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Image: Coconut/Cane & Cutlass (1994) by Michelle Mohabeer

This collection of works made by women and dedicated to feminist subject matter is political, poetic and provocative. The works explore the complexities of identity and womanhood, addressing often-difficult issues such as domestic violence, body image and poverty, and locating the intersections where language, race, class and gender collide.

 

“Fem Crit, a creative and thought-provoking compilation of seven super 8 and 16mm short films, presents candid and edgy kaleidoscopes of women’s personal experiences and reflections... These films showcase a range of creative narrative and filmmaking styles - useful for class discussion on women from a variety of perspectives. These films can also serve as a springboard for the production of independent film and video projects.”

—Debra Mandel, Educational Media Reviews Online

 

1) Women Are Not Little Men by Lisa Hayes (1998 / 16mm / 15 min.)

Contemporary and archival images are contrasted against the text of  a 1950’s training manual, exposing and critiquing the widespread belief in the existence of a weaker sex.

 

2) Dandelions by Dawn Wilkinson (1995 / 16mm / 6 min.)

Wilkinson looks at her self - black - and wonders how in the white landscape called Canada she can “enjoy the flowers,” as she cartwheels with great panache through fields of them.

 

3) Keltie’s Beard by Sara Halprin (1983 / 16mm / 9 min.)

Before Keltie came along, the women in her family removed their facial hair and told no one. Keltie is proud of her beard and tells her story to us in this single-take film.

 

4) Speakbody by Kay Armatage (1980 / 16mm / 8 min.)

With a mix of documentary, experimental and narrative techniques, “Speakbody” interweaves the voices of women recounting their experiences of abortion.

 

5) Sally’s Beauty Spot by Helen Lee (1990 / 16mm / 12 min.)

Using Sally’s mole as a metaphor for cultural and sexual difference, this stylish and playful account of racial expectations and role-playing critiques Western stereotypes of Asian femininity.

 

6) Pustulations by Lisa Morse (2002 / 16mm / 8 min.)

Using the painting-on-glass technique, this animation explores one woman's compulsion to pick at her skin and the purulent, pustular world beneath it.

 

7) I Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses by Melissa Levin (2002 / Super 8 / 2 min.)

What’s more sexy than a dyke caressing the edge of her glass?  A bevy of local ladies lining up to take their's off.

Fem Crit: Experimental Works for Educational Environments

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  • Artist(s)
    Lisa Hayes, Dawn Wilkinson, Sara Halprin, Kay Armatage, Helen Lee, Lisa Morse, Melissa Levin

     

    Year
    2005

     

    Runtime
    60 min

     

    Language
    English

     

    Publisher
    Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre

  • Download a free study guide with an essay by Chantelle Oliver & Megan Boler, with prompts and questions for classroom discussion, resources for further reading, and viewing recommendations.

     

    Download HERE

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TERRITORY & SOLIDARITY: The daily work of CFMDC takes place in Tkaronto (Toronto) which is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaty signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands. We also acknowledge The Dish with One Spoon treaty between the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee that covers the land of what is now called southern Ontario. We work with the knowledge of the importance of recognition of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the four First Nations Principles of OCAP®. As a Media Arts organization we draw your attention to the work of the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition (NIMAC). As part of  anti-colonial solidarity, CFMDC board and staff proudly commits to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). Calls to support PACBI and the wider Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) come from Palestinian civil society and are grassroots strategies opposing the colonization of Palestine by directly targeting complicity.

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Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre

209 - 401 Richmond Street West  

 Toronto, ON, M5V 3A8

  416-588-0725

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