Women Make Movies

Sin by Silence

mandy — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

There are not many US citizens who do not recognize a pink ribbon as the rallying fight against breast cancer. Even more so for the red ribbon, as it raises the voices of the AIDS epidemic. However, most faces would not correctly identify the cause of the purple ribbon: domestic violence. A purple ribbon is probably a little too uncomfortably similar to the purple bruises a women suffers every nine seconds, according to the film Sin by Silence, which documents the heart-twisting story of incarcerated, battered women serving maximum sentences for killing their abusive partners.

Sin by Silence chronicles the movement of the Convicted Women Against Abuse (CWAA), who unexpectedly find a healing sisterhood in the isolating walls of prison and used their collective strength to bring personal, familial, and judicial change in their lives. Uncontrived and starkly original, the moving narratives are enough to leave the viewer in near distress. The preliminary question of how each woman survived quickly turns into arrows targeting the legal system that punishes already beaten, raped, and tortured women with hefty prison sentences. Their crime? Battered person syndrome and refusing to be killed by their spouses.

Throughout the film, these women prove much more than mishandled, husband-killers. They are emotional, insightful human beings caught in a frighteningly narrow judicial system that fails to comprehend the effects of repeated and brutal intimate partner violence. It will be impossible to view the prison industry and its supposed rehabilitation efforts the same way again.

What will most move viewers is the unwavering support and courage these women lend each other in their collective cry for freedom. Their commitment to education and truth telling transcends their own pain and the bars that ostracize them from society. Sin by Silence is a deeply important film that will leave a probing mark of disturbance on the conscience of anyone who watches it.

Written by: Lisa Factora-Borchers, January 4th 2011

Tea & Justice

brittany — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Directed by Ermena Vinluan

Women Make Movies

If your political leanings are more in line with musical acts like NWA or MDC, then Ermena Vinluan’s fifty-five-minute exploration of race and gender issues in the context of the New York Police Department may seem... tame?

Tea & Justice is a documentary about Asian women police officers in the NYPD that skirts the uneasy boundaries between a full-blown narrative of empowerment of Asian women breaking cultural and gender stereotypes to become police officers, their negotiation of the politics of being racial and gender minorities in what has historically been perceived as a racist and sexist institution, and the inherently violent nature of policing. Sometimes provocative, but generally unremarkable both politically and artistically, the film is perhaps worth watching (once) for its almost accidental exposition of the gender and cultural politics at play.

The centerpiece of the film is the personal stories of three women, who share their experiences of discrimination and defiance as part of the two percent of NYPD officers who are Asian women. Their stories are interwoven with the public’s perceptions of Asian culture, women, and police officers. Officer Ormsby, for example, tells of how being compelled to serve tea to her male colleagues at a Japanese firm prompted her to find a new career. This is against the backdrop of interviews with New Yorkers, some of whom (predictably) feel that men make better officers, while others subscribe to the great equalizing power of the gun.

In an interesting history of the NYPD, Vinluan highlights how various social movements opened up space for women in policing; for example, the NYPD got rid of regulation high-heels, lip-stick, and smaller guns for female officers in the 1970s. Somewhat disingenuously, the director also traces images of women warriors in Asian mythology to support her claim that ‘being an Asian woman cop is not so odd after all’. While Asian culture is full of examples of remarkable women, I found it difficult to believe that most people would identify policewomen with being leaders or warriors, a contradiction amplified by the inclusion of interviews discussing racially charged incidents of police brutality in the United States, such as the beating of Rodney King.

In her haste to bridge the gap between images of subservient Japanese tea-servers and Vietnamese warrior princesses, Vinluan seems to have confused empowerment and oppression. This speaks to the broader issue of the film’s selective critique of the police along gender and racial dimensions, and failure to adequately question its inherently violent role in maintaining law and order.

Interesting interviews include one with Margaret Moore (Executive Director of the National Center for Women and Policing) who claims promoting diversity in gender and race is the only way to ensure fair treatment inside departments and in policing. Moore and others also argue that since most excessive force claims are made against male officers, recruiting more women—who are ‘naturally less aggressive’—is the solution. But by essentializing qualities to women like their ‘mothering’ instincts and tendencies towards less aggression, interviewees like Lieutenant Eric Adams (100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care) regurgitate classic stereotypes of women that Vinluan’s film is supposedly aiming to debunk. By failing to attribute their ‘natural’ credentials for making better officers to the historical subordination of women in care-giving and domestic roles—aren’t we back at square one?

Vinluan’s schoolteacher voice-overs and flat animation accompanied by platitudes like ‘she’s just a regular working mom!’ work against the film’s rare moments of subtlety, leading me to conclude that those parts that can be deemed thought-provoking are, in fact, inadvertent. Am I asking too much from Tea & Justice? Maybe. But given the eight film festival laurels adorning the DVD cover, I expected more.

Written by: Kaavya Asoka, October 25th 2010

Shooting Women

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:37:00 +0000

Directed by Alexis Krasilovsky

Women Make Movies

Award-winning Director of Photography Joan Hutton says that when she was starting out in the film industry she received absolutely no help from anyone. Even after she’d built up a substantial résumé of work experience and won prestigious awards she continued to experience discrimination. A directing position that she’d interviewed for was once given to a lesser-experienced young male who’d only been out of film school for three years. But her theory on why she’d been passed over is not tinged with one ounce of bitterness: “You know, sometimes guys are happier working with guys.”

In-your-face hostility and physical harassment are other pitfalls that an earlier generation of female directors had to endure while carving out a path for future generations of women. American cinematographer Stanley Cortez once blocked the entrance of the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers building when a female cinematographer tried to enter. Angrily, he warned: “You don’t belong here!”

Kirsten Glover, who started out as a camera assistant on the Arnold Schwarzenegger documentary Pumping Iron recalls all of the “not funny” sexual harassment she tolerated on the set. She says that sexual harassment was not a major issue at that time even though the continual harassment greatly upset her and interfered with her work.

For women of color in the film industry there was always the dual gender/racial bias to deal with. Yet Black women filmmaking veterans such as Jessie Maple Patton never allowed gender or racial bias to stop them. They simply worked harder. Patton said that both the television stations and the union offered up plenty of excuses to avoid hiring her and when she was hired she knew: “They were gonna test me.”

For many of the women featured in the documentary Shooting Women, opportunities for career advancement was offered by enlightened male producers or pioneering organizations, such as Behind the Lens. The film business is a personal one, and securing important contacts through networking and organizational affiliation can open doors that had previously been closed. It’s interesting to note that many of the women film directors featured in this documentary are married to very emotionally supportive men. It leaves one wondering what may have happened to the women who had not received spousal support while pursuing film careers.

If I were raising a daughter, I’d want her to be as fearless and passionate about her career choice as are the women in this documentary.

Written by: Rachelle Nones, July 23rd 2009

The Sari Soldiers

admin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:09:00 +0000

Directed by Julie Bridgham

Women Make Movies

The Sari Soldiers is a documentary that follows the lives of six Nepali women amidst the political turmoil that erupted in Nepal in 2001, after Nepal’s King and nine royal family members were massacred. The film is near perfect. It accomplishes the tenuous balance that only the best documentaries can provide: a bird’s eye view of a convoluted topic achieved through exploring the infinitely specific and intimate stories of the individuals involved.

After Nepal’s King was killed, the King’s younger brother Prince Gyanendra took the throne. Maoist opposition to the monarchy, which had already flourished in Nepal for years, multiplied. In February 2005, monarch Gyanendra Shah cited Maoist insurgency as justification for declaring a state of emergency. He disbanded parliament and established military rule. In the villages throughout Nepal, an environment of fear reigned. The Royal Nepalese Army kidnapped and killed individuals suspected of Maoism; Maoists terrorized villages with pro-government ties.

The documentary begins with the story of Devi Sunuwar, a woman who seeks justice for the disappearance of her fifteen-year-old daughter, who was kidnapped by government soldiers. Devi and her family must hide out in Kathmandu, Nepal’s largest city, because soldiers sporadically come looking for Devi in her home village. Director Julie Bridgham focuses the camera on Devi’s face as she tells her harrowing story. When the footage switches from a one-on-one interview to scenes of protest in the streets or political speeches, Bridgham does not forget to keep it personal—even when panning out on a massive crowd, the camera intermittently zooms in on a single face. The documentary offers clear descriptions of the overall political situation in Nepal, but never lets the viewer forget that politics is personal—especially when many have lost the lives of their family to the struggle.

The film looks unwaveringly at all sides of the war. We get to know Kranti, a Maoist Brigadier Commissar. From Kranti we learn that the Maoists are “guiding the Nepali people towards a beautiful future.” Yet we also learn about Krishna, an elderly woman whose village is chronically attacked by Maoists, who abduct the men of a village to either be murdered or recruited as Maoist soldiers. Just when sympathy for Krishna blossoms, the film moves on to Mandira, a human rights lawyer who represents the many victims of the military regime. The film also features interviews with Ram Kumari, an anti-government political activist, and Rajani, an officer in the Royal Nepalese Army.

The documentary was shot over a three year period, so the viewer is able to literally watch as the political situation unfolds into the country-wide protests that force the King to step down, all the way to April 2008, when free elections are held in Nepal, and the Maoists gain thirty-eight percent of the seats in the new parliament. We also see the stories of the six women unfold. When the monarchy disbands, Devi finally learns where her daughter’s body has been buried. Within the short film running of ninety minutes, the filmmakers somehow succeed in giving a comprehensive account of the Nepali Civil War, while also telling six separate and deeply moving narratives. This is the best documentary I have ever seen, and it reminded me how powerful a tool the documentary form can really be.

Written by: Katherine Don, June 10th 2009

ARUSI Persian Wedding

admin — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:20:00 +0000

Directed by Marjan Tehrani

Women Make Movies

In ARUSI Persian Wedding, Marjan Tehrani trails her brother Alex and his wife Heather as they prepare to wed in Iran. In fact, the couple is wed twice in the film—making it thrice in total. One wedding is in preparation—so they may travel as husband and wife—and the traditional ceremony that ends the film, which is the point of the documentary, is the couple's second on-screen wedding.

Tehrani touches ever-so-briefly on themes that would have given the movie more impact had they been explored further. Homecoming is a central theme of the movie, but its possibilities and consequences are not explored in depth. The insider-outsider dilemma that haunts immigrants who return to their country of origin and the responses from those left in Iran is not touched in the film.

Tehrani incorporates historical footage and explanations of the past into the narrative as a way to broach some of the political tension in the film. A few possibilities for firestorms rise, but pass quickly, left only as a footnote. The first time Heather meets Alex’s parents they argue briefly about the relationship between Iran and the Bush Administration. Later in the film, Alex speaks with an Iranian newspaperman about some of the country's political issues: freedom of the press and the inevitable question of Iran-US relations. Mostly, the issues of politics and restrictions are not addressed; they are consciously skirted and barely analyzed. Instead, it is the heat that is blamed for the irritation and discomfort.

Women’s issues are mentioned briefly when the couple encounters an all-female tourist group (which the viewer is led to believe is Iranian, though this is never entirely confirmed or denied) at an Iranian resort town. The tourist group is the only interaction the filmmaker includes with women who are subjected to the rules of Iranian culture and laws of the country. This was an opportunity for Tehrani to take a deeper look at what it means to be a woman in Iran; however, the presentation is vapid because she and Heather are unable or unwilling to push beyond simply getting a few young women to say they would rather live in the US. They are not questioned further, but their peer who responded that she would remain in Iran was: her answer was to remain in her homeland.

ARUSI Persian Wedding was different from what I expected, which colored how I saw the film. It paints a cotton candy picture in the aesthetic of a stylized home movie, utilizing old reels of Marjan's and Alex’s mother that, when narrated by Marjan's encouraging and optimistically pensive voiceover, that lend it a campfire atmosphere. Tehrani missed many opportunities to educate or tell a more complete story throughout the film, and ultimately, it felt like an unfinished product.

Written by: Elisheva Zakheim, May 21st 2009

I Had an Abortion

admin — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:53:00 +0000

Directed by Gillian Aldrich

Women Make Movies

This documentary cuts to the core of reproductive freedom—to the stories of women's lives as told by ten women themselves. Distributed by Women Make Movies, the film features detailed accounts from a number of women, ages twenty-one to eighty-five, from different socioeconomic and racial backgrounds who had abortions under different circumstances and at different points in their lives. Their stories are complicated and grounding - from a woman who had an abortion as a Mormon high school student in Utah, to a woman who had one at forty-four, married and with children. Prominent activists featured include Loretta Ross, Gloria Steinem, and Amy Richards. Interestingly enough, many of them talked about how many other women confided in them about their own abortions once they themselves had broken the silence that often shrouds the experience.

This documentary is a part of that movement to speak out through a tradition of truth-telling that activist Jennifer Baumgardner (co-producer of the film) launched with the same name as the film. This includes the controversial "I Had An Abortion" t-shirt that many women donned on the cover of Ms. Magazine several months ago. By speaking out, these women put a face to the issue of a woman's right to choose.

Written by: Katy Otto, August 29th 2007

Mohawk Girls

admin — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:05:00 +0000

Directed by Tracey Deer

Women Make Movies

Mohawk Girls is a beautifully written and directed documentary film by Tracey Deer. Released in 2006, Deer parallels the lives of three teenage girls living on a reservation just outside of Montreal, Canada to her own experiences while struggling to grow up in a world that fails to reach out to those not living within the main steam culture. Tracey Deer says: "I wanted to know what girls today are dealing with, and how they managed to get through it."

Each girl poignantly discusses the difficulties of living within the Kahnawake community, and overcoming obstacles set before them by a society that has preconceived ideas about women, reservation life and native people. Felicia, Lauren and Amy speak to the audience in a very direct and open manner with surprising clarity. The young women all offer stunning honesty on topics such as discrimination oftentimes coming from within their own community, drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, cultural differences and their hope for the future.

Mohawk Girls remarkably makes the point to the audience about what it means to be a young woman faced with cultural differences in an unforgiving world. I can't help but feel that each of these girls is already a young warrior in her own right. All are in possession of an inner strength that shines outwardly onto the people around her, and hold a true desire to create change in the world in which they live. It is the strong spirit and consciousness of this group of girls that will certainly help guide other young women move through a world filled with preconceived ideas about our place society as women, and how we arrive there.

This film is a must watch for women of all ages, as we face daily obstacles while we learn of ourselves, find our voices, educate other women around us and learn to shine in our own right. Tracey Deer left me with a single thought that I will always carry with me as it embodies the daily challenges that we as women face. "Being Native isn't only about how you feel, it's calculated by others."

Written by: Diana J. Fitzgerald, July 27th 2007

These Girls

admin — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 02:25:00 +0000

Directed by Tahani Rached

Women Make Movies

Documentarian Tahani Rached is allowed intimate access into the lives of a tight-knit group of teenage girls living on the streets of Cairo, Egypt. This motley band of girls includes Tata, the ringleader; Danya, the self-proclaimed “fireball"; Abeer; Ze’reda; Maryam and Big Sister Hind, who offers advice and a shoulder to lean on. Although these teens are “voluntarily” homeless, viewers soon learn that they have chosen what they consider to be the lesser of two evils: the streets versus their abusive homes. The film opens with Tata riding a horse down a street crowded with cars. Surely a testament to her rebellious nature, this scene introduces a montage of scenes in which Tata scraps with men on the street, listens intently to a friend, plays, laughs and takes comfort in the arms of a friend. Her fierce, leader of the pack nature can be felt in the first few minutes of the film.

With no narration, virtually no filmmaker interaction and no judgment, viewers get a straightforward look at the horrors faced daily by these girls. Abeer is pregnant, following a gang rape, and she is unmarried and unsure of the identity of her baby’s father. Her own father has threatened her life in response. Maryam tells the story of how she fled her orphanage and was almost immediately drugged and raped in a park. She cut her hair and attempts to pass as a boy for protection. It is a constant struggle for these girls to find a safe place to sleep where they will not be harassed, raped or kidnapped and “stored” in Wheeza’s shack, a place where women are held for days, weeks or longer to be raped and possibly “scarred.” Maryam explains that protecting oneself against having her face cut and scarred is imperative, as it is a sign of shame: “If they don’t mark your face, you’re a hero.” Days and nights often drag, and the film’s pace follows suit, giving the viewers the feel of the slow, lonely times on the street. Tata and her friends sniff glue, smoke pot and take pills, admittedly, to get high and pass the time.

While it would be easy to feel completely heartbroken for these girls, and outraged by their situation, neither the film nor its stars seek pity or sympathy. In fact, while viewers will most certainly feel sympathy for these teens, they will also feel inspired by their courage, their determination, their loyalty and the joy they find in each other.

Written by: Becky Ramsey, June 27th 2007