Friday, March 4
BRATTLEBORO — ||5 p.m.–8 p.m.||WFF Previews, Reception, and Digital Art Show. (Latchis 4.)
Friday, March 11
||6:45 p.m.–8:45 p.m.||Women Without Men, 95 min. Hauntingly exquisite imagery transports us in this “magical realism” exploration of the lives of four socially diverse women living under oppressive conditions. Set in 1950s Iran, we see the widening rift between the West and Middle East. Iranian exile Shirin Neshat's first feature drama. (Latchis.)
||8:45 p.m.–11 p.m.||Poodle Trainer, 9 min. Irina Markova, the star of this award-winning short, cannot imagine any life other than training poodles under the circus big top. Vibrantly colorful cinematography and a wistful score provide an intimate glimpse of destiny, loss, and Markova's passionate devotion to these fluffy, cream- and caramel-colored dogs. Woman with the 5 Elephants, 93 min. In this sensual and beautifully rendered portrait we meet indomitable Svetlana Geier, considered to be the greatest translator of Russian literature into German. We see an inexhaustible and exacting woman, weaving words and living a poetic life that celebrates the beauty of each small moment and the spaces in between. (Latchis.)
Saturday, March 12
||2 p.m.–4 p.m.||Louise, 10 min. A delightful animation from Canada, inspired by the director's 90-plus-year-old-grandmother. Full of wonderful detail and wit. A charmer. Time To Die, 104 min. From the first view of Aniela telling off her doctor, it's apparent that this 90-year-old is no one to trifle with. Gorgeous black-and-white photography, a captivating dog, and the award-winning performance of Danuta Szaflarska helped to make this our Best of Fest winner in 2008. (Latchis.)
||4 p.m.–6:45 p.m.||Johanna D'Arc of Mongolia, 165 min. A fabulous three-course blend of myth, spectacular visions of an ancient land and frisky song-and-dance. A quixotic and ebullient leap of the imagination over the breathtaking Mongolian steppes. The most loved film in the history of the WFF. (Latchis.)
||6:45 p.m.–8:30 p.m.||Pink Saris, 96 min. Kim Longinotto portrays tough, caring, and tenacious women. Here she give us a riveting and often amusing look at a group of unlikely activists called the “Pink Gang,” and their complex but charismatic leader, Sampat Pal Devi, who brings a “Judge Judy” style of justice to northern India, combating violence against women and girls. (Latchis.)
||8:45 p.m.–11:15 p.m.||My Queen Karo, 105 min. This poetically crafted drama is seen through the eyes of 10-year-old Karo, who is being raised by her free-loving family in an Amsterdam squat circa 1974. Refraining from judgment, Berghe portrays the thrills of communal life and difficulties that ensue when idealism runs up against the challenges of child rearing. (Latchis.)
Sunday, March 13
||2 p.m.–4 p.m.||Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1,000, 30 min. Stoddart and her family lived so close to the Nashua River they could smell its noxious fumes. An “ordinary” housewife, her fight to clean up that river helped get the Massachusetts Clean Rivers Act passed, won her a United Nations award, and earned her a profile in National Geographic. The Gleaners & I, 82 min. In this award-winning “wandering-road documentary,” Agnès Varda focuses on those who insist on finding a use for the things that society throws away, whether out of necessity or activism, from forgotten corners of the French countryside to the green markets of Paris. (Latchis.)
||4 p.m.–6 p.m.||Bhutto, 111 min. Definitively chronicles the life of one of the most complex and fascinating people of our time. Benazir Bhutto broke the Islamic glass ceiling as the first woman in history to lead a Muslim nation. With her assassination, she transcended politics, but left a legacy of undeniable courage and controversy that will be debated for years. Followed by discussion with Peter Galbraith. (Latchis, main theater.)
||6:45 p.m.–8:45 p.m.||The Heretics, 95 min. An exhilarating inside story of the New York feminist art collective that produced Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics (1977-92). Still funny, smart, and sexy, members revisit the extraordinary times they shared, exploring women's art and demanding the right to be heard. (Latchis.)
||8:45 p.m.–10:45 p.m.||Grace, 51 min. Noted American writer, poet, educator and political activist Grace Paley reminisces about her work, life and family, and her early literary and political influences. Her close friends and colleagues remember Grace as a writer of genius, “a combative pacifist…cooperative anarchist” and loving friend. Joan Mitchell: Portrait of an Abstract Painter, 58 min. Joan Mitchell was one of the only women among New York's dynamic Abstract Expressionists, who include Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. A moving and imaginative portrait reflecting on this artist's life and her vivid and wildly eccentric paintings, some of which are beautiful beyond description. (Latchis.)
Monday, March 14
||6:45 p.m.–8:45 p.m.||Flawed, 12 min. When a woman falls for a man who is a plastic surgeon it leads her to question her own imperfections. This brilliantly made film uses a series of storyboards that are illustrated one after the other. All I've Got, 75 min. A finely wrought story with a Twilight Zone feel. A 72-year-old grandmother dies and finds herself on a ferry which will take her across the river to the hereafter. On the ferryboat she is presented with a fateful choice. (Latchis.)
||8:45 p.m.–10:45 p.m.||Ferry Tales, 40 min. This Oscar-nominated film exposes the secret world of the powder room on the Staten Island Ferry, where white- and blue-collar suburban moms and urban dwellers, sisters and socialites, gather to put on their makeup. Utterly charming and often outrageous, these unlikely heroines get their moment in the spotlight. Georgie Girl, 70 min. Born George, former sex-worker-turned-politician Georgina Beyer was elected to New Zealand's parliament in 1999, becoming the world's first transsexual to hold national office. Revealing her intelligence, charisma, and humor, this film presents a remarkable account of her precedent-setting accomplishments. (Latchis.)
Tuesday, March 15
||6:45 p.m.–8:45 p.m.||Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1,000, 30 min. See March 13. Ahead of Time, 75 min. At 20 years old, Ruth Gruber was the youngest Ph.D. in the world. As a foreign correspondent and photojournalist, she covered everything from Hitler's Germany to unknown stretches of the Soviet Arctic, witnessing key events of the 20th century. At 97, her vivid recollections accompany a treasure trove of photographs and footage. (Latchis.)
||8:45 p.m.–10:45 p.m.||Pink Saris. See March 12. (Latchis.)
Wednesday, March 16
||6:45 p.m.–8:45 p.m.||My Queen Karo, 105 min. See March 12. (Latchis.)
||8:45 p.m.–10:45 p.m.||Poster Girl, 38 min. All-American cheerleader turned tough-as-nails machine gunner in the Iraq war, Sgt. Robynn Murray was featured on Army Magazine's cover of women in combat. She comes home to face the debilitating effects of post traumatic stress disorder and the challenges of rebuilding her life. 21 Below, 91 min. An intimate portrait of a middle-class family from Buffalo, N.Y. Comprised entirely of scenes from their lives, the film reveals the family members' socioeconomic, racial, and interpersonal struggles. (Latchis.)
Thursday, March 17
||6:45 p.m.–8:45 p.m.||Women Without Men, 95 min. See March 11. (Latchis.)
||8:45 p.m.–10:45 p.m.||Little Bride, 14 min. Forced into an arranged marriage at 13, a young Turkish woman movingly recounts her escape from her abusive husband. Lyrical, hypnotic, and touching, she speaks with amazing strength about her determination to wrestle back a degree of freedom. The Florence Holway Story, 73 min. At the age of 76, accomplished artist and grandmother Florence Holway was brutally attacked in her home. She not only escapes but confronts her attacker in court. Her courage and activism resulted in the passage of tougher rape legislation in the state of New Hampshire. (Latchis.)
Friday, March 18
||6:45 p.m.–8:45 p.m.||The Canal Street Madam, 91 min. An FBI raid on Jeanette Maier's family-run brothel destroyed her livelihood. Stigmatized by felony, fearing recrimination from powerful clients, and determined to protect her children, Jeanette sets out to reinvent herself. With depth and intimacy, this film exposes the hypocrisy of how our society deals with prostitution and sexuality. (NEYT.)
||8:45 p.m.–10:45 p.m.||Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty, 6 min. Once upon a time there was a granny who dreamed of being the best granny in the whole world. Unfortunately, this granny was tormented by a lifetime of rage against the world and everyone in it. But she wouldn't let her bitterness slip into a bedtime story…would she? Oscar nominated. Leave Them Laughing, 89 min. A nationally-known performer of ballads, skits and self-parody, now fated by Lou Gehrig's Disease to perish within months, the remarkable Carla Zilbersmith leaves us this funny premortem retrospective of a life lived fully, but far too fast. (NEYT.)
Saturday, March 19
||Noon–2 p.m.|| God Sleeps in Rwanda, 28 min. Five women rebuild their lives, redefine women's roles in Rwandan society, and bring hope to a wounded nation after the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. (Replaces Anna From Benin.) Africa Rising, 62 min. This film is one of the first to focus on African solutions to female genital mutilation. It paints an uplifting portrait of the courageous and resourceful individuals working to end a 5,000-year practice. (NEYT.)
||2 p.m.–4 p.m.||Hey Boo: Harper Lee and 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' 78 min. Harper Lee's first and only novel turned 50, and the author hasn't given an interview since 1964. This film adds new details and offers a cultural history and lively appreciation of this widely read and beloved book. Mary Murphy shows rare interviews with the author's sister, friend, and many notable figures, including Oprah Winfrey. (NEYT.)
||4 p.m.–6 p.m.||Found, 9 min. A lyrical journey begins when Toronto poet Souvankham Thammavongsa discovers her father's discarded scrapbook documenting the family's escape from Laos in the 1970s. Nath uses live action, animation, old movies, and text with a searing impact. Old Man River, 75 min. Writer-performer Cynthia Fujikawa's deeply personal and arresting one-woman show about the life of her father, Nisei actor Jerry Fujikawa, artfully blends a riveting mystery with family heritage and a wryly-illustrated examination of anti-Japanese images in the cinema. (NEYT.)
||6:45 p.m.–8:45 p.m.||Poodle Trainer, 9 min. The Woman With 5 Elephants, 93 min. See March 11 (both films). (NEYT.)
||8:45 p.m.–10:45 p.m.||4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, 113 min. Set in 1987 Romania during the oppressive Ceausescu regime, this powerful and unflinching story follows Otilia, a young woman ready to sacrifice everything to help her naive friend Gabita, in a moment of crisis. A brilliantly made, tension filled film that provides a visceral and unforgettable experience. Won Cannes' Palme d'Or 2007. (NEYT.)
Sunday, March 20
||Noon–2 p.m.||Heart of the Sea, 57 min. This beautifully filmed portrayal of Rell “Kapolioka'ehukai” Sunn, women's surfing pioneer and Hawaiian icon, was known not only for her physical power and grace, but also for her activism on behalf of youth, the environment and breast cancer awareness. I-Doll, The Story of Barbie, 57 min. There are more Barbie dolls in the U.S. than human beings. Barbie was fashioned after a German prostitute doll named “Lilli.” These are just two of the many Barbie facts revealed in this documentary on the six ounces of plastic that became a national icon. (NEYT.)
||2 p.m.–4 p.m.||Kick Like a Girl, 25 min. The story of what happens when the Mighty Cheetahs, an undefeated all-girls soccer team, competes in the boy's division. With humor and candor this documentary gets at the heart of boy-girl issues and explores what it means to Kick Like a Girl. What's on Your Plate?, 76 min. This witty, provocative documentary follows two 11-year-old African-American city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. Sadie and Safiyah take a close look at food systems in New York City and nearby. They form opinions about urban sustainability, inspiring hope and active engagement in others. Youth event. (NEYT.)
||4 p.m.–6 p.m.||Poster Girl, 38 min. See March 16. To See if I'm Smiling, 60 min. The frank testimonies of six female Israeli soldiers pack a powerful emotional punch. At a time when women in the military are increasingly on the front lines, and the actions of soldiers all over the world are being questioned, this film explores the ways that gender, ethics and moral responsibility intersect during war. (NEYT.)
||6:45 p.m.–8:45 p.m.||My Marilyn, 79 min. This brand-new film reveals a complex woman who challenged the conventions of her time, blazing her way into the public consciousness as Hollywood's greatest star. Tragically, she also became its most vulnerable icon as a result of her volatile relationships with some of the more influential men of her era. World premiere! (NEYT.)
Saturday, March 26
||6 p.m.–8:30 p.m.||Best in Fest and Closing Party. (NEYT.)