Recap: Womxn in Film II
Photo by Mike Larry Draw
Last week we gathered for a special screening of short films and documentaries by womxn directors. The films were curated by Zoe Map and each one highlighted a different theme and had a unique style. We started with some introductions and Zoe shared a bit about each filmmaker and the films.
Photo by Mike Larry Draw
Photo by Mike Larry Draw
I was blown away by the talent and intensity of the films. I am always impressed by Zoe’s selections — and her own films — and it was a treat to have another great night watching films in a communal setting!
Photo by Mike Larry Draw
If you’re interested in filmmaking, check out Zoe’s Video Lab Production workshop series — starting at the end of June! You can sign up here.
And if you are interested in films en español, check out our new Spanish film club: el club de los cineastas.
Below is a list of all the directors featured.
Reaa Puri – De/Fining Lines
Reaa Puri is an award-winning filmmaker, TEDx speaker and co-founder of Breaktide Productions, a women-of-color-owned production company. Reaa has won numerous international film awards from New York to China and London and was selected as a Sundance New Voices Lab semifinalist. Her original work frequently explores sexual violence, accessibility, and transnational identity. From shooting mission-driven campaigns for brands like Nike and having her photography published in Vogue Magazine to working on documentaries on activist movements in Oakland, Hawaii, and beyond, her work has a range of skill and passion. Reaa is a Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prize recipient for excellence in film. Previously, she has led video teams for digital publications like Wear Your Voice, Carbonated.TV, and Hearst Digital Media. Reaa earned her bachelor’s degree in film from the University of California, Berkeley, and grew up between California, India, and Kuwait, which influenced her decision to intersect media with social justice.
De/Fining Lines by Reaa Puri explores the relationship between intimacy and trauma. This film grapples with the issue of deconstructing one’s identity after experiencing acts such as rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and varying forms of interpersonal violence and abuse. Operating as a space for survivors to address and confront our PTSD and internal dialogue, this project reclaims the conversation and creates a camaraderie amongst survivors. De/fining Lines addresses the complexities of concepts such as "victim," "survivor," and "activist”, using a poetic, personal, and intimate approach to bring voice to a silenced issue.
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Jalena Keane-Lee - Period Girl
Jalena is a social justice filmmaker and the spring 2018 Sally Burns Shenkman Woman Filmmaker Fellow.
Her work has addressed issues such as indigenous land rights, destigmatizing menstruation, the importance of campus activism, and the meaning of consent.
Jalena co-founded Breaktide Productions, a production company run by women of color dedicated to democratizing filmmaking by making content that elevates underrepresented voices on camera and behind the scenes.
Her writing has been featured in Seventeen Magazine, The Tempest and NBC.com, and she has made films all around the world, from Hawaii and Prague, to Yangon, which have gone on to be award-winning shorts.
Head to the Storytelling tab to see how Jalena uses documentary, narrative, advocacy, writing, and art to tell compelling stories that spark social change.
Period Girl by Jalena Keane-Lee
PERIOD GIRL is a short documentary that follows Nadya Okamoto, a 20 year-old Harvard sophomore who started the non-profit PERIOD Org, as she opens up about some of the personal trauma that helps fuel her work.
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Margot Terc – Remind Me
Margot Terc is a zine-maker, writer, and visual artist obsessed with projects and creative resistance. Born in the Dominican Republic, and raised in the Bronx, Margot uses creative projects as a way to process and build.
Remind Me by Margot Terc came from the feeling of disconnect at work, and the resentment towards the capitalist systems that take so much of our time and energy. It is a compilation of stock footage, with writing by Margot, and music by LUNA GOD.
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Nicole Pfister - Mother*F*CK*RS and Spell
Nicole’s is a self-taught visual artist within the fields of illustration, fine art, photography and film. 2009 she founded the Switzerland based jazz record company ANUK Label and co-produced up to 30 albums until now. Focused on film and photography her work resonates with a sensitivity that orbits beyond the ordinary and far off from what the human eye can see. Her visuals are cinematic in style and her technical vision strives to capture timeless images with yet highly contemporary aesthetic. Over the years she has worked in set and costume design, as a choreographer, art director, photographer, illustrator, writer, producer, editor and director.
Mother*F*CK*RS by Nicole Pfister is a short about three women seeking subversive parallels in their work as mothers, and makers of performance and choreography - presenting the maternal body as a site from which to question identity, independence and love. Starring Emma Murray, Nadine Fuchs and Emma Ribbing.
SPELL by Nicole Pfister An otherworldly music video for eclectic pop singer Brandy Butler. “Being under someone’s spell and making a connection soul to soul, neglecting all given circumstances. Questioning the aesthetic of gender and sexuality. Merging to be all-one; to be the universe as the astoundingly beautiful glitter self that it is”. Starring Janek Ackermann and Tosca Saba Luisoni
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Zoe map - Javier Ninja: The Heir
Zoe is an award winning filmmaker officially selected at SXSW 2019 with a production company based in Brooklyn New York called Zoe Map Films. “Zoe’s vision captures urban landscapes with a focus on documenting the human experience through the lens of ART, MUSIC & CULTURE.”
Her career pursuits as a filmmaker brought her to New York City where she currently lives and produces music videos, fashion editorial videos, documentaries and commercials. In 2013 she opened a space for artistic expression and performance called “Exit Room”. The unconventional gallery hosted and supported artists from all over the world and enjoyed a following of art critiques, art buyers and journalists who always promoted and reviewed her unique projects . In 2017 she started her project “Womxn to The Front”, providing a platform for women film makers, visual artists and musicians; supporting gender equality with such tremendous impact. Zoe has produced more than 20 exhibitions and an impressive number of videos and musical performances. She curates events and gatherings to raise awareness on social justice with recurring themes of diversity and racial equality in American culture. Zoe amplifies cultural narratives through the arts and film and connects individuals to the people, and resources they need to create a better future for themselves.
Javier Ninja: The Heir by Zoe Map is a short documentary exploring the life of the living legend dancer, multi-award winner Javier Madrid aka Javier Ninja member and father of the Iconic House of Ninja founded by his mentor and legendary vogue dancer Willi Ninja.