meet Radha Paudel, an activist working to educate women about their rights, and see her fighting chaupadi – an illegal tradition which considers women impure when menstruating and can mean they are banished to a tiny shed when on their periods. We also see women who are working for their independence, training to be mountain guides at an all-female training centre in Pokhara. A fascinating insight into women's rights in Nepal. The Company of Strangers: Award-winning Canadian film with an all-female cast of non-professional actors by Academy Award winner Cynthia Scott. Seven elderly women and one young woman on a day trip are stranded in the Canadian countryside when their bus breaks down. With humour and spirit, the women get to know each other and work together in order to survive. Each of the actors tells stories from her own life, blending documentary and fiction, and much of the dialogue is improvised. The women are from varied walks of life, and include a Mohawk elder, a nun and a noted feminist writer. A feel-good film representing a group rarely seen on our screens – older women. For fuller programme details, click here Connect with the Film Festival on Facebook or Twitter or sign up to the newsletter to stay up-to-date with details. For tickets click here.  |
| Is Amnesty International supporting pimps? Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:08 AM PDT
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW International) has started a petition to ask Salil Shetty, Secretary General, and Steven W. Hawkins, executive director of Amnesty International (AI) to vote against decriminalizing pimps, brothel owners, and buyers of sex. It is widely believed that at its International Council Meeting to be held in Dublin, from 7–11 August 2015, Amnesty International will reportedly review an internal circular entitled "Draft Policy on Sex Work," which endorses the full decriminalization of the sex industry, including the legalization of pimping, brothel owning and the buying of sex. Medical professionals, the testimonies of survivors and extensive research all demonstrate that the sex industry is predicated on dehumanization, degradation and gender violence that can cause life-long physical and psychological harm to those exploited at the hands of pimps, traffickers and buyers of sex (or "johns"). Prostitution is a harmful practice steeped in gender and economic inequalities that leaves a devastating impact on those sold and exploited in the sex trade. Please add your signature to this open letter, signed by more than 400 national and international women’s rights groups, leading survivors of the sex trade, human rights advocates, medical doctors, Hollywood actors and directors, fashion designers, faith-based leaders and concerned individuals from over 30 countries, urging Amnesty International not to adopt any policy that supports the full decriminalization of the sex industry. This would, in effect, strengthen the pillars of a multi-billion dollar industry that preys on the most marginalized and vulnerable populations for commercial sexual exploitation. The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) firmly believes and agrees with Amnesty that human beings bought and sold in the sex trade, who are mostly women, must not be criminalized in any jurisdiction by law enforcement or governments. However, what Amnesty's "Draft Policy on Sex Work" proposes is in violation of long established human rights principles, and women's rights in particular, including the right to live a life free of violence and with dignity. Please join the signers of this petition and signal to Amnesty International that we must hold accountable those who prey on vulnerable individuals with histories of poverty, homelessness and sexual abuse and ensure that everyone has the fundamental right not to be bought and sold. Among the signatories of the open letter to Amnesty International are: Sr. Colette Cronin, The Institute of Our Lady of Mercy, UK; Wendy Davis, Director, Rooms of our Own, UK; Sr. Lynda Dearlove rsm, women@thewell, UK; Jennifer Drew, Consultant, Scottish Women Against Pornography, UK; Feminism in London, UK; Annette Lawson OBE, Chair, The Judith Trust, Immediate Past Chair, National Alliance of Women's Organisations (NAWO), UK; Dr Helen Liebling, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology/Associate of African Studies Centre, Coventry University, UK; Manchester Feminist Network, UK; Sandra McNeill, Justice for Women, UK; Resist Porn Culture, UK; Emma Thompson, UK; Kate Winslet, UK and Anna Wintour, UK/USA. For, it is sadly clear that '…should Amnesty vote to support the decriminalization of pimping, brothel owning and sex buying, it will in effect support a system of gender apartheid, in which one category of women may gain protection from sexual violence and sexual harassment, and offered economic and educational opportunities; while another category of women, whose lives are shaped by absence of choice, are instead set apart for consumption by men and for the profit of their pimps, traffickers and brothel owners. 'Neither the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, nor international law excepts any human being from enjoying a life free of violence and of dignity. 'Peter Benenson, the founder of Amnesty, once said: "The candle burns not for us, but for all those whom we failed to rescue from prison, who were shot on the way to prison, who were tortured, who were kidnapped, who 'disappeared.' That is what the candle is for." 'Amnesty’s reputation in upholding human rights for every individual would be severely and irreparably tarnished if it adopts a policy that sides with buyers of sex, pimps and other exploiters rather than with the exploited. 'By so voting, Amnesty would blow out its own candle.' By so voting, Amnesty would condemn thousands upon thousands of women and girls to misery. To sign the petition, click here. And join @catwintl in putting the pressure on Amnesty International, using the hashtag #QuestionsForAmnesty  |
| Exhibition: Agnes Martin at the Tate Modern Posted: 27 Jul 2015 02:00 AM PDT
This summer sees the Tate Modern present the first comprehensive survey of the seminal artist Agnes Martin. Martin was renowned for her subtle, evocative canvases marked out in pencil grids and pale colour washes. The exhibition covers the full breadth of her practice, reasserting her position as a key figure in the traditionally male-dominated field of American abstraction. This is one stop for an internationally touring show and demonstrates Agnes Martin as one of the pre-eminent painters of the twentieth century and traces her career from early experiments to her final painting from 2004. Born in 1912 in Macklin, Saskatchewan, Canada, Martin established her career as an artist in New York, living in the Coenties Slip neighbourhood alongside fellow artists Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Indiana and Lenore Tawney. This exhibition reveals Martin's lesser-known early paintings and experimental works from this period including The Garden 1958. It also charts her experiments in different media and formats with found objects and geometric shapes, before she began making her inimitable pencilled grids on large, square canvases which would become her hallmark. Tate Modern brings together seminal examples of these works from the 1960s such as Friendship 1963, a gold leaf covered canvas incised with Martin's emblematic fine grid. Martin left the New York art scene in 1967, just as her art was gaining considerable acclaim, and in search of solitude and silence, she travelled across the US and Canada for almost two years before finally settling in New Mexico where she lived for the rest of her life. Georgia O'Keeffe had already moved to New Mexico by 1940 and other artists and writers such as DH Lawrence, Edward Hopper and Mark Rothko had all been drawn to visit the area. Martin began making work again with On a Clear Day 1973, a portfolio of prints of differently proportioned grids and parallel lines. She continued to work in series of paintings, creating delicate, evocative works in monochrome or colour washes in combinations of pale blue, red and yellow. While often associated with Minimalists and an influential figure to those artists, Martin's restrained style underpinned a deep conviction in the emotive and expressive power of art influenced by Asian belief systems including Taoism and Zen Buddhism as well as the natural surroundings of New Mexico. This exhibition also features a group of Martin's final works brought together from private collections including Untitled #1 2003 which reintroduce the bold geometric forms she had experimented with in her early career. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue from Tate Publishing and is organised by Tate Modern in collaboration with Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York, where it will tour throughout 2015 and 2016. On at the Tate Modern, Level 3 West until 11 October 2015; daily from 10.00-18.00 and until 22.00 on Friday and Saturday.  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Women's Views on News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |