BRATTLEBORO — March is Women's History Month, and we're happy this year to celebrate some colorful history of our own: the 25th annual Women's Film Festival is happening from March 11 to 20 in Brattleboro.
This beloved fundraiser for our Women's Freedom Center features 38 films by women from around the world, telling women's and girls' own unforgettable stories with sensitivity and depth, offering a liberating shift from mainstream movie portrayals.
To start off this festival in particular, and honor women in general, we invite you to our sparkling Opening Night Gala on Friday, March 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the New England Youth Theatre.
The evening begins with a reception of champagne and hors d'oeuvres, followed by a screening of the film Mavis!, a celebration of the extraordinary Mavis Staples. Her family group, the Staple Singers, inspired millions and helped propel the civil rights movement with their music. After 60 years of performing, legendary singer Mavis Staples' message of love and equality is needed now more than ever. Come dressed in whatever makes you feel fabulous, and share in this special night!
Trailers for all films are on our website, so you can select your own movie marathon throughout the festival.
A few highlights include the Oscar-nominated Mustang, a stunning film about five sisters in rural Turkey who resist losing their freedoms in a story that blends laughter and tears; Something Better to Come, a powerful documentary by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Hanna Polak, which follows an incredibly resilient Russian girl whose home is the largest garbage dump in Europe; Olmo and the Seagull, a poetic dive into an actress's mind during her pregnancy as she confronts her most fiery inner demons to rewrite a new philosophy of life, identity, and love.
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As always, the vibrant spirit of this festival also exposes a persistent gap: between the great quality of each film (yet great inequality of the film industry) and our culture itself.
Most people are surprised to learn that in spite of all the progress women have made, fewer are actually working as directors today than were 20 years ago, according to the ACLU; on average, these directors accounted for less than 5 percent of top films.
And yet, women do graduate from film schools in almost equal numbers now, but they continue to be systematically discouraged and not given the same opportunities. They are kept out of the ranks of this old-guard industry, which is still overwhelmingly male, white, and straight.
But unless you've sat through all the credits over the past few decades, you might not realize the extent of the disparity in who's actually shaping the stories we're all shown and the entire creative process.
According to a long-term study by the Women's Media Center, “as the prestige of the producing post increased, the percentage of female participation decreased.”
This disparity of women's voices dramatically affects content, too, creating the whole cultural backdrop for what women and girls experience every day. Research shows that female characters with speaking roles are still about four times more likely to be hypersexualized in a male-made film than male characters are.
The bottom line, of course, is that women deserve to tell their own stories, and we all deserve to see women and girls treated as whole and complex human beings on screen.
This is an inspiring festival for everyone, and we look forward to seeing you at the movies!