Entering 2021 & Introducing my Worldwide Women Project
Hello! 2020 is finally over, and while switching the calendar does not cast a magical spell that remedies all of the troubles 2020 brought, every new year brings an opportunity for reflection and forward-looking. I think I have done a lot of introspection about the year already, so I do not feel the need to recap my thoughts on 2020; I think my feelings about the big issues of the year (COVID, BLM, etc.) have been well documented.
Instead, I want to focus on the year ahead. I am not a big believer in New Year’s Resolutions, but I did have one big goal for 2021, and that is to be more productive. I have a lot on my plate, but 2020 showed me that a lot of what I was doing was not bringing me the joy or satisfaction it maybe once had. So in 2021, I want to strive to combine my interests and passions with productive actions that are not only fun but would better me as an individual.
Two of my biggest interests are cinema and world cultures, so in 2021, I wanted to not only combine these but also turn them into an educational and informative action plan. Then, while browsing the website of Turner Classic Movies, I came across their new initiative: Women Make Film. Not only did TCM produce a feature-length documentary on female filmmaking, but they also spotlighted 100 international female directors and their films. Inspired by this, I have decided to devote 2021 to what I am calling my “Worldwide Women Project.”
Once a month, I will watch a film from a country that not only stars a woman but is also directed by one. I will give my personal thoughts on the film, but also have a more academic and analytical discussion about the impact of having a woman in-front of and behind of the camera on that specific story, as well as the cultural distinctions that are present between the different nations. I tried my best to highlight films from lesser known filmmakers or at least women whose films I had never seen (so I did not include films by very famous directors such as Greta Gerwig, Ava DuVernay, Barbra Streisand, Sofia Coppola, Jane Campion, or Kathryn Bigelow).
Here is the tentative schedule for the films I will be viewing for the project. Titles are subject to change based on regional availability (some films are harder to find than others).
January: The Bigamist (1953) directed by Ida Lupino from the USA; starring Ida Lupino and Joan Fontaine
February: La Ciênaga (2001) directed by Lucrecia Martel from Argentina; starring Mercedes Morán and Graciela Borges
March: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) directed by Céline Sciamma from France; starring Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant
April: Rafiki (2019) directed by Wanuri Kahiu from Kenya; starring Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva
May: Zero Motivation (2014) by Talya Lavie from Israel; starring Nelly Tagar and Dana Ivgy
June: My 20th Century (1990) by Ildikó Enyedi from Hungary; starring Dorota Segda
July: Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1974) directed by Chantal Akerman from Belgium; starring Delphine Seyrig
August: Antonia’s Line (1995) directed by Marleen Gorris from the Netherlands; starring Willeke van Ammelrooy and Els Dottermans
September: Nowhere in Africa (2001) directed by Caroline Link from Germany; starring Juliane Köhler
October: Rachida (2002) directed by Yamina Bachir from Algeria; starring Ibtissem Djouadi
November: The Night Porter (1974) directed by Liliana Cavani from Italy; starring Charlotte Rampling
December: Wings (1966) directed by Larisa Shepitko from the Soviet Union; starring Maya Bulgakova
I am incredibly excited to begin this journey around the globe and interact with these filmmakers’ work. I truly believe in the power of cinema, specifically its global reach and impact, and I hope that this project can contribute in some way to that beautiful power.