NEW PALTZ — A festival of feminist documentaries, narrative and experimental films that profile women who defy conventions, resist oppression, and break new ground will serve as the backdrop for the annual Women’s Studies conference on Nov. 10 at the State University of New York at New Paltz.
Under the title “Not Hollywood: A Feminist Film Festival,” the conference’s films tell stories that are at once victorious and terrifying, demoralizing and inspiring, heartwarming and heartbreaking, according to Denise Bauer, director of the Women’s Studies Program. “Whether the issues are racism, homophobia, ageism or misogyny, the films dramatically and creatively explore the complex, multi-layered realities that shape diverse women’s lives around the world today.”
The film festival includes 23 films. After each viewing, there will be a facilitated audience discussion, most with the filmmakers.
The conference will conclude with a keynote panel titled “The Politics of Feminist Filmmaking.” The panelists will be Debra Zimmerman, Executive Director of Women Make Movies and an alumna of SUNY New Paltz, Terry Lawler, Executive Director of New York Women in Film and Television, and Grace Poore, an independent documentary filmmaker.
Some of the topics that will be explored through the films are the lives of urban adolescent girls, women in sports, Asian women writers, women in Islamic culture, lesbian and gender identity, women in hip-hop and rap, and women’s working conditions in the U.S. and abroad.
Many of the films have received prestigious national and international awards. For example, “Kalin’s Prayer” is a narrative/experimental film about one bright young model’s will to survive. It has received 49 honors, including 17 first-place awards at film festivals around the country. “Tree Shade,” a short narrative film, tells the tale of Savannah, a gifted high school student, whose journey back through her family’s history explores African-American feminine identity and female self-worth. This film won several awards, including Winner of Best American Short, 1998 Avignon/New York Film Festival. “Girls Like Us” is a portrait of teenage girls’ experience in South Philadelphia. This film won several awards, including the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.
“Not Hollywood: A Feminist Film Festival” begins at 9 a.m. on Nov. 10 and will be held in the Lecture Center on the New Paltz campus. Registration and additional program information is available online at www.newpaltz.edu/wmnstudies or by calling (845) 257 2975/3033. Child care is provided for children ages 2-12 for those requesting it by Nov. 1.
